Schue Love: December 2013

2013 Year in Review

At the end of each year, I love reflecting back and really appreciating all that we accomplished and overcame. Of course, it's also fun to peek back to see how Ethan has changed and also remember some fun posts. It wasn't until I had Ethan that I could truly appreciate how rapidly time passes. I hope to savor more of it in 2014. :)

January

In January, I shared my pregnancy book {still need to do Ethan's First Year book...oops!}...

Enjoyed these sweet + salty bacon pancakes...

And took our first real vacation as a family of three to Scottsdale!

February

In February, I shared Ethan's six month photos...

and made these amazingly delicious black bean + butternut squash nachos.

March

In March, I decorated our mantel for the spring...

And put together Ethan's very first Easter basket!

April

In April, we celebrated Ethan's first Easter...

I finally gave in and converted our formal dining room into a makeshift playroom by adding the Expedit shelf...

And we had these delicious breakfast tacos one weekend.

May

In May, I shared Ethan's 9 month photos...

Celebrated my sister-in-law's Bachelorette Party in San Francisco.

And we celebrated Ryan's 30th birthday!

June

In June, Ethan turned ONE!

July

In July, I shared the gorgeous details from my sister-in-law's wedding...

Recapped the details from Ethan's first patriotic birthday party!

And I was featured on The EveryGirl!!!

August

In August, I shared Ethan's one year photos {my favorite!}...

Relived my best friend's bachelorette party in Beverly Hills {and we got to meet Lisa & Ken from RHOBH!!!}..

And shared my breastfeeding story.

September

In September, I recapped our Chicago and Michigan vacation...

I shared this delicious shaved brussel sprout + date salad...

And I showed off our fall mantel.

October

In October, my best friend got married and was the most stunning bride!

And we celebrated Ethan's second Halloween!

November

In November, we finally purchased a new {and baby friendly!} ottoman. I cannot WAIT to show you our gallery wall in 2014...

And I made this yummy pumpkin spice banana bread!

December

In December, I recapped our Thanksgiving weekend...

Showed off our Christmas card...

Shared some delicious cookie recipes, like these and these from our Cookies & Cocktails Party.

And recapped our Christmas and my 30th Birthday!

Seriously...what a year!! I can't believe all that we did...I'm exhausted just recapping it! But 2013 was a great year...filled with amazing friends and family. It makes me super excited to see what 2014 has in store for us.

Happy Happy New Year and thank you to all of you who stop by and loyally read. I am beyond grateful for each and every one of you. Cheers!!!

xo natasha

Christmas & Birthday Recap

Well, Christmas has come and gone, I'm 30, Ethan's 18 months and a new year is around the corner. We even survived a flight down to southern CA and life in a hotel with a toddler for a whole week. Amazing, right?

We had a wonderful time down in Orange County this past week. The weather was amazingly warm (mid to high 70's!) and we got spend quality time with friends and family. I know that people think cold and snow when it comes to Christmas (and luckily we get plenty of that at home in Tahoe) but there is just something about walking around in flip flops and enjoying all of the Christmas decorations (along with the palm trees) that feels like home to me.

Feels magical to me!

Ethan definitely enjoyed the shorts weather and fountain at Fashion Island. Look how happy he is!

I loved catching up with my twin brothers. One of them just got engaged this past fall and they're planning a 2014 wedding...so exciting!!

Ethan enjoyed his first So Cal Christmas. He was only mildly interested in the presents under the tree though!

And my last attempt at getting a photo with "Santa" was a major fail! Oh well...there's always next year!

I got to spend my birthday enjoying the warm beach weather in Huntington Beach and that night I went out to drinks and dinner with friends!

You might recognize one of these pretty faces...Courtney got to join in on the fun too!

I mean really...this child was just loving the outdoors in December! ;)

Overall, we had an amazing time enjoying the warm weather and celebrating!

And the best part was that I got to come home to Tahoe this past weekend and celebrate with all of our friends here, including my sister-in-law and her husband who were visiting for the holidays. We rocked out to Tainted Love (an amazing 80's cover band) and had the best time!

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas! Cheers to 2014!

xo natasha

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you & your family a very Merry Christmas!!

xo natasha & family

photo credit

Ten Tasty Holiday Recipes!

Thanks to all of you who linked up to our holiday recipe party this past Wednesday! I wanted to highlight some of my favorite in hopes that it might inspire some last minute ideas before the holiday weekend!