weekly photo dump. week 7.

another fun week in the books for the lott family.

we are enjoying these last few weeks with b before he goes back to work and we don't see much of him.

this week was pretty awesome! d is learning a million new things and words and can communicate so much better. makes life a little easier. 

now if he would only get back to napping! meh.

sunday morning was started off right with some pretty flowers, homemade french toast, dot art for the toddler and mama and a nap.(for once!) we spent the afternoon outside and did some major chalk art and the evening was spent with an awesome cheese and meat platter and champagne while we watched the oscars! we haven't seen a movie in forever but i watched for the fashion. don't we all?

monday i went to traci's where i added some more purple to my hair that didn't take and then i decided maybe i am destined for pink! i did some target shopping and found some mini marshmallows what were perfect for hot chocolate on this dreary day.
i also discovered the joys of the app draw something and got the best drawing ever! if you play, my name is mamainlalaland! i can't promise a masterpiece but i can promise some good lolz!

the boys got their haircut on tuesday. this is d's second cut. the first one was a snip because i couldn't bare to cut the curls. this was a real deal big boy cut! he looks so handsome! after the haircut we went to griffith park to play on the playground and then got chick-fil-a for lunch but i ate it too fast and forgot to take a pic!

it was a gorgeous day for the zoo so we packed up our stuff and headed out to see the animals! d is loving animals these days and loved the petting zoo area where he practically smothered a sheep and i cringed in fear that it would kick him! after checking out the animals we played on their playground for a bit and headed home for some naps. which didn't happen. sigh....

we started off this morning with a yummy homemade breakfast of eggs and toast and got the house cleaned up. i spent most of the day cleaning, laundering, organizing, etc while the boys played outside. i also got my new fruit crate in the mail and filled it with yummy stuff! 

that evening i took d out for dinner and frozen yogurt for our monthly date nights. i love these special nights with just the two of us!

friday is gymboree day so we hit up some playtime, ran around with the dogs in the pet store and came home to prep for a dinner party with friends. i made the pioneer woman's penne a la betsy and it was so yum! they brought cannoli's for dessert and we had the perfect little italian dinner complete with homemade sangria! 

we love our saturdays full of coffee, cartoons, sunshine, and dinner plans with friends. we drove to calabasas to have dinner with friends and enjoyed a delicious dinner and great fun with the kids. d and paige played so well together but ran around all night hence the lack of photo bombs from the night!

hope you all had a great week!

xoxo

i linked up with amy from a good life blog for her week in iPhotos. 

Friday Favorite. My MOST favorite thing to do.

this weeks friday favorites is dedicated to two things that are my absolute favorite. 
one, my favorite boy in the whole world. and two, my favorite thing to do with him.
d and i have special dates together once a month. we leave dad at home or he goes out with friends and we hit up the farmer's market or cpk for dinner. just the two of us. we draw, we play cars, we read books, or i just stare in amazement at this little guy and count my blessings that he is all mine! 
last night we hit up cpk for some yummy mac-n-cheese and a salad for me. the older d gets, the more fun this is for us. he now has a ton of words in the word bank so communicating is a lot easier! 

mastering the fork skills

after dinner we hit up pinkberry for some fro yo for mama and fruit for d. 
salted caramel yogurt?!?! yes, please! it was sooo good and way too big! 
my non eating sweets toddler (by choice)chose fruit. at a yogurt shop! crazy! 

these dates are so much fun and so special for both us of us to share. 

hope you all have a great weekend.

we have a dinner party tonight and another tomorrow and hopefully the farmer's market on sunday!

happy weekend!

xoxo

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

my little guy has been chatting up a storm and lately the words are getting much clearer and easy to decipher! makes the guessing a lot easier!

d's new favorite word is banana and the way he says it is adorable! 

see for yourself!

also ignore the mom voice! :nails on a chalkboard:

weekly photo dump. week 6.

this week was full of fun in the sun, friends over for dinner, some flea market shopping, and some good food.

can't beat that! 

one of my favorite things to do on sundays is head to the flea market. there are some great finds there and some you are left scratching your head about. really? 14 bucks for a mason jar. not so much!
i found some great stuff for our bedroom and i am super excited to reupholster that stool with a chevron print to match my bedspread! i wanted that green depression glass to come home with me but it was one of those ridiculous prices!
my cat loves our bed and the sun. also, i made our bed for a week straight! and my toddler loves boxes and played in this one for an hour straight. cheap entertainment.

monday we had a playdate at play source with traci, calen, and leah. the kids had so much fun and we got to catch up and gossip  chat about life!
if you live in the la area, this place is a must. very fun!

we always celebrate fat tuesday. a good reason to get together with friends, eat good food and have some wine.
b made some gumbo/jambalaya that was so good! we had some drinks in my newly redone patio/shed and the the boys played together...in the box!
ryland got the baby in the king cake which means he hosts the party next year. he is 3 so i'm not sure how that's gonna work!

wednesday i planted some more plants and spruced up the front patio a bit. we played outside and had some major chalk art time.
we also celebrated national margarita day with out famous margaritas. sooo good!

thursday was mommy day and i got a manicure which is rare these days! one accent nail, too! love this look. i also got my hair cut and colored. purple streak for the win!
in the evening we went to a friends movie screening at the silent movie theatre. yes, the movie had sound! this theater is old and so historic. i was a great time!

friday was full of outdoor fun in the warm weather, some trader joe's shopping and wins, and turkey burgers for dinner. i have a little boy who has been under the weather so staying home and making sure he gets better has been an the agenda!

our saturday morning walks have become a ritual and today we hit up the park on the way back home. we mostly walked around the park and found a tree with a painted heart on it. d wasn't feeling good so we came home for some lunch, a nap and some word world. after the sickie went to bed papa and i had a mojito and watched some tv. saturdays at our house! watch out!

this week we have a few things on the agenda to get done before brandon heads back to work in a few weeks. 

hope you all had a great weekend!

xo

Friday Favorite. What's in my Gift Wrapping Arsenal.

i'm a wrapping paper / wrapping paraphernalia addict!
i'm a total sucker for a pretty package. i can't help myself. who doesn't love to receive a box wrapped in pretty paper, with some nice ribbon or twine and a cute gift tag? i know i can't be the only one.
i have a stack of paper, gift tags, ribbon, twine etc just itching to be used and this month we have a ton of birthday parties so i'm excited i get to be creative and come up with a pretty package idea.
here are my favorites from olive manna that i have in my gift wrapping arsenal. if you haven't checked out this site, it's a must for paper junkies like myself!


i love a beautiful wrapping paper but lately i have been using kraft paper. it is sometimes cheaper and  thicker, plus you can dress it up how ever you want! plus if you are like me and like to be all matchy matchy with your paper and ribbon, kraft paper is brown. you can use any color to make it pretty!

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then you can make it look like this..

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or like this with some washi tape or masking tape...

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wooden gift tags that can be dressed up to say anything with a stamp! so easy and pretty!

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chalkboard and dry erase tag labels are great because you can write anything on them for any occasion. you don't have to have a specific label for a thank you or a birthday gift. and if you mess up like i often do, you can erase!!!! genius! also more genius, they can be reused by whomever you give them to. circle of gift wrapping life right there! 

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and finally, every package needs a pretty bow so i often use this linen ribbon to make it a little prettier and also, again, recyclable by the person you give the gift, too. 

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hope you all have a great weekend. we are planning on getting some stuff done around our house an possibly purchasing a garden box so we can start our herb garden. spring has sprung in los angeles and we are soaking up the sunny la weather! 

xoxo