Late to the party

In my four (!) years of being a mom...I have never thrown a birthday party.  I know, right?  Now that Nathan has a classroom full of preschool friends-I thought I'd give it a whirl.  I anticipated a very small party...how many people aren't already booked up or on vacation on a July Saturday?  Well, it turns out a lot because nearly everyone was able to come!  I had a great time putting this together-kid parties mean balloons, streamers, pinatas and goody bags, and cake with sugary, brightly colored icing!  We did a soccer party per Nathan's request!

We set up a giant soccer goal in the backyard and had lots of balls for everyone to kick around.  We also used it for kicking the soccer ball shaped pinata (instead of hanging and hitting with a stick!) The hit of the party was the bounce house, though!  I think 4 year olds are instantly attracted to these things!

 Nathan and Nathan

For dessert, we had cupcakes with green "grass" icing and soccer decorations.  I found printable downloads here

such a boy, using his shirt as a napkin...

And of course, the madness that was opening birthday presents!  Just TRY to hold them all back!  Most of the pictures turned out like this:

It was truly a wonderful day, everyone had a blast!  My baby boy is so lucky to have so many great friends.  And even though I'm still cleaning up 3 days later...I would do it again in a heartbeat! Happy Birthday Nathan!

Paying it Forward

Our little girl had surgery today.  She had a dermoid cyst on the back of her skull that required removal.  It's a basic procedure-one that would be done in the doctors office if it weren't for the fact that she's a baby.  So, we we're in the day surgery department by 6:30 this morning.  She was such a brave little girl, and the staff was absolutely smitten with her.  They took such fantastic care of her, and the surgery was quick and easy with no surprises-just what we wanted to hear!  

brave girl


So, because I'm feeling eternally grateful for many things right now, I thought it was the perfect time for this post.  I was recently the lucky recipient of my friend Courtney's Pay it Forward contest.  Thus, it's time for me to do just that!  The rules are simple:

• You must comment on this post. The comment must include something positive and/or awesome (about anything you'd like; it just needs to be happy!).
• If you are a winner, I'll ask that you pay-it-forward on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, whatever...just commit to doing something nice for three people in the spirit of paying-it-forward. I am not picky.
• You must trust me enough to send me your address. I am not a stalker or anything like that. Don't bother playing if you can't do that. Based on the people who read this, chances are pretty good that I already have your address.
• If you don't intend to pay it forward, don't play.

 I'll pick three winners at random next Friday, June 4th.   Prizes are yet to be determined, but will be chosen specially for each winner.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you all! Good Luck!

xo

Anatomy of a first step

That's right, people...we are heading into the toddler phase one step at a time!  In the interest of full disclosure-these aren't her actual *first* steps, but it went something like this...

Whew...time for a break

And in case anyone was curious about the boy's seed project...here's the progress so far:
Tomatoes (and some basil in there)

And one lonely cucumber seedling...our peppers were a big fail.

Guess it's time to clean out the garden for these lovelies.  A beautiful weekend is on tap, so the kiddos and I will be working on that (read: I will clean the garden and attempt to keep the girl from eating dirt while the boy makes himself and everything around him into a big dirt mess)

A year in the making

Our little Ellie Claire turned one!  Even though having two kids has presented it's own challenges, I have to say it's been an absolute joy getting to know this little girl.  It's been fantastic watching how she and her brother have grown and the relationship they've built.  It's been *so* much fun shopping!  LOL  I can't wait for all the fun as we work our way towards age 2 (yikes!)

                                           Ellie enjoying her birthday cake

A little sneaky peaky at her 1 year photos-thank you to the great staff at Picture People for somehow capturing these great pics of a fast moving little girl!

Looking forward to a great year ahead!  Happy Birthday baby girl!  We love you!

Mamas Gone Wild

Moms of young children everywhere dream of that elusive and rare magical event known as "Girls Night Out" (or GNO for short). It takes planning, it takes coordinating schedules, it takes finding something in your closet that is acceptably cute and not stained and cramming your muffin top into a pair of cute jeans (eek, guess it's time to lose the baby weight-more on that later!)...but it's all worth it for a couple of hours of hysterical laughter, gossip intelligent adult conversation, a couple of margaritas, and a hot uninterrupted dinner. No, it's not the partying of our pre-parenting days...but one thing is for sure. We arrive back home to our families refreshed and recharged and ready to resume our roles as Super Mamas. So, here's to you GNO-may you remain a regular occurrence in our crazy lives!

Ole!

Come On Spring!

We're in the midst of a very wet Nor'easter here in New England...and what better way to lift the spirits and dream of spring than to get started on our garden. So, with the help of my trusty little companion-we planted a few seeds.

we like to use these little peat pellets-it's fun to watch them expand in water!

Now, although I manage a fairly successful garden each summer...I'm notoriously bad at seed starting. I wanted to do just a few, though, as a fun project for the little man. Here's hoping I don't dash all his horticultural dreams!
I mean, look at how proud he is!




he's checked them no less than 15 times since we planted them this morning and nothing yet! We'll keep you posted!

Sleeping through the night-a fractured fairy tale

Most reasonable people understand that there will be some sleepless nights when they bring their sweet little bundle of joy home. Everyone hears their fair share of "you better sleep now ha ha ha" comments. So, when we did become parents for the first time-2am feedings were no surprise. Our first followed all the predictable sleep patterns and while he's had his share of regressions and sleepless nights...he's been a reliably good sleeper. We never had to use any "methods" on him. He was welcome in our bed and nursed on demand...but did none of these things to excess.
and then our little diva was born.
She did great the first few months...even sleeping through the night fairly early. I thought we were SO lucky! By 4 months it all fell apart. I didn't worry too much, most 4 month olds sleep like shit, that's no secret. But she never improved. We have the same policy with her-but she very much takes advantage of it, and often wakes every hour. I consulted with her pediatrician, who advised me to let her cry. I can't stomach that. We've been working on a gentler approach, which has been marred by viruses and ear infections.
So, we power on. She's only a baby once, and I try to remind myself of that. She won't always wake and beg to be close. I am quite certain that teenage Ellie would rather die than sleep in our bed. So for now, I'll hit the caffeine, and relish in her babyness.
and who could turn away this sweet little girl