zoe's special day + a giveaway!

You know those weekends that feel so fulfilling and successful (is that the right word?) that when you look back at it, you actually feel like you got something done?  This was one of those weekends.

Yes, it helped that it was a long weekend and, yes, it also helped that it was a special one for our family.   I almost can't believe I'm saying this, but Zoe just turned four.  FOUR!!  It just feels weird saying that since she's my baby, and now I look at her and she's this little person.  My mind is just blown.

Since we celebrated Zoe's birthday a couple weeks ago at a joint party with her BFF, we decided to spend her actual birthday at the Vancouver Aquarium with the entire family.  The night before, Jadon couldn't contain his excitement about his baby sister's special day and even helped me bake her birthday cake (all caught on Snapchat: kristina.cross).

The best part about our visits to the aquarium is seeing the magic of discovery through my kids' eyes. Everything is so new and amazing to them, and I just love that.  Speaking of new, the recent upgrades to the aquarium will have visitors of all ages in awe!

If you haven't been to the Vancouver Aquarium lately, you have to go!  There is so much to discover, see and learn - from the new Discover Rays exhibit (which, unfortunately, we ran out of time and weren't able to see) to the ever-popular dolphin shows to the 4D movie feature.  I promise the locals that the new aquarium is nothing like you remember it to be and I promise tourists will not be disappointed.

When it's time to finally relax (and while you're waiting for the 4D movie to start), I would highly recommend visiting the "Animal Rescue Centre" with your kids.  It's basically an enclosed play/educational area for kids to freely roam, and for adults to sit down and take a break.  Zoe had a blast rescuing her animal friends, while Jadon ran wild:

celebrating 60 years

The Vancouver Aquarium is celebrating it's 60th anniversary this June!  They've launched a photo contest to celebrate this milestone and encourage visitors to post their favourite Vancouver Aquarium memory to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #vanaqua60.  Alternatively, entrants can upload their photos directly to their contest page.

{win it!}

Want to win your way in and see the new Discover Rays exhibit for yourself?  The Vancouver Aquarium is giving one of our lucky readers a chance to win a #DiscoverRays prize pack including two tickets to check out the exhibit!  To enter, please follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter form below.  This giveaway is open to BC residents only and ends on Monday, May 30, 2016 at 9pm PST.

Zoe's "Yoga in the Garden" Garden Party!

Last month we celebrated Zoe’s second birthday, if I may say, in style.  I decided earlier on that this year would be the year I would go a little crazy and style her party with as many details as I could possibly manage.

We hosted her party at Yoga Buttons, a local kid-friendly yoga studio in the heart of the Kitsilano neighbourhood of Vancouver, with approximately 25-30 of our closest friends and family.  The theme was “Yoga in the Garden”, or a garden party, with a white, gold, light pink and mint green colour scheme.  For some reason it took me a while to think of the colours, but thanks to a bulk tissue paper purchase at my local dollar store, I was able to take some of those colours and pair it with white and gold.  The result?  Absolute perfection!

The party had to be all about Zoe [of course!}, so I made sure it was known with the help of a few {giant} gold balloons:

And a number “2”, just in case anyone forgot how old she was turning {I kid!}:

Zoe’s birthday banner and paper fan backdrop were both handmade by yours truly. I wanted everything to match the party’s colour scheme and I really just enjoyed getting crafty. The paper fan backdrop was actually meant for the dessert table but I think it worked a lot better here:

We had a snack station set up for all of the guests with a few nibbles and bites:

I scored an amazing deal on the plastic drink bottles {they’re actually spice bottles!} from our local dollar store and paired them with these gorgeous light pink and gold striped straws:

The tassel balloon and tassel garland {both made with love by me} truly complimented the snack station:

My favourite part of the party was the dessert table set-up.  As soon as guests walked into the studio, they were greeted by this table and I may have gotten a few compliments here and there!

Garden Party Dreams {Party Inspiration}

Every single year, as soon as the Christmas madness is all over {yes, Christmas!}, my mind starts spinning and my head fills with 5,397 ideas for Baby Z and Lil J's birthday parties in May and June, respectively.  Themes, colour themes, decorations, location – every detail has to be perfect and everything about the big day has to run smoothly (in hindsight!).

This year, Baby Z will be enjoying her very own little garden party!  We’ve already got the venue booked and the colour scheme confirmed (I think!).  And if you haven’t noticed yet, we’ve been going Pinterest crazy dreaming about different décor ideas.  Here’s a sneak peek at our inspiration board:


Garden party tassle garland by Studio Mucci. Image also by Studio Mucci.

Image courtesy of TomKat Studios

dear baby z: my love for you is so big, i can't even describe the feeling

Dear Baby Z,

Where do I even start?  Not only am I in complete denial that my baby girl is growing up before my very eyes but last week, at 17 months, you gained the long awaited confidence to let go of the sofa {or chair or table} and try to walk towards another object - all by yourself!  You're also toying with the idea of standing by yourself without holding onto anything and you love using your big brother's old walker!  Just watching you discover your balance and newfound freedom is so entertaining!

In addition to your exciting milestone, I love that your personality is blossoming every single day.  I see a lot of your siblings in you:  from your sense of humour in being able to find every single situation funny, to your patience in trying to figure things out {this trait is one you definitely share with your brother}.  You also have a calm air around you {which your brother used to have and then he turned two...} and your smile is just so darn infectious.  I love that you fling yourself onto your back as soon as I sit you down on our bed and that you'll try anything that's edible {or not edible - we need to work on that one}.

dear baby z: where did time go?

Dear Baby Z,

It's like it happened all of a sudden.  One day you were a baby - babbling, crawling {or shuffling} and needing assistance in all aspects of your life - and then the next, you were an actual person - talking, pulling yourself up to a standing position and cruising along furniture, and climbing up on benches where you now prefer to eat your meals {no more high chairs for you!}.

Okay, you were always an actual person but all these things happened within a week and it made me miss my little baby!  But it also made me extremely proud that my baby was growing up.

No more high chairs!

channeling your inner #Marvel Superhero or #Disney Princess with Limited Edition Kinder Surprise #KinderMom

I can't remember when it started but once my son first laid eyes on his first superhero, it was like he had found his soul mate for life.  It could have been built in his DNA, or he could have quite possibly been brainwashed by his superhero loving uncle - whatever the cause, the pairing was inevitable.  I wouldn't be lying if I said that Lil J lives, breathes and dreams in a superhero fantasy world.

Photos by B Life Photography

Iron Man!

Spiderman!

Batman!

Captain America!

Hulk!

Those are just some of the superheroes whom are constant, daily visitors in our household.

captured in print: moments in time + a Sears Portrait Studio giveaway! #SearsBabysRoom

Remember those studio pictures?  The ones with the bad hair, questionable wardrobe choices and the funny grins that seemed to go on for miles?  The ones where you look at your parents wondering what on earth were they thinking?  Or maybe they secretly wanted to save those embarrassing photos for that certain once-in-a-lifetime slideshow - I cannot confirm nor deny that I may or may not have already started a collection of embarrassing photos of my own kids {shhhh!}.

For our first family photo shoot, I took hubby and Miss S to a {surprise!} portrait studio.  It immediately brought back memories of the few times my brother and I had smiled and posed and looked so very proper.

Following that first photo shoot came many more over the years. There's something magical about capturing moments in time and seeing our kids grow up through the pictures.  After all, they grow up far to fast and we always say that we'll remember them as they are.  At least for me, I always think that I'll remember, and then when I look back at pictures, I'm in complete awe at how much my kids change - in as little as six months!

weekend with the crosses: fun + laughter = the best weekend ever!

This past weekend could easily go into the history books for the one of the most fun and relaxed weekends I've had in recent memory.

Friday was spent unwinding with a glass of wine and an early night for hubby and I.  There's something about the end of the week that just has sleep calling our names.  Of course, I had to check my emails and sew some headbands.  You know - just another SwankMama Friday night!

The next day, I woke up to the sounds of my kids and noticed that hubby was awake and already taking care of Baby Z!  That's all I needed to see because the next thing I knew, I rolled out of bed around 10:30am.  I can't even begin to describe how good that felt!

Then to make things even better, the entire family was in cleaning mode as I ventured into the living room.  Say what?!  Maybe I should sleep in more often...

siblings and the bonds they share

Before Baby Z came into the picture, Lil J was the complete center of attention.  Not only with myself, my hubby and Miss S but with his cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles.  For a couple years he was the baby of the family.  And did he ever feed off all that attention!

Never one to be shy about expressing his feelings, Lil J was emotional and definitely went through all of his many phases.  As my pregnancy with Baby Z came to an end, I worried that Lil J would retaliate negatively as the center of attention would suddenly shift from him to the new baby.  They were the exact same worries I had for Miss S right before Lil J was born.  I wanted to protect the kids from the inevitable and make them still feel like everything was all about them.

And so Baby Z was born and Lil J, just like Miss S before him, took on his new role as the big sibling with ease.  He embraced his new title, Big Brother, proudly and told everyone and anyone who would listen about his new Baby "ZoZo".  I was taken aback and beyond proud of my little man - he hardly showed an ounce of jealousy and loved his new baby sister like crazy.

back to work: easing into early mornings and long days

Last week.

What was last week again?  It all seems like such a blur.

Monday was fine.  It was my last day of maternity leave and I spent it relaxing with the kids at Granville Island.  Hubby even came and met us after lunch, and we sent a blissful afternoon in the Vancouver sunshine.  Work was far from my mind but it was definitely there.

{That "work" thing was like a three year old kid standing in front of you repeating the same thing over and over and over.  I wanted that little voice in my mind to shut up and go away.  It didn't happen.}.

Selfies at Granville Island

Then came Tuesday.  I felt like I had been hit by a ton of bricks.  My new wake-up call started at 5:30am with my phone alarm and then my alarm clock blaring in unison.  Five minutes later, I finally woke up and hit snooze.  Ten minutes, 25 emails {half of them junk} and a quick check of my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, I dragged myself out of bed.

going back to work after maternity leave + what we've been up to this summer!

It's almost here.  I've been dreading July 23rd since I found out I was pregnant - the day I'm expected to return back to work.

Work.  As if raising two young kids plus my teenage step-daughter isn't work enough as is.  This entire year has flown by like crazy.  It was almost like a blink and you miss it moment.  I'm guessing that part of it had to do with Baby Z being my second child and the other part was that I didn't have the luxury of sleeping when baby slept.  This time around, I had to entertain a preschooler {Lil J} and do the school runs from Monday - Friday.  It was almost like a relief when Lil J was a preschool four times a week because I could actually get things done - errands, blog posts, etc.  The one time I tried to take a nap while Lil J was at preschool, I didn't hear my alarm go off and was almost late picking him up.  Needless to say, I didn't do that again.

Along with school runs, nap times, bath times, story times and bedtimes, I also had the opportunity to meet a number of inspirational ladies that I wouldn't have had the pleasure of knowing had it not been for this little blog.  I was going to events around the city every week, getting weekly packages in the mail for product reviews, and using my blog as an outlet to document our current life.

Last week, the kids and I were making the most of the amazing hot summer weather Vancouver has been having.  We spent a day at the airport {YVR} for #TakeOffFridays:

sleep training 2.0

Now that we're nearing the end of May, and I'm due back to work full-time at the end of July, I figured what better time than to sleep train Baby Z and get Lil J back into his big boy bed.  If you follow me via Instagram and Facebook, you would have seen me candidly post my day-to-day {or in this case, night-to-night} shenanigans on how I was getting Lil J to sleep {and stay} in his own bed.

It was pretty much like sleep training all over again.

There were a lot of threats of "you can't go to gymnastics tomorrow" or "you can't go to so-in-so's party if you don't go to sleep in your own bed".  Of course, I felt bad as soon as the words left my lips but it seemed to work  The first night was full of "I don't want to sleep by myself's" to a little bit of crying but he ended up falling asleep by himself.  The few nights that followed, with the exception of night #4 {see below}, were the same but the whining was less and less.  Now he just kisses me goodnight, smiles, says I love you, and tells me I'm his best friend.  What mother doesn't want to hear that?!

family fun {sun}day

When I woke up sneezing with a stuffy nose this morning, my first thought was, "Sh*t, I'm sick again!".  I reluctantly cancelled a session with my bloggy friends and decided to spend the day with my family.  Lil J and Baby Z have both been under the weather with a fever and runny nose, respectively, and Z has been more cranky than usual.  Despite all of this, my husband and I decided we needed to get out of the house and enjoy what little sunshine we currently had before the rain rushes in later this week.

We ended up at a Middle Eastern/Indian restaurant in the heart of Main Street in Vancouver.  I had gone to their West Broadway location with a friend a few weeks ago and loved the food, decor and everything else!

The kids quickly piled up on Daddy's lap:

Pink Lemonade Party - Baby Z Turns One!

Over the weekend, we celebrated in a big way - Baby Z's first birthday party!  After weeks of careful planning, pinning, party preparations, baking and more baking, it was finally time for the big reveal:

The birthday banner was made out of sparkly pink cardstock I picked up at Michael's.  The idea originated from A Mommy in the City:  I decided on a font I liked, printed off the letters on regular printer paper and traced it onto the cardstock.  Next, I used a xacto knife to cut out the letters, punched holes in the top of each letter and strung pink ribbon through the letters.  It was time consuming but definitely worth it!

Baby Z's party theme was pink lemonade so, naturally, everything was pink and yellow:

Happy 1st Birthday Baby Z!

Dear Baby Z,

It's hard to believe that a year has gone by since I first held you in my arms.  I remember the exact moment the doctor put you on my chest and how surprised I was that you were a girl!  Your Daddy and I decided to wait until you were born to see if you were a boy or a girl and you were the best surprise I've had in a long time!  I will never forget the second I laid my eyes on you and saw absolute perfection - you face, your arms, your fingers and toes, and your tiny little body.  Sometimes I wish I could go back in time to experience it all over again and then I look at you now, and love the little person you've become.

update on lil j and baby z

This post is an example of a case of "mom brain" as I had written it about three months ago but forgot to post it:



It seems these days my blog has taken a different turn and gone off track to what it was originally intended to be - a diary of sorts for myself  to remember my kids' milestones and for my kids to look back on one day and figure out what the heck Mommy was doing all those years.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm loving the attention and I love seeing PR pitches in my inbox, although some are not carefully thought out or properly pitched.  Exhibit A - I do not need boob mugs for anyone in my family, joke or not.

All PR jargons aside, I figure a post about the kids is past due.  So here it goes...

Baby Z is already eight months old!  Wow, I totally meant to do a post when she turned six months - ooops!  She's started solid foods and loves rice cereal and pretty much anything I give her.  I don't know what it is about the second child but sometimes I forget to feed her...?  The solids I mean, not the boob.  She's also had carrots {which she's sort of undecided on}, bananas, butternut squash and some random pre-made organic baby food.  I wish I had took a video of her expression when she first tasted the bananas {priceless!} but needless to say, she hated it.

birthday party pandemonium {+ linky}

With Miss S' birthday party completed and successful, I'm officially in party planning mode with Baby Z's first birthday in May and Lil J's fourth birthday in June.  Crazy how fast time flies!

I've already picked out themes and booked venues.  Now it's time to decide how crazy I want to get with the parties.  I'm coming to the conclusion that Pinterest is either my best friend or my worst enemy.  The amount of crafty ideas I'm filling on my Pinterest boards are enough to make my head explode.  I've started to make multiple to-do lists on my iPhone - making sure I don't forget which project I've started and which ones need to be completed first.

So far, I've finished Baby Z's pom pom decorations and tutu!  Next, I'm going to create a "Happy Birthday" banner and some favour boxes.  I also have to print out some favour tags and cupcake toppers, and possibly start a tissue paper garland.

And this is just the start of the party madness!

We'd love for you to share your birthday party posts with us!  Please leave a link to your party posts below with the title of your party.  Can't wait to see what all you party animals have been up to!

dear baby z: happy nine months!

I meant to post this two days ago, on February 22nd, but motherhood got the best of me.  Here's a love letter to my beautiful baby girl...


Dear Baby Z,

Today you're nine months old!  I'm sorry my letters to you have been so infrequent but our daily lives have been extremely busy that by the time you and your brother are in bed, I'm either passed out too or on the couch curled up with a full glass of wine.  You'll understand when you're older!

excuses, excuses: a bedtime saga

Every night feels like the same routine over and over again.  It repeats itself almost to the tee - like I can predict exactly what's going to happen next.

What am I talking about, you ask?  Bedtime.  That one, seven-letter word.  This word could be the death of us all parents as we know it.  It is the one word that makes me cringe, the one word that makes me wish I could fast track time.

It begins with Lil J uttering every excuse in the book:

"I'm hungry."

"I can't sleep."

"They're talking too loud out there and I can't sleep."

"I can't close my eyes."  Really?

"I can't sleep."

He even says "I can't sleep" in his sleep {it literally happened ten minutes ago - true story!}.

And if that isn't enough, the boy won't sleep unless Mommy is in bed with him until he drifts off to dreamland.  Yes, it's a horrible habit and an even harder habit to break out of.  Basically, hubby will look after Baby Z {if she's awake} while I put the little man to bed or Baby Z will already be sleeping in our room while I put Lil J to bed in our bed {at which point he'll eventually wake Baby Z up and then hubby will have to look after her anyways}.

Yup.  Bedtimes are basically a gong show disaster every single night.

And then this happens:

When I look at these {sleeping} faces, I ask myself how I could have been so mad...so frustrated...if only a few minutes ago.  It's so calm and serene...

...and it only lasts a minute.

Baby Z is up again, screaming screeching at the top of her lungs.  That girl sure knows how to belt out the high notes, especially late at night.

Lil J eventually starts tossing and turning {and may scream out a few times, hence, waking Baby Z up again} and talking randomly in his sleep.

Daddy G and I look at each other like why the f*@k do we let these kids sleep in our bedroom?  Ummm, this is why:

Yes, bedtimes are difficult right now but in a few years we'll be wishing we could relive these moments.  We'll be wishing our kids weren't so old and would still want to cuddle with us.  Instead of complaining about lost sleep and being frustrated that my kids won't fall asleep, I should be living in this moment - right here, right now.  Because I will never get these moments back.

Now I just have to work on getting the kiddos in their own bedrooms...

What kind of excuses do your kids like using to avoid the inevitable their bedtimes?