diapers and skinny jeans

Things have been very quiet around here the past day and a half -- Sofia has been spending her Sunday and Monday over at my parents' house and I haven't been doing too well with her "sleepovers" yet.  It really makes me realize how things just aren't the same without her around.  I don't even know what Erick and I did before we had her, she just brings so much joy and life into this apartment and I wouldn't ever-- not even for a second-- change the way we live.  Here's to a quick work day.

Hi everyone!  Lately, we've just been hanging out at home the past few days- and let me say that it has been a much needed break from all our working lately.  We managed to tackle a few projects around the house, and if I'm lucky, I'll be able to compile some kind of virtual "home tour" so we can share how we live as a family with some pretty tight living quarters. Right now, Erick and the baby are taking a nap together while I finish up some dishes, straighten up a bit and hopefully get a quick pilates session in.  Life around here has been lazy, great, and so very relaxing.  It's going to be hard to get back in the groove of our regular workweek!

Lordy! What a wonder a fresh coat of bright, white paint can do for a large space.  Erick, Sofia and I have some extra special vacation time, so we are spending it together as a family and really fixing up this space we're blessed to live in.  I'll be sure to post lots of pictures as soon as it's finished up!  I hope you all are having a wonderful week.  We definitely are.

For anyone that's been around since the very beginning, and I mean the very beginning   (YIKES!) you can clearly see what a long way we've come since we started back in February last year.  I've learned a lot from blog veterans that have been around the block, so for DASJ being a year old now, being able to share what I've learned through the course of a year of consistent blogging is really enlightening. What I want to talk about today is how you can make blogging work for you and not get sucked into the toxic abyss that is self-doubt, comparing yourself, and jealousy:   BUT YOU WOULDN'T DRINK POISON, RIGHT?      I'm pretty big into yoga, zen, and a lot of what goes into the Buddhist culture- no surprise there.  But I remember specifically an article about greed. Oof.  I know I've found myself stuck in a pile of greed before through blogging before, and guess what?  It sucks.  I want to be able to open up honestly and share a lit...

Hey there, Kate here!  I'm finally getting around to wrapping up the last of our Goal Setting series!  I'm glad to hear your feedback that you enjoyed it, and I hope to follow up with these fine folks toward the end of 2012 (if we're all still here.. har har) and give you all a recap!  Up today, we have the talented and strikingly beautiful Katherine Ross of Gathered Heart .  I've been following Katherine's blog since I first starting blogging a year ago, all thanks from a helpful tip from my friend Abby.   Working as a graphic designer, you can tell even from the blog she's mastered the simple, clean and layed out perfectly look, she has a knack for curating amazing finds from around the web, and really has a knack for typography.  I'm so happy to have "met" her through the interwebs, and hopefully sometime in real life too! ;)  Take it away, Katherine: "To be honest, 2011 was a such fantastic year and I'm a little nervous that...

Papa is always going to hold an extra special place in Sof's heart.  Really, because he's the best one ever.  

Here at the De La Rosa household we celebrate our love all year round, but today is an extra special opportunity for hearts, cookies, and a nice filet mignon for dinner! :)  Noms! How are you celebrating your loved ones today?

Well, we're a tad bit late on the monthly photos, forgive me!  The beginning of February really got the best of me, but now with my birthday over and Valentine's upon us, I've had a second to snap a few photos of my growing daughter: HIGHLIGHTS This month, Sofia has been starting to string her constants together, ("ta-ta, phl-phl," and what Erick is sure was "da-da.")  I'm not so sure, though! ;) She also has been eating thicker textures, army crawling all over the house, clapping her hands to the english and spanish versions of "patty-cake" and waking up a little earlier in the morning. STATS Weight: 23 lbs. 99% percentile Height: 71 cms. 90% percentile Head: 44 cms. 84% percentile *right on track for everything, we're super happy. Honestly, I'm almost in shock that it's already been eight months.  This entire first year of hers has flown by even though I've been holding on to it so tightly. Before I...

( Thanks to Erick for all the help with these photos ) Yesterday, I turned twenty four.  TWENTY FOUR.  I can't even believe it sometimes. I'm not even a quarter way through with my life and I've already knocked out the hard stuff- marriage, babies, jumping in the air, cooking a proper Indian meal... you know!  But really, I just wanted to stop in and let you all know that even through all of this, I still feel so young and it's amazing.  I was talking with a friend over drinks about reaching that "scary age" that we all freak out about, but I kind of laughed to myself thinking, "growing up doesn't have to be scary" .  In fact, I think growing up is kind of fun! I hope to do a lot of great things this year, but also remember to take the time to be silly, shoot people in the face with confetti, or sit and watch a giant cloud of balloons rise up into the infinite blue sky.  To stay crazy.

Holly is someone very dear to me. She is one of the few girls in this world I consider soul-sisters.  In fact, there are a few of these girls I miss with every fiber of my being; we understand each other on a deeper, spiritual level.  Friendships like these that have kept us together even states, miles, and oceans apart.   When Holly approached me about a tasteful, pinup-esque boudoir shoot for a surprise birthday present for her guy, I couldn't say no.  She had this amazing idea of how to package and present the prints, and I cant wait to see what her finished product is.  I hope that through time, we will all be somewhere not too far from each other, but these girls I know will be in my heart forever. xx