palm springs memorial day trip

I don't know why we don't take day trips out to Palm Springs more often.  We had so much fun yesterday!  Palm Springs is only a one hour drive away from our house which is just long enough to feel like we are getting away, but short enough to be tolerated by the kids.  My parents came along for the day as we visited friends and did some hiking up on the San Jacinto mountains.  It was the perfect Memorial Day excursion. 

Lyla standing outside our friends' house looking very "palm springs". 

Darla (Lyla's friend for the day who was visiting from LA).

Running around the house like wild children.

After a nice long day of hanging with our friends and checking out their new house, we headed to the palm springs aerial tram.  The 10 minute ride took us up the cliffs of Chino Canyon to an elevation of 8500 feet.  From the top you see an excellent view of the Coachella Valley.  It is normally about 30 degrees cooler up at the top, so we packed for cold weather.  It's odd to bundle up in the parking lot when it's 90 degrees outside!  We were also prepared to do some light hiking.

Here we go!  Ready for a nature walk.

One of our plans for the day included seeing the memorial day "flower drop" at the Palm Springs Air Museum, but we missed it.  I think we were too far away or just arrived a bit too late.  Maybe next year!  Here's a little bit of information about the flower drop in case you are curious:

The 14th Annual Memorial Day Flower Drop
Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 N. Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, CA

"This year’s Flower Drop will again feature the Missing Man Formation by T-34s and the Heat Wave Jazz Band. Forest Lawn Memorial Park returns as the Sponsor of the 3,000 carnations that will drop from a vintage World War II era aircraft. Palm Springs Air Museum’s original Chief Pilot Jim Dale (JD) will pilot the vintage aircraft dropping the flowers. Festival festivities schedule: 10:00 am until 12 noon - KNEWS Radio live remote; 10 am and throughout the day - BiPlane Stearman Rides for sale ... 1:00 pm - T-34 Missing Man Formation Flight Exhibition followed by the Flower Drop of 3,000 red and white carnations. The flower drop honors and memorializes all veterans who lost their life defending the US. The white carnations are in honor of those who fought in WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. The red carnations are in honor of those who died in more recent conflicts including the Persian Gulf, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan."

my model family

I might be biased, but I do believe that I have a seriously good looking family!  Don't these two look like baby models?

And Cody with his sweet smile and big eyes?  To die for!  He is wearing an Old Navy flannel shirt, a Children's Place t-shirt that says "Captain of this vessel" with a ship on it, and gap skinny jeans.

Lyla is wearing a "lil brood" brixton hat, Children's Place scarf, and LAmade shirt.  Her baggy jeans are from h&m.

Handsome Trav.  He is wearing a Band of Outsiders shirt and black skinny tie from Bo Clothing.  He looks like he could be in a GQ ad.

dreaming of our future salon

I came across these beautiful images while researching ideas for Trav's future salon.  Travis and I are envisioning a space that is warm and inviting to both men and women.  I think his love for old school barber shops and my femininity will blend nicely to achieve that effect.  I can't help but get really excited about all the possibilities!  Though we are a long way off from financially being able to pursue this dream, it's never too early to start planning, right?

Baxter Finley barber shop in LA:

Ruby 6 salon in Manhattan:

High Horse salon in Brooklyn:

Tommy Guns salon in Lower East Side NY:

mother and other tea

Our church had a tea for all the moms and ladies over the age of twelve.  It was a lovely afternoon of prayer, worship, and fellowship with the ladies of Reliance Church.  The tea was at the civic center in old town temecula and 150 women attended.  The theme was "under the shadow of His wing" and the inspiration came from Psalm 36:7 which says, "How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings." 

Kandice, Madilyn, me, Sara, Cheryl and Helen.  That's four generations in one photo!

Tea.  I had coffee because I'm not a huge fan of tea.

Each table had a host who was responsible for decorating their table.  Our table had a buckingham palace theme and it was so cute, but I couldn't find a good picture of it.  This apple green table was probably my favorite.  I like how black and white look with a bold color.  I had a lot of fun walking around and seeing all the different table inspirations.

This table was really pretty too. 

The tea also hosted a clothing exchange which they called "Simply Needed Boutique" and you could "shop" for womens, childrens, baby and even maternity clothing.  There were no prices as everything was on donation basis only.  I scored a bunch of cute stuff for Cody.  He got four t-shirts, a sweatshirt, a pair of jammies, and a flannel.  That kid is growing so fast, so it's nice not to spend a fortune to keep him clothed!

Desserts outside.



breast is best, but it's not always easy.

I am proud to say that I breastfed Cody until he was 16 months old.  I only breastfed Lyla until she was 8 months old.  Sound unfair?  Let me explain.  The reason I stopped at 8 months with Lyla is because I "ran out" of milk.  I mistakenly thought that because I was working full-time, I had no choice but to expect that my milk would eventually deplete.  Little did I know that there is this wonderful herb called fenugreek that will increase and even revive your milk supply!  Now I know better, and I want to help other moms out there who struggle with their milk production. 

There are so many reasons to try to breastfeed for as long as possible...and there is SO MUCH information out there on the world wide web.  I recently read this excerpt from an article on npr.com and found this part interesting:

"We know far more about red wine than we know about human breast milk. But the things they're discovering are sort of amazing. We used to think that breast milk was just a food and that it was filled with fats and proteins and vitamins and that formula companies were successfully able to mimic this. But we now know that there are substances in breast milk that exist almost at the same levels that are not digestible by infants. So what are they doing there? It turns out, they're digestible by beneficial bacteria. So over millions of years, the mother has been creating a substance that will recruit useful bacteria into her infant's gut, and this sets her infant up for life. So as much as breast milk is a food, we also now understand that it's also a medicine." - interview with Florence Willaims, author of "Breasts: a Natural and Unnatural History". 

This just further encourages me to keep up the hard work of breastfeeding my babies even past the age that society thinks is "appropriate".  I hope that I can encourage other mothers to do the same!

Check out this nursing cover on amazon.  It's by "hooter hiders" and it's 100% cotton.  I like the ruffles.

These Lansinoh disposable nursing pads were a must have during the first 6 months or so of nursing! 

This Medela Pump-in-style breast pump is awesome.  It helped me nurse while working full time with both my kids.  In my opinion, you have to go with the double-pump instead of the single because it cuts the pumping time in half!

where's cody?

I adore this picture of me and my little gal.  Lyla's blouse is from tippicanu and leggings from target.  She is wearing her gap peep-toe flats.  I am wearing a button-up shirt from barney's and skirt from target.  Heels are coach.

Travis.

Shirt from forever 21 and vintage skinny tie and tie tack circa 1950s.

Shoes from forever 21.

Cody did not make fashion friday today.  He ended up looking like a dorky tourist today, so we opted him out of the pictures (believe me, he was perfectly fine with that!).  Happy weekend, everyone!

out of the mouths of babes

Facebook posts:

May 17, 2012

Lyla's prayer this morning: "dear God, i want to pray for a baby sister. I also want to pray for michael. I love him so much and he doesn't feel good, so just bless the Lord to him. And my auntie trisha doesn't know Jesus very well, so i just want to pray for her. We love you so much, God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen"

May 3, 2012

Lyla's prayer in the car this morning: "Dear God, I just want to pray that you keep us safe at Disneyland today. I want to pray for Michael Dorobiala to have a good job and good home after bible...I want to pray for a baby sister. I want her to be born a girl and naked. So, in Jesus' name, Amen."


Some friends and I were talking this morning about how pure and sweet are the prayers of children.  They aren't hindered by what society thinks about what we should pray for or how we should pray.  A child's prayers are sincere, honest, and from the heart.  I love hearing Lyla's prayers and I love to share them to bless others.  In chapter 18 of the book of Matthew, Jesus is asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  He calls out a little child and has him stand among them.  Jesus answers, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:3-4.  Lyla reminds me daily to humble myself and to become more child-like in my love for Jesus!

I wonder if God will answer Lyla's prayers for a baby sister???

my artwork on display

Element Salon is currently undergoing a makeover.  The management team has taken some huge steps in revamping the place.  They recently painted some walls a mauve-grey to cover up the electric green which was a definite improvement.  One of their goals is to keep the interior decor fresh and interesting, so they are attempting to hang more artwork.  I offered to put up my two paintings to fill up wall space while they are looking for real professional artists.  It's pretty cool to see my artwork on display!  I am feeling a bit inspired to paint some more...in my "free time".  I really love to paint, but I just don't know where in my life I could sacrifice the time to devote to artwork.  I might just have to figure something out!

tea collection

I purchased a few kids clothing items online a couple weeks ago and totally forgot about my order.  A box came in the mail yesterday and it was so exciting to open it, because I had no idea what was inside!  I guess that's what happens when you do a lot of online shopping at discount sites.  Today Lyla and Cody are wearing their "tea collection" goodies.  At full retail this brand is too expensive, but I got them at a great price on theminisocial).  If you haven't signed up on this site, you seriously need to!

Lyla wears the "boxy floral top".  Her shorts are ROXY and silver sandals by "unlisted".

Cody in the "mucha lucha libre hoodie" and cut-off cord shorts (both tea collection).

love the lightning bolt!

Can't wait to put Cody in soccer when he is big enough! 

playful playroom curtains

Window coverings make me happy!  The mood of a room can be totally transformed by just adding a rod and pair of curtains.  Thanks to ikea, we now have diffused sunlight to brighten the kids' playroom.  I like the whimsical tree print, too.  We have so many other bare windows in our house that I need to tackle, but this was a fun and thrifty start.



Eivor curtains available at IKEA.

Our friend, Pastor, and brother in Christ, Brent Yim, went home to be with the Lord last night after a long battle with brain cancer.  My heart is broken for the family he leaves behind...his wife Andrea, and their two young sons, Jaiden and Micah.  We also rejoice in knowing that Brent is now in the presence of Jesus and that we will be reunited with him someday. 

Please visit the Brent Yim Fund website if you feel led to help this family.  "From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." -Psalms 61:2

what we do on sunday nights

"The Way" is a weekly bible study that Travis and I have been serving at.  We have been so blessed to become a part of the young adults ministry.  When we were first approached with the idea of joining the leadership team, we thought, "Yeah, we're not much older than them...maybe we will be able to relate to their struggles and issues."  Ha!  We forgot that we are about 10 years older than this college-aged crowd.  How did we get so old so fast?  Nevertheless, it has been a blessing to get to know these young adults and encourage them in their walks with Jesus.  Here is a little information that I grabbed from our church's website about our group:

VISION STATEMENT

The Way is a weekly small group for young adults. It is designed to be a genuine community where we can have real conversations about life. Every Sunday night, we meet for dessert, fellowship, and a study of the Word. At The Way, we examine biblical perspectives on a diversity of subjects: from the everyday issues we face to what God says about eternity.

‎'Prepare The Way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' (Luke 3:4,6)

For more info contact Cody at cody@reliancechurch.org

patting myself on the back

I am happy to announce that I lost the remainder of the weight from my "new year weight loss challenge"!  My original goal was to lose 10 pounds and I finally met this goal for our final weigh-in this past Friday.  I am now at the size I was before babies!  It feels so good. 

My hope is to encourage other moms out there to always try to eat healthy and incorporate excercise in your routines.  I know it's not easy with busy schedules and little ones.  I also know that it is not a priority in life.  There are many other things that I prefer (and need) to do...but I also know that taking time to feel good about myself is crucial.  How I feel about myself effects my family!  Seriously, if I can do it with a full-time job and two kids in tow, ANYONE can! 

My friend and co-worker, Carrie, posted this verse as encouragement on our facebook page: "She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks" -Proverbs 31:17

The Proverbs 31 woman worked out! 

-BEFORE taken 3/9/2012-

                                     

-AFTER taken 5/4/2012-

TGIF!

Check out my men in their cardigans!  I just can't stand how cute they are! 

Cody looks so dapper in his: cardigan from h&m, buttoned shirt from kenneth cole, pants from plum bunny by kate quinn, and shoes from h&m.  He is holding daddy's bowler hat.

Travis wears: cardigan from forever 21, shirt from heritage, "linwood" skinny tie from Bo Clothing, brixton "fiddler" hat, and nixon "the capitol" watch.

This is the best picture I could get of Lyla this morning.  She was totally rebelling against the photo session.  Can you tell?  Lyla wears: v-pocket tee from LAMADE, jeans from oshkosh, and vans shoes.  She's too cool for photos though.

I am wearing: v-neck from victoria's secret PINK, coral pants from target, gold glitter ballet flats from a boutique store in Tokyo, and necklace from forever 21.

I love these shoes.  I have had them for almost 5 years and they are still some of my favorite go-to shoes.  They are just so glittery and fun!