(Lov) // Lydia's "Tea-f" Party

On Tuesday afternoon I thought it high time that Lydia experience her first real Tea Party!  When she was just about 6 months old, her Essie bought her this lovely porcelain tea set during a trip to Fredericksburg that we made while she and Brendan's Father were visiting us in Austin. It has sat high upon a shelf waiting for Lydia to grow old enough to partake in this little girl ritual.  

If there is anything that Lydia loves... it's a party. I asked her if she wanted to have a tea party and she said "Teaf Party? Let's do it!" I told her she needed to pick 3 friends to invite to her party and she immediately gathered Big-Eyed Kitty (favorite), Bear (protector and confidant) and Rudolph (newest). She carefully chose where everyone would sit and then watched as I unpacked all the elements.  "Oh Mama, SO pretty! Uh oh! Only two cups. What do Mama?" I showed her how we could use the sugar and cream holders as cups for Kitty and Bear. "Oh yes Mama, Bear needs a BIG cup."  

She loved pouring the tea and we had a few spills. Usually she is quite the clean freak and would have demanded that we "clean up" right away... but she was having so much fun she just asked for a towel to keep in her lap. The party was in full swing when Daddy came home. When she saw him, she immediately kicked Rudolph to the curb and asked if he would join. Cuteset thing I ever did see. 


(Lov)e,

-k.

(Lov) // What a Doll!

Taking Lydia to the Pumpkin Patch each October at the church where my Mother works has become an Vlass family tradition! Last year, she was a cute little Lady Bug. This year, she's got quite a thing for dolls so I thought a Rag Doll would be perfect! She has been "bursting at the seams" to put this costume on since it arrived in the mail a few weeks ago and has pointed to it EVERY morning and squealed "Halloween!" with great delight. So let's just say that today... she was one HAPPY little girl. 

For those who have asked about my skirt, you can find it here. 

Happy Halloween! 

(Lov)e,

-k.

(Lov) // Rainy Day Fun

1//Lunch at Frank  2//Hot dogs and fries  3//Daddy Horse  4//The Austin Children's Museum  5//Train  

6// Bridge  7//Little Chef  8//Elsie and Brendan  9//Playing the Pipes  10//A blur of kids  11//Build an arch  12//Happy Mama

(Be) // Eclipse.

On Sunday night we decided to get in our car and travel west. After making a quick stop at Sonic for a few Route 44 Cherry Lime-Ades, we were off to find the perfect spot from which to view the partial solar eclipse. We ended up finding a little hill on the side of the road at the corner of 71 and SW Parkway. I made sure to bring bubbles and my camera...

It was an impressive sight and though Lydia was totally unaware of the celestial event taking place, I'm sure chasing bubbles on a hill with a belly fully of Cherry Lime-Ade made her night equally exciting. As I took pictures and watched my little girl, I kept thinking of Psalm 19:1 ~ "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." My husband's and my handywork chasing bubbles beneath HIS handywork.... truly glorious. 


(Lov)e,
-k. 

(Lov) // Mother's Day

When Brendan asked what i would like to do for Mother's Day, I told him that I wanted to get out of Austin.  There are so many great little towns all over central Texas...and day tripping is one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon.  We picked Wimberley, which is just about 45 minutes away.

The main square is filled with vintage shops, antique shops, cafes, and boutiques. 

Creek Side Vintage was my favorite.  They specialize in vintage from the 50's, 60's, and 70's.  They had AMAZING stuff... 

I'm kicking myself today for not buying this lovely lithograph.  She was a bit pricey, but I'm feeling she might have been worth it. 

It was a beautiful day to walk around from shop to shop.  

Each one had so many wonderful things to look at...and Lydia did a really good job of "looking with her eyes and not with her hands."

Once we got hungry, we made our way to Cypress Creek Cafe. 

Handsome Husband. 

Sweet Little Girl. 

Happy Mama. 

A perfect way to finish the day.  I hope all you Mama's had a great time with your families!  

(Lov)e,

-k.

(Lov) // I heart Instagram!

I posted my first picture on Instagram on October 17th, 2010.  My initial usage of the app was for enhancing my not-so-great iPhone pictures with it's varied selection of filters.  I didn't "follow" anyone nor did I have any "followers" for at least the first 8 months.  As some of my Facebook friends joined, I began to follow a few people's feeds. I continued to use IG mainly as an editing tool and never "liked" or left comments on other's posted photos. As with a lot of social media, I was only scratching the surface of it's capabilities and wasn't really interested in going any deeper than satisfying my initial needs.  The turning point for me was when I began, on occasion, taking a peek at the "popular" page.  One day I saw this lovely picture posted by Miss James aka bleubird...

@bleubird

This picture lead me to her even more lovely BLOG... which has honestly changed my life.  I began "following" her that day and still find her photos to be some of the warmest and most beautiful on IG.  She shares pictures of her day to day (family, food, home, travel etc.) which are nothing short of pure magic. It was bleubird who helped me open up to the COMMUNITY aspect of IG.  I saw how she used it as a spring board for her blog, how she connected with other blogging Moms all over the country, and was weaving a uniquely personal tapestry of photos for her family.  It was by her example and though our connection that I was inspired to find other wonderful women who have greatly enriched my life...

@murrjohnson

A beautiful blogging Mama who just had her second little girl almost 3 weeks ago!

(Murr is VERY dear to my heart)

@kerigiordano

A fellow graphic designers, Mama, food lover, and ETSY shop owner. 

@bc_m

  A homeschooling Mama to 4 (I know!) amazingly cute kids.

@frecklewonder

Another blogging Mama and ETSY shop owner who is a master thrifter and chicken keeper.

@missmessie

Wife, Mama, ETSY shop owner, lover of vintage pyrex, and wearer of super cute glasses. 

@mrsjasminedee

A wife, mother to 5 (blows my mind), and women of faith.

These are just 7 of the many ladies I have gotten to know over the last year on IG.  Through pictures and words... we get to peer into each others lives, sharing our thoughts, feelings, encouragement, and advice.  Some I would consider friends even though we have never met in person. I pray for these women, I celebrate their milestones, I look forward to seeing their lives each day, and am very grateful that they (like myself) chose to fully use this app to make our lives a bit more connected. If you are on Instagram, I am @kellyvlass... come find me!

(Lov)e,

-k.