life lately

i promise i didn't abandon this blog. reality life took over and ultimately that's my priority. the summer has been an absolute blast for us and the last few days was kinda hectic. i got aston ready for 3rd grade. we shopped for school supplies and completed yearly checkups. we also took a few last minute trips to close out summer. i'll share some of our pics below. 

this week is his first week back at school. everyday he's been excited to share details about his new friends, classroom and teacher. i am optimistic that this will be another great year for him. today is day 2 and we still got new routines to get used to. i am back to my carpool duties and early wakeup call as well.

*************************

************************

scenes from our last two trips this past summer, destin and chicago. just a brief change of scenery for us before school officially started! 

i'm hoping to keep this blog rolling more as i settle back into our routine. in the meantime, i'm still busy in IG, if you care to scroll. thanks and have a great day! 

travel log

we had a back to back weekend trip last week. two weeks ago we took a quick trip to chicago for my husband's conference and then another one in las vegas last weekend. they were both quick short trips but we were able to make the most out of them. in chicago, we briefly visited with my sister and sister-in-law and had a really nice dinner with them. the weather was nice and cool and not as humid as texas. we got lucky as it quickly rained the day we flew back to houston. 

chicago july 2015

we flew back last monday from las vegas. when ben  had to go to his meeting, aston and i window shopped and hung out at the pool. we didn't last long outside as it was so hot. clearly, i am still recuperating from those trips but it's great to be back home and be around this time for the weekend. we have yet another busy one ahead of us. we've got 2 summer birthday parties to go and aston can't wait to see his friends again! 

if you want to follow along our summer adventures, come check out my IG!

las vegas july 2015

happy weekend!  

weekend lookbook

happy tuesday friends! 

we had a fantastic long weekend to celebrate july 4th. we didn't have grand plans but we drove to nearby hill country to relax and unwind for the long weekend. here are a few pics :

dressing comfortably and getting ready for the 3 hour drive
new balance sneakers // tote bag // chambray top

 

to get an early head start, we took off as soon as we get off work on thursday. we enjoyed a nightcap at our resort's lobby lounge right after we checked in - here i am savoring every bit of my blood orange margarita. 

friday was spent all day at the pool and the lazy river pool. i slathered on my spf and truly relaxed the whole day. 

these boys did nothing but hung out at the pool. aston  met a few new friends while ben  and i sipped mojitos and pina colada under the sun. 

my weekend gear was all about comfort and ease. i lived in my casual denim cutoffs, soft blouses and sandals. safe to say, that's my summer uniform.

tunic // shorts // sandals

we ate a little, drank a little. 

we had a great time that when sunday rolled around, it was hard to drive back home. it was nice to getaway even for a short time. 

___________________________________________________________________

LASTLY, don't forget to check out our giveaway with FUN FLOORING. 

details on how to join here!

happy father's day

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the dads! 

happy special day to my husband and to my father who both are amazing dads ~ they are our family's protectors and supporters. thank you for all the love. 

easter scenes

i hope you all had a great easter weekend celebration. our long weekend was certainly eventful. it started friday when we had some AC issues at home. 

going in to summer we know we need to have to take care of this. texas summer months are brutal and this was definitely a priority. unexpectedly, we had to have our units replaced so the guys have to come back on saturday to work all day and get it done. 

on a lighter note, we had family come over for the holidays so despite the little AC setback we still made the most out of the visit. we also celebrated cousin daniel's  birthday (you may recognize mom, ailynne  from previous posts here). the kids had so much fun at the amazing wonderwild party venue. 

on easter sunday, we headed to church bright and early for the 7 am mass. it was a blessing to be able to worship and rejoice on this easter sunday. sunday brunch followed at one of our favorite restaurants, caracol. as usual, it never disappoints. afterwards, we went and visited more relatives and ended the weekend with a quiet dinner at home with family. 

monday will surely be a difficult day to face head on after the long weekend break. anyways, we have no choice but to get going with a huge mug of coffee on hand and just dive in to monday :-)

hope you have a good one and enjoy the week ahead! 

goodbye 2014, hello 2015

it is hard to believe that 2014 is almost over. it was indeed a great year and we are looking forward to a promising 2015!

our christmas celebration was so wonderful and i didn't want it to end. it was nice to relax with family and friends and reflect the true meaning of the season. with the new year upon us, i can only hope and pray for another bright and blessed year for all of us. 

so with only a few days left of holidays and as we ring in the new year, i would like to thank you all for all the support through the years. i am grateful for old and new friends met through blogging whether via instagram, twitter or facebook. i am amazed of this generous community of encouragement and inspiration that i am proudly a part of and i can truly say i am blessed in so many ways. 

i am excited and thrilled to see what's in store for us this coming 2015! 

all is bright

it is going to be an exciting holiday week! 

we have family and relatives arriving all week to celebrate the holidays with us. it is a special time of the year to gather loved ones and enjoy the true meaning of christmas! 

i am signing off early for a much deserved holiday break and i hope you all have a fantastic time being with friends and family as well. i may tune in back here the day after christmas to round up the best boxing day shopping deals. so stay tuned for that! 

from our family to your's, merry merry christmas! 

cards by minted 

summer snippets

how's everyone's summer so far?

if you are not following me in instagram (@swankychicfete), here's a little summer photo album from our daily doings! 

we are enjoying lazy summer days! 

via

have a great week ahead folks! 

chicago weekend snapshots

we went on a quick trip to chicago this past weekend. my parents had to go see the philippine consulate in chicago to renew their passports and we followed a few days later and flew back home with them. so today i'm sharing a few images of a pretty summer day in chicago!

we stayed at the water tower room of the hyatt and enjoyed this view everyday from the balcony. the weather was a little muggy but it was not as humid as texas like we are used to. it rained some but not for long.

continue reading.....

our weekend

our long weekend was filled with so much fun and laughter as we hosted a bowling party to celebrate our son, aston's  7th birthday last saturday! 

i'm sharing a few shots by my niece ailynne  and my friend nina  took during the party. on sunday his real birthday, we had brunch with my sister who was in town and aston  thoroughly enjoyed a chocolate hershey cheesecake, his favorite, after his meal. that night we had barbecue at home and we treated him his third birthday cake of the weekend, a chocolate chiffon cake my sister brought from chicago.

there is no stopping this guy - these kids grow so fast. how do you even slow it down? his first grade year will come to an end soon and this fall, he'll be in second grade. how is that even possible? 

we are so proud of him. he's grown in leaps and bounds and we couldn't be any happier of his pace and path he is walking through along with us and his teachers that have guided him. so so thankful for this boy, the love and joy of our lives. 

how was your long weekend?

easter weekend album

so we had a splendid easter weekend. i hope you all did too! 

our long weekend break started with a rio 2 movie viewing on friday with our little guy. that movie is truly hilarious. i think i'm going to get the soundtrack (i love sergio mendes). the weather was also gorgeous so we had lunch al fresco at one of our favorite places. we enjoyed delicious bites of ahi tuna, cheesesteak eggrolls (tdf) and shrimp tacos. 

first thing on saturday, we did a power walk in our neighborhood. it was still a beautiful day and a long brisk walk was the perfect way to burn a few calories. that evening, we went to see an easter concert at our church featuring a malaysian-born internationally acclaimed one-man orchestra composer/arranger whose take on classical hymns music arrangements are just spectacular. the concert was amazing as well as his ministry and testimony on converting to christianity was just moving and touching. it was a treat to see him perform. 

we were up and at it so early on easter sunday morning. we attended the 7 am easter mass and had lunch afterwards at a newly-opened argentinian steakhouse. it was ok. the service was great. they had a special easter menu but i think i would have preferred their regular lunch menu they serve during a regular week. the prices and portion looks like it was more for dinner and not for brunch or lunch. we may try going back on any regular day to try out their steaks which i heard are really good. 

it was a nice long weekend break for all of us. my sis-in-law came to town and it was great that she was able to spend time with us especially with aston.  i would love to hear how your weekend was!  

weekend photo recap

how was everyone's weekend? our's was really nice. i'll share a little photo recap here. despite allergy attacks, we were able to enjoy the perfect-weather weekend! 

in case you don't follow me in instagram, @swankychicfete. have a great week ahead friends! 

christmas album

CHRISTMAS 2013

remembering lilith

we will continue to celebrate year after year the life that our dear sister lilith  lived up until she passed away 6 years ago. we dearly remember fond memories ~ her laughter and giggles. we will forever treasure all the moments spent with her. there will always be a gap within our family that is now filled with memories of her. a space filled with sadness yet a sense of joy that you are in the midst of our Maker.

we miss you so much. love you forever and ever. 

throwback thursday

in the spirit of  #throwbackthursday, here's a look back at memorable past images......

 in beautiful maui  pre-aston

again pre-baby, in L.A.

the husband dreaming of becoming a racecar driver :)

bright-eyed 3 month old  aston

one yr old aston  at the plaza

cruisin'

vintage cars and more

christmas at bellagio

you can follow me in instagram @swankychicfete for more #throwbackthursday 

here and there

• aston  survived first week of first grade at his new school. that also meant i survived the drama of carpool line - ha! seeing aston  getting excited leaving the house each morning means just one thing, he loves his new school, teacher and classmates. i'm just hoping it translates the same way for the rest of year!

• the past weekend we took a last summer trip to costa mesa. during our short stay we managed to coordinate schedules and met up with my old high school friends and classmates from nursing school. meanwhile ben met up an old friend from med school as well. it was so much fun and i realized how much i missed them! we are looking forward to them visiting us in texas!

• are you all ready for fall? i know, i've been aching for cooler weather but it ain't happening so far. but that didn't stop me from painting my nails a deep dark purple polish and stocked up on plum colored lipglosses!

• biggest news in our casa : aston  finally lost his first baby tooth! the tooth fairy was pretty generous and he went all-out shopping for a new toy. legos are still a favorite so it was an easy choice. so proud of this big guy who didn't even flinch when his tooth came off! 

• i have serious obsession with tortoiseshell and leopard spots lately. accessories and shoes - you name it, i may have it. i am convinced it's a trend that's now clearly a classic. an all year round staple in your wardrobe! 

• lastly, here's a few labor day weekend sale roundup for you to peruse : SHOPBOP, NORDSTROM shoe clearance, JCREW denim sale, OLD NAVY 30% off spree, GAP up to 40% off, C.WONDER huge summer sale and lastly, PBC CLOSET's labor day weekend sale (30% off with code LABORDAY30)! happy shopping!

TGIF friends!

our first grader

 today is a classic first day of school, rainy and gloomy (just as I always remembered as a kid). we just got back from california yesterday but we are all ready up and bright this morning for first day of school. 

 aston  will be in first grade and we are excited for him. we met his new teacher (who's wonderful!) and classmates last week and it was nice meeting parents as well! 

we were the first one there today in the classroom and we get to snap a pic of him and his teacher!  

never fails. i cry every year when I drop him off on the first day of school (notice how small my eyes are?). i was a total mess while he's all embarassed. year after year you get to realize that he's all grown up. a bit more responsible. slightly reliable. is that really our baby boy? 

do you moms feel the same way? 

weekend snapshots

we had a wonderful time celebrating the special men in our lives this weekend. we took my father out saturday for lunch and shopping (nordstrom still have their half-yearly sale!). they had some really great sale at the men's department. ben scored a pair of really inexpensive driving shoes and a couple of shirts at amazing discounted prices. for their gifts, i was lucky to chance upon free engraving at macy's with purchase of any calvin klein scents, so i thought that was really neat. on top of that, the gifts with purchase is always a great plus (in this case, koozies and a canvas duffel bag)! 

earlier in the week was also my father's birthday so we had a nice dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. we are so grateful for his good health and strength. yesterday we also celebrated my niece (and goddaughter) jillian's  high school graduation party. she was our flower girl thirteen years ago and surely it was surreal that she's heading off to college this fall! 

summer camp and activities is wearing out this momma and this boy. the heat is too much to handle and i have the honor of driving him around. i'm already tired just thinking about it. BUT, i wouldn't want it any other way :) 

it's monday again and i hope you all had an amazing father's day weekend celebration! 

happy father's day

special thoughts and love to the special men in my life!  

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the dads!

happy 6th birthday aston!

 

happy birthday to our special guy!

we are proud to be your parents and we pray you will continue to be a loving little  guy that yearn to learn more and will grow up God-fearing and humble. never cease to be curious, never stop to be courteous and respectful. always be thankful.

we will celebrate this day with such grateful hearts that we have been blessed by you in our lives!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASTON! 

~ images by ailynne