Happy Birthday...

to this darling set of twins.

I am one lucky girl to call this man my husband

and that he came as a package deal.

Having this incredible girl as my twin-in-law is the best.

Happy Birthday you two!

Love you both more than you know.

Last years birthday post with 100 things about James here.

Birthday celebration details to come...

Giveaway :: $100 Bel-Bambini WINNER

We have a winner folks!

Chosen at random by random.org was #9...

Congratulations Tanya!

I will be emailing you shortly with details.

Don't forget...

The Bel-Bambini Grand Opening Celebration

is tomorrow and Sunday and it is going to be fabulous.

Celebrity guests include Kristen Cavallari and Lindsay Sloane, among others.

I am stopping by to do some star gazing AND to enter to win some of the amazing prizes.

Plus, the whole store is 10% off. 

Can hardly wait.

Hope to see you there!

Spring...

I say it every year.

Oh, how I love the spring!

This year the weather excitement it is a little diluted as we didn't really have a winter.

Although some SoCal natives would disagree.

But my excitement for the change in seasons has never been stronger.

We are breathing in a fresh era of life over here and loving it.

On Saturday we celebrated St. Patrick's Day.

We slept in.

It is our new goal to relish in our sleep over the next few weeks.

I got a kiss - because I was Irish for the day.

Then, I made our traditional St. Patrick's Day breakfast.

But I decided to make waffles instead of pancakes.

They turned out much better this year.

I used this tasty vegan recipe from my friend's darling blog Salted Sugar.

And if I may say so myself - they were divine.

I also wrote about some St. Patrick's Day ideas over on my OC Family blog.

It was a rainy Saturday so we simply enjoyed each others company 

before heading to the temple for the afternoon.

It was peaceful and lovely.

Then, it was off to True Food where we met some dear friends.

The restaurant was serving everything green for half the price.

Unfortunately, James doesn't really love menu items that have much green.

He went for the "the biggest Bison Burger you've got" as usual.

Yes, he says this every time.

And I opted for an all green meal in honor of the big day.

My favorite place even celebrates St. Patrick's.

I knew it was my favorite for a reason.

I even tried the Kale-Aid.

I'll be honest, I love a good green drink.

But this was a strong veggie flavor, even for my taste buds.

The rest of the evening was spent listening to the down pour, playing games with friends

and walking to Yogurtland for a late night treat. 

To sum it up - 

it was nothing short of a perfect holiday.

I am in full fledge nesting mode with the start of spring. 

For some reason I have kicked into gear this last week.

I haven't quite hit the deep cleaning frenzy

but I have been buzzing around getting things done for our little one.

I wish she could be here to celebrate Easter.

A friend recently pointed out that my obsession with this holiday is a bit unusual.

And its true. 

I love the true meaning and everything bright and egg shaped that comes with it.

For now our little girl is just going to have to enjoy those Reese's Eggs 

{the best holiday version if you ask me}

from the inside.

I haven't purchased my poison just yet.

But let me tell you, 

this 8 month pregnant girl is going to have no qualms digging in for just one day.

It is for the baby of course.

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Bel-Bambini Giveaway.

Less than 24-hours left to enter!

Now, hop to it!

A Spring Baby Girl...

Last weekend these two lovely ladies 

{along with the help of a few others}

threw me a baby bash every girl dreams of.

My sweet friend Mercedes pulled this all off without a single hitch.

I don't know how she did it with her little one in tow.

And Alicia 

{you may remember her from her Valentine's bash} 

was nice enough to host it at her stunning home on the peninsula.

Katie Garcia and Becky both spent time crafting, cooking and shopping

as did my sweet sister-in-law Katie.

I was treated like royalty the whole day.

I've said it time and time again -

but we really lucked out when we moved into this area.

{Oh that growing baby bump. 34.5 weeks and counting.}

Every detail was so perfect. 

Mercedes created a delicious menu and Alicia had every table perfectly adorned.

The thank you jars were so darling - and tasty.

I absolutely loved the spring flowers.

It made me so excited for the season change

{even if it is small here}

and to have this baby girl during my favorite time of year.

These pretzels were a. darling and b. delicious.

Thanks to Mercedes' Pinterest -

I discovered the recipe here.

Everyone was gushing over them.

She also whipped up this cake from Bakerella.

Even with the recipe - I am certain I wouldn't be able to master this cake.

But it looked and tasted perfect.

 I am still amazed.

Yummy!

We played Baby Jeopardy and this first time Mom learned quite a few things.

Lets just say - my table lost.

I guess I have a lot ahead of me.

The little bambina and I were spoiled rotten.

Truly. 

From this darling diaper cake, to homemade wipe pouches, 

to a perfect hand knitted baby blanket from Aunt Katie

 and even our car seat - we.were.spoooiled.

{L to R. Alicia Furst, Barbara Frost, Suzette Swallow, Katie Christenson, Candace Queathem, Karly Andrew, Sherri Overton, Mercedes Attg, Katie Garcia, Caitlin Johnson. 

Sadly didn't get a picture of everyone!}

But hands down the best part was getting to catch up with some of my all time favorite people.

Suzette and Karly both traveled an hour to be there for the big event.

Luckily, my friend Jessica was here from Colorado.

My sister-in-law Katie was representing all of our family and I was thrilled to have her here with me.

Caitlin and Candace were sweet enough to take time out of their busy lives.

And all of the women in my ward -

what can I say...

you are an incredible sisterhood and support group that I rely on daily.

I wish I could have snapped a picture with every one of them.

Thank you oh so much for all of your loving kindness.

Thank you to all of you who made this day possible.

It was truly a dream of a shower.

Now, lets get this baby girl here so we can meet her!

And don't forget about the Bel-Bambini Giveaway.

Just a few more days to enter.

Weekly Guilty Pleasure...

A few weeks ago James expressed concern that I hadn't blogged about our weekly guilty pleasure.

It was like I was hiding something.

If I am going to use this as a journal - I better be honest about ALL of our activities.

I guess its time I admit it.

Once a week, we have several friends over to watch...

the Bachelor.

It's true.

My mother is so ashamed.

Every Monday several friends join us for a guilty dinner and a guilty pleasure of reality TV.

What is perhaps the most hilarious is how involved the men get.

They had nicknamed Courtney the "black widow" on the first week.

We placed "bets" on who would win.

My girls went home the first week. Seriously.

I was that bad.

James bet the black widow would go all the way.

He was that good.

We should have bet something real.

Needless to say, last night was a big night at our house.

Nothing was shocking about the finale.

The whole season was a bit of a bummer if you ask me.

I am disgusted with both the bachelor and the winner.

As Kelly Ripa put it, Lindzi is the luckiest girl in America.

The season ended with an absolute dud.

In fact, I am ashamed that I wasted 3 hours of my time watching that long drawn out finale.

Not sure if we should continue with this guilty pleasure from here on out.

But with Emily up next, you better not hold me to that.

What were your thoughts on the finale and on Emily's upcoming season?

Giveaway :: $100 Gift Card to Bel-Bambini

About the same time we found out we were expecting, a new store front popped up just down the street...

Bel-Bambini was coming to our neighborhood!

I had heard so much about the hip, celebrity shopping spot in West Hollywood 

and couldn't wait to take a peek for myself.

Since I was going gaga over everything baby, I was in the store on its first day open.

Pathetic, I know but it is just too cute.

I could hardly contain my excitement.

Plus, they have everything for new mommies.

You can even have a designer come lay out your nursery for you.

Dreamy right?

I will admit, I go in far too often and look over my "dream list."

Every one needs one of those lists.

James and I tried out every stroller in the store 

and he even loved wheeling those things around the grassy showroom.

I firmly believe it sold him on the whole stroller purchase. Whatever it takes, right?

Thankfully, the darling employees were patient with us 

as we asked every "first timer" question imaginable.

The whole experience is nothing short of charming.

Bel-Bambini is hosting a star-studded 
Grand Opening event on March 24-25.

It is going to be out of this world.

They are giving away a Bugaboo stroller, a designer crib and the works.

You know I will be there bright and early with a few mommy friends to join in on the fun.

And the best part?

In preparation for their Grand Opening, 

Bel-Bambini is giving away a 
$100 gift certificate!

You don't have to live in Southern California to enter.

Bel-Bambini also has an online store that is filled with everything from designer baby clothes, 

to Petunia Pickle Bottom bags, strollers, furniture etc.

It is the perfect excuse to get something out of the ordinary - for free!

To enter:

1. Like Bel-Bambini on Facebook 

2. Leave a comment on this post 
letting us know you entered.

One lucky winner will be randomly chosen 

and announced on Friday, March 23rd.

Spread the word!

Buddha's Favorite

On Friday we desperately needed to get out of the house.

We were both feeling stressed with to do lists and things to accomplish.

We were spiraling.

I decided we needed to switch up our mood

and within an hour we had gathered a few friends to head down to the water for some sushi.

{Cooked for me, of course}

James isn't really a fan of sushi

but I think some of the tasty toppings helped better acquaint him with the fishy food.

We ate way too much and enjoyed some fabulous company.

Boy was I glad I intervened on our downer of a night.

We were quickly on the up and up.

My friend Lani had introduced me to Buddha's Favorite when I first moved here.

I have been dying to go back since.

It is relatively inexpensive and sits right on the water where Lido Island meets the Balboa Peninsula.

When I was younger I used to love the feel of the Lake Powell marina at night.

I can still remember that calm quiet feeling as we walked around on the dock as the day closed.

Now I love going down to the marina at night and seeing the boats come in.

It just has a way of setting me at ease.

Such a fun night to kick off our weekend.

More fun to come.

Wilson...

When I met James he slept with a football.

No, not a stuffed football.

The real kind!

When we got married the football had to leave the bedroom

but it definitely doesn't go far.

Whether it is watching a TV show, going for a stroll around our neighborhood

or hitting the beach - 

Wilson is within reach.

James has been busy with work stuff 

but this weekend we had some much needed R&R.

The three of us 

(meaning me, James and Wilson himself) 

spent the weekend enjoying some 80 degree weather and getting some nesting projects done.

I am afraid Wilson is in for a rude awakening in a few weeks.

James is officially obsessed with the moving ball of joy that currently resides in my belly 

and I think our little bundle may officially knock Wilson off his throne.

But until then I am going to let James enjoy his childhood friend.

One More Disney Day

Disney celebrated leap year by keeping their parks open for 24-hours straight.

It was the first time they have ever done this.

So, Churm Media hopped on the story.

I was over the moon about getting to go to Disneyland.

I absolutely love how Disney handles their media and cast-members (aka employees).

I got the tiniest glimpse into why Disney is Disney.

Albert, Nicole, Suzanne and I hit the park to do a few interviews and enjoy the Disney magic.

I covered the business angle - Suzanne, the family angle.

As we were looking for a few outgoing people to interview,

 the cast of Modern Family walked on by.

I nearly missed them.

When our media rep pointed them out I lost all professionalism.

There I was - quipment in hand, boots, 7+ months pregnant running after the cast.

I wasn't even thinking.

Modern Family is our favorite show 

and you'd think I was a tween chasing after Bieber himself.

I have no pictures to prove it

but I did get a short glimpse of the cast.

As soon as they were out of sight,

I realized that I had probably just lost all of my professional stature.

Kid at heart. What can I say?

Can't wait to go back soon.