Aug 24, 2017

      It has been a while since I uploaded a post. My closest friends even  started asking if  I was not  interested in blogging anymore! No, that is not unfortunately the case. I just have been really busy with this thing we call life :-). I do enjoy photography, especially when it means capturing the beautiful images of my little ones along with styling them, of course! Since the birth of my first child, I have come to appreciate photography more and it has become a part of my life and my true passion. I feel this is an amazing way of freezing the time.. Moreover, I conscientiously document my photographs as a sort of digital album, so someday, my kids can browse through these posts and reflect how fast and how much they changed. Last May, it was the third anniversary of blogging and I am so looking forward to what the future holds.

Let me just briefly explain the reason for my absence on lovecocodrillo.com – I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. This is quite a struggle for me and it has been for a few months now.  I am doing my best at defeating this monster. You might wonder why I actually bother  to mention it here? I can not stress enough how IMPORTANT it is to be aware of this disease – in order to protect yourself and to support your loved ones who experience what I have been facing. A couple of years ago I posted pictures of Daniela right after her release from the hospital due to Lyme disease, she had to have surgery because of it. On the other hand, I have being struggling with this  for eight months now. It is extremely draining to be in a constant battle with pain and not being able to keep my camera for more than a few seconds due to joint pain. It is beyond difficult telling the kids that I cant go biking with them because I am just exhausted.. I am a warrior. Therefore, I will get rid of it and will soon be Lyme-disease-free.

The pictures below were taken while on our vacation in Poland. As always – they had a blast playing with their polish cousins and friends while practicing  the language – Mommy is making sure they keep learning Because most of the time in the country they were running barefoot, now back home whenever we go shopping my kiddos tend to forget to wear their shoe wear… It forces  me to shop at stores where I can put them in a shopping cart :). Tiziano decleared clearly that he aspires to be a farmer – he advised grandpa to sow rye so he can harvest it with a combain harvester. I am curious if he is going to stick to his plans once he grows up – that would sure save us money for his college tuition

Stay positive Friends!

Have a wonderful week!

 Daniela: top- Zara, shorts-Ralph Lauren, hat- ZARA, Sunnies-GAP, shoes-no name
Kaia:top- Ralph Lauren, shorts-J.crew, shoes-Zara, bag- Joules, sunnies-JUJUBUNNYSHOP

Browsing through my kids wardrobe I suddenly realized that they are growing up pretty fast.Last year I was delighted that Daniela had plenty of clothes to wear so I did not have to run in search for new garments for this season.Not the case as a matter of fact  the whole  bulk of  clothing will now go to my youngest daughter, Kaia. Beside outgrowing  all of her clothes  she is also more aware of her taste in them and therefore she is a little picky on choosing outfits, her new fashion style she is  growing  her bangs and refusing to wear glittery,ruffled dresses. She loves leggings (preferable leopard prints)and sweat shirts . Unlike my youngest Cocodrillo (Kaia) who loves girlish stuff  the more ruffles the better for her, even in different weather conditions hot or cold she still prefers  a dress along with her toys (Shopkins). I ‘m terrified to shop at Target with her because every time she sees the toy department she convinces me to buy her another set of  Shopinks ,and as you may know if you are a mother of a Shopkins lover kid,  that these are very tiny toys and you spend a lot of time picking them up from the floor so they are not swept away or vacuumed.  Besides I know that her up coming birthday party will be Shopkins themed. As for my middle Cocodrillo  (Tiziano), this boy lets me put on him any outfit I chose without any fuss for the exception  on this one  when  gorgeous mustard color  winter jacket  that I bought for him at Zara with a furry hood  boy he did not like that, he  refused to wear to  school because he believed  that they would make fun of him for wearing fur. After some convincing and taking the furry part out of hood he agreed to wear it. So, at the end of the day I related the story to his teacher and she laughed because she had complemented him on his brand new jacket but he sure did not tell her about the fur problem that he had with this jacket. He  also tends to be a story teller in school not always the truth but nothing crazy it’s always  some story regarding our family,such as our cat was sick and had a surgery,doctor had to cut his guts out, mom doesn’t love her morning coffee but daddy makes it for her anyways things like that so I was surprised that he did not have a great story for the class about his mustard color fury hood jacket.

I hope you all had a lovely THANKSGIVING DAY!!

Daniela: Vest-Target, Pants-Gap, T-shirt-Zara, Boots-UGG, Bag-Gap

Tiziano: Vest&sweater-Zara,Tie-Etsy, Shirt-Jack&Janie, Pants-No name, Shoes-Mazurek

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving !

I do not know how about you but every year when Black Friday craziness ceases, I am anxiously waiting for Christmas. Still crazy because the entire time is filled with shopping for gifts for friends and beloved ones, however, I do love everything about it – planing how to decorate the Christmas tree, baking tons of cookies and sending Christmas cards to my entire family in Poland. This year Daniela is so grown that she has been asking how many days are left until Christmas. Therefore I bought chocolate calendars for each of my cocodrillos from which one chocolate can be excreted every day till December 24th. This way, Daniela will not ask too often and will acquire a better sense of time. Today is day number 2 and Kaia is already done with her calendar. Guess she is celebrating already..

Since it was quite warm outside recently, Daniela enjoyed her company with Pelito, and during one of their escapades she was wearing this outfit: school-like, lovely jacket that was purchased for Daniela’s cousin Klara (3 years old). It can still fit Daniela! I paired it with a pair of snickers which Daniela is absolutely in love with it. I suppose she might wear them on heavy snowy days lol.

Thank you friends for stopping by and reading my blog!

She wears:

Coat & skirt- J.Crew, Sweater & t shirt- Gap, Shoes- Zara, Knee socks- Olive&Juice

It is been a while since I made an appearance over here – let me blame my other passions for it, they keep me extremely busy… Newborn and maternity photography, crochet and cake design on the top of that. I cherish them all. Each day, whenever I have just a little spare time from my kids, I take some alone time with my hobbies.

Even though snow is still abundantly laying down on the ground and resists to melt down, I can feel spring is just around the corner. The other day I jumped with joy having seen grocery stores are selling already daffodils and tulips. Couple more weeks left…  These flowers are simply a herald of the spring for me so I purchased a bouquet so I could enjoy having them on my table. Sadly, they were lost while I was dragging grocery bags in the parking lot to the car, while heavy rain was pouring on me mercilessly.

When stopping by at some kids fashion blogs, I had a chance to admire outfits for upcoming spring season already. Hence, I know what I want to get for my little ladies from a new collection. Nosweet (as you may remember from previous posts) has a gorgeous and a very girly dress with watermelon print. Bobo choses and watermelon snickers – that is a pick for Kaia. Looks like this print is going to prevail in spring as well as summer collection. I am planning on making a tutorial on how to do a T-shirt with a watermelon design on an iron paper. Other kids’ brands resorted to sea-creatures patterns: Mini Rodini and KUKUKIDS. However, since it is still cold outside, I prefer Daniela wears goodies I have already purchased for her…

Yes, you see it right –  a wild, furry vest. Although Danny owns few of them I could not resist…! It goes perfect with either denim or a sophisticated dress – compliments and completes every outfit It is hand-made and its superb fabric quality will make buying it irresistible for you as well. SMOCK is a relatively new brand, revealing passion for designing kids’ clothes. You will definitely see my kids wearing more items from them. I am so looking forward to seeing what they will offer us in upcoming season!

Daniela:

Skirt-Zara,   Shirt-Gap,  Tights- Gymboree,  Shoes-no name, similar( here)(here)

 Happy ‘Cyber Monday’ Friends!

How gorgeous it is outside today! I.e. we have to get ready and play outside but at the same time it is way too tempting to grab a notebook and start hunting for some online deals. IT IS CYBER MONDAY, after all. I must admit I have already spent some time shopping on  Black Friday – I mainly purchased stuff for my kiddos though. When it comes to buy garments on sale, I buy only those I really, really like – attempting to keep my house in order and avoid cluttering. I came across so many new kids wear brands such as: WataCukrowa (translation: cotton candy), Kindred OAK, Tiny Whales and many, many more. Some of them US based while some are from my mother land, Poland. Because I am slightly impatient , I love domestic brands slightly more ;-), due to short shipping time – so looking forward to goodies for Daniela and Tiziano to arrive.

These pictures were snapped when we were blessed with beautiful weather just before Thanksgiving. 70F outside – I could not just stay home! Nibbling my fingers, I grabbed my lovely camera and captured these unforgettable moments of my little munchkin who took little time off from photo shoots.

 Let me begin with saying: I loooooove when toddlers wear skinny jeans – a d o r a b l e ! Kaia wore this cute, fury vest which I was so excited to put on her. Unfortunately, she was a lot less excited than me. To be completely honest, she could not wait to take it off. Even chocolate bribery method aborted. I was so disappointed but this is the ‘beauty’ of working with toddlers .

Kaia:

Vest-H&M,    Top- Mini Boden (here),   Pants- Gap,   shoes- Sperry  Top-Sider

Hello Friends!

When I think of one of the best place to entertain our kids – must be feeding ducks by the lake, of course. Tiziano, when asked what would you like to do today, would promptly propose to go to the lake to see patos (ducks). It always astonishes me how simple it is to make  kids happy. He was overjoyed to see ducks zealously approaching the dock in order to get some food. One fearless duck came directly on the dock forging for snacks. By the way, the food machine was stating “fish food” but I honestly doubt fish were able to even taste it because the ducks were so quick to grab the snacks that these little fish were left without a chance.

Even though it is already pretty chilly, I could still have Tiziano spent his time playing without a heavy, thick jacket on. Lately, I am quite obsessed with hoodies, hence, I purchased many for the kiddos. The hoodie my little fellow was wearing that day, comes from a brand called Salt City Emporium. As the name implies, they are located in Salt Lake City (UT). This garment is so soft, has a gorgeous retro inspired graphic on and is also environmentally friendly ink that was used in creating the design. They have very cool, organic made T-shirts, and  this one is on my to-get-list. “We have created a successful lifestyle brand that allows modern family an intriguing destination for style.”- Salt City Emporium’s motto.

As this week is festive in the U.S, I wish everyone a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!

TIZIANO:

                                 Hat – Zara,        Scarf – Zara,      Hoodie – here,      Pants – Gap(old collection),  Shoes – H&M

It is official – fall is finally here.. This multicolored time of the year is absolutely my favorite season which I am always impatiently looking forward to. These vibrant colors of red and orange inspire me instantly so I grab my camera and shoot picturesque scenes encountered while walking in a park. That was the plan when we decided to take a stroll with kiddos.  We took a basket in order to glean some leaves and acorns to carry out some projects later on. However, we ended up at a play ground instead. There is an extensive outdoor area provided for children to play in the central part of the playground, therefore overjoyed cocodrillos were way too exited to play and I got the lovely task of trying to find acorns. I found none…

Tiziano was wearing leggings from Izzy&Ferd, clothes for little explorers. I do not quiet remember where I learned about this new brand from (it could have been my lovely PINTEREST), but their garment have cute designs of a very good quality, inspired by sea-theme. The company assures everything is 100% machine washable – I washed it already few times and there is no sign of damage whatsoever. In addittion, all clothes are designed and manufactured in Los Angeles, USA. Because my little one looks so adorable in them, I decided to get one more pair with a different print here.

Hooded sweatshirt that was teamed up with legging, on the other hand, was designed and made in Poland. Their message is “we are rebellious but cute“, and the name of the brand is KUKUKIDS. It is simply a perfect sweatshirt. It has a pretty warm inner to wear for chilly days in the fall but is not too thick to put on in the spring. When I first showed picture of Tiziano wearing this Dino hoodie, my friend asked me if that was his costume for Halloween. Really??? Couple minutes later I came to conclusion that it actually could work as a costume considering that he is the only one missing it.

I have been thinking of getting a fury jacket or vest for Daniela for a little while. I did not realize that it was going to be so easy to find one! Zara did not let me down this year at all! This gorgeous vest matches the red legging perfectly.. I noticed fashion is leaning towards fury jackets this fall (just take a look at the windows display…) Perhaps I should consider getting one for myself :-). To tell you the truth, I am growing a little jealous of my daughter’s closet

                                                                             TIZIANO:

                                          Dino hoodie – here and here , legging – Izzy&ferd, Shoes – Superga

                                                                            DANIELA:

                                          Top – GAP, legging – H&M, Shoes – Zara, Vest – Zara.

Daniela is such a tomboy; she has an inclination towards climbing  trees, back in a countryside she  climbed so high that to bring her down help was needed, playing soccer is  one of her favorite activities, she is called  by her guys buddies”future Messi”. Also, combing her hair isn’t something that she loves, and she goes to the school tangled hair. So, this outfit is sooo her.

Daniela’s pants are from czesiociuch (here) and the fabric is pretty thick, so they are going to be good for winter as well, I am planning to buy one more pair in blue since she like them.

  Since I am a huge advocate of supporting people ,who facilitate donation for kids in need, I strongly recommend you to check out Los Angeles based designer Lariotkids( here) where 15% of their profit goes to charity. I am about to get whole collection of their hats. Ultimately, my goal will be to try to design kids clothes myself and with some amount of percentage try to help less fortunate children.

Daniela;

Hat-H&M, t-shirt- Riot kids, Pants-Czesiociuch, Shoes- puma, Blouse-Kaan(here)

Tiziano;

Shirt- Kids on the moon, Pants- Zara, Shoes- Toms

Kaia;

Shirt- Booso(HERE), Pants- Gap, Shoes- Converse

I hardly could take any pictures as, in their minds, they were in the pool before I started the car engine…

Comfort, again, was my priority on that day. Let be honest here moms and dads – when it is 95F outside the last thing kiddos want is a fancy dress that ‘does not the air in’, or uncomfortable vest which limits their moves. And that was my task – to combine outfit both comfy and stylish

As far as Daniela is concerned, let me start with drawbacks in order to end my conclusions positively :-). Her least favorite part of the outfit were shoes – they kept falling off, she kept tripping – not a best choice for a 4-year old I must say. The entire rest was a great option – shorts and cotton top = a recipe for comfort

Tiziano was happy with his clothes as well. To my amazement, he did not take the hat even once… Most likely euphoria took over and he forgot about it

 I was watching them and sighed thinking they are growing up way too fast… Last year Tiziano was horrified to the thought of staying in the pool by himself and now he paddles in water pretending he is a shark. Daniela swims and dives all by herself. So proud! And just like that, when the World Cup game was on and the world was gathered up in front of tv screens, we had a blissful, relaxing and priceless afternoon.

DANIELA:

TOP – ZARA ; HAT- ZARA ; SHORTS – GUESS(OLD) ; SHOES – ZULILLY.COM ; SUNGLASSES – GYMBOREE, SUNGLASSES 2 – JANIEandJACK

TIZIANO:

TOP – J.CREW ; PANTS – ZARA ; SANDALS – GAP

 Daniela wore mostly neutrals and was often mistaken for a beautiful, long-lashed  boy :-). Now that she is growing and has developed her own taste towards clothes, toys as well as how she wants to have her hair done, I have honestly and totally given up…  She firmly states that her favorite color is pink. (Why, oh why?)

Recently, at a home-improvement store when I asked my daughter how she envisions her soon- to-be renovated room, she chose the… (drums) pink paint pallet. Needless to say, I have to rethink my idea with grey and peach and add some pink accent (maybe wall or lamp – if it was up to me a light switch ) to make her happy.

A tut she wears below was bought here. Although there was an incredibly wide range of colors to choose from, I do not need to say she herself picked this one, hot pink… I begin to think my whole life revolves around it. The fabric is soft, it doesn’t itch and it is really high quality. Any girl would can feel special wearing this skirt which does not have to be worn only for princess dress up party but also at every-day play time.

Coincidentally (it might have rather been destiny),  the day that I took these pictures simply happened to be National Pink Day! Yes moms – mark it in your calendars: June 23rd (USA). The holiday offered a lot of pink opportunities – pink clothing, toys and even food!! I came across so many recipes that can be made in honor of National Pink Day here.

In the pink (as a condition)- means to be in good health.

May you all ‘stay in the pink’ !

Daniela:

Vest – GAP, T-shirt – GAP, Boots – HUNTERS, Skirt – TUTU COUTURE, Hat – made it myself