• Four-ever magical birthday party

    four-ever magical birthday

    Arabella is about to turn five, so I think it’s time to share the details of her 4th birthday party! The theme was “four-ever magical,” aka unicorns and mermaids. I scoured Pinterest for unicorn and mermaid party ideas, then combined them into a super fun four-ever magical birthday party at our house. Decor We had […]

  • Peppa pig birthday party

    Peppa Pig birthday party

    Arabella absolutely loves Peppa Pig, so a Peppa Pig-themed birthday party was a no-brainer when she turned 3. I wanted to go with a slightly pastel color palette, to match the rain boots she already had. But as you might imagine, there was a LOT of pink involved. Since the British children’s show is so […]

  • DC cherry blossoms without the crowds

    DC cherry blossoms without the crowds

    It’s cherry blossom time in Washington, D.C., and while there are always crowds, this year is particularly nuts because it’s the first Cherry Blossom Festival since 2019. We went to the Tidal Basin at 8 a.m today (Sunday) and it was already packed. But there’s a place you can go to see DC cherry blossoms […]

  • Tips for flying with a baby

    flying with baby

    The first time we flew with Arabella, she was only 3 months old, and I had no idea what to expect. I probably Googled every possible version of “flying with a baby,” “flying with an infant” and “traveling with baby,” and I read a ridiculous amount of tips and suggestions. I did similar searches again […]

  • Oh Twodles birthday party

    Oh Twodles birthday party

    Long before Arabella turned two, a Disney-loving friend of mine posted photos of her son’s “Oh Twodles” Mickey Mouse-themed birthday party, and I thought it was genius. (For those who don’t know, Mickey and friends all say “Oh Toodles” several times per episode on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, summoning a magical helper thingy). And since Arabella […]

  • Mad for Plaid

    mad for plaid

    Maybe it’s because I was a teenager in the 90s, but I’ve always been a sucker for plaid. So when I was looking for matching family outfits for our Christmas card photos, I gravitated toward all the tartans. I meant to share these sooner, but the cards themselves didn’t even show up in my mailbox […]

  • Winnie the Pooh tea party

    Winnie the Pooh tea party for children

    We’re having a Winnie the Pooh tea party at home, and you’re invited! When I canceled Arabella’s first birthday party in March, I thought I was just postponing it. But as restrictions increased and our time in Okinawa got shorter and shorter, I realized we weren’t going to be able to have her party there. […]

  • Mom and daughter matching

    Mom and daughter matching | Marshmallows & Margaritas

    As you’ve probably noticed, I love mom and daughter matching outfits with Arabella. I figure she won’t want to dress like her mommy forever, so I want to twin while I can (though she may come back around — my mom and I probably own more matching outfits than my daughter and I, though we don’t […]

  • Hello Kitty cherry blossom cake

    Hello Kitty cherry blossom cake for baby's first birthday | Marshmallows & Margaritas

    I’m not sure how other people come up with the themes for their children’s first birthday parties, but I was inspired by a stuffed animal. A Hello Kitty doll in a cherry blossom kimono, to be exact. Since Arabella was born during the mainland cherry blossom season and this may be her only birthday (other […]

  • Arabella is one!

    One year old cake smash

    I’m not sure how it happened, but a year passed in the blink of an eye and our baby doll turned one! Her birthday was near the beginning of COVID-19 restrictions in Okinawa, so we had to cancel her party. But luckily, we had gotten professional photos taken by Heather Johnson Photography a few weeks […]