mommy-to-be gift: 3 in 1 accessory

christmas shopping begins... 

and i think i found a gift for my sister, a mommy-to-be... will she love it or hate it? you tell me!

it's a hooter hider, a car seat cover, & a shirt/poncho all in one!

spotted on Family Style

you can find it here.

why can't all weekends be 4 days?

wow.  what an exhausting, but fun weekend!

i seriously wish a work week lasted only 3 days...

don't you?

it was rare for me to be at home for so long, so i made a feeble attempt at bringing out some creative juices.  we had the turkey feast with the in-laws AND my parents at our house for the 1st time that went... surprisingly well.  here's a last minute centerpiece i made with pumpkins (the ones we forgot to throw away from halloween) and leftover paint:

used non-traditional fall colors for a festive dinner... okay, i only had blue, white, & gray paint @ home! (photo by hubby)

(that night, i did the unthinkable. i went to the outlet mall at 10pm for black friday deals with a friend in the freezing cold.  crazy? yes. fun? yes.)

the next day started out with a baby shower so i tried to make a fun gift by taking her registered bath frog storage unit and stuffing it with lots of goodies! cuter than a gift wrapped box, no?

boon frog bath storage filled with boy/girl onesies, good night books (kaila's favorites!), boon squirt utensils, & infant toys

then off for a date night with the hubs to an indian engagement ceremony/reception - let me just say, we were stunned.

i wonder what their actual wedding will be like!

and finished the weekend with a mini girls night! 

@ sepia with a delicious 1/2 off bottle of wine - their sunday special!

hope all of you had a fabulous weekend as well!

pain free feet?

there are so many jobs out there where we are on our feet ALL day long.

whether it's just standing in one position hour after hour (surgeons, cooks...)
or running around like a mad-woman like me,

we NEED comfy shoes.

i never bought crocs because i was scared of blood or amniotic fluid falling into the holes.
instead, i have been wearing these black dansko clogs.

the good: my feet don't ache at the end of the day.

the bad: they are heavy and you can't really run in them.

i thought about getting a pair of toms for work, but never got around to it.

they do "one for one" - with every purchase, they give a pair of shoes to a child in need.
how great is that?!  and i heard they are super comfy.

but why buy one for me when there's TINY toms?  i couldn't resist & bought a pair for kaila.

samurai kaila always refusing to put new shoes on - luckily we have sesame street podcast!

what do you think?

toms is also doing a special "design your own toms" for kids at nordstrom this saturday.

i'm thinking i'm going to avoid the malls this weekend though...

if you are one of the brave ones, happy black friday shopping - don't get trampled!

and happy thanksgiving!
can't wait for the feast tomorrow!

kaila monday: pretty in pink

pink & gray.

the tried and true combination of colors that bring out the innocence & sweetness in little girls.

love love love.
after my 24-hour shift at the hospital, i spent a lazy sunday with my kaila.

did i mention how much i love this little one?

outfit: crewcuts cardigan, babygap longsleeve, babygap gray jeggings

and i wanted to share that...

happy monday!

midazzle me!

<< midazolam = a potent anxiolytic & sedative with amnestic properties >>

the drug i give to all ages from wild toddlers to nervous grandpas every single day.

it is truly magical.  within minutes, they are calm, relaxed, a little sleepy, & memories of the fear of surgery vanishes... they definitely go to la-la land. 

and guess what? i feel midazzled! i finally finished work after 10pm on my late call day which means... i have the day off today!  woo-hoo!  i am slowly forgetting the horrific week of being on-call every other day - i am definitely drifting off to la-la land.

sadly, i will be working a 24 hour shift on saturday, but i am at peace with it because i got midazzled.  why are days off on the weekdays so much better than the weekend?

well, la-la land always consists of my sweet sweet kaila.

although i sometimes wish i had some of that midazolam juice to give her...

here she is, layer by layer.

kaila is dressed in baby Gap from head to toe! 

i have become a baby Gap lover.

wishing you a midazolam-filled friday!

after 12 years...

we still have it.

we carry each other when we are down... or at least try.

we have the romance...

we know our roles...

we don't let each other fall...

we love wifey even if she's crazy...

because we are equally crazy...

we look good together... ;)

but most importantly, we LOVE each other.

i love you hubby!

thank you for 12 amazing years together...

 we still have it.

Photos by Bob & Dawn Davis Photography & Design taken in 2008

the brilliant hubby

besides being a loving stay-at-home daddy to kaila, a loving hubby to lucky me, he is a spectacularly amazing artist (words from sesame street - ha!).

the art of photography is his passion & talent.

i want to share a few of his photos from a family photo shoot.

with chilly winds & tired kiddies, the "perfect" photo that most people desire was no where to be found.

but who wants that perfect photo anyway, right?

i am more in love with these...

hubby's love for photography + complex mind = awesomeness :)

shhh... pictures borrowed from Frenzi Visuals fb.