Park weather

The blazing heat this summer kept us from going to the park as much as we would've liked. Now that cooler temperatures are a more common occurrence, we've had some nice trips to the local parks.

Maggie loves to swing!

My brother and nephew visited this weekend and we made a couple trips to the park as well. Plus Daniel bought Will his first football so the boys spent plenty of time outside tossing that around. We had a really fun visit and aside from all the time spent outdoors, we did some shopping, some eating out, watched a movie or two and laughed a lot. Good times.

 All the guys...hunting for alligators. Don't ask me

why, that's just what they searched for in the ditch

near our playground

Maggie's 1st birthday party- the details- part 1

Part One – Decorations

Before we found out Will was a boy, I happened upon a ladybug bedding set and was in love! We obviously didn’t decorate Will’s nursery in ladybugs, so I was excited this set was still available when we found out Maggie was a girl. What does any of this have to do with her first birthday party? Why, ladybugs, of course! Since finding that bedding, I knew if I ever had a girl, it would be all ladybugs all the time!
So theme was not really a question. How I was going to execute said theme was open to interpretation. Inspired by Maggie’s bedding, I chose pink and green for the colors- light, bright and a little more baby/girly to me than the traditional black & red, though that color palette would have been much easier. Finding pink & green ladybug stuff is not impossible, but harder than the typical colors. In the end, most of my actual ladybug décor was hand made with my Cricut Expression, which I wanted to do anyway. I had so much fun putting this party together!!

Invitations
I love designing my own invitations! I knew ladybugs and polka dots were in order so I got to work a few months before the party and here’s what I came up with:


I was happy with how they turned out, sent my test print and it came back perfect! When I sent off the rest, they printed lighter than my original. Yes, I did think about returning them, but decided they were still cute, nobody would know but me and it seemed so wasteful to throw them all away. They were a few shades lighter than I wanted, but it’s not like they were orange. I’ll save my perfect one for Maggie.

Balloons
LOVE! I don’t know why, I just have an undying affection for balloons- I think they make a strong impact, especially for such an inexpensive decoration. I decided early on I wanted polka dot balloons and for whatever reason, the pink & green ones are a hot item at our local Party City so it’s a good thing I got an early start or I would’ve missed out on these! I also found the white & pink ‘happy 1st birthday’ and daisy balloons there. Ladybugs and 1’s were obvious- I found all the mylars at Celebrate Express.

                         

I didn’t have much time before the party to group the balloons how I wanted (should’ve done this the night before) so I rushing before the party started. They still came together so that’s all that matters.

Banners
Every birthday party needs a banner to state the obvious, right? Well, Maggie’s was no exception! I found the perfect paper at Hobby Lobby and used my handy-dandy Cricut to cut all my shapes, glued it all together and wah-la:
I did two banners for two reasons: 1. I was going to have a white ‘shadow’ letter behind all my green and pink letters but didn’t like how it looked so I had extra letters and 2. I had plenty of extra paper so I was going to put the second one outside. When the forecast showed a strong chance of rain, I just used both inside.
I also made a highchair banner because I saw a picture on Facebook (friend of a friend’s kid’s birthday party) and thought it was precious. So I used the same paper as the other banner, but did squares to mix it up.

Notice the pretty ribbon between the letters? Well, I was going to do that for the large banners but ended up needing my ribbon for the cupcake stands and didn’t want to risk starting that project and not finishing, so tossed that idea.

Door Signs
I initially planned have one sign on the front door and one on the screen door heading outside but, again, was uncertain if we would go outside due to rain and thought one looked cute in the kitchen. I designed these to look similar to the invitation, printed them, cut a rounded edge and the scalloped backing on my Cricut, adhered them and tied on some ribbon.

Hanging Lanterns
I didn’t go out seeking paper lanterns but I stumbled upon some at Party City and bought the two packs they had left. I had to replace the baby shower decals with my ladybugs (cut with none other than the Cricut) so these are my semi-homemade decorations:


Wall Decals & Streamers
Not everybody likes streamers but I love the pop of color it adds, a roll can nearly decorate a whole house and it’s inexpensive! I knew I was going to hang streamers on all the doorways and initially wanted to hang poms on the corners and possibly from the ceiling. In fact, I was going to recycle the ones my sister and sister-in-law made for Maggie’s baby shower but they were a little worn down from traveling. Then I thought of making my own but really wanted polka dot tissue paper and only found it online for like $12! Since I had plenty of paper still, I decided more ladybugs and some flowers were in order and cut them with....you guessed it.


             

Centerpieces
I found this idea online a couple months back (cannot remember where!) that served a different purpose, but I thought it would make a great addition to Maggie’s decorations. They’re made with tin cans and scrapbook paper. I had plenty of scrapbook paper and at the time, Daniel was making a ton of green beans, so I had access to plenty of empty cans. Wash the cans, let them dry, cut paper to size and adhere. Easy breezy and inexpensive!
                        

Of course, I had to add a 1, cut to size (Cricut again) and adhered to the papered can. Until the week of her party, I was certain something edible-on-a-stick would take place in the cans. I mean what would I do with so many left over decorations? But I did want to include monthly photos of Maggie somehow and came up with this. I cut some flowers with the last of the scrapbook paper, cut the pictures and glued everything together. I found baby puffs in pink & green and filled the cans about 2/3 with those…not quite enough to see them in the photos and I didn’t think to take a pic of the inside. Fail again….lol….good thing I’m not an aspiring photographer.
Lastly, you’ll notice little flower cutouts strewn across the table. These were leftover from my cupcake toppers (another post). I knew I could use them for something and decided on confetti! Hope you enjoyed all Maggie’s 1st birthday decorations! Come back soon for other party details.

1st day of pre-school!

Will was supposed to start school last Thursday but was sick and had to miss. So today marks his official start to pre-school! My little man is growing up so fast!!!! I prepped his backpack and packed his lunch last night. I could tell he was already excited about his big day because he got out of bed twice. And this morning he was up and at ‘em—got dressed in the outfit I laid out, told me it was breakfast time then brushed his teeth and said it’s time to go mom!

           

He did not like the carpool line- not my fav either, I would’ve preferred to walk him in but the drop off apparently is better for separation anxiety. He kept telling me to go around the other cars!  I explained they weren’t going to start without him and this seemed to calm his nerves. When it was our turn, one of the teachers unfastened him, I told him goodbye and he hopped right out without even looking back.

In the afternoon carpool line, he was waiting in the first spot to load so by the time I came to a stop, he was already at the door and I couldn’t get a good picture. Oh well! I did take one in the car, here he’s telling me he went to two classes.

He had a very good day- played Simon Says, danced and even scraped his elbow on the playground. But he didn’t cry. Just so you know. Since school let out, he’s been very affectionate with me, so I could get used to this! We decided to have a special treat after his first big boy day of school—chocolate chip cookies, yum! I just love my little man!!!

Labor Day weekend

Over the next few posts, I’ll be explaining, in detail, Maggie’s Ladybug 1st birthday party! In part, probably because I just don’t want the fun to end, but also because I blog about the bits of our life and this is a big bit! For now, I’m going to focus on the whole weekend and events surrounding her party.
We held Maggie’s party on Sept 4th, the Sunday of Labor Day weekend… it’s funny her party was early because I was a real stickler about having Will’s 1st birthday on or after his day of birth (which was easy ‘cause it fell on a Saturday) but we thought this would be easier for family. I wanted to have her party at a park near our house, but we decided to host it at my parent’s house in TN to be easier for family as well. Rain was in the forecast for Maggie’s day but held out just long enough to finish opening presents, thank you Lord! We had two birthday parties (aside from Maggie’s) – her cousin, Caleb, who was born about 4 hours before her on the same day and my cousin, Ryan, who turned 30 in August! Plus we did a special lunch for my sis-in-law, Becca, to celebrate her little girl due in October. Yes, it was jam-packed.

My cousin, Rachel (Ryan's sister), brought

down Faraci's pizza, which doesn't mean anything unless

you're from St. Louis. But it's the best pizza ever!She also bought a yummy ice cream cake

I wasn’t able to attend Caleb’s 1st birthday party, so no pictures were taken. And I don’t have any of the baby lunch either! Fail. We had a fun, busy weekend!    

September 11th, 2011

10 years. Wow. Hard to believe it was that long ago but I can recall it like yesterday.
I don't have any personal pictures of that day but I remember it well. I was still in college, 1st semester sophomore, and was asleep when the first plane hit because the only class I had that day was a Lab at 3 or 4pm. My brother, Rob, woke me up and told me to come look at this. I walked right past the TV, expecting something else when he said, no look at the TV. It didn't look real. Not that I thought anyone was playing a joke, but it looked like a movie. How could a plane crash into a building? And as I'm still thinking this, the second plane hit the second tower! I stayed glued to the TV most the day and continually checked online and email for a class cancellation but it never came.
The entire class I kept thinking, "do you know what happened today? Why are we here talking about chromosomes and looking through microscopes?" It seemed so meaningless. I can't imagine what the people personally involved went through that day or the preceding days, weeks, months and even years. When I'm brought to tears by the photographs and video images, I can only imagine how much stronger they felt/feel with this day so close to their hearts. My prayers are with you all and may God keep you wrapped in his loving arms. Thank you to all the brave service men & women who risked and lost their lives. We'll never forget.

Maggie’s Birthday

Wednesday was the big day….the day Maggie officially turned one! I’ll be back in the coming days to talk about her party, but for now I want a special post about what we did on Maggie’s special day.
The weather was cloudy, but a very comfortable temperature, so we decided to visit the zoo. Will, of course, was very happy with this decision. We practically had the place to ourselves, which was nice, because the last time we went was for the Trails of Africa grand-opening and it was Crow.ded. We saw the elephants and rhinos from a distance but the real treat was seeing the new royal family- our lioness had 5 cubs- and we got to see them! I heard some photographers complaining they had been out twice and not yet able to photograph the cubs, so I just pretended their viewing was a special treat for Maggie’s birthday! We finished walking around and seeing the other animals, had a little snack and headed home for nap time.

I knew Yogurt Mountain was in the plans for dessert because Maggie has a little sweet tooth (the gene we KNOW I passed to the kids) and she insists on bites when we go there. We also decided to eat Olive Garden for dinner, which is where we celebrated my birthday as well. While there, Will knocked over my water, Maggie nearly choked (thank God I knew what to do and Daniel was there to tell me, hit harder!) and Daniel almost spilled Will’s chocolate milk. Quite the evening! I took pictures with my phone but don’t have them uploaded yet, so I’ll add later. Happy 1st birthday to you Maggie!! Our sweet baby girl, we love you so much!

Happy Birthday Maggie!

Dear Maggie,
One year ago you entered our lives and with your debut, brought so much love, joy, compassion and a deeper understanding of God’s grace and mercy.
I didn’t have an incredibly long or difficult labor, but you did display a few heart rate decelerations on the fetal monitor, so my doctor came in to monitor us. While in there, your HR remained steady during all contractions and since I had progressed so quickly, he decided to break my water to speed up our labor even more. Because you had the dips, he wanted to you be born as soon as possible to ensure your safe delivery. When he broke my water, the contractions became much stronger and closer together so I was not aware that your HR dropped off the map, so to say. You were born at 2:22pm and I was asleep. I didn’t get to welcome your beautiful face into this world or hold you or feed you but God knew His plans for us. If I had been aware or awake, I would’ve been a wreck, instead I was able to slowly gather information as it took awhile to come out of my aesthetic haze.
You were two days old when I held you the first time and four days old when I fed you the first time. And boy were you worth that wait! I cannot convey in words how special these moments were! God sometimes uses seasons of pain, distress or difficulty to draw us closer to Him and this has certainly been the case with your short baby life, particularly your birth and 10 days in the NICU. Your birth day is one I won’t soon forget and I know God has big plans for you.
I love you with all that I have sweet Maggie Ann and am so grateful for you. My precious baby girl, you have such a sweet disposition and fun personality. Your smile and laugh light up a room! And what you may lack in physical capabilities, you make up with intelligence- we can’t get anything by you!  I'm so thankful God gave you a place in this world and in my life. I am honored God picked me to be your mother. And we are all very happy that you made it on this day one year ago and you are here with us to celebrate your sweet life one year later. We love you so much!!!! Happy 1st birthday Maggie!
Love,
Mommy