Life Lately

It's been quiet around this blog lately but we've been busy. What am I saying!? It's usually always busy around these parts with a full household. My best friend and her family came to visit us and they stayed for about a week. We all had a great time and it's nice to get a break from daily life. We went to Miami, West Palm Beach, and ended the fun with 2 days at Marco Island. I'll be doing a full post on Marco Island, but here are some quick pics from my phone. In other exciting news, Ava was cast for her first commercial! It shot this past Saturday for Nature's Sleep, and I was able to snap a few quick pictures. It was for their new ghost bed pillow. I was a little worried about how she would do since she's been teething and extra clingy, but she did great! It was fun and thankfully wrapped up quickly before the babies got too fussy. I can't wait to see the commercial. 

Vizcaya

Last weekend we went to go visit Vizcaya museum and gardens in Miami. Vizcaya Is the former villa and estate of businessman James Deering on Biscayne Bay. The villa was built primarily between 1914 and 1922, while the construction of the elaborate italian renaissance gardens and the village continued into 1923. Deering used Vizcaya as his winter residence from 1916 until his death in 1925. After his death, Vizcaya was inherited by his two nieces, Marion Chauncey Deering McCormick and Ely Deering McCormick Danielson. Over the decades, after hurricanes and increasing maintenance costs, they began selling the estate's surrounding land parcels and outer gardens. In 1952 Miami-Dade county acquired the villa and formal Italian gardens, needing significant restoration for $1 million. The village and remaining property were acquired by the county during the mid-1950's. 

The estate is now known officially as the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, which consists of 50 acres with the villa and the gardens, and the remaining native forest. The villa's museum contains more than seventy rooms of distinctive architectural interiors decorated with numerous antiques, with an emphasis on 15th through early 19th century European decorative art and furnishings.

The experience

To get there we decided to take the tri-rail for the first time from Deerfield Beach and then get on the metro rail transfer. We thought it would be a nice little adventure and it wasn't bad, but it ended up taking us 2 hours to get there waiting for both trains and then the ride. That day was also really hot! Before entering the grounds we slathered up on sunscreen and then headed right to the bathrooms. With several littles, bathrooms are always a must. They were clean and well maintained so that was a plus for me. We arrived hungry so the first thing we did was head to the cafe. Their cafe/gift shop is charming with outdoor and indoor seating. There was no room indoors so we ate outside which had a nice view of the bay. The girls had chicken nuggets and fries and H and I split a tapas plate and a small pitcher of sangria. Both were really good. After everyone was fed we started to explore. It was so beautiful. The grounds, the villa, just gorgeous. You're not allowed to take pictures inside the villa so I don't have any to share, but you can find some online. I definitely want to go back, but I wouldn't take the kids. They behaved (except for Mariam in the villa), but they weren't really interested in looking at gardens and architecture--especially since they had to keep their hands to themselves.

Have a great Monday.

The ghost of Thanksgiving past

It's almost Christmas and here I am talking about Thanksgiving. I'll tell you what. This 4th baby is kicking my butt right now. I haven't had time for much work or hobbies these days. Pretty sure November was my worst month in business ever, but it is all good and I am grateful for the down time. I have faith in God's perfect timing and he has a way of slowing you down when you need to slow down. I had a forced maternity leave haha! The summer was rough. I was working harder than ever while pregnant, dealing with my toddlers and trying to have all the product ready for the Zulily sale. There was a lot of guilt around that time, so again I'm not complaining too much about a slow November. 

Last month was busy at home because we had family visit us back to back. Before I start talking about how it went, I'd like to go ahead and say "thou shalt not stay at the house of a woman that has a newborn, is sleep deprived, hormone driven and has other small children to look after." That's right I said it. It had to be said. Unless....yes there is an unless. Unless they are there to clean, or cook and do what they can to help. Not the other way around. My in-laws don't read my blog so I can speak freely, but I won't go into details. Anywhoooo.....we did tons of family things in November. We spent Thanksgiving in Naples, we went to Miami, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and were at the beach a few times here in Boca. 

{Naples}

I was missing my family back home in Texas On Thanksgiving and a little sad and irritated that we weren't going to do a whole traditional Thanksgiving dinner in home by ourselves (and the inlaws), but that day wasn't so bad after all. We went to the beach in Naples, then strolled along the historic district and ended the night having a traditional turkey dinner at Seasons 52. 

 {Naples}

{Miami}

{Miami beach}

Last week we were able to see our first Christmas parade here in Boca. Have I mentioned how much I love this city? Our one year boca-versary is coming up in January so I'll talk more on it later, but it's a beautiful city and I just love how it's near all these other cool cities and you can just hop in your car and get there fast.

Have a great Monday!

Our weekend (Miami & Key Biscayne)

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Ours was good. I love being so close to everything. This past Saturday we ventured briefly into Miami and then Key Biscayne. We parked near south beach and walked a little along Ocean drive and checked out an art deco festival that was going on. We also went by the beach but we didn't get in. The water was beautiful! Afterwards we had some cuban food at a quaint little cafe called tinta y cafe and then we headed to Key Biscayne for about 2 hours. Layla, Serena and H got in the water, but Mariam and I hung back. We don't like to get in the water when it's cold so we just sat around enjoying the view and playing with the sand.

Sunday was a lazy day. I've been feeling under the weather a bit and had plans to take the girls to the part while H watched football, but I ended up just staying home and we spent more time on our phones and tablets than we should have. Yesterday we spent the day exploring the city of Delray Beach which is only about 15 miles away. I'll do a separate post on that another day.

I love taking pictures of my family, however trying to get them to take pictures of me can be like pulling teeth sometimes. H doesn't mind too much, but he ends up getting shots like the one above. I guess that's what timers are for. 

Have a great Tuesday!