family style Archives - Page 2 of 2

A Mini Travel Guide To Joshua Tree, CA

By Esperanza on April 29, 2025

I have always wanted to check out the town of Joshua Tree after seeing some of the cool local boutiques the town had to offer on social media. When Andrew and I started talking about doing a California trip, I knew I wanted to squeeze Joshua Tree in! The itinerary for our week long trip was going to be super packed, so we only had a day to explore. Even so, we were able to stop by some really cute boutiques, and see some fun sights. I’m sharing all of these spots in this mini Joshua Tree travel guide!

Staying At The Ace Hotel & Swim Club In Palm Springs

By Esperanza on April 25, 2025

Palm Springs, Ace Hotel, Ace Hotel & Swim Club, hotel review, hotel stay, Palm Springs hotel, hotel vacation, family vacation, family trip, Phoenix blogger, family blogger, family travel, family style, mommy blogger, lifestyle blogger, baby boy style, mommy style, retro style.

Palm Springs was one of the stops on our big California trip. Andrew had never been, which is why I wanted it to be one of our stops, and I had been years ago with my family. I have always loved retro, mid-century vibes and Palm Springs is known for that, of course! During our time there, we stayed at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club, a hotel I have always wanted to go to. This hotel definitely had that retro feel to it! With two restaurants, a pool, and that iconic Palm Springs scenery, it was the perfect hotel. I will be highlighting more of our experience staying at the Ace Hotel in this blog post.

Joshua Tree, California, USA | Travel Style

Family Travel Style In Joshua Tree National Park

By Esperanza on April 24, 2025

Joshua Tree National Park, Joshua Tree, family travel, family style, family trip, family vacation, travel style, California, California style, national parks, family blogger, travel blogger, lifestyle blogger, baby boy style, dad style, men's style, mom style, women's style, boho style, The Urban Darling.

We just got back from our first big trip as a family to California about a week ago. Our first stop was Joshua Tree! I wanted to explore the town a little more, and I also wanted to take Andrew to Joshua Tree National Park. I had already been there before several years ago with my family, and thought it was so beautiful. We were on a really tight schedule, but we had just enough time to drive through Joshua Tree National Park and stop at a few spots!

Phoenix, Arizona, USA | Travel Style

Staycation At The JW Marriott Desert Ridge In Scottsdale

By Esperanza on April 8, 2025

Scottsdale, Desert Ridge, JW Marriot, JW Marriot Desert Ridge, hotel review, hotel stay, hotel vacation, staycation, hotel staycation, Phoenix blogger, family blogger, family travel, family style, mommy blogger, lifestyle blogger, baby boy style, mommy style, retro style.

This past weekend, Andrew, Sage, and I did a “staycation” at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Scottsdale. It was a much-needed getaway for our little family with lots of fun activities in a beautiful desert setting! This was our first staycation together, and I have to say, it’s a super convenient way of “getting away”. We may have to do another in the future, maybe in the summer here in the Phoenix area, to take advantage of the pool! I’ll be sharing more about the hotel, its amenities, and what we did during our quick stay.

Family Style | Travel

Our Family Trip To Payson In Northern Arizona

By Esperanza on April 4, 2025

Northern Arizona, Arizona, family style, travel style, baby style, family trip, family travel, baby style, baby boy, Payson, winter style, outdoor style, hiking style, family blogger, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, men's style, women's style, first time mom, new mom, young family, family, Phoenix blogger, The Urban Darling.

My parent’s invited us to come with them to Payson in northern Arizona for a hiking trip! The cooler weather was super nice for a few days, and I’m glad we were able to do a few more hikes before it’s too hot here in the Phoenix area. One of the hikes we went on was a total of 8 miles with Andrew carrying Sage in our Ergobaby the whole time! We were both very tired after this trip and needed several days to recover when we got back home. My favorite part of the trip was the epic view from the rim where we shot these photos of our little family! It was nice spending some family time on this quick getaway.

Food | Urban Darling Home

5 Easy Gluten-Free Breakfast Ideas

By Esperanza on December 20, 2024

Gluten-free, Gluten-free baking, Gluten-free recipes, Gluten-free breakfast ideas, Gluten-free cookbook, Gluten-free diet, Gluten-free pastries, baking, cooking, cookbook, chef, modern kitchen, neutral kitchen, family blogger, breakfast ideas, easy breakfast ideas, family style, The Urban Darling.

Andrew and I recently filmed a video for my socials of five easy gluten free breakfast ideas. We spent the whole day baking and shooting these delicious recipes that we have been enjoying for days now. I snapped a few photos on my camera that I thought I would share in this blog post with the finished dishes as well! I thought it would be helpful for those of you that are gluten-free or have recently gone gluten-free. For those of you that are new here, Andrew is a chef & food consultant and these recipes are all from his cookbook, “The Simple Art Of Gluten-Free Baking Cookbook“.

Family Style | Holidays

Family Christmas Photos In The Arizona Desert

By Esperanza on December 19, 2024

Holidays, holiday photos, family photos, holiday family photos, Christmas, holiday style, family style, family photography, family blogger, lifestyle blogger, fashion blogger, couple style, vintage style, baby style, baby boy style, vintage baby boy style, desert photoshoot, desert, Phoenix, The Urban Darling.

I wanted to show Andrew this beautiful spot that my family and I have visited several times since moving to the Phoenix area. Superstition Mountain is located in Apache Junction has been the backdrop for many photoshoots like my full term maternity photos and some family photos with my mom and sister after Sage was born. I thought it would be the perfect spot for capturing some holiday photos of Andrew, Sage, and I as well! I love that I have captured so many life milestones in this gorgeous desert setting.

Flagstaff, Arizona, USA | Travel

Flagstaff Travel Guide | Where To Eat, Stay, & Things To Do

By Esperanza on December 12, 2024

Flagstaff, Flagstaff travel guide, Flagstaff restaurants, Flagstaff coffee shops, Flagstaff breweries, brewery, coffee shops, restaurants, travel guide, Arizona, Arizona travel, family travel, family trip, family style, traveling with a baby, where to eat in Flagstaff, where to stay in Flagstaff, what to do in Flagstaff, family blogger, family travel, The Urban Darling.

In early November, we went on our first trip together as a couple, and as a family! Andrew, Sage, and I spent a few days in Flagstaff and boarded Arlo at a local dog boarder. During our time there, we stayed at an amazing hotel, High Country Motor Lodge (read more here), and ate at some incredible local restaurants. In this blog post, I am sharing those spots as well as fun things we did while touring the city! I actually visited Flagstaff with my parents last year (read that blog post here), while I was still pregnant and healing from my traumatic breakup, so it was very full circle to go back with my son and new boyfriend Andrew. It was such a great trip, and I can’t wait to see where we end up going next!

Holiday Home | Holidays

Our First Holiday Season As A Family

By Esperanza on December 6, 2024

This time of year has been extra special, not only because it’s baby Sage’s first holiday season, but also because it’s our first time celebrating them as a family with Andrew and Arlo! Meeting Andrew this year was such a blessing after everything I went through in the past year, and I have so much to be thankful for. I remember being so sad last year at this time while I was still pregnant, and emotionally recovering from a difficult breakup. It’s amazing how much has changed in a year! Andrew has brought so much happiness into my life, I’m so lucky to have a second chance with an amazing man who makes my son and I feel so loved.

Baby | My Life

Visiting The Pumpkin Patch & Animal Farm

By Esperanza on October 20, 2024

Phoenix, couples, pumpkin patch, pumpkins, animal farm, couples photography, family photography, family, couples style, family style, baby style, baby boy, baby boy style, neutral style, retro style, desert style, desert vibes, desert plants, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling.

I was really excited for the holidays to come up this year because I knew it would be so fun experiencing them with my baby boy Sage for the first time! Andrew and I took Sage to his first pumpkin patch last week and even though it was soooo hot here in the Phoenix area the day we went, we had a ton of fun. The farm we went to had a little petting zoo with goats, cows, horses, sheep, a llama, and even zebras! Sage does seem to love animals, especially Andrew’s dog Arlo, but he wasn’t nearly as excited about them as he was the big orange pumpkins! Those really put a sparkle in his eyes lol.