LOOLA // kids goods.

A couple months back I got the itch to start a small line of kids goods, called LOOLA (thanks for the brand name, Ivy!). So I teamed up with a seamstress (who actually sewed my wedding dress for me five years ago!) and she then carefully made my ideas turn into real products. Anyway, I wanted to launch with something unique and practical, and decided on starting with these reusable swimming briefs that I love so much. You see, every Summer I would get so sick of wasting money on expensive, (soggy!) disposable swim diapers, while also having a hard time finding reusable ones I liked much, either. This summertime predicament often ended with me holding a diaper-less baby in a swimming pool, which is most certainly a gamble. These LOOLA swim briefs have a soft protective lining and a unique shell to contain solid waste, and can also be worn alone (the Euro way!), beneath a bathing suit, or even as a training pant for toddlers. Feel free to check out the LOOLA shop, and make sure to follow @loolababy on Instagram for product updates, giveaways, and promotions! :)

three years old!

Holiday-filled weekend 2k13

This weekend was a whirlwind of celebrating, cake, gift-giving, gift-getting, baking, dancing, and working. On Friday I turned the big 2-4 and Geoff and I celebrated accordingly (Breakfast! Great Gatsby! Shopping! Pizza!). On Saturday we drove down to Tucson to shoot a wedding, came back around 2:30 AM that next morning, and got as ready as we could to start celebrating Mothers Day. (That might explain all the chaos happening in these pictures we quickly tried to snap right before church on Sunday morning. A for effort, right?) Later that night we got to spend time with each of our families, do a little more birthday celebrating, and even FaceTime with my little missionary brother-in-law, Johnny. I'm so thankful for my sweet girls who put up with me as their Mom, for my own Mother and Mother-in-law, and also for all the other Mother-figures in my life. This holiday always reminds me how many amazing women I have to look up to, I'm one lucky duck. 

little mama in the house

The other morning Ivy insisted on picking out Los (matching) outfit, holding her like a baby, and feeding her a teeny bottle as she sang to her. It was really sweet and to be completely honest, rare. (These days Lola is 'old news' to Ivy, unless of course Lola's got one of her toys.) Lo was most certainly confused the entire time, but it was still sweet nonetheless. Pretty soon I feel like they're going to be the same size and things will get really confusing for them both. 

claire gets married

This last weekend one of my oldest and best friends got married and we got to attend and document it. The couple, the reception, and the night was beautiful and Ivy had the time of her life. It's safe to say that this girl lives for a good wedding-- dressing up, dancing, and treats? It's her scene for sure. Also, it's a good thing we basically knew everyone in attendance, because almost every time I turned around Ivy had a different dance partner. Not the shyest gal around, that one. Our girls were troopers the whole night (we owe it to all the ice-cream cones, the DJs killer playlist, and all the people who chipped in to hold or dance with them), and they conked out within seconds of being strapped into their carseats afterward. Here's a couple pictures from the night that I think are hilarious because my girls are either shoeless, parentless, or straight up wearing pajamas. Class act wedding guests for sure. ;) Congratulations again Claire, we love you!

ten months

Ms. Lola James is now almost 10 months old and it blows my mind how fast time has gone. Her name seems more and more appropriate everyday as she looks almost exactly like her Grandpa, Franklin James. She's still getting around as inefficiently as possible, dragging her belly and legs, almost as if she's swimming across the tile floor. (But hey, don't fix it if it's not broken!) She is starting to find 'her voice' which is fun to watch. Every now and then when Ivy will let her get a word in, she'll let out an angry or excited "AHHHH!" and then look surprised and almost even embarrassed about it. She wants little to nothing to do with nursing anymore, at least in the day time. There is too much going on and she has better things to do, like play with Tubber Ware. She loves a good long bath, a warm slice of pizza, trying to eat rocks outside, and keeping up on the dance floor by throwing her arms straight up in the air and rocking her hips. We love her bright blue eyes and the way they squint almost entirely shut when she smiles, her fuzzy bald head, and obviously, her big smooch-able cheeks. She's awesome.

april (baby) showers.

My girlfriend Nadia had her baby shower last weekend, and since I can't really contribute when it comes to anything crafty, I was told to bring a surplus of salt river bars and my camera. Done! I love being dubbed 'camera woman' at stuff like this, especially when the guest of honor is this cute and the party this elaborate. (Go Caitlin!) Nadia, I can't wait to see your little Miss-- she is going to be undeniably cute, there's just no way around it. 

Lately pt. 1

Lately pt. 2

utah weekender

Got back from a weekend in Utah yesterday where I was lucky enough to take one of my best friends bridals (stay tuned!), eat copious amounts of delicious food (Cubbys, Pizzeria 712, Tortilla Bar, Copper Onion, Communal!) and spend quality time with some old roommates I love and missed way too much. Thanks for the great weekend, Utah! And even more thanks to Geoff who was the best Mr. Mom all weekend.