Wordless Wednesday- A Week of Instagram :)

Fishy Fish

  Well we have reached the point in a childs life where the fish cycle begins! It will be very short lived I promise! Its ridiculous how fragile fish are! We are down to one remaining fish. We started off with one that Mom and Larry brought Kal-El on Logan's birthday so he would have something to enjoy. Thanks guys, best present ever. lol. grrrr. That fish was named Fishy. He was supposed to be hardy. He was a beta. Beta's arent near as gangsta as they pretend to be. I did not blog about him nor did I take a picture of him. I didnt have a chance he died. Super's reaction VERY dramatic when Fishy passed. He literally fell to the floor, clutched his chest an told me "it huuuurts". Oh boy. Of course Chris and I are suckers so off to the pet store we went to get him a new finned friend. We actually got him two...you know in case something rare..like a fish death occurred.
 Two new fish, two names : Goldy and Mallard. Goldy was actually pretty. Hated to see a looker like her go. She made it one day. Super begged for a replacement even though Mallard was still going strong with his ugly little self he needed a friend. Is it clear how much I love fish yet? Off we go....The pet store was conviently out of cheap fish so I had to shell out $8 for the one that had left. Kal-El gave me the best laugh ever when he chose the name...."Breathy...bc the other two forgot how" LOL! He's such a funny and clever boy :) He's worth the fish drama. Breathy is still here! But...as on this morning Mallard dit the dust. Breathy wont be getting a girlfriend, homie, sibling, parent..nothing! He will ride solo for the last days of his life...which are probably very numbered in this house! ;)

Happy Birthday to meeeee! :)

   I had a great birthday this year with the people I love :) It was super simple just the way I like it. I put in so much work in for birthdaysand planning parties that its exhausting so when my own rolls around I practically beg for a no fuss, very low family centered celebration. It was just what I needed! Chris made me a marionberry pie with berries all the way from Oregon and got me some amazing bath Philosophy bath products and perfume :) My mom brought over a yummy cake from The Victorian Tea room. It was fabulous but I missed Heather's cakes to! We had a meal with the entire family at  and then it was back to our house for those yummy desserts! This marks the second year of my 30's and I seriously wouldnt change it for the world! I love this time in my life. I'm a more confident person than Ive ever been and most certainly happy!

Kal-El Starts Jiu Jitsu and Chris Gets His Blue Belt!

   Talk about an action packed night for two of my guys! Chris and I decided awhile back that if childrens classes were ever started for jiu jitsu we would enroll Super right away. We are so sold on Brazilian jiu jitsu that there is no way we could ever settle for a karate class! I really cant say enough good things about the sport itself. Not only do I feel its truly a superior form of martial arts but the level of discipline, dedication, and respect it teaches are invaluable for young children. Starting Kal-El at an early age worried me a little because I was concerned he may have a hard time grasping some of it. His first class was Monday night. One of Chris's teachers and friend is also the children's teacher. Chris did the first class with Kal-El. It took him about 15 mins to get used to the idea and then I could see the excitement spread across his little face. He is the youngest one in the class and the second smallest. Thats saying alot bc Kal-El is a big kid (whew thanks again Chris lol) his still in the 95th percentile for height. Not that size matters with BJJ...at all. I should prob take it myself before everyone in this house becomes a dang ninja LOL! Super only lost focus a couple of times and when I tapped on the class for him to turn around he mean mugged me...of course lol! He is so independent. Classes are two nights a week...Mondays and Tuesdays. He is already asking to go more. I love the setup because even though you sit on the outside you can watch the entire class! I'm thrilled that he loves it. Chris and I are huge believers in not pushing something on a child if its not something they want to do but he loves it and now he and his daddy can do it together!
  After the childrens class we all stayed behind to watch Chris. I dont think I'll let Super watch Chris spar in his other training classes. I dont want him to get confused and ever think he can throw a punch thats another reason Im happy that their jiu jitsu classes are the same night so Kal-El can watch and enjoy his daddy!
   This first class was also special for another reason. We got to see Chris receive his blue belt. Makes me a little misty eyed. He really deserved it! It was actually long overdue. He's had to miss the seminars where they are usually officially handed out due to work. I was glad I was there to see it! He has been training for 3 years now and in official BBJ classes less than that so he has moved up the ranks in remarkable time. I know it will be just a matter of time before he changes colors again. Even when he no longer does MMA I know he will always do BJJ. Speaking of fighting not sure he'll ever get one now that hes a blue belt he had a hard enough time before!
 Nothing is more adorable to me than watching my little one and my husband share a sport they love. I also cant put into words how much I adore being a mom to boys. I'm sure little ladies are positively fantastic but I dont think I could deal with pageants and cheering. I love the energy that little boys put out. Proud of both my babies and can't wait for class next week! I promise to charge my camera and take better pictures :)

Logan's 2 Year Check Up!

  Ruh roh I'm behind again on posts! Sorry :) Still getting the last few things taken care of with the move. Its no small feat! For the last month I have been anxious for Logan's two year well check. I really wanted to discuss some areas with Dr. Melvin that I was concerned about. Mostly, one area...speech or lack there of. Logan has maybe 5 words and  more often than not doesnt use them consistently. Compared to Kal-El its night and day because Super was talking in sentences at this age. Comparing is the worst thing you can do because of course every child develops differently and we have always known how laid back Logan is. I didnt take a camera to the appointment because frankly I was a nervous wreck. You can imagine my relief when Dr. Melvin told us that he absolutely doesnt NOT think there is ANY issue with Logan..unless you count stubbornness. Umm thank you Chris Borquez for that gene. He said that his eye contact and responses are excellent. He basically just does things in his own time..similar to when he decided he wanted to walk. One day after not doing it at all he literally just got up and walked! I'm hoping his speech plays out the same and the dr thinks it will. He offered to enroll him in speech classes if it would ease my mind but left it entirely up to us. Knowing that it will only help and cant possibly hurt we agreed right away! Sense he does not have any disorders and is developmentally normal we had a much longer wait at one place. The second we place we called was able to get him in this week so I cant wait to see how he does! I know he does NOT like to be pushed so this should be very interesting. Im so greatful that stubborness is our issue here and not something more. I admire mothers that go above and beyond to not only care for but do constant research for their little ones with delays!

 

Happy July 4th!

 Fun and Family. Red beans and rice and rain! That pretty much sums up our 4th of July. We had a great time at Moms this year. The food was amazing and Kal-El had the best time playing in the rain and digging up worms. For the first time sense by boys were born we ALL came home and took a nap. It was so wonderful and Chris and I were in shock that it happened lol! We didnt do fireworks this year. I've honestly never been crazy about them. I don't think we'll be able to go another year before Kal-El thinks they are awesome and demands to go lol!

2013 Pottery Barn Mystery Box Challenge WINNER!

   Giddy. Honored. Blown Away. A couple of days ago Pottery Barn announced Capes & Crowns as the winner of their Mystery Box styling challenge!!! I simply can't find the words that even come close to adequately expressing just how much this means to me. I worked so hard on this set up and so did my talented vendors. The contest was a long two weeks. I learned alot during that time. The biggest lesson is one that really warms my heart. I have very supportive fans that enjoy my interaction with them and love my work. They didn't mind my constant promoting because they knew it was a big deal to me. I broke my own rules participating in a voting contest. I really don't like them at all. They are stressful and often times end up being a popularity contest. I have two reasons for taking the leap..number one its freaking Pottery Barn lol! The second is that I believed in what I created. I styled my setup with Pottery Barn's classic, clean lines and I felt it really represented their brand. I also refused to let my vendors down knowing they all worked so hard on the items they created for my setup.  My vendors mean so much to me. Not just the ones on this shoot but all the vendors I've worked when in the past as well. I wish it was possible for me to fit everyone in on one shoot but its just not. I try to even things out each time though so everyone gets at least one of the bigger opportunities just as a thank you!
   Another thing that surprised me was learning that there was a lack of support among many of my party peers. I even had two or three promote the competition...the worst part is that it was people I'd worked with before. Talk about shocking. I watched many of the things I'd been privately warned about unfold before my very eyes. Tragic. Was I surprised? Not exactly. While I may be semi "new" to partyland I'm not at all new to human nature. When people resent another persons opportunity the "ugly" can come out.  It doesn't apply cross the board though. The ironic part is watching kudos being granted to the "inner circle" for everything trivial under the sun to show "support" of one another but let someone else come in and accomplish something wonderful and its so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Such is life. I will always speak freely. I will always operate MY page the way I see fit in accordance to my brand and my fans. The frequent promotional posts really bothered some fellow party peers during the contest. I understand they can be redundant but so can endless give a way posts but you dont see many complaints there. Not sure if people are aware but they can actually unfollow/unlike if my page is not a good fit for their news feeds. It won't hurt my feelings at all :) I a very genuine person in how I conduct myself. You wont find me reaching out or trying to make new connects with party people in the middle of a contest. Its not my style because it looks like what it is. I'd rather have 200 REAL fans then a huge number following.  I'm not discouraged however, just the opposite. I'm been extended an opportunity with Pottery Barn and I can't wait to see their fall line and find out what exactly I will be doing with them. I'll be sure to share for you guys that support and encourage me! I didn't mean to go off on a tangent but I have to be real with myself and my readers. This was very much a team effort. I managed to win without submitting to party blogs or using party politics. I don't do this for income. I'm not even taking clients at the moment. I do it for art. I love it. Period. That freedom in itself allows me to fully embrace my style regardless of what is marketable. It also allows me to be a little more honest and true. If you are here to show support I thank you from the bottom of my heart..if not thats ok to. I still wish everyone well in what they pursue. Party on! :)