My Birthday Weekend

Here's a quick look at my birthday weekend shindig! 

 <photos from friends nina and rae>

Closet purging and huge sale

Disclaimer : this is NOT my closet. LOL. 

With the advent of the new year, I am planning to scale down and purge my closet (and even the little boy's closet) and get rid of the ones we no longer use. I will be busy this weekend going through everything and see which ones go to goodwill and which ones I can pass along. 

I am planning to do a flash sale of these clothes via twitter sometime soon and maybe even post some here. So if you dont follow me via twitter, you can follow me if you like @swankychicfete. I just find it easier to snap pictures using my iphone and instantly post it via twitter. 

Obviously i would hate to flood your timeline, so I'd do it sporadically. If you see anything you like, tweet me your email and I'll send you a paypal invoice. Prices will be crazy low, so I hope you see something you like! 

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ok, let me go now and sort what we have!

Our Christmas Holiday weekend

Here are a few scenes from a wonderful weekend and Christmas holiday spent with friends and family!

I hope you all had a great time too! 

Our little family is gearing for new hopes and dreams for 2013! 

A Sad Heart + Christmas pjs linky party

My heart goes out to all the parents, families and loved ones affected at yesterday's senseless tragedy. May the good Lord's comfort and warmth be upon them during this very difficult time. 

Couldn't be more thankful for this little guy we get to hug and kiss everyday. So grateful for this precious innocent life we continue to treasure and nurture. Guide and support. Love and cherish. We pray that we continue to have strength to protect and shield our children from any terror and we can only hope and believe that this will never happen again.  

On a lighter note, as soon as December hit ~ we had Aston wear his Christmas jammies (some old and a couple new ones from Target) and it does add a little holiday cheer at home (and for bedtime)! 

And while you have sweet photos or a blogpost of your babies' in their chirstmas pjs, link them up with my friend, Meredith's christmas pajamas linky party ~ as I am doing today! 

Missing You

I am getting a little personal today on the blog, just skip this post if you're quite not into that. 5 years ago today we lost a sister. Not a day goes by without thinking of her and missing her terribly. Our little Aston was just a few months old then and he never had the chance to get to know her. Our family holds dearly all the fond memories we had with her. I miss her giggles, smiling eyes and contagious laughter. She passed right before christmas and ever since, our holiday celebration were never the same without her. 

It reminds us of how precious our lives are and how swiftly it can be taken away from us. Everyday i get to give our boy a tighter hug and blow lots of kisses for that extra dose of love. Everyday is a moment treasured with our loved ones. 

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Growth Spurt

Where did our baby go? In a few weeks he will be in Kindergarten. Lots of mixed emotions over here. Keep me from sobbing.

He looks and acts different now - in a good way. Our little big boy is acting like he's 5. He's more verbal with his emotions and how he feels (a tender way of talking back at us). More decisive and highly inquisitive (aka very nosy). And refuses to have a haircut. He's going for the surfer dude look. 

He still loves his goldfish crackers though and he's rekindling his love for the Cars movie in preparation for a Disney California trip before school starts. Superheroes and villains take a back seat for now (thank god) as racecars and tow trucks are a new passion. 

christmas 2010

christmas 2010

fall 2010

summer 2011

christmas 2011 and spring 2012


Sweet Aston baby, please dont grow up so fast. Love, Mom and Dad.

Frametastic Friday

It's friday the13th!

13 has been a lucky number to me and I'm starting my friday sharing the fun past week of my so-called life! 

Have you discovered the frametastic app yet? It allows you to make photo collages straight from your phone. This time I'm gathering a few instagram (@swankychicfete) photos capturing my week.

Last week, I finally came out of my hair rut and decided to get my roots done and added some highlights at albert luiz salon and spa and I think I've finally found my girl, Yvette. She was fantastic! Couldn't be more happier. 

We also took Aston for his 5 year old check-up and didn't share this before but we had a little rash incident about a month ago after he ate a mixed nut pack bought at the airport. He's been eating PBJ since like forever with no reactions, so we thought he might be allergic to a particular nut. And sure enough, we got him tested and he's allergic to half of the variety of nuts out there. Pecans were spared, thank god. Yep, that's him showing off the book his pediatrician gave him on his visit.

My may books planner/agenda came in this week and i am excited to jot down my important notes/reminders/schedule on my fabulous notebook designed and created by me. It came in it's cute packaging and a generous discount code for my next order! LOVE it! 

It's been raining all week and lazy days and nights are here. One evening, I bust out the yummy kim chi ramen noodles I've been saving for those kinds of nights and voila - instant dinner. I paired it with my latest fave san pellegrino arianciata rossa and i am in perfect dinner heaven!

I have been bombarded by emails, comments and texts on where I got the colorful patterned paper straws I posted in facebook and instagram last week - and yes, it's from target! I looked them up online but looks like it's only available in stores. You can find them by the party supplies next to stationery. Last time i checked, they were out of them. it's by spritz and priced at $ 1.99/20 pcs. Do check your local store from time to time, i'm sure they'll stock up on them again!

I'm not a gym junkie but i sure love going to my barre classes at define. I try to go at least 2-3 times a week and if I just improve on my diet, I'd be losing weight and toning more than where i am now. Ha! Define recently opened their west u studio and it's amazing! If you're in the houston area, do check them out - Hank and the ladies there are awesome!

I've been afraid of polka dots (particularly the big dots) ever since this fashion trend started. I thought they're unflattering on me but I found an adorable inexpensive sheer dotted blouse at marshalls and thought I'd give it a try. Can't wait to wear it with my bright jeans or shorts!

Lastly, our GIVEAWAY is still open today till tomorrow midnight - stop by and join to win one bracelet of your choice! good luck and have a fantastic weekend, friends!

Father's Day Weekend Recap

We actually started celebrating father's day weekend Friday night as we went out for dinner with my folks. We again hit the lunch scene for some steaks on Saturday and I cooked corn and pork bbq for dinner on Sunday night. After Sunday mass, Aston and I treated daddy to a movie and we watched Madagascar at the fancy Star Cinema Grill by our house. Great food and chic swanky interiors - the movie was great too! 

 It was a great weekend celebrating the men in my life - my father and my husband. I had to search for some really memorable photos that truly meant a lot to me. This was heartwarming looking back at old photos. 

My father walking me down the aisle on my wedding day, Sept. 2 2000

 Ben holding Aston the first day he got home from the hospital. So precious. May 2007

Daddy and baby Aston, he's about 3 months old here

And big boy Aston (looking like he's 6 months while he's only 3 months old) with my father. 

How did you spend your Father's day weekend? 

Instagram Lately

It was a pleasant summer week this past week. In between work and vacation bible school for the little boy, I have a lot in my plate. Literally. Either it's summer corn and lobster salad from Neiman Marcus or my favorite afternoon treat, a cup of frozen yogurt - flavor of choice : low-fat dulce de leche and tart mango with fresh mangoes, strawberries and cheesecake bits. And of course, the usual demands of my work.

I got a few surprises this week too. I received an adorable mini-bunting by the seriously talented Jenny of hank and hunt. When it came in the mail, it just made my day brighter. I also picked up a little belated gift from Sephora - fresh sugar lip balms that i'm currently obsessed with.

We are moving to a new office before the month ends and we are excited and exhausted just thinking about it. To calm my senses, I indulge in a little at-home mani and paint my nails pink. And lastly, I dressed up more girly last night for a friend's birthday dinner and opted to go out in bright fuschia and aqua - more daring than usual.

I hope your week was fun and i'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend with the men in my life for father's day!

Almost 5

We still can't get over the fact that our little guy will be five soon. We just concluded the Parent-Teacher conference last Friday and we were blown away with some of the amazing stuff he does at school that we never get to witness at home. We know he's very friendly, but we never realized that he's that much of a "people-person" at school (talking about Mr. Popular) knowing that he gets his moods sometimes. From the last conference we had last fall, so much maturity and improvement has taken place that we can't deny that our baby is so ready to go to kindergarten and the "real" school. We couldn't be more proud of him. 

On that note, a big 5 year old birthday celebration are in the works and I am slaving away crafting and get little details ironed out before his birthday party. 

Last week, we also got another surprise from his swimming teacher and got word that he is ready to be in the next level class! He is definitely loving his time in the water!

Just a random photo of us before going to early Sunday mass. We also graduated from the cry room and bravely settled in the big church with a very well behaved boy! Yay!

I dont know about getting rid of the training wheels but I'm sure it'll be soon! 

This boy is ready to be five soon! 

Beautiful Journeys

I had the privilege to attend a luncheon last week with a dear friend, benefitting the Children's Assessment Center here in Houston. An extraordinary organization helping children victims of abuse. It was a successful turnout with a fabulous fashion show from Neiman Marcus with the presence of  Ken Downing, nonetheless. 

Keynote guest speaker was the gorgeous Ashley Judd, whose passionate charity commitment as well as work as an actress, I admire. By the end of the event, awareness on acts of abuse was heightened and donations through auction bidding was at an all time high. I myself was drawn to this $20 colorful bracelet being sold at the door and was proudly wearing it that day (will find out more where you can get your's if you're interested and I will update this post once I find out) ! 

If you want to know more about the Children's Assessment Center and how you can support the organization, please visit their website. 

He is the Reason of the Season

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Powerful Words

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Conserve Water

If i can drink diet coke for breakfast, I would....

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10 Ways to Love

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Love like there's no tomorrow....

Thank You Steve

RIP Steve Jobs

{via}

Do you Tweet?

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You can also follow me in twitter, if you like.

Through The Years

Thank you honey......

.....for never failing to let us know how much you love us everyday!
.....for sharing your dessert with me when we dine out!
......for turning on the heated seats on my side during winter before i hop in the car!
.....for giving Aston a bath at night while I enjoy some brief me-time!
.....for taking us out on weekends for our routine long drives!
......for flashing that bedimpled smile to light up my bad days!

Happy 11th year wedding anniversary to my partner in crime, my buddy, my husband Ben!

Makeover

Just needed to change my whole blog look this time of the year. I am wanting a cleaner simpler overall look for the blog but i want the title banner to pop. And voila, navy and lime green does that (with a new blog title) and i LOVE it! 

thanks Danielle!

Health Scare

Early thursday morning around 1 am, we were in a nearby emergency room having our little guy checked out for a possible seizure event that occurred in the middle of the night. He was a brave boy fighting needles and CT scan testing, as we were finding some answers why such seizures were manifested by him.

Patiently waiting for test results. To spend the time away, he cuddled under the sheets and decorated his arm splint with stickers. 

The doctors then decided to move him to the main children's hospital for close monitoring and observation. We had a safe, uneventful ambulance ride to the main hospital.

More waiting in ER as he discovers fun colorful tapes and stickers. Thank heavens for in-room cartoon TV network.

His favorite thing to do was to walk the hallways and ride the wheelchairs. 

The EEG testing was not a pleasant one but he was such a trooper!

After over a day of anxiously waiting for final test results, we were grateful and blessed that all testing procedures yielded negative results. 

Once again, we thank all family and friends who prayed and offered words of comfort and strength that lifted us both as we were scared, anxious and unsure last Thursday. And in less than 48 hours, we were relieved as we got the answers we were hoping for. 

Thank you Lord for your healing hands.