3 WEEKS TOO LONG

warning: some sappy pictures & some sappy talk about missing my husband...

hey look! i'm in california- austin

left: i just got here, where are you guys?

right: you aren't by the pool house either..

left: found the dogs. kelly left hers. not cool kel!!!

right: rus photobombed me

so, austin is really funny, i wish you all could know him because of how great & funny he is. one of my favorite things he has been doing since i've been gone are photo series. he picks different backgrounds & sends pictures & funny texts about him doing all sorts of things, traveling to different places while i'm gone. they've been really, really entertaining but my favorite are his california series. after i went to utah he sent me a group of pictures that looked like he was in california with pretty funny captions to go along. my mom, sister-in-law & i were all laughing pretty hard while we were looking at them (captions are listed under the pictures......incase you were confused by it, haha)

being back in the states has been so much fun, but it's also been pretty hard being away from austin for so long. i know, i'm sappy, but it's true! austin & i haven't been apart longer than 10 days until this trip & while the trip is going quickly, it feels like i haven't seen him foreverrrrrr! 3 weeks is a  l o n g  time! i don't know how people handle long distance relationships! i hate it. we try to facetime everyday so that we can see each other & so he can see cedar, we text throughout the day, which is probably annoying for everyone & i try not to be on my phone all the time, but come on, i wanna talk to him & it's hard with the time change. so it hasn't really been that horrible & luckily for me, i have a really great, amazing, funny husband. he even had some friends that he knew i was getting together with bring me belated valentines day flowers. pretty sweet, right? he also sends me really cute pictures of the two of us from when we first started dating & right before we got married. some of these pictures i don't remember ever seeing, but i think it's pretty cute of him.

p.s. i'm so honored & excited to have a feature on the hippie memoirs, my friend emma's blog. so make sure to check it out!

p.p.s. it was our third anniversary of our engagement (is that a thing?) 

BEACH LIFE

my favorite memories growing up are of spending the day at silverstrand beach with all of our family friends. us kids would run around like wild, boogie board for hours, dig the deepest holes possible to make forts, & put forth our absolute best efforts into catching seagulls. those were seriously some of the best days. it never crossed my mind that one day i would be one of those moms, & that's totally what i am.

since getting to california it has felt nothing like winter & soooo much like mid summer. i'm talking weather in the mid 80's, it's crazy & i'm loving it, especially for days spent at the beach. last friday ashley & i packed cedar & her two kids, millie & johnny into the car & headed down to silverstrand to meet up with nick & shayla who had come to from utah. ashley & i kept laughing about how we have turned into our moms, carting all the toys & towels & snacks, chasing the kids around the beach & letting them run wild all over the place. but it's just as much fun now as it was when we were kids, maybe even more fun, which i definitely wouldn't have thought possible when i was a kid, haha. 

i always miss the beach when i don't leave near it & being back in california has definitely made me realize juuuust how much i miss living near the beach & how much i love beach life. it's seriously one of the absolute best ways to grow up, i swear. there are few better ways than spend your day than at the beach with your family & friends. it's been so great to be home & in the 5 days of being home i had gone to the beach 3 times, it's like a magnet to me. 

cedar had a few rough days due to jet lag & what not so in the early mornings when he would wake up around 5:30/6, i would put him in the car, go get some donuts & we'd head to the beach. it's kind of my favorite thing to do.

WHAT'S IN MY CARRY-ON

do you ever wonder what people take with them in their carry-ons? maybe you're not all nosey like i am, but i always want to know what it is that other people take with them, especially if they're carrying a big bag. i know, i'm a creep. 

before having a baby traveling seemed so luxurious to me, i have no clue why, but i just loved it. i loved the hustle & bustle of the airport, people watching, getting airport food & listening to my ipod the entire time. airport life was good to me. traveling with a baby makes the experience less luxurious but definitely more entertaining & instead of me people watching, we're often the people with a kid running around being watched! 

when i used to travel before having a baby, i somehow managed to fill up a carry-on all on my own & i have no idea how... i'm thinking i would just throw stuff in to take up space (i'm known to do this & i know it's weird), because i seriously don't know how i filled it otherwise, if it weren't for cedar my bag would be totally empty these days. in my first traveling experiences with cedar i would take my gigantic diaper bag full to the brim with stuff, but now that we have gone a few places with him, i've narrowed down what i take with me to the necessities, especially since i got rid of my diaper bag. 

my carry-on requirements are to take only what we both need & to make sure it all fits within the purse i'm taking on the trip.

ipad // i don't let cedar play with my phone or with the ipad, but when we're traveling i let him watch as many movies as his little heart desires. i know a lot of people look down on this, but all i really want on a long flight is a happy baby & movies make him happy! plus, the tend to make him fall asleep too, which is a definite bonus. 

book(s) // cedar is all about looking at his books & for the past little while good night, gorilla has been his favorite. it's a cute book, plus it's small which is all the better for traveling. he loves pointing at all the animals in it, making the noises for them & it keeps him occupied for a long time. 

i'm bringing my current book: gulliver's travels. i've never read it & austin gave it to me for my birthday & i'm juuuuust now getting around to reading it! 

diaper pouch // i keep cedars diapers & wipes in a bag a pair of shoes i got from j.crew came in, it's incredibly handy because it keeps them organized in one spot, especially if i have a bigger bag, it makes it easy to switch between bags & when he needs a change i can just grab the little pouch instead of taking my whole bag

wallet // obviously. can't do a whole lot without this thing. my wallet is the hobo robin wallet that i have loved. i initially got it to take on our honeymoon since i knew i would need a wallet with a big coin pouch since coins are heavily used in europe, & it's been one of my favorite wallets ever. the hobo has a ton of room for coins which is ideal in europe, & a thicker cash sleeve since bills are a bit wider & shorter here but it's smaller than the classic hobo, which is perfect for me.

snacks // i bring cedar a lot of snacks cause a hungry baby = a sad baby & no one wants a sad baby on a flight, especially the mom. when we're out & about i always carry some of these fruit pouches cause it makes me feel better than he doesn't survive 100% on bread & crackers & they're pretty compact. plus i take him granola bars & water.

toy pouch // i keep this pouch with me alllllllll the time. like the diaper pouch it's totally convenient cause i know where his toys are, i don't have to fish around for them in the bottom of my bag & it's easy to transport them. i normally rotate the toys so he doesn't get bored of always having the same one when we're going around town & what not & he loves it. cedar loves to take the pouch with him, take all the toys out & putting them back in on repeat 

blanket // the aden & anais blankets are a lifesaver, cedar adores his & falls asleep/calms down so instantly with them it's crazy. 

essential oils // for both baby & mama to help keep us calm, help to breathe & since it's so stuffy & you don't know what sickness someone around you has, on-guard to keep us healthy. 

headphones // for movies & music (not pictured: cedars baby headphones that are made for sensitive baby ears, it's funny & adorable when he wears them)

chapstick // cause pretty much everyone loves chapstick, cedar included. 

lotion // i get so dry on flights, so lotion is a must have for me. the one pictured is a l'occitane lotion, that i actually got last time we were at an airport, because my hands were dying from dryness. 

i know not everyone that reads my blog is a mom, so you might not find this that interesting, but i think it's fun to see what people take with them places. plus, you kind of get to know them a little better, don't you think? haha 

so, whats in your carry-on? 

OUTFIT INSPIRATION // VALENTINES DAY

i'm sad to say that austin & i won't be able to celebrate valentines day together, but i'm happy to say that it's cause i get to go home for three weeks on tuesday! it's a little bittersweet  cause while i get to go home to friends & family, three weeks is a long time to be gone! the longest austin & i have ever been separated since getting married is 10 days, but it'll go by sooo quickly. i'll be busy with my friends, family & my bff's wedding & he'll be busy studying & taking finals, so it works out, haha. 

i'm not actually a huge fan of valentines day or going all out to celebrate it & spending a ton of money on the holiday, but i looooove valentine decorations & candy, i don't know what it is but something about going to a store (but mostly just target) & seeing it decked out for valentines day & all the cute, bright stuff that goes along makes me SO happy. & even though austin & i won't be celebrating together, i still like to come up with different outfit options, cause that sort of thing is fun for me & maybe when i get back we'll splurge on a babysitter & have a night on the town, so it's good to get some ideas of outfits, right? below are two outfit ideas for a casual/laid back outing & two for more of a fancy date!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9

TIERRA BURRITO BAR

austin & i recently discovered tierra burrito bar & it is one of our best discoveries in spain. i think it's safe to say that mexican food is the #1 food we miss since being in spain. we probably ate mexican food 5 days out of the week cause not only was it our go-to food if we were going out, but it's what we made at home & we don't make it so much here for a number of reasons. 

when moving we quickly realized that there is pretty much no mexican food & the mexican food there is, is a lot of money (compared to what we're used to) for not that much food, something we're not into. we want our good old fashion cheap-er mexican food with big proportions, like we're used to, so tierra burrito is our jam. 

it's owned by a couple americans & it is a chipotle styled place in the way that the menu is similar , the ordering style is similar, the food is similar, haha, & i couldn't be happier about it! for reals. after going there austin & i were so pumped, it's a taste of home in our new home. 6 short metro stops (short being relative to if you have a screaming kid or not....) later & we got a burrito. definitely worth it. plus! it was in an adorable part of town, which makes it that much nicer to go back in the future! haha if you are ever in madrid for a lengthy amount of time, or just want a good burrito, check this place out!

VALENTINE MIX