eight years

And more in love today.

Wedding Attire

Costume "photo booth" fun at the reception

I love getting dressed up to go to a wedding. Taro was the officiant at the one we just attended, and it was his first time to preside over nuptials, so we were all really excited and looking forward to the occasion (beyond the fact that we were already filled with happiness for the lucky couple!).

The affair ended up being wonderfully fun, magical, sweet, romantic, joyful, and stylish an we were completely honored to be a part of it. Here's what we wore:

Yikes! My hair looks a hot mess in this picture! There was a breeze!

Dress: vintage from Bond 07 (found by my friend Angel.

Remember him, of the recent glasses makeover fame?)

Shoes: Betsey Johnson (a recent TJ Maxx find).

Ring Sling: Black Pearl by BabyEtte (also seen here).

Red lippy: MAC in Ruby Woo.

Did'ja ever see two more dapper fellows than my husband and his grandfather? That's a whole lotta handsome, right there.

Although, I have to say, my little boys are kind of giving their male sartorial role models a run for their money in their hand-me-down (inherited from cousins) plaid shirts, jeans, and sneaks.

Lastly, for good measure,

here are a couple of babywearing snaps + a close up of those heels!

Weekend Love

Hey all! We're in Amherst, Massachusetts for a wedding this weekend. Already we've had a blast bumming around this beautiful town, going to farmer's markets, bookstores, antique shops, and even a museum dedicated to children's book illustration, The Eric Carle Museum! We've eaten homemade local peach ice cream and apple cider doughnuts, and tonight enjoyed an amazing, vegetarian-friendly barbeque at the home of the bride's parents (eeps! Let's hope I can zip my fancy dress I brought for the wedding tomorrow!).

We head back to NYC on Monday, so look for more posting from me here on Tuesday or Wednesday.

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Photo: a little doodle I made at the amazing art studio inside the Eric Carle Museum!

NYC Love

Photo of St. John the Divine and Children's Garden sculpture,

"The Fountain of Peace" via KidCity

What a fun New York-y day we had today! Taro is away at Camp Our Time, and we are not joining him there until tomorrow, so J and W and I awoke early and decided to leave home for our favorite breakfast treat -- Absolute Bagels. After indulging in the soft, crusty, cream-cheese-y goodness we wandered a few blocks away to look at the facade of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine and sit in the adjacent Children's Garden.

J was really transfixed by the massive church and the bells that were ringing out from it, so we decided to take a closer look. After J solemnly assured me that he would speak in a whisper and refrain from running around inside, the three of us entered the Cathedral and were rendered slow and silent anyway by the grandeur and beauty of the space. Even wiggly little W was spellbound! We strolled the length and breadth of the sanctuary, admiring the stunning stained glass and hovering near the flickering prayer candles (initially J wanted to blow them out to make a wish, but I informed him that that would not be appropriate even though I think it would have been kind of awesome).

After we left the church, we headed a couple of blocks away to a children's shoe shop and had W's feet measured for his first pair of shoes. Since the store was running a special -- buy one, get one free -- I ended up getting a pair for each boy. J requested running shoes and settled on the first pair the owner took out of a box, which sport a Spider-Man-theme -- a design that simultaneously hurts my eyes and thrills J to the very core of his being.

We ran a few errands, and spent an hour at the playground, and then returned home for lunch. At 3 pm, our babysitter arrived and I left to meet my friend Liz and her amazing new baby boy, H. We took a glamorous stroll on Madison Ave., looking in the store windows and spending some quality time in the new J. Crew Wedding Salon, where Liz was doing a little shopping for an upcoming fête to celebrate her and Andrew's recent wedding with their West Coast family and friends. I had the honor of helping Liz decide between her two favorite dresses, while bouncing gorgeous H on my lap. It was heaven.

Then it was back home to my two booby-starved children (you would seriously think I had been gone for twelve hours and not a little under four! Maybe they sensed that I had been cuddling another baby and needed to reclaim me with gusto as their own mama). Then it was off to bed for the two of them while I started to pack for tomorrow's trip...

I love living in this town.

Meanwhile, this reminds me, I have to share this amazing little film with you. It features Liz and Andrew, and was created by Andrew and shown on a big screen to start off their NYC ceremony, back in February. The music and audio is from the actual wedding! Isn't it wonderful and sweet and funny and romantic and so inventive and best of all so very New York?

Happy Monday, and Photo(s) of the Day

Riki, W, and I jumped into the photobooth that Liz and Andrew had at their rockin' wedding on Saturday night. Congrats and love to them! See more about the happy (and adorable) couple, featured in this sweet little video on the NY Times website yesterday...

Wedding Fabulousness

How rad is this posse of bridesmaids? Apparently bridesmaids vibrantly expressing their own unique style is the next big thing in wedding trends. I have to say, I'm a fan. What do you think?

Photo via Erin. Ever. After, via Lovely Little Things.

Wedding Gown Gorgeousness

I'm usually not into froofy dresses and I'm most definitely not in the market for a wedding gown, but when I saw this one-of-a-kind creation by Project Runway Season 5 winner, Leanne Marshall, I have to admit I gasped in awe.

I guess it's easy to see what she's been up to for the last couple of years: working on this dress!

Via East Side Bride.

The Belly, Week 40

I'm still hanging in there!

Photo taken Saturday afternoon, before departing to go to the wedding, which was absolutely so much fun and one of the most magical, romantic, sweet, and moving weddings I've ever been to. Congratulations, Joanna and Alex!

Shoe Comfy Cuteness

Believe it or not, if I haven't given birth by this Saturday, I will be attending the wedding of a good friend that evening! I am sooo excited to join in the celebration of this happy occasion, although I have to admit that pulling an outfit together for a wedding at 40 weeks of pregnancy has been a bit of a fashion challenge!

For a while now I have known that I would wear the convertible jersey wrap gown that I picked up at the Butter by Naudia sample sale, but I have been stumped about what shoes to wear. I am definitely past the point of being able to manage for any length of time in heels, but I wanted something a little snazzier than the plain-jane flats laying in my closet.

Then I remembered seeing this new line of shoes called Marais USA being buzzed about online a few months ago. So I went to their website and found the perfect thing; these little wedge-heeled beauties in the most eye-poppingly pretty fuchsia suede:

Here's a side view, in "tomato" red:

Well, I got them in the mail yesterday and wore them out for the first time today and I just LOVE them. Super comfy for such a cute shoe, and I LOVE the color. They are available online from Marais USA, and at Urban Outfitters.

I look forward to rocking them in all my gigantic pregnant glory on Saturday!

Our Celebration

Last night Taro surprised me for our anniversary by taking me to dine at this magical establishment located under the Brooklyn Bridge, called the River Cafe (that's the restaurant in the photo above, actually floating in the East River with the magnificent span of the bridge flying overhead!). We had never been there before, but Taro had really done his research, so it proved to be one of the most perfect, romantic settings that we've ever dined in.  This was the view from our table (we watched the sun set over Manhattan):
For dessert they brought us their signature confection, a delicious cake adorned with a miniature chocolate model of the Brooklyn Bridge...

When we returned home, our friend and babysitter, Naudia, kindly took the following family photos to commemorate the occasion.  Since yesterday marked my 32nd week of pregnancy, these two pics can also serve as this week's belly shot:

Note:  For our date Taro wore the very same custom-made suit he wore for our wedding, and I wore one of my new Butter By Nadia dresses.

When we got home we followed our yearly tradition of repeating our wedding vows to one another.  I will leave you with those vows that we wrote six years ago, words which continue to shape our marriage every day:

 I vow to be faithful to you in mind, heart, and body.

I vow to be honest and share my true self with you. 

I vow to be a good communicator, to have patience, 

to listen to and be supportive of your dreams, 

and share my dreams with you.

I vow to be open minded and open hearted.

I vow to forgive your imperfections and to be able to ask forgiveness for mine.

I vow to be your teacher and your student.

I vow to be humorous and playful.  

I vow to be unselfish, to put our relationship first.

I vow to be the best parent that I can to our children. 

I vow to value your love and not take you for granted.  

These are my joyful vows.

Six Years Ago Today!

And now you are mine. Rest with your dream in my dream.

Love and pain and work should all sleep now.

The night turns on its invisible wheels 

And you are pure beside me as a sleeping amber

No one else, Love, will sleep in my dreams.

You will go, we will go together, over the waters of time.

No one else will travel through the shadows with me,

Only you, evergreen, ever sun, ever moon.

--Excerpt from And Now You Are Mine (Love Sonnet LXXXI) by Pablo Neruda

Photos by Robert Mayer and Shannon O'hara.

Our Wedding On Smitten

A little vignette from our wedding is featured on Smitten today, thanks to Joanna!  Click here to read it and see other favorite summertime memories and images.  Photo by Robert Mayer (Taro's uncle).