A Day at the Beach

Yesterday was a gorgeously sunny day so Randy and I decided it would best be spent oceanside. We threw some beach towels and sunblock in a bag, grabbed our beach umbrella, packed Cruz up and hit the open road - destination: Muir Beach.

First we stopped off in Corte Madera and picked up pulled pork sandwiches, fresh baked cornbread muffins, caprese salad and salami at Bryan's Fine Foods and AG Ferrari. Good thing we had somewhere to go because I could spend hours in these kinds of shops!

We got to Muir Beach around midday and it was breathtaking.

Cruz was so excited to be there!

We spent the afternoon playing at the water's edge, digging in the sand, lounging on our beach mats and just taking time to exhale from our hectic schedules. Being near the ocean is simultaneously relaxing and rejuvenating. Days like this we are grateful that we live near such beauty and that we can experience it as family.

Cruz Turns 2

And just like that (or so it seemed) Cruz turned 2 yesterday, April 18. We celebrated the day before with a fun party at Studio Grow in Berkeley, CA. Studio Grow is an awesome children's play space with a variety of different rooms that stimulate and inspire kids to play however they please. We mainly invited our friends and family with little ones since it was so kid-centric, but we welcomed childless guests too!

The party got underway at 2:30pm; we rented the whole place out so the kids had the freedom to around from room to room, playing and having a great time. We had a yummy spread for adults and kiddies alike: vietnamese spring rolls, fresh homemade empanadas, a variety of sushi, crudites, crunchy green apples with a caramel toffee dip, and sandwiches cut into fun shapes. I made individual snack boxes for each child that included cookies, crackers, fruit snacks, string cheese and a cutie. My sister made adorable name tags that made the boxes extra special - who doesn't like something personalized?

We had a variety of delicious cupcakes from Love At First Bite, a local Berkeley bakery that we frequent. To give these a little special touch, my sister made these cute cupcake toppers, which by the way, are coming soon to an Etsy near you!

We invited Mariela Herrera to the party and she did a bilingual (spanish/english) story time, sang songs and danced with the kids. She was so energetic and personable, I highly recommend her for children's parties. Cruz enjoyed this portion of the party a lot, singing along and dancing to the music.

Soon it was time to blow out the candles - Randy and I tag-teamed and made a 3-D cake in the shape of a car since Cruz is obsessed with cars! I baked it and Randy did all the icing. It definitely looked homemade but it was truly a labor of love. Cruz sang along as everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and tried his best to blow out the candles. I ended up giving him a hand but he was pretty proud of himself nonetheless.

The party eventually wound down and as guests left they received a simple take home favor - a watercolor palette and a can of Play Doh so they could continue the Studio Grow fun at home!

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us, we are so fortunate to have such wonderful family and friends.

Blog Kickoff!

I've been toying with the idea of a blog for some time now. I started one a couple of years ago just for myself and never posted a single thing; I couldn't fathom that anyone would be interested in reading about my day to day life so I nixed it! But here I am with my second attempt - this time I'm a mom and a wife and life is going so quickly I can barely catch my breath. I'm hopeful this blog will force me to stop, take a minute and relive the moments that make our lives worthwhile. I also want it to be a space to keep in touch with our family and friends. At the end of every year as I diligently send out our Christmas card, I regret that in some cases, it will be the only communication we've had with some of our loved ones the entire year. So as this blog begins it's maiden voyage, Randy, Cruz and I invite you to share these "days of our lives". Read on.