our christmas part 2

well, with it being the eve of new years eve i could think of no better time to share with you the rest of our christmas photos. L and i began christmas eve in true california form & shared a coconut. i wasn't sure how lu would feel about it since he is so picky these days, but he more than liked it and gulped it down like water, slurping up every last drop. i practically had to pry it out of his hands.

^^i'm not sure what kind of sugar a coconut comes equipped with, but it was enough to keep luca up far past his nap time & after climbing on pretty much every piece of furniture, including our microwave, he finally crashed ^^

^^we are simply obsessed with the 'black ice' moccasins by freshly picked. they go with absolutely everything and have subtle, yet just enough, detail to add a little bit of pizzazz to any outfit--Not to mention, how easy and practical the moccs are to slip on when we need to get going quick as in right this minute now which is far to often than i'd like to admit.^^

^^while lulu slept, miles did some work on his computer & i began mixing up some pancake batter to make some fun pancakes inspired by the one & only, everybody's favorite, pinterest^^

^^have you ever tried making pancakes with a pancake pen? it's so much fun because you can make fun shapes & it makes cleaning up a cinch. we found ours at world market, but i've seen them at crate & barrel as well, and if you aren't near either of those stores, try amazon^^

^^santa claus is just a classic circular pancake snazzed up with whip cream for his hair and beard, bananas and cherries for his eyes, strawberries cut into halves to make his hat, and a strawberry with the stem cut off for his nose^^

^^i also made a snowman (not pictured) & this christmas tree with bananas, whipped cream, and strawberries. the pancakes were so sweet and yummy with the fruit and whipped cream they didn't even need syrup, although i'm sure they would be all the more delicious that way. I was feeling way too fat from pigging out everywhere else so i opted out, but don't let me be the one make you feel guilty,..you lather those puppies up, it's christmas!!!^^

^^this was one of the most fun  things i did this season, sewed up a baby apron for luca. i didn't follow a pattern & i didn't measure him either (although i would have liked to, but he wasn't in any mood to let me) i just guesstimated, and as the best projects go, i just went for it! and i was so pleased with the turnout!^^

 ^^after breakfast we got around to making sugar cookies for santa with lu's godmother "auntie em," and lu was in hog heaven getting to lend a helping hand^^

 ^^it's a good thing his toys weren't on the counter or he would have thrown those in too^^

 ^^the stand up mixer is so essential for big baking projects. i am by no means sponsored by kitchen-aide, but i love mine. I do know a few different brands make them and they come in all different colors, so if you are going to invest in one, shop around. mine was a hand me down from my grandmother who didn't use it enough, so i was lucky in that sense, but really, i would have bought one myself because they are that good^^

 ^^and then out came my extensive collection of cookie cutters. slightly embarrassed, slightly proud...^^

 ^^miles insisted we take this photo with our heart cutouts. of course, mine's the bigger one!^^

i'm part hispanic, so we celebrate christmas on that side of my family on christmas eve at my aunt's house. mile's dad, greg, came out to join us, and even stayed the night. he helped me put together the basketball hoop santa brought lu for christmas. in our household, santa doesn't wrap his gifts and rarely does he put them together. so greg was a huge help and of course we love his company. wait...is santa ikea?! 

 ^^i made homemade monkey bread (pull-apart cinnamon rolls) which was broken out on christmas morning after hours of slaving away to the homemade dough in the kitchen (next time, i'll plan things out in terms of timeliness a little better, but they were a hit & no one complained about the wait)^^

my family & i hope you had a joyous christmas and a have an even more wonderful new year. i can't believe how fast the time is flying by & even more than that I cannot wait to see what this year will bring. 

happy holidays from my family to yours, the wood family
Miles, Chelsie & Luca
xo

our christmas part 1 & a snow globe tutorial

another christmas come and gone. i still cannot believe how fast this holiday season flew by, and although i say that year after year, this one went particularly fast. here is a recap of our christmas & as promised, the famous snow globe tutorial.

^^ we received a plethora of goodies including this fabulous kitty blanket miles won at his work's white elephant party. as you can tell from my expression, it's the cat's meow!^^

^^we made tamales & my grandma came up with the greatest idea to put butter in the masa because butter makes everything better, no? it may have been was our best batch to date^^

^^L learned early on how to make a lady happy with a foot massage & his cousin bella loved his gentle touch^^

now if you want to make the fun & festive snow globes i posted on my instagram here is the how to:

^^you'll need jars in a multitude of sizes and shapes^^

^^your choice of holiday floral stems (i found mine at joann's)^^

^^mini trees (i found mine in the holiday collector's section at michael's)^^

^^wire cutters & a hot glue gun. also (not pictured) you'll need some fake snow)^^

^^step one: hot glue a mini tree to the base of the mason jar cap (if you have bigger lids feel free to glue two trees & any other fun holiday staples. i found a mini clock tower and used that in one of my bigger jars^^

^^next, you'll want to take the floral stems and clip them down into small pieces and glue those around the bottom of the tree like this (don't worry, it doesn't have to be perfect. once in the jar, little  flaws or gaps won't be noticeable)^^

^^now pour your fake snow into the jar itself. there is technique in having a good medium here. you don't want too much snow and you also don't want too little. if you have too much you'll drown out your decor around the tree & if you have too little your snow will be buried by the lid & won't be visible^^

^^now with the jar upright, you want to screw the lid on. the tree will be upside down in the jar at this point & the snow will be resting at the bottom of the jar. now flip the jar upside down & using your palm gently tap the sides of the jar to get the snow to distribute evenly at the bottom of the jar & voila you are done!^^

^^you can also do an inversion method which i find much easier & will show you how to do here^^

[i think it is fun to do half and half with both methods to add some diversity to your jars]

^^so in this method, you'll want to stuff the snow into the jar and then add any sprig assortment into the snow. then, all that is left to do is to screw the cap on. yep, it's that simple which is why i like this method the most (no glue, not too much arranging, and it's effortless, but it looks like it took a ton of time. the best, am i right?!)^^

^^and here are the two variations of your beautiful jars completed!^^

^^here were my globe arrangements. you see how adorable they look when you use different sized jars?!^^

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and if you did please comment with an honest review below. you can also comment with any questions you might have! also, don't feel like this is something you can only do for christmas, all the different holidays can be made into fun "snow" globes, just get creative, and get crafting! 

I hope your holiday was merry, bright, and filled with family, friends and all those you love the most.

merry christmas from my family to yours,

post-op

first off, i'd like to say thank you to everyone who wished us well after my last post. your words and gestures of kidness meant the world to me & my family. 

with that being said...

i am elated to announce L flew through the surgery & recovery with flying colors! before we could even think or worry about the procedure, it was over. luca was difficult to put down (because of how scared and upset he was), but i was told he woke up like an angel, which of course didn't surprise me one bit. i only broke down once as they wheeled lu away to the operating room, but luckily miles was by my side and we were able to be of support to one another.

  side story: on the paperwork they gave us to fill out, for some odd reason, i was listed as not being the legal guardian of luca, which in turn evoked a ton of jokes from miles & me feeling bitter towards the person responsible for this. no one ever really believes lu is my biological child. i am constantly asked whether i'm his nanny, adoptive parent, or step-mother (yes, people have the nerve to ask these types of questions). this insanity completely drives me insane. i get it, i am dark, with dark hair, dark eyes, and have few, if any, recessive traits--L on the other hand has strawberry blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and china doll pale white skin. we don't look related, but WE ARE. I PAINFULLY BIRTHED HIM, give me a little cred here, throw me a bone, sheesh. 

anyway, aside from all that madness, we took our little boy home that same day and slowly introduced liquids & then food back into his diet. since he couldn't eat or drink from midnight the night before, eating slowly seemed like a torturous chore much like me trying to give L the eye drops the doctor prescribed him. I almost had to call in for a refill as i lost many droplets in all places but his eye. we had no complications and the healing process was as if nothing had ever happened.  L was really loopy and sleepy the rest of the day & i happily took some time off work to be with him. we both took a long nap and then it seemed like everything just returned to normal. children are so resilient, it's incredible. i also know a large part of this had to do with the amazing pediatric specialist, dr. ortiz, we were so fortunate to have. he took such good care of luca and kept us extremely informed throughout the entire process (which you just know makes a mama happy). we simply loved him. i know this is a really common issue in infants, blocked tear ducts, so i hope i put those of you in our same position at ease about having the procedure done. and of course if you have any questions, i'd be happy to fill you in the best to my ability. 

 i  am so thankful to each and every one of you who kept me and my family in your thoughts. although a totally simple procedure, the anesthesia was upping my anxiety to uncharted territory & naturally, i was a wreck. but after everything, we have already seen amazing results, we are just so lucky. i love you all & because I just cannot say it enough...

thank you, thank you, thank you.

xx

Our Thanksgiving

i know. i am so incredibly late, but i have photos to share from our thanksgiving & i figured i'd get them out before christmas. how does the old saying go, "better late than never?" 

^^pie, glorious pumpkin pie. non-regretfully enjoyed with more than a dollops worth of cool whip^^

^^tea time with rock candy sugar stirring sticks. you can call me fancy pants^^

^^almost too pretty to sit down & eat, almost^^

^^did i mention we flew to france for thanksgiving? totally kidding, but totally wishing i weren't^^

^^champagne toasts^^

^^sweet reminders^^

i am grateful daily for all i have been blessed with & with christmas just moments around the corner, i'm even more grateful i have these two to spend it with. what are you most grateful for this season? xo

what i know for sure

i woke up yesterday morning with my nose nestled in luca's hair. his hair smelt of leftover maple syrup from pancakes at granny's. it was a smell so warm & familiar. "log cabin," i thought. granny always buys "log cabin" maple syrup, just in the way she always buys bisquick mix & serves her pancakes with a little bit of butter & a whole lot of love. isn't it funny the things we remember from certain smells? my granny used to cook up pancakes and waffles for me as a little girl, now she is cooking them for my little boy & nothing is sweeter.

usually i'm up and out the door before L or miles even budge. having no alarm clock & having my boy all to myself was the best feeling in the entire world, bliss. i liked waking up before him, waking up slow & watching him sleep. i burrowed myself up against his little body and rubbed his dimpled hand in the palm of my own. new york city felt like a rat race & somehow simply lying in this bed with lu made all in the world right. enjoying those brief moments as if they were an eternity was just what i needed to bring me back to center. and sometimes i wonder how i could possibly love someone so much, but i do. 

there is nothing like it, parenthood. no place, no monument, nothing. no words to really explain how it is you feel. L is having surgery on his eye in the morning because his right tear duct never opened properly due to a blockage. this causes his eye to be constantly irritated and watering. i wish i could take his place & if they 'd let me, i would. my heart is nervous & even though i know the procedure is simple, i'd be lying if i were to say i wasn't afraid.  

when i was twelve, my appendix ruptured. my mom spent over a week with me in the hospital & never left my side,  not to mention the week & a half prior she spent cleaning up my throw up and hassling the doctors until they actually did something. clichés aside, my mom & her persistence saved my life. she made me feel so secure & so safe. i never got to thank her for that. a few years down the road she fought for her life so she might still be here for me to do that. she hung on when her heart had had enough and gave more when she felt like giving up. & i've only begin to understand now why she did what she did--i was her lu. i feel helpless, delicate, and completely terrified. she probably felt that way too. in the end, everything i'm feeling must be secondary to this--i have to be strong, so lu can feel nervous, force a smile, so i can try and make him laugh, be brave, so he can feel safe, & act confident, so he knows everything is going to be ok. this is the most difficult, most beautiful thing in the entire world. this is motherhood.
[& wasn't i lucky to have learned from the best]
watch over lu ma, tomorrow & always. & don't forget about me because i still need you too ;)
xo

holiday gift guide: the little edition

"the most wonderful time of year" is in full swing around here. ever since my plane landed, still in a NY state of mind, i hit the ground running. i even contemplated moving to NY at one point until miles grabbed the balloon pulling me into the clouds & popped it so i would come back to earth (trust me, i needed that). i feel like my holiday game isn't quite at par this year and as the days fall away faster and faster, I become more okay knowing i most likely won't check everything off my list even if i'm checking it twice ;) 

i did finally order our christmas cards this year, better late than never & although i had grandiose ideas to have professional shots taken, i settled for simple. i picked a fun photo from our trip and going against every grain in my body, i even opted to have the envelopes pre-addressed. sometimes shortcuts are necessary. i am so sorry to disappoint anyone who enjoys my typography, but this mama is exhausted!

all the craziness aside, there is nothing more special than experiencing christmas through your baby's eyes, and the busy years are no exception. i've compiled this little list of what luca will find under the tree this year (once we get a tree that is!), and i've decided for every toy i buy him, i will donate one he's outgrown. 

1. Lu is so enthralled by magnets right now and so i was tickled to find a creative play toy to engage his imagination. & what child doesn't love ice cream? and it's fat free ;) we also love these magnetic blocks from tegu. any toys that prompt creativity and give the mind free space to run wild we're all about! in an age of dominating electronics it sometimes feels good reverting back to the basics.

2. i found this adorable wooden camera on etsy and i love the raw look of it. can you tell i like wooden toys? i also like supporting small businesses. Luca will love pretending to take our photos on christmas morning.

3. one thing i love about little boys is how they love to thrash around. life is much too short to play delicately, am i right? i can already picture the tegu blocks getting mowed through by this t-rex.

4. this little puppy is compatible with over 80 LeapFrog books and helps keep little ones get excited about reading. this one makes the english teacher in me beam with happiness. 

5. L has been really into yoga lately. it might sound silly to you, but he actually is starting to know & practice a few poses such as downward dog, childs pose, and my favorite pose he has incorporated into his practice lately is tri pada adho mukha svanasana better known as three-legged dog (see demonstration below). i've been teaching him some of the basics & trying to instill in him some of the wonderful principles both yoga & meditation encompass. the best part about yoga is you are never too young or too old to start. i thought if he already has his own skateboard, he just as well have his own mat. (there are a lot of books on baby yoga but we like this one)

^^ little yogi bear^^

6. you may know lucy darling for their adorable closet organizers but i love the shop for their adorable prints. L loves to play outdoors and his room is all woodland themed so either the "play outside" print or "happy camper" print would make for an adorable addition to his wall. his grandpa (my dad) owns an RV dealership, so i have a bias towards the "happy camper" print, but i honestly can't decide! this one is a coin flip for sure!

oh and i must mention, the rain followed me home & california is so pleased. 

rain, shine, or snow, I hope you're having a warm & festive holiday surrounded by love.

xx

Little Rhode-y Part 1

We took off to Rhode Island on a red eye Thursday evening and if it looks like we have a lot of luggage, well that's how you have to roll with a one year old. We packed reasonably light, but for some reason we look like the beverly hill billies in this photo. For all you mothers who want to or are about to travel with little ones, fear not, it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, just be prepared & keep a positive attitude. Miles and I made a pact before we left and said, "No matter what happens, have be it our flight delays, the weather goes sour, Luca has a polar meltdown, or be it any other type of chaos, we will stay calm, we will smile and laugh about it all, and we will have a great time because we are in control & this is our vacation dammit!" And so it goes. I stuck to the plan more so than Miles did, but Miles only had a couple mini meltdowns here and there (patience is his downfall), but speaking for myself, staying calm and positive made all the difference in how smoothly our travels went. I would repeat to myself when I began to feel myself get frustrated or upset, "Go slowly. Be easy. And keep your head up & your heart open." 

I always come up with little mantras to help me when I'm feeling nervous or uneasy. You can use mine or come up with your own, but the key is to repeat it over and over to yourself & most importantly believe it. Believe what you are saying. Go slowly--slow down, take a breath, and take your time, rushing isn't necessary. Be easy--don't sweat the small stuff, just go with it. Keep your head up & your heart open--In other words, you are in control of your emotions and how you react to everything happening to you, and how you react is a reflection of your character. Keep your head up and you may notice something or someone you hadn't noticed before. Be aware of what is happening around you & smile and say hello to people. Keep your heart open and allow good things to come into your life because you deserve them. This is all so much easier said than done, but it's a practice and before you know it it'll become habit. For me, it took my mother passing away when I was 18 to really make me realize what is important to me in this life. Life is too short to live angrily. It's all about enjoying the little moments and I mean YOLO, right? (To my Granny reading, YOLO means "you only live once.") As corny as it is to quote Drake, he said it best, "YOLO," so live well and be happy! I promise, it feels really good (this goes for my husband Miles too, who far too often lets situations take control of him. Go slowly, and be easy babe, believe me, it feels really, really good!).

Miles and I traveled to the east coast a few months before I found out I was pregnant with Luca and we roamed and roamed. This time things are a little different, but so much more fun seeing everything through the eyes of my baby. So far everything has gone smoothly minor mishaps have been few, but that's to be expected when traveling with a little one & if not, well then you're just lucky and you should probably go buy yourself a lotto ticket.

 Luca was very excited to be at the airport, after we went through security of that is. Backstory: You can carry your child through the metal detector if you allow them to swab your hands, so Miles attempted to go through with L first, but he beeped, so then I took trial secondly and I beeped as well--mind you, this never happens to me. While all the chaos and commotion is happening, Luca tries to jump ship on us and run in the opposite direction...laughing ferociously, I might add. At this point, the people behind us were rolling their eyes, so I said "you can go ahead," and then jetted off to grab Lu. Miles held L while I removed my watch & all my jewelry to carry Luca through security (praise the lord it wasn't the x-ray machine). By that point Luca was shaking in his boots and squirming in my arms. We shuffled through, they swabbed my hands and we were free at last, free at last, thank god almighty, we were free at last! (You can't quote Drake and then not quote the great Martin Luther King Jr., am I right?) So there we were, free as birds, with 3 hours to spare because of course we took extra precaution in being overly punctual. 

The rest of the ride was smooth from there. I don't know what Luca & I are doing in this photo, but I just noticed we are matching. We boarded the plane on schedule, took off, and I braced myself for L's ears to start hurting, but he had his pacifier and never made it a peep. We all slept & five hours later we were in Newark, NJ where we had a 3 hour layover & slept some more. Also, where I was most likely fist pumping in my dreams.

Our flight from Newark into Providence was 29 mins and we all slept even more, landing in  Rhode Island at 9:30 a.m EST. We were all in one piece, all our luggage was in tact, and my mother-in-law was there waiting to pick us up. We had arrived in the hometown of Dumb & Dumber, coffee milk, and according to my grandmother-in-law, Hasboro's "Mr. Potata head."

My little potato head played in the grass all afternoon with the cold, brisk air standing still at 39º F at Mile's mother's home. Some might call that cold, but we love it. My mother-in-law & her husband live in a charming little town called North Kingstown with the cutest little New England houses and colorful leaves everywhere. Luca loves the cold & I like dressing him for the cold because he can wear a pom beanie purposefully! 

And I get to enjoy a true fall!

Miles and Lu tested out the most high tech lawn mower we've ever seen. No one in California has enough lawn to need one of these bad boys, and I'm sure if you had that much lawn, the state would be punning you the cause of our drought. Miles was drooling with envy, and Luca was ready to get on with the outdoors. Joe, Miles' stepdad, had plenty of "work" set up for Lu. L got to collect twigs and logs (staged just for him) into a barrel for his pops.

Lulu was happy to help.

I couldn't resist picking some fresh balsam and evergreen sprigs and stuffing them into my pocket. I did so after I staged this adorable photo with Lu's mittens because miniature mittens may just be the cutest. Yes, evergreen is that accessible out here. There are "christmas" trees everywhere. My mind flooded with the idea of how many wreaths I could whip out if I were to live here. Is this whoville?! Douglas furs and Jack Pines just naturally grow on every corner and square inch of uninhabited land, it's lovely.

Here is Lu very upset. He hated wearing his puffer jacket. I think he felt like he couldn't put his arms down and accessibly do pretty much anything, but he kept it on just long enough to snap this photo and then it was a wrap.

The mini michelin man was saved by his "Daaa" who is this little boys hero.

And this "Ben's Hot Dog" eating man is mine.

 

Wishing you all a very happy holiday season and safe travels if you're feeling drifty like us.

Now look behind Miles. They're everywhere I tell you!

...if only TSA would allow me to check a tree...I've already seen at least five perfect ones.

bahhhh humbug!