Julianna: 4 Years Old

Today we celebrated Julianna Hope's fourth birthday! I can't believe it's been four years since I became a mother. At 5:14 pm tonight, we were eating at dinner at Sir Pizza, enjoying her favorite meal- salad and pizza. We stopped and sang happy birthday to her. It was such a special moment! Even Olivia joined in on the singing.

I remember my first moments with her just like it was yesterday. She was so tiny and perfect. All I could think was, "wow! I can't believe she's mine!" Such a beautiful gift from God.

Because of her I am more loving and less selfish. My heart is filled with joy and she's gives me love so unconditionally. Being a mother is an absolute blessing.

She loves preschool and dance class. She thrives on routine and schedule but enjoys downtime when she can be creative and play on her own.

Her favorite foods are pizza, carrots, salad, cucumbers, donuts, strawberries, broccoli, chicken nuggets, and oatmeal cream pies. 

She loves princesses, singing, art, dancing, and watching movies. She has a love for nature and being outside. She loves to help in the garden. 

Julianna's fourth birthday was filled with so many of her favorite things. Donuts, strawberries, tutus, tiaras, songs, parties, hugs, smiles, pizza, salad, kisses, candles, and balloons. It was such a fun day!

Happy Fourth Birthday, Julianna Hope! 

Julianna: Frozen 4th Birthday Party

This past Saturday, we celebrated Julianna's fourth birthday with friends and family at Sweetie's Frozen Yogurt for a Frozen princess themed party. The party was a huge success and we are so thankful for everyone who came!

I created the labels for the water bottles and the treat bags. If anyone wants the template, just e-mail me at emily.soto@live.com and I would be happy to share them with you! 

fashion: Style Me March 4-10

I'm still going strong on my Style Me March closet and Instagram challenge. It's been so fun to look at my closet in a more creative and fun way. Here are my looks from days 4 through 10.

4. Put A Belt On It

This was a challenge for me. I rarely wear belts. They just really aren't my thing. But I picked up this fun, glittery gold bow belt at Target back in November. This was the second time I've actually ever worn it. I love how this outfit turned out with the pop of pink and gold details.

5. All About The Eyes
This was a beauty challenge. I usually don't leave the house without mascara, eye shadow, and liner. I look so tired without it. I was especially tired this day because my husband was out of town on a business trip. Tired mommy eyes.

6. Little Black Dress

I have quite a few of little black dresses. But this day was a challenge because I had to work. I typically wear jeans or pants to work since I work at an after school program as a teacher. I need to be comfortable so my solution was to wear a black maxi dress paired with a chambray shirt on top, military jacket, and a polka dot scarf. It turned out to be so comfy and cute. A win.

7. Feelin Rockstar

I felt anything but rockstar this day. We had a nasty ice storm the night before and our power was out. The kids were stir crazy, the house was cold, and we needed to get groceries. Not a good combination. But it wasn't anything a trip to Chick-Fil-A couldn't fix.

8. Good Hair Day
Another beauty challenge but this one is hard. I mean, who can predict and pick a day that will be a good hair day?! My hair was a hot mess by 1pm this day. At least the bright colors in my outfit distracted from my frizzy hair.

9. An Oldie But A Goodie

I have had this denim Gap jacket for a few years. I thrifted it and it was already so worn in and perfect when I got it. It's more of a gray color than traditional blue denim. I find it to be the perfect outer layer for mild Spring weather. I paired it with my favorite necklace and new maxi skirt.

10. I Swoon For Stripes
I love stripes. I own more stripes than any other pattern- even polka dots and I love polka dots. Stripes are just so classic and they never go out of style. My new Walmart bag was the perfect accessory for this challenge. I paired it with a fun striped cardigan and a leopard scarf. And those amazing Sam & Libby bow flats.

fashion: look for less

I love a good look for less. It's one of my favorite things to discover and I'm always on the lookout for steals and deals that mimic higher priced items. Below is a picture of a Michael Kors bag that retails for about $300. The designer version is leather so that is part of the reason it's so expensive but it's always got the fancy label of Michael Kors on it, which pushes the price up as well. I love the look of this bag. It's very chic and I love the stripes. It's also very roomy- perfect for a mommy on the go. But of course, I'm not paying $300 for a bag. Never, no way. I'm just too cheap for that. 

I'm in Wal-Mart on a weekly basis. Sometimes bi-weekly. Like everyone else, I don't enjoy going to Wal-Mart. I prefer Target but Wal-Mart is closer to my house and cheaper so I go. Every Friday morning with Olivia in tow (while Julianna is at preschool). We get our groceries there but I always make a pit stop in the clothing and accessories to see if they have anything worth looking it. Usually I don't find anything but I saw these bags there about 2 weeks ago. I loved the look of them and they reminded me of something I had seen before so I did a little research and stumbled upon the Michael Kors bag above. 

I went back this past Friday and the striped bag was gone. So I went to the other Wal-Mart in the area and they had one left. It was meant to be. Oh and did I mention that the inside is lined with polka dots?! Stripes and polka dots... and only $19. Now that pretty bag is mine! I styled it for the first time in the "Perfectly Parisian" look for Style Me March and I think it was the perfect accessory for the look. Now go to Wal-Mart and get yours hands on this cute bag before their gone! 

A big thanks to my cute husband for snapping this shot of my favorite heels and new bag.

fashion: Style Me March 1-3

I love a fashion challenge so when I saw this one posted on Instagram, I jumped on board. These challenges encourage creativity and promote trying new styles that you typically wouldn't think of or try.

1. My Favorite Color

This one was easy for me. My favorite color is pink and always has been as far as I can remember. It's girly and feminine. I paired with distressed polka dot skinnies from the Gap with a vintage tee from Old Navy. The cardigan is from Target but I thrifted it with tags from the Goodwill. My floral necklace is from Our World Boutique and my love letters necklace was a Valentine's gift from Josh (etsy). My shoes are probably my favorite part of this outfit, even though the focus was on the color pink. These are black leather Sam & Libby's that I purchased from Target recently. They are just like the ones I had when I was a little girl and they are so comfortable. I actually only paid $5 for these thanks to gift cards from Shop Kick and cash rewards from Ibotta. It pays to use those shopping apps on a regular basis!

2. Perfectly Parisian

This one was definitely a challenge for me since I wasn't exactly sure what Parisian style was. So Pinterest to the rescue. I looked it up and found lots of black, stripes, and simple but chic pieces. I paired my favorite ponte pants from Target with a top I thrifted from a friend from Rue 21. My heels are from Target, too. They were such a good investment. They go with everything and make a statement. My watch is from Target and my bracelets are from Old Navy and The Jewel Box. My favorite part of this outfit is my new bag. It's a Michael Kors lookalike but guess where it's from... Wal-Mart! Crazy, right?! It is seriously almost identical to a $300 bag by Michael Kors but mine was about $19. I love a look for less and this bag is amazing. It's even lined in polka dots. I felt very chic and Parisian in this outfit.

3. Steal of a Deal

Steal of a deal is always an easy one for me. Pretty much everything I buy feels like a steal of a deal. I look for bargains and shop on a budget. Today it's cold and rainy so naturally I needed to wear layers and rain boots. My Hunter boots were definitely a deal but still a splurge for me. They normally retail for $140 but I received mine as a birthday present from Josh for $80. Mine are from Costco. They are so cozy and perfect for rainy days. The jeans are from Old Navy, vest is from Wal-Mart, tops are from Target and Old Navy. And of course, that fun bag is from Wal-Mart. 

Julianna: 4th birthday party planning

Julianna's fourth birthday is in less than two weeks. On the 15th, we are having a FROZEN themed birthday party for her since it's her favorite movie right now. During the big snow a couple of week ago, we dressed her up in her Anna princess dress from the movie and took a few pictures outside for her party invitations. We are having her party appropriately at a frozen yogurt shop that just opened up in our town. She is so excited to be turning four and celebrating with her friends and family. Here are a few of the pictures I took of her. The last one is what we chose to use for the invitation that was mailed out.