Favorite Wears: Bright Blue

 

  New favorite color alert!  I predict this bright blue color will be around even more this Spring, as I'm starting to see it pop up. It's such a fresh take on your typical blue, and I love it.  On a whim I tried on this blue cardigan in the store - first because the cardigan sweater was so soft, and second because the color immediately called to me.  
My friend, who I was browsing with, immediately encouraged me to get it and totally pulled a Clueless on me as I was questioning if it was flattering on. "Give me your phone (in lieu of polaroids a la Cher)," she said, and snapped some pics right at the register with those around us giggling.  But she was right, I loved the way it fit, too.
My outfit + more fresh blue items:

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Favorite Wears: Fresh White Dress

  My favorite color to wear, when I'm not playing with (and mixing n' matching) bold colors, is just all white. Something so fresh about bright white in the hot summer.  You can see my last white on white look here.
The easiest way to achieve this is with a pretty white dress - a necessity for spring through summer time at least (I even like to wear white into fall and forms of "winter" white in the... winter).  I love white pieces that have different textures and a great fit to make the piece more striking, and this lace dress of mine is one of my favs.
Do you have a favorite dress or style for summer?
Shop this look:

  Photos by the talented Elizabeth of Elizabeth Ladean Photography.  

She shoots portraits, engagements/weddings and lifestyle sessions all around Kansas City.  You can follow here on Facebook here and on Instagram here to see more of her work!

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Favorite Wears: Wedding Ready in Santa Rosa

 

  I love getting to merge a wedding celebration with a little vacation - it's the perfect combo! During our time in Northern CA, we drank a lot of win and did a lot of dancing.  It was fun getting ready for this wedding as the girls gathered in the master bathroom to get ready together, and it sort of felt like my old college days - living in a house with some of my best friends, getting ready for our weekend nights out together.
So, for this wedding - it was super hot (still), so I went for something breezy.  I felt bad for the dudes in suits. They were very warm to say the least.  I also wanted to keep my shoes on as long as possible - so went for a slightly lower block heel, which was actually very comfortable (and I didn't take my shoes off until a lot later in the dancing. ;) . These shoes are actually 40% off with code FRIENDS40 right now!
My wedding attire (+ earrings and necklace by Janesko's new architecture line, launching September 21st):

The wedding was held at Paradise Ridge Winery, which if I could do over again, I'd get there early to explore their expansive sculpture garden (like that LOVE sculpture in the photo below).  The wedding was beautiful - and the dance floor was hopping. I took little to no photos during the reception because I literally danced all night. It was an amazing music list and we all had so much fun. 

The bride and groom, as well as the bride's sister and my brother-in-law were definitely the most fun to dance with throughout the night.  It was a lively crowd, and my feet paid for it the next day - in all the good ways possible.

The next day, after a brunch with the newlyweds, we headed back down to San Francisco, stopping to gaze over my favorite bridge in all the land - the Golden Gate.  I can never get enough of this. It really is so beautiful. And this day, we saw a whale swimming way down there - which was pretty exciting. My outfit (my shirt 40% off with code FRIENDS40):

Until next time, San Fran! xoxo

(P.S. see the first part of our trip here!)

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Favorite Wears: Pink Dress in Colorado

 

  I wore this dress (on sale!) and these shoes (blast from the past, upgraded) throughout my Colorado family vacation last week.  It was the perfect swing one complete piece I could throw on and go.  Dress it up or down, though I wore it mostly dressed down since I was in Colorado... 
My family (my parents, sister, husband and kiddos) and I went to Vail, CO over the 4th of July holiday week and then my husband, kids and I ended the week in Denver (where my sister lives), visiting some friends.  I love Colorado in the summer, and we come often - but this was my first time to Vail (holy smokes, sooo pretty).  It was such a nice place to come with kids, too, which I was surprised about.  
I'll share more about what we did throughout our trip in a separate post to come soon, but wanted to share some photos of the night we celebrated my mom's big 60th birthday!  We went to dinner in Vail Village at Vendetta's (Italian restaurant) which was so good.  We walked around this adorable village (as we did most nights) both before and after dinner. The weather was so perfect, the kids loved all the fountains and statues, and I loved the flowers that were everywhere.
It must have been all that pure mountain air, but this particular night (and really the whole trip!), the kids were nuts! Nora was hilariously dancing around the Village like a wild child.  They just had so much energy, and had so much fun (and got way off of any sort of normal sleep schedule that we're still working to get back on...).  You can see proof of some of this behavior below, and more pictures of my current favorite dress. :) Shop my look + some other pieces here:

{My sister's cute dress is from here}

You can see our summer Colorado trip to Estes Park 2 years ago here, and to Breckenridge 3 years ago here!  Without kids (when I was pregnant with Nora), we went to my good friend's most beautiful wedding in Steamboat Springs.

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Mamas & Minis Collective: Versitale Summer Sandals

  Versatile anything when it comes to kids, but when it comes to MY kids - versatile shoes for sure. They wear theirs out so fast, and this sweet/sassy girl of mine is ultra picky.  Because she's a tomgirl (or is it tomboy?), off stomping in any puddle and always running through the mud if given the smallest option, I also need ones that clean up easily.  But I can really say the same for me, too.  Somehow I got through this day wearing all white without a stain though!
I love white (um, obviously...) for summer and these white Birkenstocks are on their second summer. I still love them. I literally just wipe them down with water and a paper towel every month or less (as needed) and they are as good as new.  Salt Water Sandals for kids are also known for durability and to be worn in and out of the water (perfect for all the puddles!).
Quick note - this dress is one SALE!  I love a pretty white dress that has detail on it, plus sleeves!  Nora's cute romper & swimsuit are from last year, but I've linked some similar ones below - as with her sunnies.
Shop our looks here:

These are just some of our favorite summer sandals - but here are a few other brands and styles that help us get by (for both toddlers and women):

Make sure to check out these other fabulous Mama's posts on their go-to summer sandals! 

Lipgloss & Crayons | Walking In Memphis In High Heels | Sandy a la Mode

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