We had a great weekend over here.  The La Fiesta Ballona was happening in Culver City, which we partook in 3 out of the 3 days.  We also went to the beach and I swam in the ocean for the first time since, i think high school.  I have been to the beach, but going in the water kind of weirds me out.  The thought of getting tangled up in seaweed, or being bitten by a shark terrifies me, and all seems very plausible.  I would envision being tangled in seaweed and then being swept away straight into a shark's mouth, or a whale's, whichever came first.  BUT- I managed to survive, and I actually had a great time.  (Yea, I wore jean shorts...hater's gunna hate)


The Fiesta was fun.  Kind of a downer considering none of the rides were toddler safe, but that's a small time fair for you.  Alabama loved dancing to the live bluegrass music that was playing, and I we had the most amazing funnel cake we have ever had.  (I swear we eat healthy 95% of the time)  


 We stopped by the petty zoo, and Alabama flipped out when she realized that the tiny goats weren't dogs.


  



It's funny when you have a baby.  Boys and girls tend to look very similar, and I am not a wild fan of dressing Alabama up in everything as girly as possible.  So, we do get asked often if she is a girl or a boy.  I never get offended.  Sunday, we put a bow in Bam's hair for the first time (she hates things on her head) and she left it.  We STILL got asked if she was a girl.  She was also wearing pink.  Ahh, people... they make me laugh. <3


xo
We finally got a new washer.  (Pics to follow tomorrow after I clean my kitchen...trust me, it's a hot mess you do not want a picture of).  My husband is installing it now.  I'm so excited.  We had an ancient top loader.  We upgraded to a front loader.  After a few weeks of searching for something reasonably priced, (and my husband trying to convince me that our old broken washer was perfectly fine to use for the next 10 years) we came across an open box sale at Best Buy.  $500 off because the box had been opened.  Hopefully that's truly the reason it was marked down.  haha!  I guess we will find out.

We also have MOLARS coming in.  MOLARS.  I can't even complete this conversation about it.  I'm just way too tired.

The BIGGEST news is that my shoes have been doing so well at a cute little store out in the Valley called Earth Baby Boutique, that I decided to expand and start offering my line of leggings there as well.  So as of RIGHT THIS MOMENT, you can walk into Earth Baby Boutique and buy a pair of shoes and leggings for your babe that I MADE.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to be in that beautiful store.  

I am a bit emo..I know I have posted about this before, but...  ---->When I started out, I had a sad little Etsy store, and I made bibs.  I did ok.  Mostly just sold things to my friends for their friends that were having kids.  I had no idea it would go anywhere, or if I would even continue to make things to sell.  I had such horrible PPD after I had my daughter (that's a whole other blog post.  Don't worry, I won't bore you with those details now), and I was desperate for anything hobby-ish.  .....And it worked.  BUT- we moved back to Los Angeles after living in NorCal for a year, and for some reason, I never sold another bib again.  HAHA!  It was the darnedest thing how that worked out.  I am happy that I couldn't find a matching pair of shoes for an outfit for Alabama one day, because I don/t know if my business would've ever made the transition.  WHO KNOWS?!  All I know is that I kept sewing.  I kept searching.  I kept making things.  I kept asking for help from people that seemed to know how to do it.  

Who knows where we will all be in 5 years.  I just hope we are all still shooting for the stars.  

xoxo.

and for the picture people:


Meet Ben Affleck!

I've been sitting here for the last hour listening to my neighbors laugh hysterically at a movie while trying to focus on writing something so very profound for everyone to read on my shiny blog.
No dice.
What I don't want to tell you is that I am so very tired, my back hurts, Bam (my 12 month old daughter) is cutting a tooth and has an awesome fever (with 2 amber necklaces on, mind you), and I should be sitting at my sewing machine being very creative and creating something new and tasty for everyone. 
BUT- no dice.
I'm being such a whiner.


Bams playing peek-a-boo with a top hat.  Because she's fancy.  ;)



Such a busy weekend.

....and oh so JOYOUS!

Bam turned a whopping 1 year old on Saturday, August 9th.  To be honest, we didn't really want to throw a party this year.  I have been stressed out with balancing work, baby, and personal life, and a party just sounded like a huge hassle.  AT THE LAST MINUTE (and by a huge nudge from close friends...ok more like a throat punch), we decided to put one together, and it was actually rather hilarious how it all went down.  We had it at the Mother's beach in Marina Del Rey.  Stacey, my husband, had to get there around 7 am to reserve our tables.  The moment he got there, however, he was informed by the paddle boarders that the entire beach was covered in sting rays and the water was a breeding ground for bacteria.  Not exactly what  you want to hear when you go claim your space for your daughter's birthday party.  BUT- OK, it was too late though, we were committed, and we were doing this.  We ended up being in the middle of a family reunion equipped with 6 hired masseuses, and a HUGE baby shower party. It was awkward, but we managed to have fun.  I think next year we'll have it at our house for sure.  ;)

Today, SUNDAY, we went to Disneyland.  The most important thing was that I *think* Bam had a great time.  The Pirates of the Caribbean and the Snow White rides scared her, but she fell asleep and stayed knocked out all through Its A Small World.  If you ask me, it was a good day.



xo
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Am I missing anything?!

;)


My husband is going to be so mad at me for posting this, but I am going to do it anyway, because seriously?  Nobody is perfect.  

A few days ago, my wonderful husband was carrying Alabama and tripped.  He fell right on Alabama's ankle.  I remember grabbing her from him to comfort her while he collected himself, and then we both swiftly decided to take her to the ER for an ex-ray because 1. the crying was escalating and not stopping and 2., you just never know.  She ended up being just fine, nothing broken.  Just a sprain.  They sent her home with a splint on, though.  Which, I remember thinking, "Oh cute, this will be fun to try to keep on", and sure enough it was off in a few hours.  

It was an interesting evening for me, though. A few hours leading up to that hiccup in our day, I had been frustrated with random situation that had been taking up too much head space for longer than it should have.  And it doesn't matter what it is, because it's sooooooo not a big deal.  BUT- you know the kind of thing.  A family problem that has no answer or immediate solution.  A continuing argument with a spouse that requires SOMETHING, but WHAT?!  blah blah blah.  Most of the time, the answer is to just shut up, and move on.  And I am grateful for the moment of clarity I was granted while sitting in the ER with my sobbing husband and daughter, because I honestly do not have time for stupid drama to sit and fester in my mind.  My family is much more important.  AND they need me to be present.  

Thank god for little reminders like that, right?  

 I have a few more days left of my precious daughter's first year.  I am making a point to do fun stuff during her "birthday week".  So far, we've mostly spent time with good friends and people that love her. 


....which is all that matters in the end, right?


xoxo 
Kicking Bam's birthday week off right!


Yes, that is a pinata, and yes, its a unicorn.  duh.  ;)

xoxo.
My iPhone died this evening.  It just won't turn on.  Don't you just hate that?

.....and the beat goes on.

My AJ shoes are being sold at a boutique now.  I made some wrap scrap shoes and PAXbaby sold them on her website and I got some great feedback!  Earth Baby Boutique (located in Sherman Oaks, CA) picked my products up about a month ago.  They seem to be doing quite well there.  Its still new, but I have a great feeling that they will continue to gain popularity which will be SO COOL!  Im working on leggings for Earth Baby, and those will be available by the end of the month.

Thank you friends.
Thank you for your positive feedback
Your well wishes.
You have no idea what it means to me.

YAY!

xo.bree



My little Bam turns 1 year old a week from tomorrow.  I can't even believe it!