We Heart FL- Downtown St.Pete

Earlier this week we were able to have a much needed family outing accompanied by some beautiful Florida weather! You can't complain when it's the end of January and the temperature is 85 degrees outside without a lick of humidity. Summers here are pretty brutal with the heat plus the dreaded humidity, so the most gorgeous days are the early days of Spring. 

We went on over to the downtown St.Petersburg area and had a picnic lunch, which introduced us to Sienna's fear of seagulls. Ha! She is really turning into a little scaredy cat. 

The water was so beautiful! It's so nice to be able to spot a dolphin while having a picnic. I can never spot them, but Danny (the fisherman) has an eye for anything moving in the water :)

The kids just love being outside and who can blame them....

Love my little family <3

Minnie Mouse Inspired Birthday Party

Last month we celebrated Sienna's 2nd Birthday! I can't believe how fast they grow up...it makes me sad and now I see why people have multiple children, but that's a whole other blog post....

Anywho, we decided to do a Minnie Mouse themed party at the local park because she loves Minnie and we were going to be heading off to Disney World the next day! I didn't go COMPLETELY overboard for my two year old's party, but being a former event planner, maybe I did go a little over the top...Just with the sweets though because what two year (and their parents...meaning me) doesn't like cake, cookies, and cupcakes?

Here is her fabulous cake from the lovely Michelle, she rocks! Her cakes look awesome and she iced it out of 100% buttercream!! That's right no gummy fondant! This is our second time using her and I know I will be requesting her for Daniel's 1st birthday as well!

I LOVE to bake so I made some Minnie inspired cupcakes and cookies as well:

And of course how can you have a party at the park without the piñata...but don't worry this only had a couple of lollipops and the rest was filled with prizes, goldfish crackers, raisins, and animal crackers to fill their goody bags with! I love how the piñatas are pull string nowadays too since I really don't want a bunch of 2 year olds swinging a bat at a dangling object :)

      And here is Daniel-Son wearing his Mickey ear party hat...we had Minnie headbands for the girls too, but Sienna insisted on the Mickey one as you can see above! When you are two, you usually get whatever you want, especially on your birthday :)

*If you are interested in a fabulous cake by Michelle you can find out more info here.

Organizing My Life...Yay!

Source

Is it just me or does this photo make you take a deep breath and feel oh so relaxed? Well it's probably because my house needs a severe visit from the organizer bunny! This photo was taken from one of my favorite blogs, I Heart Organizing . Jen is absolutely my idol! I hope that by the time these kiddos are 4 and 5 my obsessive compulsiveness will be so bad that my house will look just like this photo in every room. And I do realize that hope is not a strategy...

On that note this year I plan to do some heavy organizing in my home. I know, I know, that's everyone's goal for the new year, but I really have no choice! Like I mentioned,  the past three years have consisted of being pregnant, having babies, fully remodeling our kitchen, turning an addition gone bad into a dining room, and creating baby rooms out of the two spare bedrooms in our home. So right now every cabinet or closet door you look behind looks like an episode of hoarders (ok maybe a little exaggeration), but I really have no place to put anything!! The good thing is we created the extra dining room with a laundry/broom closet area as well. So once I started getting all my essential pieces...everything will be falling into place!

I really love organizing and I am super excited to start this venture!! And don't worry I will definitely be keeping you posted throughout this new journey :)

Two Peas in a Pod

                                    Who needs toys when you have leaves and shells to play with...

 It amazes me everyday what these two find to keep themselves entertained.  

but i know as long as they find each other, they are just fine.

DIY Astroturf Play Area

Last month my family and I took a mini vaca to the most magical place on earth--yep! You guessed it! Disney World!!! I am SUCH a big kid so of course I usually am the most excited one for these vacations...especially since my children really have no idea what Disney World really is.... Anywho, we make it a tradition to venture around Downtown Disney the day before we visit the park to get some fun Disney swag and t-shirts for the kiddos! While there, we stumbled across this cute little grassy area made out of astroturf that we thought would be a perfect stop with kiddos to release some energy. They loved it as you can see and I was joking around with Danny that we should totally put a plot of this in our backyard for the kiddos....

HAHA it was a joke, I'm a daydreamer, but once we got back Danny had different plans. He came home with all the supplies to lay an astroturf play area for the kiddos with their own white picket fence so the dogs don't...ahem..."disrupt" the turf ;)
 

Supervising with Uncle Er 

                                   Whaddaguy!!! He really gets Dad of the year for this one :)

Sunday Morning at the Market

Happy Weekend!  Last weekend the little ones and I were finally able to make it out to the Sunday Morning Market in Tampa. We were joined by one of our favorite ciocias (aunt in polish) Nikki, but we like to refer to her as "Chuchi."  It was a great time with all sorts of vendors. We bought some spices and produce, ate banana-pineapple-veggie pops, pet some baby chicks, listened to the live band and had THE best grilled cheese EVER! Check out some of the photos below!

The delicious pops were from our new favorite stop, Whatever Pops, and the amazing grilled cheese is from Riddle on the Griddle! Yum-O! Loving the foodie scene in Tampa!

Mommy Must-Haves

all photos/items found here
Leaving the house with the kiddos is definitely one of the biggest challenges of life with les deux. As hard as it is wrestling them to stay in the stroller, feeding them on the go, and double diaper changes at any given moment, there is definitely something freeing about being in the outside world and not being cooped up in the house! Maybe it's because life feels a little more normal. On a side note to all the mommies out there, if you have a choice between two malls, pick the one with a Nordstrom because their little mommy lounge has been my saving grace these past two years...the fabulous shopping helps too!
Anywho, I've compiled a list of some of my mommy must-haves that I can't leave home without.... 5. My shopping cart/high chair cover: being that I am a huge germophobe (see image #3), this little cover comes in quite handy especially at the grocery store! Keeps the little ones from putting their hands and mouths on the dirty cart. This isn't the actual one I own because I am in the market for a new one, but I'm hoping Balboa makes a black and white one like this to match my nursing cover :) 4. My Ergo Baby Carrier: this has been another saving grace with the two little ones! I usually use it combined with the shopping cart cover if I have them both at a store that has shopping carts (Yes I am that crazy woman you see juggling babies, a shopping list, and coupons at the grocery store-thank goodness for cookies & balloons). 3. Babyganics Hand Sanitizer: this is a must when out with the kids! Once again I despise germs and sick kids (proud owner of not one, but TWO humidifiers). Sienna also has sucked on her fingers since a young age so I have to have one without alcohol. Also the kids like it- Sienna thinks its really exciting to rub the disappearing foam in her hands! 2. My Timi & Leslie Diaper bag: I have been rockin this bag and purse since December of 2010 and it is still going strong! It's great because it comes with the stroller straps, bottle holder, changing pad, and and extra small purse! So I have been using it all for 2 years now because I refuse to carry two  big purses. It even looks cute so I don't feel like I am carrying a diaper bag! Don't worry though, mommy has definitely been eye-balling the rightfully deserved purse I will be getting once I hang up the old diaper bag ;) 1. And last, but not least my Bob Revolution Duallie Stroller: this deserves a blog post on it's own so I will keep it short, but this is a great stroller that has everything I need to be out with the babies! I use it if I want to go for jog, go to the mall, or even at the beach! It is amazing for when we visit theme parks as well!  So there ya have it! That's everything I have to have with me if I want to take the kids out! And yes, I've been stuck driving Danny's big SUV while he sports my cute VW CC...sigh...can't wait until the umbrella stroller days!

Thank You, An Open Letter

There is no way I could start this blog without taking the time to thank all of the people that helped or inspired me in order to get this blog off the ground! It has been in the works for months, and by ‘in the works’ I mean in the back of my head J So let’s get started:

Vee, my best sista-friend since age 4 and proud owner of OneSocial Brunette, without you this blog would not be in existence! Thank you for helping me get bit by the blog bug and teaching me all the ropes to get started! I am so excited for the ventures we have ahead of us in baby-raising and blogging J Love you boo!

Next I would like to thank Whit, my blog designer and proud owner of WhitSpeaks Blog Design.  I can’t thank you enough for listening to what my vision was and transforming it into this beautiful blog! You put up with my crazy/perfectionist-self for almost two weeks and again without your help my blog wouldn't be here today!

And last, but not least, the wonderful ladies on my blogroll: Taza, Joy, Megan, Jen,

A Beautiful Mess Team, and Small FryTeam.  You ladies have truly been such an inspiration to me! Whether it’s to stop by for pure entertainment or a dose of inspiration…I always come back for more!

                                

Gracias Ladies!

                                                            love, christina

Yay!! Welcome To My Blog!!

                                         photo taken by Kimberly Hunter Photography

At some point in our lives we have all thought about having children. Some of us ponder if we are going to have children, when we will have children, how many children we will have, or even what gender they will be. I've definitely thought about it all, but one thing I didn't contemplate, was how far apart my children would be in age.

In the past two years Danny and I have been blessed with two beautiful babies only 16 months apart, Sienna (who just turned two), and Daniel (who is 9 months). Having children is life changing. Never did I imagine I could feel such a strong love for something so small, and twice none the less. I've been fortunate enough to stay home with them and spend hours round the clock at their beck and call. Now I'm not going to lie, these past nine months have been such a whirlwind! They have been some of the most trying times of our lives. But nothing beats seeing the love these babies have for each other as they topple over trying to give each other hugs and kisses (which I know will soon turn into wrestling).

Aside from raising the kiddos we have managed to embark on major home renovations, gone on exciting vacations, and everything you can imagine in between! So stay tuned to the many adventures of our life with les deux :)

                                                                    love, Christina