Jentertaining

Three months later P’s bed frame has finally arrived. After a long week and walking over boxes - the bed is assembled and all before 9am 😃 😍 totally worth the wait!

This is 2! It feels crazy to have a two year old running around, talking up a storm, eating every snack in sight, sleeping in a real bed, and generally keeping us on our toes. Can’t wait do see what this year has in store for our little lady! ❤️🎂🎉

Christmas in Mexico was perfection! 🇲🇽🎄🌞🕶️

And just like that… three years have passed since we closed on the house and made CT our home! It feels just like yesterday we were knocking down walls and painting every surface we could get our hands on. While we’re currently living in a state of turned over chairs (toddler life) this house keeps getting better with time!

Legit woke up thinking is was Tuesday and to my delight it was Saturday 😂

Two weeks in Italy with a toddler is in the books! P broke in her new passport and literally ate her way through every stop. From the fairytale wedding of our dear friends, traveling with our Mimi and Poppi, and savoring every site and bite along the way, Italy was the perfect first country to visit with a toddler and while we’re exhausted, it was perfect!

Here’s a little recap of where we went and my travel notes 🧳

Milan: perfect starting point easy to get our bearings.

Lake Como: simply magical. We stayed in Meggiano (the Airbnb is beyond perfect) the town has a great plaza and easy for the little one to run around and quick boat ride to Bellagio for lunch.

Bologna: our favorite city. The food scene was next level. It’s sooo easy to get around with all the covered porticos providing shade and flat surfaces great for P to run and for the stroller. I think they shopping here is better than Milan as there were more smaller shops to explore. We did a day train trip to Parma for lunch and it was such a cute town to explore.

Venice: honestly, the direct flight home was the main reason we opted for this stop. I’m glad we went and even more happy with our hotel pick as it was just outside of the crazy. It was just too touristy for me.

Travel notes:
- invest in a good travel stroller and rechargeable fan. They were our saving grace!
- we used (1) medium, (1) carry on suitcase, and (2) backpacks and it was perfect. Packing cubes are essential!
-buy diapers (supermarkets have) sunscreen (pharmacy) when you arrive.
- keep in mind that almost all shops close at lunchtime (1-3ish) so plan accordingly. I wish we did this in the states!
- if you see Mole Cola, buy it! It’s a local version of Coke and so good.
- invest in global entry for the little one. It was the best money spent and it took us 2mins to get through customs on the way home.

I’ve saved all of our favs and Airbnb listings to a goggle map list and happy to share - just shoot me a DM!

Now to plan the next adventure!

Two more teeth comin’ in 🦷 — taking us to 14 and counting😲 who’s ready for the weekend? 🙋🏼‍♀️

Sometimes I just have to start a project to get it out of my head and into action. Today, that was taking down the playpen and setting up a temporary toy shop. I’ll over think an idea for weeks, so it’s time to get the ball rolling and the new shelves up tomorrow! I just know that outlet is gonna be a pain 😒 Wish my plants good luck, I’m sure I’ll have to move them soon 🪴

The gangs all here! We’ve entered the “doggie and teddy go with us everywhere stage” and it’s absolutely adorable. Doggie already has been saved in my Amazon cart (just in case) and I’m holding the line that teddy stays at home (because he’s mine from childhood and irreplaceable) — works for now!! How did you handle favorite stuffies? I’m all ears!

40 never looked so good! A very big Happy Birthday post to our favorite dad, husband, and best friend around. He’s the guy who always has the best dinner reservations on lock, is as silly as can be, has mastered the diaper change, and taught this DIY girl it’s ok to call in the professionals every once an a while to do house projects (I swear I’d still be painting the house if it wasn’t for him stepping in 😂)

Love you 🥰❤️🎂 and here’s to the best year yet! 😘

Since we had to move some plants downstairs to avoid the wrath of the little lady, I’m adding flowers anywhere out of her reach to make up for it 🤣 🌺

Only 23 days until spring, which means the laundry room projects gotta kick into high gear to meet my self imposed deadline🤪

This view never gets old! The kitchen was a hot mess when we moved in. From a random wall separating the living room and the kitchen, a glass backsplash screaming HGTV circa 1992, and upper cabinets that just felt out of place; it was the very first project we tackled

While this isn’t my dream kitchen by any means, it’s still a pretty awesome (and cheap) update that I still ❤️ two years later. Never underestimate what paint, new hardware, and some new appliances can do!

Family pics from Paige’s first birthday are in - at six months she was teething and for year one she had her first ear infection, but she’s a trooper!

We’ve done all of our family photo sessions at home and I highly recommend it - there’s just something so intimate and real about being in our everyday setting to capture these milestones.

I was never one to hire the photographer, send out the holiday cards, coordinate the family outfits but having a family will do that to you and I’m so grateful to have these moments captured! 😍

On the move - feeling very much like the little lady today 🏃‍♀️I finally had an aha moment💡for the last design piece in laundry room and quickly got to measuring and mentally designing. (Hint: I’m repurposing those fake walls in a fun new way!)

The hubby is gonna help me move the fridge out into the garage and next week it’s all about demo and prep!

Happy Friday everyone and 👋🏻 to all the new faces joining in on this wild ride!

This is one! 🎂Feeling pretty lucky to this little lady’s mama and so grateful to our friends and family for all the love and support this year 😍

Oh, my lovely mother made a strawberry & whipped cream that was a huge hit (maybe we can get her to share the recipe?!)

Table for three! We use this table on the daily and yet, I still haven’t committed to proper dining chairs - these are still the ones from our old NYC apt 😂

On the baby front, the high chair is the Stokke Tripp Trapp that I have a serious love/hate relationship with. Does it look nice? Sure. Is it a pain to clean and adjust? Yup. Would I recommend it? I still think it’s the best option for long term use (just wouldn’t bother with getting the cushion, you'll be washing it three times a day!

As with everything, it’s all WIP and someday I’ll find chairs that I love that aren’t velvet (seriously, that just feels like a recipe for disaster) so until then, I’ll love this nook, crooked Amaryllis, old chairs, and all!

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