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We’ve had one busy and enjoyable spring-summer season. I unplugged from the blog to enjoy summer break with my boys with the occasional IG posts, but I thought recapping our busiest seasons in our family would be fitting for the blog as we enter fall.

Here’s a run down of our favorite memories of the past spring-summer season:

  • Traveling to Disneyworld! Our first visit together as a family of FOUR to the Most Magical Place on Earth, April
  • Baptism for our son Baron, April
  • Running my first “mindful triathlon” at Wanderlust 108, May
  • Celebrating John’s and my 8th wedding anniversary, June
  • Camping trip to Deception Pass (Baby Baron’s first), June
  • 4th of July on Vashon
  • Getting a trampoline for the backyard! August (review to follow)
  • Jonah’s birthday trip at Great Wolf Lodge, September
  • Baron turning 1! October
  • The boys’ joint Fall birthday party at the Pumpkin Patch, complete with a bonfire and s’mores in the corn maze (my favorite!), October

Enter fall. Fall is my favorite time of the year to slow down, reflect, plan, and enjoy cozy moments at home and to be outdoors with nature. It’s also when kids go back to school, I start a new planner, we get back to our routines, the leaves turn and the colors outside are glorious, the days shorter, nights longer, pumpkins are everywhere, farms are in full harvest mode, I celebrate my birthday, along with numerous other fabulous October birthdays, and not to mention, fall décor and the fall fashions!

What are some of your favorite fall traditions?

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I attended my first Wanderlust 108 festival in Redmond WA this past May. Being that I’ve never ran a 5k or even thought about doing a triathlon, I loved the idea of an untimed 5k run or walk, followed by yoga and meditation afterward set in a beautiful outdoor setting. Seemed like an ideal way to spend my Sunday morning. I recruited my girlfriend Cindy who I knew would up be up for the wellness challenge and unique fitness experience.

Wanderlust 108 is the world’s only “mindful triathlon,” combining a 5k run, a 90 minute yoga class, and a large scale, led meditation. They take the concept of a traditional triathlon and focus on wellness and community, rather than competition. Whether you like to run and are new to meditation or love yoga and practice in a small studio, the Wanderlust 108 provides the opportunity to connect with a like-minded crew, make some new connections and leave the event at the end of the day feeling better than arrived. The event surely sounded like a makeover for the soul, an appropriate way to celebrate springtime in Seattle and start the day on a yoga high note!

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My family and I recently returned from Walt Disney World, and after surviving Disney with an infant (6 months) and a 6-year-old, we feel that we can conquer almost anything!

To say I was nervous about the trip is an understatement. I envisioned waiting in long lines everywhere, having to navigate through crowds, and feeling overwhelmed by the size of the parks. My vision couldn’t have been further from reality. Sure, those things existed, but despite all of that, we did experience the Most Magical Place On Earth. Here are my tips on how you can do that, too with an infant and child.

Plan, Plan, Plan .

Before even setting foot in a park, have a plan.

  • We knew which days we wanted to visit which parks. With a few days in Orlando, we decided to get a two-day pass allowing us to visit the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
  • Downloading the Disneyworld app was our bff before and during the trip. It was helpful having our all our dining reservations, ride times, schedule of attractions, and photos all in once device.
  • Know what rides are most important to your kids and send someone there first. Each day upon entering a park, I sent my husband to get in the FastPass line for the most popular rides (Toy Story, Splash Mountain, etc.), so we reduced wait times there. For us, Disney dining and the Star Wars Experience were the focus for this trip, which we successfully conquered. We spent one full day at each park (Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom) and still didn’t have enough time each day. There is just so much to see, do, and experience with so much ground to cover! DW is HUGE!
  • Expect lengthier travel times to and from the parks if you’re not staying in the park. From the Magic Kingdom parking lot, you’ll still need to catch a shuttle to the entrance gate, then take the monorail or ferry boat to the main entrance of the Magic Kingdom.

Seek out nursing or resting spots to feed baby and rest. I found respite in the lobby of Star Wars theatre to sit down and nurse. This to me was pure bliss. Air conditioning, dark and quiet with no one around! Another favorite spot to just sit down and relax was at the garden outside Cinderella’s Castle. It was the perfect little outdoor area to people watch. It’s landscaped with turf suitable for little ones to sit and crawl on and it’s surrounded by a lovely flower garden filled with spring blooms.

 

The Food

Walt Disney World definitely takes it up a notch with their Signature Dining. There are also a ton of walk-up counter service restaurants throughout the parks, and of course a selection of character dining options. The Signature Dining and character dining books up fast so be sure to make your reservations early.

Fireworks view at the California Grill from the top floor Contemporary Resort We enjoyed dinner and dessert at California Grill at the Contemporary Resort complete with views of the Nighttime Spectacular Fireworks – what a treat!

1900 Park Fare at the gorgeous Grand Floridian Resort was another favorite where we enjoyed dinner during Cinderella’s Happily Ever After and character visits from Cinderella herself and Prince Charming.img_0284

The highlight of our dinners was at Be Our Guest. The ambiance, food, service, and entertainment were most memorable.

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Overall, we had an amazing family vacation at the Most Magical Place On Earth. We did what we wanted at our own pace, let Jonah decide on attractions and rides he wanted to experience, we ate well, laughed together, made wishes, and enjoyed being in the moment. For Jonah’s and Baron’s first time to WDW and for us as a family, we’re already planning our next trip. We can’t wait to come back!

 

 

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I love springtime. It’s lighter later, the sun comes up earlier (awesome if you’re a morning person), and nature and the outdoors come alive. The NW is especially most beautiful come springtime with all the flowers in bloom, trees become lush and covered with foliage, flowers, and fruit. Spring is also a fun time to add style to outdoor spaces.

John and I put in some work during our weekends in March prepping for our spring garden, which was great timing for our annual family Easter celebration and egg hunt in our front yard. We planted a new flower garden bed to include a Magnolia tree  with a mix of annuals and perennials, and started a small vegetable garden in the backyard.

Here are some photos from our productive weekends in March.

For this year’s flower bed, I went with reds, pinks, yellows, and pops of orange for flowers. My Fred Meyer Garden Center haul… geraniums, osteos and cosmos were my top picks.

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My little helper. Jonah loved hauling my flowers back and forth from the garage to the front yard.image2-5

BEFORE and AFTERImage-4What a difference a little bit of pruning, trimming, removing, and adding colors can do!

Next up: hanging flower baskets, container gardens, and patio prep.

How do you style and celebrate for spring?

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With being back at work for a month now after taking what seemed to be the fastest 4 months off for maternity leave ever, I am sharing a later review of the Who What Wear for Target collection.

With visions of chic pencil skirts, striped tees, blouses, and cape blazers in my mind, I knew these were key pieces I wanted to add to my work wardrobe, and a perfect excuse to go “back to work” shopping. After a Sunday full of errands, baby, home, and family/friend activities, my last stop for the night was a trip to Target to shop the new Who What Wear collection and try on my favorite pieces.

My local store had a good selection of most pieces, including the trench vest,  striped tees, the cape blazer and printed scarves.

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The collection features chic staples inspired by street style with an on-trend twist.  Lots of bold colors, black and white,  and stripes made up the first assortment. Floral and polka dot patterns are easy to mix and match, making the collection effortless to style many different ways.

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In the dressing room:

My favorite picks on my wish list weeks before the launch were the cape blazer, boyfriend jeans, and the trench vest which all came home with me. I also had the blush blazer at the top of my wish list but that got snatched up online within minutes.

I was pleased with the fit of the cape blazer with a longer hem in the back, padded shoulders, and had a nice drape. It looks great with denim for a casual look, or with trousers for a more polished look for work.

The trench vest is a fun trendy piece that I contemplated on, but I decided that it would be a great layering piece with many options: worn with denim and a tee, or over a dress, etc.

The boyfriend jeans were a no brainer and on my must-have as I practically live in them and are a staple in my closet. This particular cut for the collection is a slimmer boyfriend fit with a higher waist than most baggier low rise bf versions. The slimmer fit and high waist gives it a more polished look when worn with heels and a blouse.

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Here’s a peek at how I styled the cape blazer with my work outfit on my first day back on the job: with cropped trousers, a teal front tie blouse, black wedges, and a grey 3.1 Phillip Lim tote.

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I’m excited for a new Who What Wear assortment that will be released each month as I am constantly looking for classic and stylish pieces to add to my work wardrobe and that can transition to casual occasions. Which items were on your wish list?