SANTA I know him!

So last year when we took C to see Santa lets just say it was less then impressive. We opted to take this picture instead of the one with us in it, because really this was the perfect photo capturing how she really felt about the whole ordeal. 

So this year when it came time to sit down with the man in red I have to say I was expecting the same reaction. To my surprise she actually had a grand ol' time. She chatted with Santa and talked about Rudolph. Took a picture (still no smile, but hey no tears) and even waived goodbye to him as we left. We took her to Santa inside Disneyland this year so you just treat him as another character (score for mommy) I didn't have to pay $40 for 2 5x7s. I think since we were in her favorite place in the whole wide world, she just went with it and it didn't bother her one bit. So thank you disney, we'll see you again next year. 

Super blurry photo of a  photo but I had to share, C got to walk down the street with minnie. Her little life was complete in that moment and she even tired to walk Pluto after this..

And last but not least the closest to home my kid will ever get snow. She loved it, so I guess we will have to plan a Big Bear trip so we can build a snowman.

XOXO

Thanksgiving 2015

I feel like I have so many things this year to be thankful for. A happy healthy rambunctious almost 2-year-old, a wonderful husband, an adorable puppy, a roof to put over my head, food on the table and of course fuzzy socks

We had such a beautiful and stuffed thanksgiving! My sister was here visiting and got to spend the holiday with us, which meant lots and lots of aunt shell time. Steve and I hosted thanksgiving and we all made some delicious food and ate until we basically passed out. It was a wonderful day filled with family and friends, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

C and her bestie being silly on their date last week, we went to color me mine and made plates and cups for cookies and milk with santa! Can't wait to see how they turned out.

XOXO

Tale of the Bad Blogger and Family Photos

So I know last week I was super absent and nowhere to be seen, I wanted to be blogging and getting stuff done but to be honest we were just so exhausted from all the traveling. We have been doing this whole travel thing since the second weekend in October so this was the first week and weekend we have been home in awhile and it was glorious. So I basically milked our time at home, had some extra cuddles with C, and hung out which I honestly think we all really needed. Now we are right back into busy time at home with lots of photo shoots for mom and fun family time headed our way. 

  

While we were in Texas the first time, my husbands side of the family had a huge family photo shoot which is always so much fun to do. It is so nice watching little ones grow up, and get a giant family picture every year we just love it! We got our photos back from the photographer, so I'm giving you a little preview on here today. 

 I can't begin to tell you enough how much I love this little family of mine they are just the best and I think I am one lucky girl that I get to call them mine. 

We had a blast taking these photos and I love capturing C at all moments in life it is so sweet to have these memories to look back on. 

I also took our Christmas Card photos a few days ago and I can't wait to show you how they came out. 

XOXO

Watching her Grow Up

With every passing month I think it gets harder and harder to watch her grow up, as much as I want her to be independent when it happens it almost hurts a little. Its a bitter sweet thing watching them get older. She needs me a little less in certain ways, and all I can do is enjoy these moments as they happen. It's just so hard. I love it when her little personality comes though in everything she does (remind me of those words when she's a teenager). This chick is a lot like her mama, she knows what she wants, when she wants it, she looks at the word no as a challenge she's always willing to conquer and she loves with all her heart. 

Playing with her bestie the other day at one of there activities, these two love each other and it so sweet watching them grow up together. 

The other day we went to run some errands, we talked the whole time we were in target she gave me her opinion on certain items and attempted to convince me of things she needed. After our errands we got come lunch and headed to the park to have a picnic and play. She loved every moment, there were some big kids there she was desperately trying to hang with, running up to them introducing herself and scurrying right behind them. My little peanut is already wanting to be big. I wish there was a way to tell her to stay little forever but alas no mom before me has figured it out. Keep me posted if any of you do. 

Outfit picked out entirely by her, and no bow hence the wild hair. My favorite. 

For now I'll relish in the fact that I am her favorite person and enjoy this moment in time. 

XOXO

Grand Canyon

If you follow me on Instagram (@bumpsbabesandbellinis) then you know we headed out to the Grand Canyon for Steve's birthday trip this year. We had so much fun hanging out just the three of us and loved all the cold weather at the canyon. It was fun to be bundled up and not break a sweat, then once the sun went down it got too cold and we all turned into big babies. HaHa

The view were truly heath taking, I am so glad we went. We disused once the kids (and I say kids because one day we hope to have more, no I'm not telling you anything) are older we want to go back and do some hikes and explore more, it was a little hard this time around with peanut. 

Of course in true peanut form she fell asleep the minute I put her in the carrier and didn't see a whole lot of the Grand Canyon. Then I made a rookie mistake and tried to transfer her to the stroller thinking she'd be more comfortable in there, she only woke up and was super cranky then proceeded to have a full on MELTDOWN in the middle of the woods. Making memories right? 

Gotta love my husband for capturing her meltdown, and me now for sharing this moment with you guys. She was obsessed with the snow and kept calling each pile "snowman", I can only imagine she got that from frozen overload but I found it adorable. It also made me realize we will need to make a real snow trip this year. 

The driving was hard but C hung in there like a trooper, we probably won't be doing many road trips again for awhile, with as much as this kid flys its best to stick with what you know. Speaking of flying we are heading out soon yet again for my best friends wedding. I love being able to travel, but this month has been ALOT, we haven't been home for a weekend since the second week in October. So I'm looking forward to a nice week home soon. 

I love capturing moments of her just being herself, man I love this kid.

XOXO 

Stitch Fix Review #5

This has easily been one of my favorite boxes yet. I made mention after my last box to Stitch Fix that I wanted to see more fall pieces but since it's been so hot here I needed fall pieces that were light weight. They totally got the memo and sent me some things I just love. 

THML | Tavia Pullover Sweater | Medium | $68.00

This top is so cute, I love the mix of stripes and the navy and olive together. I need up sending it back though because it was itchy. It has wool in it and for me that's kind of a no go, I have a hard time with harsh fabrics but I loved the look of the top a lot. 

Market & Spruce | Sawyer Space Dye Dolman Sleeve Knit Top | Medium | $58

This I kept, you all know I am a sucker for a good dolman top and market and spruce apparently. This is such a light weight sweater, perfect for the upcoming southern California "winter". 

Fate | Adair Jacket | Medium | $68

This jacket was the only thing in the box I wasn't a huge fan of. It was too big and felt very boxy on, plus the length on me wasn't my favorite I would have preferred it shorter, so it went back.

Kut From Kloth | Kate Distressed Boyfriend Jean | 6 | $88

Last month as you saw here, I kept the Kut Kloth jeans they were the only thing from last months box I liked. Well I went to put them on last week and they ripped in the zipper/crouch area. I wrote Stitch Fix about it since I hadn't even owned them a month yet and I wash in cold water and hang to dry. They are letting me return them with the returns from this month and offered a replacement or refund. I decided to get a refund, because I like the above jeans better so win win for me I suppose. 

Street Level | Horon Reversible Magnetic Closure Tote | $48

This bag is SO cute and so versatile. I love it and when I saw it I knew I was keeping it. Super pumped to add this one to my bag collection. 

All and all I really enjoyed this fix.

XOXO

A Week Away

Well we are back! We were in TX for a week hanging out with family, celebrating halloween and taking peanut to her first Baylor game. We taught her how to "sic em" with the best of them, and now every time she sees a BU she goes "GO BEARS", yup I'd say we are raising her right. 

It was awesome we had so much fun and I loved watching her play with her cousins. Halloween in particular was a BLAST. She totally understood it this year and would go up to peoples houses and say "or treat" completely omitting the trick part, this girl knew what she wanted. Her costume if you didn't see on Instagram was a HUGE hit and handmade by her grandma, lucky duck and she became obsessed with Monster inc. just in time for the holiday. We also got to meet our new little nephew who is adorable. 

Peanut did really well traveling considering she's been on a plane 22 times, she a trooper. I let her have the iPad this time around and she looked like such a big girl in her own seat eating her snacks and watching a movie. 

She had a hard time adjusting sleep wise this time around, but I enjoyed the extra cuddles that come from sleeping with her. Things are back in full swing before we gear up for the next two trips, yup you read that correctly the next two trips. I have kind of come to terms with the fact that Steve and I are crazy, oh well we are just raising a seasoned traveler.

 She kept running around telling us "I Boo, I Boo mama" My Mother in-law nailed this costume! 

I'll be back with way more blogging soon, until then hope you all had a fantastic halloween. I cent believe Thanksgiving is around the corner. Aunt Shell is coming and Auntie Em and I are cooking I can taste the turkey already its going to be a good one. 

XOXO

Headbord DIY

I've been told quite a bit how cute our headboard is and I love it I have to say. Awhile back when we made it I posted a DIY on my old blog about it. Since then we have moved into another house and  our bed has received a cute makeover, but one thing remains the same the headboard. So I though I would post the DIY on here and give you a look. Now these pictures aren't the best, I pretty much had no clue how to take good photos back then, but it'll give you the gist. 

Our bed before hand 

Home Depot cut the plywood for us to size we have a king bed, they suggested we use pine. We did and it turned out perfectly. 

What you'll need 

-2 inch foam also cut to size

-Canvas drop cloth, yes that's right drop cloth. I was having trouble finding fabric on a sale and we really wanted this to be budget friendly. The drop cloth is not the best shade of canvas but it turned out perfectly! 

-Staple gun and staples

-Nail trim 

-Adhesive spray 

-Wood screws 

-2X4's 

Step 1) First spray the wood with the adhesive spray 

Step 2) Place the foam on the wood 

Step 3) Wrap the cloth on the wood, the staple it to the wood. 

Step 4) This nail trim was perfect it was on a chain and you nailed in every three nails. 

What it looked like when we flipped it over 

Step 5) Attach wood to attach it too the bed. 

End result a new bed for less then $200! 

Whoot Whoot! 

Clean Bambino Review and Special Offer

Now It's officially fall! With that being said it's back to school, making lunches, cleaning up after summer, all with a pumpkin spice latte in hand. Am I right? Just in time to get ready for the holidays that are right around the corner. 
A few weeks ago I was contacted by Clean Bambino to take a look at their service and maybe try it out. I was so excited to when I found out it was a mobile detailing service for strollers and car seats. Since we had C, basically I have been overly paranoid about our stroller and car seat being clean. You spend so much money on this things and they so easily get trashed. I've been saying do while now there should be a service that should clean them for you, because who wants to spend the better part of a Saturday deep cleaning kids stuff. 

Now with a toddler in tow who basically needs a snack if I want to run any errands, we've had cheddar bunnies, fruit snacks, tougher bites all sorts of things buried into our stroller. So when clean bambino contacted me, I immediately said to my husband "babe there's a mobile detailing service for our stroller and car seat, we HAVE to try it!" I contacted Michael right away and set up a appointment. He was so friendly and responded right away, he even accommodated my schedule when I couldn't make my original appointment.
When he came he had everything he needed to get our orbit baby stroller and car seat spotless. He even used honest company products and steam to get it all clean. I loved how thorough he was and his attention to detail was spectacular.
Here are our before and after photos. 

You see how the fabric is so dusty looking? I know wheels are going to get dirty, I mean they touch the floor but these are gross, then you put these ditty wheels back into the car! 

Same here, I wash this fabric take the car seat apart and vacuum, but there is still snack residue. 

Heres the stroller now, its so shiny. It's look brand new! He steamed cleaned all the fabric and polished the frame, I love love love how it turned out. 

Now this is spectacular, he got to every nook and cranny. This hasn't looked so clean in a while. It sparkles. 

He did all the prams and accessories too! 

Michel has offered a special for my readers. He's willing to do the basic cleaning for $30 and the detail for $60. Just mention Bumps Babes and Bellini's when booking! 

Side note, he also does car seat education and can check if you have your seat installed properly. 

This is totally something I'd love to do again in the future. I mean you clean your kids crib sheets and changing pads, why not the same for their car seats and strollers. I for one love clean stuff and making it easy, where mom doesn't have to do it, well that's just an added bonus. 

XOXO

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins

On Sunday we took a trip to pick Pumpkins and we had a blast! We went over to Tanaka Farms again, it was pretty busy but C had fun. She was a little bummed at first because she insisted on picking pears again and didn't understand why we couldn't do that. HaHa. Once we got out there she picked away, I LOVE LOVE LOVE doing these traditions with her. It's one of the things I looked forward to so much after having her. So bring on the pumpkin pie, caramel apples and candy corn we are in full Halloween mode over here!

We are heading over to TX to trick-or-treat with the cousins next week and I can't wait for you to see our costumes.

XOXO

Mama Monday | What Being a Girl Mom Means to Me

Mama Monday | What Being a Girl Mom Means to Me

I bet you didn't think you would get an extra mama Monday post did ya! Well I was thinking about how amazing this series has been, how many wonderful and insightful post my terrific and amazing mamas did for me, and I realized I needed to do one myself. So to end this beautiful series heres my post.

What being a girl mom means to me. 

Alright all my girl mommies this one is for you, since the moment I found out I was having a little girl so many things have been swirling around the ol' noodle. As a parent in general raising kiddos is hard on so many levels. As a girl mom, I personally know what she will go though and there are things I wanted to make sure I did right to set this sweet precious little lady up for greatness.

Don't be too obsessed with keeping up with the jones. 

Theres enough pressure out there in the world for her to feel, I don't want her to see her dad and I too focused on having the latest and greatest. It's not the things that make people happy it's the people using them. 

Loving myself 

I try so hard to catch myself on this one. I never want C to think that beauty is the most important thing. I want her to love who she is inside and out. So when I look in the mirror and make a face over my new zit that just appeared or I'm not happy with the number on the scale, she's watching. I don't want her to focus on those things, it's important she knows she's smart, funny and capable of all things.  

I want her too enjoy spending time alone when she gets older. 

I have seen far too many people not be ok with being alone. I want her know thats ok. You don't need to be in a relationship to be happy. One of the BEST relationships you have as an adult is the one you have with yourself. 

Being a good example as a mother and spouse 

When the time comes a long long long time from now I hope I taught her to be a good wife and mother. I want her to be in a happy heathy relationship with someone who supports her and loves her unconditionally. I want her to be a mother, who understand the ups and down of motherhood but knows there is nothing like the love of your child. Much like the mother I had. 

Someone looks up to me, not just literally but figuratively too. Every move I make, she's watching me.  So most importantly remembering she wants to be just like me, and I hope the me I am is someone I want her to be. 

XOXO

Stitch Fix Review #4

So I am on my fourth fix and I have to say I have received some of my favorite go too pieces from doing this. I still get excited when every box comes and look forward to the next one. Heres the thing with this fix. I was in MAJOR cleaning mode the other day and apparently I threw out the piece of a paper with all the product info, i.e. pricing, name, brand. I feel like such a dummy. I have pictures for you guys but that's all I got. I tried searching the site for my past orders and go nada. I apologize for lack of info but here you have it review number 4.

This Blazer was super cute and comfortable, I liked it a lot. The fit just wasn't my favorite, too boxy,  so I sent it back. I believe it was a Medium and $88 

I really didn't like this top at all it was way too short and tight despite being the right size. It hugged in all the worst places. It went back. I believe it was around $48 

This dress was very pretty just too short, the lining on the inside was almost 3 inches shorter then the actual dress making it ver short for me. I also felt like it was see though. So this one didn't stick around either.

I really liked this top when I saw it but the cut was too short for me, which sticks because I thought it was sweet and different from what I normally buy. The Jeans I LOVE they are Kut Cloth Denim, Size 6 in the Reese. I wanted some more distressed jeans and they totally fit the bill. They were $88 but with the $20 off were only $68 so I kept them.

This box wasn't my favorite, but the pieces were cute just not me. I left some more notes and hopefully next month is better. 

XOXO

Fall Themed Cocktail | Caramel Apple Sparkler

I love fall themed everything, it's just so yummy and sets the mood for the prefect fall day. Here is a recipe for one of may favorite drinks. It's inspired by a similar drink at one of my favorite restaurants in Laguna Beach. I have been making this yummy concoction for 3 years and it's my go drink for the fall season. You'll LOVE it, Enjoy!   

Caramel Apple Sparkler 

Here it is! 

Recipe

1 oz butternot schnapps 

3 oz sparkling white wine

4 oz apple cider 

Start by putting some cinnamon sugar on the rim of the glass then add all ingredients and mix! 

XOXO