Score!

Happy Monday!

yey! i just went on a shopping spree at H&M. Well - i don't feel as guilty because I returned a few things i previously bought and exchanged them for some great finds from their sale rack. Not only did i leave with more garments but i got some money back. Score! My fav buy is this skirt I've been eyeing since the summer. It looked even more appealing when I spotted that very style on Kourtney Kardashian. She's absolutely a style icon for moms. Told you i'm loving my stripes!

Sisters

One of the best parts of being in NJ is spending time with my lil sis. Of course nothing beats being with both my sisters - which I'm sooo looking forward to this Christmas - but I'll take one for now :)I'm wearing a blouse from H&M, necklace from my Designs by K Cayetano line, Zara belt. My sis is wearing a dress from BCBG

Stripes

I'm all about stripes. I think my whole wardrobe i packed for my NJ/NY trip consisted of stripes - even Gabe's wardrobe and blankets had a lot of stripes - lol.

Here, Gabe and I are, at Mitsuwa in Edgewater, NJ with my close family and friends. It's one of my absolute favorite places to go. Its a large asian grocery store with various japanese food stores/stands next to it. You can get sushi, Udon, teriyaki, fried icecream. My new food for the day was black sesame icecream. Don't knock it til you try it. It was amazing. I'm wearing a cotton top from H&M. Gabe's in a Giants onesie - of course he couldn't get away with without wearing it - he's in Giant's/Yankees teritory.

Here I am with baby Gabe at Burger Palace - great burger joint in Bergen NJ. I'm wearing a wool jacket from Tommy Hilfiger, grey pashmina, David Yurman cable bracelet. Gabe's wearing a l/s onesie and jeans from Old Navy

Here I am at Pinkberry (big smile) with my great friend, Cheryl, and my baby sister, Christine. I'm wearing a dolman striped sweater from H&M.

Here Wil and I are sitting like an old married couple. It was a beautiful fall day for pumpkin picking with our friends in NJ. The trees there were gorgeous - nothing beats fall in the northeastern part of the country. Wil's in a button down shirt and shorts from Banana republic. I'm wearing Marc by Marc Jacobs sunnies, Club Monaco jacket, striped shirt from H&M, oragen pashmina, Michael Kors watch.

Though far, always near

Luckily, during my stay here in NJ, my sister Gail (from LA) was in Philadelphia for a wedding. We couldn't pass the opportunity up for the 3 of us sisters to get together (Christine lives here in NJ) so we drove about 2 hours to see her for dinner. Since all 3 of us live in different states, we rarely all get together at the same time. Its usually 2 of us together and rarely all 3. Gail was there in PA for a wedding and she was able to spare one night for us. She was staying at the Ritz Carlton and can i say, "wow!" Their interior design was magnificent! I wish i had my camera so i could take picsof their decor but all i had was my dinky camera phone. I totally have the itch to redecorate my home so i'm a bit anxious to head back to Atlanta!

I'm wearing H&M nautical top, awesome necklace from the Philippines

Gail is wearing an anthropologie top, bcbg wrap, and an Oraton purse

Christine is wearing a Club Monaco silk romper with a United Colors of Benetton sweater

Atlanta Zoo

My goddaughter and her parents came to visit us last week :) We took them to the Atlanta Zoo since we figured she's appreciate it. It was a fun time for Wil, Gabe, and I as well since it was our first time there.

(I'm wearing an Old navy ruffled shirt, hm sweater, Michael Kors watch, button pearl earrings, Ray Ban sunglasses. Gabe's wearing a top and shorts from Old Navy)

We got to see a newborn giraffe - it was born at 6 ft tall!

This was Wil's favorite exhibit -the panda bears :) he loves everything round and he loves how they get to eat and sleep all day - i think he hopes to be a panda in his next life.

Celebrating Gabriel

On September 19, 2010 Gabe received the Sacrament of Baptism at St. Thomas More Church here in Atlanta, GA. Wil and I were so happy to have him baptized at that church. Its such an inviting community with great pastors and we couldn't be happier. 30 of our close friends flew into town to celebrate with us. Friends and family came in from New Jersey/New York/Minneapolis to be with us. It was a blast! Its always fun when my NJ friends mesh with my MN friends. Plus it was fun for everyone to finally meet our baby boy.

Just like we did it in Aruba, we tried to make it a weekend long celebration.

On Saturday, Sept 18 - we had a welcome dinner at our favorite local Italian restaurant - Anthony's.

On Sunday, Sept 19 - we had th Baptism and a beautiful outdoor reception at Park Tavern near Piedmont Park here in Atlanta.

On Monday, Sept 20 - we had a goodbye brunch here at our home before everyone took off for home

Here are some bits and pieces from Gabe's big celebration. A lot of TLC went into this party with a lot of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) party ideas.

(Gabriel in a vintage christening gown from his godfather - RG. RG wore this at his own christening 30 years ago)

(Gabe getting baptized by Father Brian at St. Thomas More Church in Avondale Estates. Godparents Gail and RG were there to witness it)

(All of our family and friends who flew in for the occasion sqeezed into a big family shot)

(The celebrant at his baptism reception after a long nap. Gabe is wearing a Gap button down shirt with Burberry shorts)

(Our table setting in the outdoor patio at Park Tavern in Atlanta, GA)

(Beautiful DIY centerpieces, Blue and white ceramic vases from Home Goods, fresh blue hydrangeas from Dekalb Farmers Market)(White cutout vases from Home Gooods)(Our lil family :) I'm wearing an H&M dress, Fioni shoes, and a David Yurman cocktail ring. Wil's wearing a DKNY pinstripe suit with a Burberry tie, Kenneth Cole shoes. Gabe is wearing a Gap button down with Burberry shorts)(DIY cupcake stand that i created with a crystal cross on top. Cupcakes from Atlanta Cupcake Factory - 2 flavors - Red Velvet with Almond frosting and Sugar Cookie Caramel Cupcakes. SOOO good. )(My family pic: Jim -Gail's boyfriend, my middle sister Gail, my dad, my mom holding Gabe, my youngest sister Christine, her husband Eddie, me, and my love Wil)(Favors were handmade rosary bracelets courtesy of Designs by K Cayetano. I loved that i was able to make something meaningful and special for our guests) (The handmade rosary bracelets were blessed and placed in sheer pouches with personalized ribbons as favors for all of our guests at Gabe's baptism)

Gabe's Buddy

We had guests in town here in Atlanta this week who came for

Gabe's baptism - of course we had to take them to the coca cola

museum and of course - Gabe had his picture with the polar bear :)

He's so tiny next to the big bear but he looks adorable!
I'm wearing: h&m scarf, logix heather grey tee, citizens for humanity jeans

Wil's wearing: vintage Starwars tee, H&M shorts

End of Summer BBQ

We went to an end of summer BBQ at Wil's boss's house this past weekend.

It was so great meeting his coworkers and putting faces to the names and stories he's shared with me. It was one of Gabe's first times going to a party and

i have to say he did an amazing job! He was so quiet and so chill

- everyone kept commenting on that. I'm so glad.

Two months ago, i would've sworn to you that he'd never stop

crying because he seemed so colicky. But now, he's calmed down so much.

He's such a good little boy. I keep telling Wil how i wish

he would stay at this age forever. I just love how cuddly he is,

yet he's old enough to interact, smile, and laugh with us.

Pretty soon, he's going to start crawling and wanting to experience the world

- he won't want hugs as much :( i'm cherishing all of my moments with him.

Gabe: 16 weeks -carters overalls.
me: jcrew ruffle button up shirt, h&M boyfriend vintage shorts, zara belt, steve madden ballet flats, michael kors menswear gold watch, jcrew crystal bracelet

PS - i got a new haircut!! i'm soo happy. Shout out to D from City Salon by Michelle Coulter here in Atlanta! (Thanks Jen for the recommendation!)

A beautiful beach

As i said yesterday, Hiltonhead is a peaceful, beautiful town. The beach is the same way, its clean, warm, the waves are calming. Wil and I absolutely loved it there. Here are some pics of our visit to the beach with Gabe. It was his first vacation, first time to the beach, first time in little baby trunks :) Love sharing all these firsts with him. Well, i do have to admit Gabe was asleep for most of the time we were at the beach. But by his birthday, i know for sure he'd be loving being in the water. I can't wait!!!!!!

What we're wearing:

Karen

dress: H&M

hat: no name

sunglasses: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Gabriel:

top: Baby Gap with UV protection

trunks: Old Navy

Wil:

sunglasses: Gucci Aviators

Our first vacation

We were lucky enough to do a mini weekend getaway to the beach with our cousins and their kids to Hiltonhead, SC. Being an eastcoast girl, i've always heard of Hiltonhead but never really looked into it as a vacation spot. Since it was only 5 hours away from Atlanta we decided to make it our first vacation with Gabe and we were NOT disappointed. It is absolutely beautiful there. The beach was amazing. The water was lukewarm and the waves were very calm (perfect for kids to play in). The town of Hiltonhead is so serene with its lush greenery. Spanish moss hung down from the massive trees. Many people roads their bicycles around town. There were cute shopping areas with antique shops, souvenir shops, icecream shops etc. My favorite find was a store called Black Market Minerals, they had an amazing selection of fabulous beads and stones for a jewelry designer as well as ready to wear jewelry. I couldn't help myself from buying a few pieces. We loved the beach town so much that we're seriously contemplating renting a beach house for his 1st birthday and having our friends and family come down with us. We'll see :)

lush greenery around townShopping my heart out at Black Market MineralsFamily pics during a nice dinner there Grilled chicken with pinapple salsa, rice pilaf and

a side of salad with Greek feta vinagarette. yum!!!


Me and the love of my life :)

my outfit:

top - French Connection ribbon tie top

shorts - H&M boyfriend denim shorts

earrings - david yurman pearl earrings

sunglasses - Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses

More pics to come of our beach time!!