I’m not sure about the rest of you but I am so excited for summer this year. Summer is already my favorite season but this summer has me so pumped! For most people, summer starts at one of two holidays. For some it starts Memorial Day weekend and for others it starts on Fourth of July. Either way, most of us kick off the sunny season with a patriotic bash!

A couple of years ago, we did this adorable shoot with Deets and Things and I hope it inspires you as much as it inspires me for this year’s holiday celebrations!

With parties and gatherings coming back in full swing, planners are kicking things up a notch from your average cookout. I love a gorgeous invitation suite, even for a backyard get together! Pigment and Parchment knocked it out of the park with this fun, casual, and gorgeous invitation. I love the lighter hues of that traditional red, white and, blue.

We loved working with this amazing group of vendors to help celebrate this pretty little girl and wish her all the best in her life. There are those who say a first birthday is a waste of time, money, and energy…however I see absolutely no waste in celebrating a beautiful soul and getting together to wish them all the best in life.

Jacqui painted attention to every single detail and the tablescape was no exception. I am just obsessed with all these floral arrangements by the talented Krista, from Not Just in Novels Florals. I haven’t seen prettier red, white, and blue florals ever! It really kicks up this party a few notches and brings it into a level that I think we are all aiming for our parties this summer. We were able to do some fun patriotic stir sticks for the party and we love how they turned out. They are always such a fun addition to a table, elevating the theme to a new level.

No backyard party is complete without some epic desserts and these desserts really steal the show here! Suburban Pies and Pacific Organic Pops just shined through this shoot with all their yummy goodies.

I love when parties consider guests of all ages. This summer, I think everyone is anxious to include their kids in some much deserved fun and games. I love this idea of creating a scavenger hunt for them! Not only are planned games for the kiddos a nice gesture as a host to their guests, but it also keeps them busy! Make sure you have treats and prizes for participants.

We hope that no matter how you chose to celebrate the kick off to summer, you enjoy yourself. Feel blessed to have another season on this beautiful planet and make some memories. Don’t forget to take pictures! Caitlin from Caitlin Alohilani did a fantastic job capturing all the details and fun that this party was. We haven’t been taking as many pictures this past year and this shoot reminds me of why it’s so important to try and capture these special moments.

What are you doing to celebrate the kick off for summer? Do you have any summer kick off traditions?

Photography | Caitlin Alohilani Photography
Design/Styling | Deets and Things
Florals | Not Just In Novels Florals
Hairstylist | Shearly Blissful Hair
Cake and Desserts | Sweet Songbird Bakery
Cookies | Frost Your Cookie Bakery
Popsicles | Pacific Organic Pops
Children’s Wear | Alice and Ames
Children's Shoes | Nina Kids Shoes
Invitation/Signage | Pigment and Parchment
Laser cut goods | Delovely Details
Balloon Install | The Pop Shop
Linen | Wolf and Irving
Rentals | Baker Party Rentals
Mini Pinatas | Lula Flora Designs
Pies | Suburban Pie

Spring is here and after the spring of 2020, the Spring of 2021 is actually full of hope and optimism. I am here for all of that!

Sally of Pretty Little Events and Amy from White Blossom Events threw together this Spring party and just blew everyone away. They are so ridiculously talented, and very inspiring.

This gorgeous spring picnic was adorable and whimsical. Everything Spring should be. The soft muted palette under that gorgeous willow tree, it’s just perfection. I just want to sit here with a charcuterie board and a glass of wine and feel the warm sun and light wind on me. So inviting!

Erin, from Erin J Saldana Photography, did a gorgeous job of capturing all the little details while also really providing the sweet and delicate tone of this picnic.

As one of the biggest animal lovers I know, I was so giddy when I saw they had real bunnies from Fable Farm Events. I mean, what else screams Spring more than fluffy bunnies?! Plus, it’s a great activity for the little ones to stay busy and to also get some one on one experiences with animals they may not experience in their everyday life.

The soft florals, which might have been an enticing dessert for those bunnies since they are just so gorgeous looking, were from LV Floral Events. The florals are really the main attribute to the softened mood for this picnic. They remind me of just more fluffy and inviting pillows.

I absolutely love anytime I get to work with Pretty Little Events or White Blossom Events, but when they work together…it’s just that much more reason to get excited! They always round up the most amazing vendors as well. Salt Paper Co. is a talent that I’ve been wanting to work with. I love her notepads and use them around the house but her custom work is even more to die for. Look how cute these casual invites are?! Who could say no to that invitation?!

We were so excited to do these carrot gift tags/place cards for this picnic! This picnic was the perfect way to showcase them and it meant so much to me that we were asked to be a part of it.

This stunning cake was just perfect for this little picnic afternoon. It tied everything in exquisitely. Miso Bakes designed this whimsical cake with flowers and mushrooms.

They used our custom engraved carrot name tags on personal milk bottles for each guest. They turned out so cute! We’ve also used them on Easter baskets and even gift tags.

My favorite, e2beauty gave all these girls an adorable mini spring makeover with some animal face painting. Not only is that a great activity for a group of girls, but it just completely adds to that whimsical mood for this picnic. Those little faces are just too cute!

I am so ready for Spring and all the warmer weather. I’m ready for a fresh new season and more gatherings, more reasons to celebrate, and even more reasons to smile.

Design and Planning: Pretty Little Events and White Blossom Events

Photography: Erin Saldana

Florals: LV Floral Events

Cake: Miso Bakes

Rentals: Found Rental Co. and Create a Party

Balloons: Pretty Little Events

Makeup: e2beauty

Invitations & Banner: Salt Paper Co.

Laser Cut Pieces: Delovely Details

Bunnies: Experience Fable

Now that I’ve been a mother to two humans, you think I would be a bit wiser about raising children…right?

Nope. Not at all! There are two things I know I have learned from being a mum to two girls, that I still know nothing about raising kids and to always just pack the extra snacks.

When we first had Evelyn, we really wanted to remain minimalist with the baby gear. I was incredibly thoughtful and did our due diligence in research for what we thought we needed, what would be worth having for convenience, and what things we could get by without.

Looking back, I think we did a great job. I didn’t really have any products that I didn’t feel like we got our full use out of except for one product (just buy the cheap Ikea high chair!).

When I was pregnant with Hazel, and we found out it was another girl, I was so hopeful that we wouldn’t need to buy any more baby gear and we would still love our old baby products as much as we did the first time around.

We did well with our goal and I’m here to share with you my top 5 favorite products I used for BOTH my girls.

1. Mom’s on Call - All moms will tell you the “sleep guru” or “sleep method” they use and swear by. Sometimes that’s not even a method at all. Hey, whatever works for you and yours! For us, the answer was Mom’s on Call. I can’t recommend it enough. Both my girls are the best sleepers, but more importantly, I’m so confident in knowing what their needs are because of this book series.

2. Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine - We got Hazel her own as soon as we knew she was coming because this has been such an amazing product for our family. Not only is the functionality amazing, but their customer service is out of this world. Between Evelyn’s Hatch and the new one Hazel’s got, there have been some awesome upgrades.

3. Swaddleme Swaddles and Sleep pods - Since we were very hopeful to give Evelyn a sibling, I kept all of her clothes including her swaddles, sleep sacks, etc. Thank goodness because they all came in use and Hazel slept amazing with them. I was so worried that what worked for Evelyn, wouldn’t work for Hazel and I would be out shopping for all new sleeping solutions with a toddler and a newborn during a pandemic but these worked great for both our girls! (I could easily write a whole blog post about how much I hate buying sleepsacks.)

4. Dr. Brown’s Formula Pitcher - We didn’t buy this for Evelyn until we were about 3 months in with making bottles every 3 hours, spilling formula all over the counters around the clock and wasting so much formula. This revolutionized the way we conducted our days and we started it on day one with Hazel. If you are a formula family, this is a game changer!

5. Halo Bassinet - I was actually given a Halo bassinet from my bestie who didn’t love it. We were so lucky because we (Evelyn and myself) loved it! But I was very worried that maybe Hazel wasn’t gonna sleep as well in it. However, it worked great! Maybe too great because I ended up having to wake Hazel up for her feedings those first couple months!

I definitely don’t have the answers to how to be the perfect mum to two kids, I don’t really have a clue if what I am doing is right, and most days I’m overwhelmed with guilt about the possibility of one of my children not getting all their needs or wants completely fulfilled. However, I do find these small wins helpful. I made a few good choices and they have continued to pay off. Woot!

This post contains some affiliated links, however I wouldn’t recommend anything I don’t already love!