Hi,

I have a new post about Tashi’s latest outfits. She still lets me dress her, kind of. Let’s just say we work together, and every once in a while she let’s me pick an outfit.

Outfit number 1:

The first on is one of those “could you please wear this just for today”outfits.

I bought this dress in Mexico, but it’s not super comfortable. However it is perfect for the New Mexico heat, and for photo shoots. I love the embroidery.

Dress: from a market in Cancun

Espadrilles: hand me down from big sister, but originally from Old Navy

Bag: Cath Kidston (hand me down)

Stuffed Animal: Birthday present from her friend

Outfit number 2:

It’s the “let’s go to the lake, beach, or pool” outfit.

Romper: Old Navy

Sandals: Target

Hat:Baby Gap

Outfit number 3:

She wears this on repeat. She has had the skirt for years and insists “it still fits great, mom!”. Of course one wears bike shorts underneath, because “you just don’t show your underwear!”.

Skirt: Mimi and Maggie (old collection)

Shirt: Zara

Sandals: Gymboree

BFF bracelet: gift from her friend

Outfit number 4:

Where her big brother makes an appearance.

Shirt: bought in Germany by her Oma

Shorts: hand me down from big sister, but originally Old Navy

Hat: Baby Gap

Outfit number 5:

Let’s talk about H&M’s $5 dresses. They are the best! So cheap, so versatile. You can wear legions under them in the fall. This one was a life saver for the two funerals we attended this summer. It’s actually blue, but you can’t really tell. She wears this all the time including on her first day of school last week (top left).

Dress: H&M

Sandals: Target

Outfit number 6:

It’s till hot here, but soon the days will get cooler. I hope!!! Panda bears are her favorite, so I was thrilled to find the leggins at Target. Back in spring when I was in LA I found these shirts at Zara for like $5. They are longer in the back. Perfect for kids that wear nothing but leggins. I got one for each of my girls.

Leggins: Target

Shirt: Zara

Jacket: hand me down from Lucy, bought at H&M.

Boots: Target

That’s it. Thank you Tashi, for still letting me dress you, and being forever patient. And for never wanting to move out.

Have a lovely day,

Sofija

Back in June I went to California for my nephew’s graduation. I could only take three kids, which was really sad, but it allowed me to do a day trip in San Francisco that would have been a challenge to do with the whole crew. Though I love family vacations I have come to realize that I prefer doing city trips with just one or two kids in tow. 

First up, Bodega Bay. 

We ate at a small Crab Schack by the water, where you will eat the best crab sandwiches ever. The clam chowder was really good, too. 

Next Bodega Bay Beach. It was really cold for June, which is typical for this part of California. Bring a warm jacket and find some drift wood to shield from the wind. Still it was glorious to sit by the water. Smell the ocean air, and listen to the waves.

When we were done freezing we made our way back stopping at the shop “Candy and Kites”  to stock up on saltwater taffeys. It’s a great place to get kites and beach toys.

Making our way to Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa we drove by the church where Alfred Hitchcock filmed The Birds. 

Russian River Brewery was packed with people and they didn’t have enough seating for our large group. So my brother-in-law bought some beer and shwag for my husband and we went on our way. Their red sour is now my favorite, and I don’t even like beer. 

It was a fun day.

The next day we took the ferry from Vallejo to San Francisco. I recommend taking the ferry over driving. How else would you get these awesome views? Plus a ferry always feels like a vacation. In San Francisco you can walk to a lot of places or take Über.

We took the Ferry to Fishermen’s Wharf. But we didn’t stay very long. We had a lot things we wanted to do. We walked six miles that day. Along the way we saw Ghiradelli Square, a cable car, and Golden Gate Park. From there we took Uber to Market Street. From there we walked back to the Ferry Building.

One super nostalgic thing was my son (above) took his sister (above) to the Converse store on MarketStreet, and bought her a pair of Converse she designed herself. How sweet is that? (He is single, btw)

Our last stop was the Ferry Building. We had half an hour to shop before our ferry left. I had heard that the Ferry building has some really nice places to shop and eat, but I didn’t know they have Heath Ceramics. What a nice suprise! The quality of their dishes is light years better than anything I own.

So grateful for my brother-inlaw and sister-in-law who took me everywhere. It’s so nice to just get in the car and not worry about traffic, directions, and schedules.

My husband and I will be going back in two weeks. Can’t wait to visit some stores that were closed like Everlane and the General Store. 

Have a great day,

Sofija

This February I really felt like stretching the whole Valentine’s thing. It was so fun to have red balloons left from my last shoot, and having them fly all around the house really brightened the dreariness of winter. Hurray for love!

Here are some more pictures I took of my two youngest. I was inspired by a photo shoot from the super creative team at Muku I saw a while back.

My girls are quite fantastic to work with. They were getting over a sickness and it took me two tries to get the shots I wanted, yet they were so cooperative. I guess they are so used to being in front of the camera….

The dress on Tashi with the blue sash is from Olive Juice. The dress on Lucy is a hand me down from the cousins. The patchwork rug is from Turkey. I bought them from my friend, she has more. Let me know if you are interested.

Have a lovely day,

Sofija

Friends,

I have just gotten back from Germany and still relishing the sights and sounds of the Christmas markets there. The mulled wine, the fried breads, and pretzels. Bratwursts in every shape or form. Ginger breads, candied apples, chocolate covered marshmallows… If you are into Christmas, this is the time to go (if you don’t mind cold and cloudy days, and crowds of people…). The markets typically start in the last week of November, so airfares are really low for this time of year. Every town seems to have one; bigger cities like Frankfurt and Cologne have several. Castles often have their own little market on different weekends. I went to buy Christmas displays from the region Erzgebirge (high quality wooden handcrafted pieces), and to drink Gluehwein (mulled wine). Locals mostly go to eat at the food vendors. 🙂 Here are some pictures from Frankfurt.

Even Santa gets hungry sometimes…

There are children’s rides there, too. So it is really a place the whole family can enjoy. Just remember to dress warm.

Have you been? I hadn’t since I left Germany over 20 years ago. Being there again and smelling all these familiar smells send me down memory lane.

Have a wonderful Christmas season,

Sofija

 

 

 

School is starting up again in my part of the world. Before we go back to shuttling kids and preparing lessons we decided to take one last trip to Taos. We took our Canadian friends who had not been to the Taos Pueblo. Only our youngest came along. She travels really well and generally makes herself at home anywhere. Watching her play at the Pueblo made me think of how children might have grown up there.

Currently only 10 families still live in the Pueblo. However lots of tribe members live outside but keep homes for ceremonies and for selling hand made jewelry, pottery, dream catchers, and other things. Thankfully, one person was selling lemonade, as it was getting quiet warm while we were there.  

She kept running from shop to shop chatting with the store owners…

The logs were a favorite…

After touring the Pueblo we headed to the Rio Grande River Gorge. On the way is the Taos Mesa Brewery, a really fun quirky place out in the middle of nowhere, with good food. And for  people like me, they have good cider, too. We happened to be there while life music was playing.

The Gorge. As seen from the bridge.

Not for the faint of heart…Hold on to your children!! Do not drop your lap dogs…

Lots of vendors along the road. But my favorite is this traveling bus/coffee shop.

 

A huge thanks to my husband for driving us 6+ hours and for being a great tour guide!! You are the best!

After the Gorge we took the High Road to Taos back to show our friends Chimayo. And we had some appetizers at the famous Rancho de Chimayo restaurant. A super cozy place. My husband bought their cook book so I can expect home-made chili sauce in my near future….

If you don’t mind being gone all day, this is how you can do Taos is one day. I have to say though, my favorite place to eat lunch in Taos is at the Bavarian.

Hope you all have a great start into the new school year!!

Sofija

Tashi is wearing a dress from H&M, shoes from the Children’s Place.

 

 

 

 

Last week I posted the pictures from our recent photo shoot with Emily. Here is the Christmas version.

For the bus I used a banner I made a couple of years ago. The presents are just empty boxes I wrapped in the same paper as in this photo shoot. I bought a roll at Costco years ago and it just doesn’t seem to be running out. The wreath I made out of styrofoam, yarn, and I watched a pompon tutorial on Youtube. I had no idea the wreath would fit perfectly over the VW logo. Nice surprise! Our friend Jon met us at the location with his bus.

Merry Christmas!

Sofija

All pictures taken by Emily Mulder

Styling and Art Direction by me

 

I have been working on a new “What My 5 Year Old is Wearing” shoot and I got some pictures that I won’t be using, yet they are pretty cute. This is Tashi when she is busy concentrating…

Whatever she was working on, it was very important!

Dress: Hanna Andersson (thrifted)

Vest: Old Navy

Shoes: Naartijie

Knee High Socks: Hand me downs

 

Have a lovely day,

Sofija