BABY BOY ESSENTIALS

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I'm thankful that I have been able to experience being a mom to both a boy and a girl. When we found out the news that we were having  a boy we were so excited, but I quickly realized that I didn't have any clothes for a boy and many of the toys and books we had collected over the years for Elle were fairly feminine. I am of the mindset that there isn't a color or a toy or a book that is for just one gender by any means, but I also didn't want Levi to only have hand-me-downs that are pink and purple. The little guy definitely deserved to have some shiny, new gifts just for him in an array of colors.

Today, I'm sharing with you a list of things that I have been given or have purchased since having baby number two that I have really loved and would recommend to any other mom. 

1. Freshly Picked moccasins - There's no real need for babies to wear shoes when they are first born, but having these mocs starting around 5 months has been wonderful. Levi loves to plant his feet on the ground and jump in his jumper. These shoes are stretchy and easy to get on and off, which is nice when they have those pudgy baby feet. One mistake I made with Elle was never getting her used to having shoes on, so when it came time for her to wear them all she did was sit on the floor and cry. Haha! The poor kid didn't understand why she had to wear shoes.

2. Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada - This is the funniest and cutest baby book out there right now. Jimmy Fallon really did a wonderful job creating it, and I think it's a great gift for any mom.

3. Special Nursery Decor - There are toys that are meant to be played with and then there are toys that are so cute you want to display them. Every mom and dad wants these as gifts too. The Land of Nod has a ton of these toys, and I especially love this gray hippo. I'm going to save it for Levi forever and one day give it to his kids.

4. A cool hat - If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen a couple posts about Levi getting the worst case of cradle cap. We are STILL dealing with it, and having a cool, cute hat for him to wear through this process has been critical. I adore this winter hat by 7AM Enfant. It's probably cutest, and coolest winter accessory there is for babies.

5. Zipadee-Zip - This MIRACLE product isn't pictured in the photo, but every single mom needs this flying squirrel-ish swaddle. After 3 months you are supposed to stop swaddling your baby, but Levi would still wake himself up if we didn't keep his hands away from his face. Enter in our saving grace the Zipadee-Zip. It was featured on Shark Tank, and it has blown up since then because moms across the U.S. know what I know...This thing works! Levi loves sleeping in it, and it keeps him warm without having to put on heavy jammies.

6. Bandana Drool Bibs - Forget the cheesy, "My First Christmas," bibs for eating and drooling. Go get these incredibly cool bandana drool bibs by Copper Pearl. They come in all sorts of designs for girls and boys.

7. Cute boy clothes - This is a whole topic for another blog post, but all I have to say is that I have searched high and low for cute boy clothes, and the line of affordable clothes I like for Levi that is by Burt's Bees. Yes, the chapstick company makes flippin' adorable baby clothes, and you need to check them out. I didn't want to constantly have to buy things on Etsy and wait for them to ship or spend a fortune at Baby Gap. You can grab these cute clothes at Buy Buy Baby.

Photos by Rennai Hoefer

REAL LOVE

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Over a year and half ago I styled a model for a styled shoot for Ale Vidal around Shakespeare's, Romeo & Juliet. We have never shared the photos until now, and I thought these photos would be a great visual to share my thoughts and feelings about love, after all Valentine's Day is only days away.

Reading the words of Romeo, "See how she leans upon her hand! O that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek," makes me swoon. What woman doesn't dream of a man falling head over heels like that? I always thought that was what love looked like - a man completely smitten and infatuated with me, a man that would always think I am the most beautiful woman God ever created for all eternity, a man that calls me the "sun," and never wanting to part from me. 

Love was something I only understood as emotion and a feeling. Now that I have been married for almost 9 years this May, I have come to understand that great, true love is choosing to love even when you don't have all of the "feelings" behind it.

It's knowing that Ryan loves me at my ugliest rather than at my prettiest. Sure, he tells me that I am beautiful, special and wonderful from time to time, but when he says, "I love you," after a big fight I know that we have something great and special. 

Sometimes I miss all of the emotions that come when you just begin to date, but even writing this blog post reminds me how much more special it is to experience true love in the day to day hustle and bustle of life when I don't look my prettiest and I'm not always saying the right thing.

Photos by Ale Vidal
Makeup by SN Makeup Artist
Hair by Jessica Gallegos
Styling by Alex Evjen, AVE Styles
Dress from Mariee Bridal
Flowers by Posies Floral
Veil from Mignonne Handmade
Model Agency AZ

5 TIPS FOR STYLING A COZY HOUSE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

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This post is sponsored by Coca Cola.

I wish that this was my real house, but the same rules and elements of creating a warm and inviting space shown here apply to mine. What we have here is a gorgeous exposed Rafter House styled by Coley and Lindsey of Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market. The house was our set for a holiday movie night with Coca-Cola licensed merchandise. Coley and Lindsey did an amazing job bringing my vision to life.

Want to make your home feel just as cozy as this? See below for five must-haves to create your holiday gathering space:

PLENTY OF THROWS - Soft fuzzy textures automatically bring a the level of cozy up 100%. Try layering a mixture of faux fur and knit throws. You can drape them across your sofa or fold them up in a basket by the fireplace. NOTE: Try not to make the blankets look too perfect. You want to make a lived-in feeling, so let the ends of the blankets drape over the basket and let wrinkles lay where they may.

KNIT PILLOWS - Though my husband doesn't always love a ton of throw pillows on a couch they sure do make a space more full and inviting. You can also lay some on the floor by the fireplace to create an invitation to come, sit and stay awhile too. You can find this Vintage Coca-Cola Graphic pillow here.

CANDLES - There's nothing like the warmth of candlelight. Placing candles throughout your home is always a great way to make someone feel at home.

BRING THE OUTDOORS IN - Fresh pine, evergreen and burning firewood -those are the smells of winter. Bring those comforting scents indoors by placing fresh evergreen and pine in vases. 

STICK WITH WARM, NEUTRAL COLORS - A lot of color can be fun, but not all colors make you feel relaxed. In fact, color theory suggests that red, yellow and orange tones can make people feel more energetic. Of course, around the holidays we want to have some red in the mix, so try to use it as an accent to brown, ivory and gray.

Photos by Melissa Jill, Art Direction AVE Styles; Prop styling by Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market; House courtesy of Rafter House; Hand-written art by Katie Sterbenz.

TOP CHRISTMAS MOVIES FOR A DATE NIGHT AT HOME

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This post is sponsored by Coca-Cola.

With a three month old baby and a three year old, you can bet that Ryan and I aren't getting much alone time these days. We usually like to plan one nice date night out a month with a sprinkling of quick coffee or dinner dates throughout the month, but that's just not reality in this season of parenting and marriage. So, what do we do instead?

Movie nights at home by the fireplace. Honestly, sometimes I love it even more than going out. I think the only thing that can keep it from being a good date night is if Elle gets out of bed or Levi doesn't stay down for the night. If you're in the same boat as us, try to make a special Christmas movie night with your guy or gal. It's important to carve out some quality time, especially when stress levels can be high around the holidays. 

Make some gourmet popcorn (chipotle rosemary popcorn or candy cane popcorn), dessert nachos, pigs in a blanket, serve ice cold Coca-Cola and sit back and enjoy. And if you're on a budget here's a FREE movie guide if you are a Netflix or Amazon Prime subscriber. I'm sure your wallet will thank you later for this date.

  1. While You Were Sleeping (Netflix)
  2. Love Actually (Netflix)
  3. Finding Neverland (Amazon Prime)
  4. Serendipity (Netflix)
  5. White Christmas (Netflix)
  6. Happy Christmas(Netflix)
  7. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Netflix)

STOCKING STUFFERS FOR TEENS

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SS for Teens.jpg

Teens are fun to shop for, but finding them the perfect gift can be a hard feat. Nowadays it seems like teens are constantly moving on to the next trend and there's so many options out there it can be overwhelming. I've found that you can't go wrong with a grouping of little stocking stuffer type gifts. Here are a few ideas: 

You may have noticed that a lot of these gifts can be found on Ankit.com. Ankit is an amazing site I discovered recently and sells the cutest accessories and tech goodies. Shop with them online before December 31st and use the code AVESTYLES15 for 15% off your purchase!