Tuesday, April 30, 2013

A Morning Bike Ride

These photos were taken on Sunday morning right before my husband headed back home to Bakersfield. We decided to go on a morning family walk to Starbucks. James has been wanting to ride his new bike non stop so we thought it would be fun to let him go on a morning bike ride. He had so much fun peddling all the way there but decided he was over it on the way back so we had to steer the bike ourselves while chasing him home.

I love my boys so much. It's little moments like these that make me so thankful. A simple walk to get coffee is such a highlight for me. Seeing James smile as he rides his bike, sipping lattes as we chase him and snap photos, seeing the world through his eyes while holding my sweet husbands hand, it's what makes my world go round.



How cute are these two? I am so happy they're mine!!


Being a big helper, pushing his bike...




This little boy just lights up my life. Running around the streets screaming and laughing all while wearing his helmet.. I just love him SO.







Outfit details-
Shirt- American Apparel
Cords- Target
Moccasins- Freshly Picked

Monday, April 29, 2013

James' 2nd Birthday

James' 2nd birthday was on Friday, and boy did we all have a blast! We celebrated his birthday in LA at my parents house so we could be near all our friends and family. Derek's parents flew into town from Seattle and brought James' cousin Jackson with them so that was really fun! Of course I was snapping photos all day long so I apologize in advance for the total photo dump... Hey, it's not everyday your kid turns 2!

I had this shirt made from a shop on Etsy called Sew Cute and I highly recommend them! They were great to work with and I think the shirt turned out amazing! James can definitely wear it many more times, not just on his birthday! We all know James is obsessed with pirates so it was only fitting for him to have Jake on his shirt and a pirate party.


Our first stop for the day was Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel. We are HUGE fans of this place and went on James' 1st birthday, too so it's kind of becoming a tradition. Here is our family shot from the day. Goofy's Kitchen is a character buffet with every breakfast and lunch food under the sun. I threw all my healthy eating habits out the window and chowed down.


James got to hang with all the characters while we ate...








He got birthday balloons, a birthday button, and a birthday cupcake. He loved blowing out the candle but only ate the sprinkles off the cupcake.




After Goofy's Kitchen we went into CA Adventure so we could hunt down Jake, do some rides, and watch some shows. I changed James out of his birthday shirt so it wouldn't get dirty but I love the photo of Jake holding it. Perfection.




Daddy got a vanilla shake and James decided to steal all of it... Hey, it was his birthday after all.



After Disney it was a quick nap, on to pick up the cakes, and back to my parents house to set up for his little party. I was SO pleased with how his cakes turned out. I designed them and then sent the mock ups to our favorite bakery. We have gone to Great Dane Baking Co since our wedding. They did our wedding cake and grooms cake and now we use them for every single birthday, anniversary, and holiday. They are AMAZING! The cakes taste even better than they look. We got a chocolate cake for James' smash cake, and then a marble cake with chocolate buttercream filling and a lemon cake with white chocolate moouse filling. We had lemon cake for our wedding (our colors were yellow and white) and it is seriously the best cake in the world!










My amazing and talented sister made this sign for James BY HAND! I never even knew she was so artistic but it was the perfect backdrop and James went nuts for it! He kept running over to the sign saying- Jake, Jake!!





We just did a simple dinner with soda and pizza. Since we don't live where the party was, I didn't have the option of cooking. Being lazy and having pizza delivered was perfect and delicious.




James got tons of presents. We got him a bunch of things but his main present was a bike! It is already a huge hit!

Here's a couple shots of James opening presents. He tore through them all so fast!


I swear 95% of his presents were somehow pirate related which was perfect for him!


The look on his face when he opened this hook my mom gave him was PRICELESS. My mom is the best gift giver. She always takes so much time into planning them and she also made him a scrapbook filled with photos of him and all the Disney characters from each of his thousands of Disney visits!


Some cake smash photos.. basically all he did was dig into it, make a huge mess, and didn't even eat anything! He had to have a bath right after because he was so dirty. Luckily he had some cake later on.






James' second birthday was a huge hit! He usually wakes up bright and early at 6am but he snoozed in on Saturday until well past 8am! A sure sign that he was exhausted from so much fun all day long! Saturday my friend from High School, who is seriously the most talented photographer ever, took James' birthday pictures outdoors at the coolest park complete with a pirate ship, and she also took our family photos because we've never taken any! James did really well for his birthday photos but then turned into a holy terror for our family photos. He was just over it and ready for a nap. Luckily we were able to make the best of them and I think she still got some amazing shots. We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing, playing games, and eating leftover pizza and cake. (I am back to clean eating now thank goodness).. My husband left to go back home to Bakersfield yesterday because he had to go back to work today. James and I are sticking around for another week  because we have doctors appointments and errands and all that good stuff. I'm so happy we were all able to be together this weekend to celebrate James.

It's so hard to believe that it's been 2 whole years since I gave birth to my precious baby boy. It's so cliche but time really does go by so fast. And there's absolutely nothing you can do to stop it or even slow it down a little. All you can do is soak up every single moment with your child. Put your phones away and be in the moment. Enjoy even the most boring of days, because you will miss those mundane little moments so much. Go all out on your kids' birthdays and take lots of pictures. Store everything away and remember everything. Be the best parent you can  be and give your child the best possible life you can. Give them special memories and love them with all your heart.

Happy birthday again, sweet baby boy.. I love you to pieces. 


Friday, April 26, 2013

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy

Two years ago today, April 26 at 3:10 am, I gave birth to my James Russell Williams. He was 7 pounds 12 ounces of complete and total perfection and I loved him instantly. Now, two years later, I love him even more. James, you are the reason I wake up every morning, the reason I smile and laugh, and the reason why my life is perfect. God gave me the biggest blessing in the world when he gave me you. I love you more than there are birds in the air and fish in the sea and I am so proud to be your mommy. Happy Second Birthday to my little tiny two year old, I couldn't love you any more.


On the agenda for James' second birthday today is Goofy's Kitchen, Disneyland, and a Pirate party perfectly planned for my pirate obsessed child.

All our family is in town, Derek is off from work, and we are going to spend today, and the whole weekend celebrating our baby boy. Tomorrow we are taking James' birthday pictures and sneaking some family pictures in there, too because we have yet to take any family photos of us EVER.

On Monday I will be back to share a photo dump of birthday photos with you all. Enjoy your Friday and weekend!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Recipe: Cold Vegetarian Pasta Salad

Today I'm sharing a super easy and delicious recipe for cold vegetarian pasta salad. I'm a vegetarian and sometimes it's a big challenge to find new recipes without meat. This can easily be changed to accommodate vegans and meat lovers, too!

All you need to do is boil your favorite kind of pasta and then throw in your mix ins! I used kidney beans, frozen peas, diced carrots, and cubed mozzarella cheese.

Bell peppers, mushrooms, black beans, olives, feta cheese, and chicken would all taste great with it, too!

After everything is mixed in, add some dressing and you're done. My favorite is roasted red pepper by Kraft. It's delicious!


This is a perfect recipe for Spring now that the weather (at least by me) is warming up. Try it and tell me how you like it!


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

My Little Boogaweezin

 We're baaaaacccckkkk! To Disneyland that is. James and I came to visit my family on Monday and one of our first stops was obviously Disneyland. I was shocked when James refused to go on the Pirate ride (his usual favorite) and instead wanted to ride The Little Mermaid ride three times in a row. He also decided he wanted to climb up Tarzan's Treehouse three times in a row and let me tell you, those thousand flights of stairs are a dang workout. So I did what any sane parent would do and left the Tarzan's Treehouse stair climbing to Grandma. That's what Grandma's are for, right? Bless my moms heart. Of course we spent most of the day chasing around Disney characters. I really don't mind doing that. In fact, chasing down characters and taking pictures of James with them melts my heart and is one of my most favorite things to do. A true sign that I'm not only a grown up, but a mom.





Please note the love between James and Jake below. James would BEAT A KID DOWN to see Jake. Seriously. The kid has no patience when it comes to seeing Jake. All other characters, yes.. But when he sees Jake it's like he's the only kid in the world who loves him and everyone else better step aside! He loves him some Neverland Pirates.








James was straight styling at Disneyland dressed in the cutest clothes from Little Boogaweezin. My friend Jen is the creator behind this fabulous company and her shop is filled with some real gems!

 
 
Outfit Details-
 
Shirt and Leggings- Little Boogaweezin
 
Moccasins- Freshly Picked
 
 
Also worth mentioning today, on April 24th, is that two years ago today was Easter Sunday and also my due date with James! I was already 5 cm dilated (crazy right), having contractions like crazy, and wondering when the heck my baby was coming! That little bugger stayed in for another two days! Hard to believe it's been a whole two years!
 
Annndddddd... For further reading, you can check out all these recent posts I wrote on Baby Gizmo
 
Salsa Chicken In The Crock Pot

Tips On Maintaining A Safe Sleeping Place For Your Bundle Of Joy

Review: Scout Daddy Diaper Bag

A Closer Look At The Importance Of Different Vaccinations

How To Tell Your Child You're Expecting And Tips On Helping Them Make The Transition

Disney's Goofy's Kitchen Review

Recipe: Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad

Monday, April 22, 2013

An Amazing Giveaway With Shabby Apple

CLOSED!!

Dresses and vintage and giveaways, oh my! You guys are in for a real sweet treat today. I jumped in the air and kicked my heels together when Shabby Apple contacted me to team up for a giveaway and whoever wins the $50 grand prize that's up for grabs today is going to be doing some jumping themselves!

Yes, that's right... A $50 gift card to Shabby Apple to spend on whatever your heart desires. Here's what my heart is desiring from Shabby Apple right now...


This dreamy and delicate lacy dress, perfect for a garden party, brunch with girlfriends, or a Sunday tea party after church.



This perfect vintage dress with gorgeous rosette details makes me want to go frolick on the beach or something. I just love that pop of detail the flowers bring to the dress!




Look no further because I've found the perfect striped summer dress. Seriously, I've been wanting/needing/dreaming of this particular dress for MONTHS and MONTHS. I keep going back to it.



Where are my Mad Men fans? Channel your inner Betty Draper with this amazing and perfectly colored vintage dress.



My husband would love me forever if I wore this little polka dot number every single day. He's got a thing for polka dots, and I've honestly never seen black and white polka dots done better than this dress. Pure perfection.


For those of you who aren't familiar, Shabby Apple is an online dress boutique that specializes in vintage and retro dresses. Click Here: to see their selection! They have something for everyone! It was very hard for me to narrow down everything I loved to just five things to share with you because the truth is, I really do love it all.


Entering this giveaway is as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Must be a follower of My Daily James

2. "Like" Shabby Apple on Facebook

3. Leave a blog post comment telling me which Shabby Apple dress or item is your favorite.

Be sure to leave the email address you want to be contacted at if you win!


Additional entry's-

- Follow Shabby Apple on Twitter @shabbyapple
-Follow me on Instagram @fitzwilliamss

This giveaway is open to U.S residents only.

Giveaway will run until the wee hours of next Tuesday, April 30th and I will announce the giveaway winner sometime on Wednesday, May 1st and contact the winner via email then, too!