Nutella: We don't care if it's not a healthy breakfast food

Dear Em,
A while ago I read an article about a woman who is suing Nutella, claiming their commercials led her to believe that Nutella on toast was a healthy breakfast option for her children. Um, does this woman not know how to read? Has she never heard of nutrition facts being on food labels?

I was telling your Daddy about how rediculous I thought the whole thing was, & he replied, "mmm, Nutella. We should get some of that." Luckily, soon after I found a recipe that called for Nutella on one of my favorite easy recipe blogs, The Kitchen Life of a Navy Wife.

We love breakfast food & knowingly could care less that Nutella is not a healthy breakfast option. Your daddy's Nutella French Toast was yummy amazing.

Haley from Life is Sweet has such a fun blog. I love reading to hear about the fun things she & her family are up to. I loved the blog even more when I read on this blog post about her Nutella Milkshakes. Yup, pretty much instant milkshake craving. Like it was only 9am, but I still HAD to have a Nutella milkshake. We were in luck the rest of our Nutella was still sitting in our pantry. We had almost all the ingredients, all we needed were hazelnuts.

Technically, it wasn't breakfast. You had already had oatmeal & I had yogurt. Let's call it a mid-morning snack.

I took out the vanilla bean ice cream & put it on the counter to soften. Then I asked you to guard the ice cream from Daddy while I went upstairs to get the recipe. When I got downstairs, you were both digging in to the ice cream. With a cute little smirk on your face, you told me Daddy cheated. "You can have some too, Mommy," you sweetly said.

Making the milkshakes was a fun family event. I chopped the hazelnuts, Daddy melted the Nutella, you scooped the ice cream. MMMMM, my mouth waters just thinking about it. These are my favorite milkshakes ever.

You had only a few sips of your milkshake. After that, you didn't really want anymore, but you also didn't want Daddy to have any of yours either. I think it's because you had filled up on 1/4 of a gallon of ice cream. I may have snuck a few sips. Seriously, best milkshake ever.

So thank you, Nutella. You may not be a healthy breakfast option, but you sure are yummy. And a treat every once in a while sure hits the spot.

I love you so,
Mommy

Wedding Shower Wednesday: Wine Basket

Dear Em,
This will be our last Wedding Shower Wednesday post this year. After this week, we'll be talking about birthday parties in preparation for your 2 1/2 birthday bash (yup, you read right, 2.5).

A few years ago I was at a shower where the bride was given a wicked fun gift. In fact, a teensy part of me wanted to sneak the gift home with me. It was a basket filled with three bottles of wine, fun wine glasses, & fun wine-related trinkets. There was a message on each bottle of wine. One bottle was to be opened on the couple's one year anniversary, one was to be opened on the three year anniversary, & one was to be opened on the five year anniversary.

I just love stealing other people's amazing ideas. So, I had so much fun putting together a fun wino basket for our friends B & E. First I went to the liquor store. My wine choosing is mostly random & very amateur, & I asked for help in the store. The friendly man who worked at the store said most wines keep for about a year, but I needed nicer "probably reds" for wines I wanted to keep longer than that. I chose a fun beachy looking white for year one (they got engaged on the beach), a nicer red merlot for year three, & a nice champagne for year five (the bride loves champagne & what better a time to pop a cork than a five year anniversary?).

Next, I went to hallmark to find some fun wine glasses. They have so many hand-painted & wicked cool ones to choose from. It was hard to choose. I probably walked the isles for at least 30 minutes & changed my mind a bunch of times. In the end, I bought a colorful pair of glasses with phrases about celebrating painted on them.

I bought a basket at Kohls that was perfect to put everything in & also 75% off. Score! I also found a beautiful candle & some wedding-themed picture frames.

I wanted to put the bottles of wine in beautiful hand-stamped bags I found on Etsy, but the order fell through. I put the gifts in the basket & then set to work writing pretty, little messages to the bride & groom. I smiled as I thought of them opening the messages & bottles during their precious celebratory moments.

“Knowing you will be with me in all my tomorrows, makes my today so wonderful.”

B & E, 

Happy 1^st Anniversary! 

We know the first year anniversary gift is paper, but we felt wine was in order for this celebration! As you drink, fill your minds & hearts with memories from the beautiful day you said, “I do.” We hope every year is more beautiful than the last, & we’re sure it will be as long as you have each other. 

Love, 

Brian, Julie & Emma

“I still do.” 

B & E, 

Happy 3^rd Anniversary! 

We know the third year anniversary gift is leather, but Em wanted to save the animals. Instead, open up this bottle that has only gotten better as it’s aged, just like your marriage. Let your minds & hearts be full of memories from the beautiful day you said, “I do.” We hope every year is more beautiful than the last, & we’re sure it will be as long as you have each other. 

Love, 

Brian, Julie, & Emma

“A successful married life requires falling in love many times, but always with the same person.” 

B & E, 

Happy 5th Anniversary! 

We know the fifth year anniversary gift is wood, but we figured it would be more fun to have some cork popping time! Enjoy the bubbles, & celebrate the beautiful day you said, “I do” & the amazing 5 years that have followed. We hope every year is more beautiful than the last, & we’re sure it will be as long as you have each other. 

Love, 

Brian, Julie, & Emma

I forgot to take a picture f the end result, I know, wicked bummer, right? You'll have to take my word for it, it was really cute. 

It makes my heart happy to think of the fun the basket will bring to a very special couple as they celebrate their amazing adventures over the next five years. So much changes in five short years. Five years ago, your daddy & I weren't married yet. We lived in an apartment an hour and a half away in Connecticut. You were just a dream in my heart. Sigh, I hope B & E's next five years are as precious as your daddy & my first 3 1/2 years have been.

I love you so,

Mommy

Pink & Purple Flowers: Presents for Amazing Teachers

Dear Em,

I feel so behind on posts, but May has been such a whirlwind of a month. You've been out of school for a week now, & I haven't had a chance to write about the gifts you made for your teachers. They love you & you love them. Along with writing them this letter, we wanted to make sure they knew how much we appreciate them by making them a special gift.

First, you & I went to Home Depot to pick out flowers & flower pots. You were very specific about what you wanted, pink & purple flowers. Through some kind of miracle, we found gorgeous flowers that are pink when closed. As the flowers bloom, they open up with gorgeous purple petals inside. You were thrilled.

As we looked at the terracotta pots, you were very specific about what you wanted there too. In your mind bigger is better. You kept asking me to grab bigger ones. We took them home to paint them. We stenciled pink & purple flowers, green grass, & white clouds (you had been studying clouds in school & wanted to add that touch). We also made your handprint to make into a flower & I painted your teacher's names.

love letters

Dear Em,
Two of our favorite people are getting married this weekend. We're so excited & can't wait to share in their special day.

I've been reading a lot of articles about what love is/is supposed to be & how it relates to marriage. While the thoughts on love were beautiful & touching, nothing seemed to quite fit into what love is to me. Recently I stumbled across the blog Discover Street. In one of her posts, Ruthy talked about a reading that was done at her wedding. I read it & finally thought, that's it! These are the feelings that I've felt within my heart but haven't been able to put into words.

"Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing.  There are many things below it, but there are also things above it.  You cannot make it the basis of a whole life.  It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling.  Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all.  Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last; but feeling come and go.  And in fact, whatever people say, the state called "being in love' usually does not last.  If the old fairy-tale ending "They lived happily ever after' is taken to mean 'They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married', then it says what probably never was nor ever would be true, and would be highly undesirable if it were.  Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years?  What would become of your work, your appetite, your sleep, your friend-ships? 

But, of course, ceasing to be 'in love' need not mean ceasing to love.  Love in this second sense - love as distinct from "being in love' - is not merely a feeling.  It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriages) the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God.  They can have this love for each other even at moments when they do not like each other; as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself.  They can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be 'in love' with someone else.  'Being in love' first moved them to promise fidelity:  this quieter love enables them to keep the promise.  It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run:  being in love was the explosion that started it."

- C.S. Lewis

Isn't it lovely when you find your thoughts put to brilliantly written words?

I love you so,

Mommy

Happy Surprise

Dear Em,
We have a lot of favorite things, but happy mail & fashion are certainly up there for both of us. Yesterday we got both. My friend Allison, of The Marvelous Adventures of the Meehan Boys,  recently moved out of state. She has two sons, whom you adore. Her son, Jack, has always been so adorable & gentle with you. He was actually the very first boy you tried to open mouth kiss (Daddy was not happy).

Since they moved, we've kept in touch through fun things sent in the mail, facebook, & our blogs. It's so fun to see what they've been up to since they moved so far away.

Allison has become so crafty with her sewing machine lately, but has no girls to make fun things for. I am a disaster with the sewing machine, at least I was when I tried to make a dress in high school. My mom basically remade the whole thing, & I've stayed far away from sewing machines since.

So, when we got Allison's sweet note & adorable handmade dress for you yesterday, it put a smile in both our hearts. You wanted to try it on right away, & we had to wrestle it off you to put you in the bath. We promised you could wear it today so you would finally yield.

Thanks a million, Allison!

Pretty stinkin' cute, right?! We're so lucky to have amazing, sweet, & crafty friends. We're also lucky to have blogging to help us keep in touch.

I love you so,

Mommy

Wedding Shower Wednesday: Favors

Dear Em,
I know your Daddy & I got married almost four years ago, but I finally got around to using some of my bridal shower favors.

At the time of my shower we were deep in wedding planning mode, & it just seemed like so much money was being spent on our wedding (even with us DIYing to keep costs down). I just wished some of the money spent was going to something better.

I found pink breast cancer awareness ribbons online that bloom into wild flowers when planted. I sent my best friend the link as "an idea for my shower" (yup, even when I'm not planning, I'm planning). The proceeds for the pink ribbons went to breast cancer awareness. My bridal party put the sweetest notes on each table explaining that although the spotlight was on your daddy & I, we wanted to make sure the spot light continued to shine on what was important. Some of the beautiful women who attended my shower, actually made additional donations. It was so touching & amazing to me.

There were tons of leftover ribbons, and my girls gave them to me. First they were stored at your grandparent's house & then we put them in storage at our house. I had mostly forgotten we even had them, but I found them in a basket the other day when I was cleaning things up. The words wild flowers gave me the garden bug, & we planted some of them.

I really, really hope they grow & bloom. I love wild flowers & it would make my heart so happy to see them in our own yard.

I love you so,

Mommy

Wine Tasting Birthday Party

Dear Em,

To celebrate another birthday, your Daddy threw me a wine tasting birthday party last week. He sent out a facebook invite to our friends, got a couple bottles of our favorite wine, & encouraged everyone to bring their favorite/an interesting bottle of wine. Your daddy even cleaned the house & set up some appetizers.

Adventuring to the southernmost spot in Rhode Island

Dear Em,
The birthday week that you & Daddy planned for me has come to an end. The highlight of my week was Friday evening when the two of you surprised me with a drive to Watch Hill in Westerly, Rhode Island. It's the southernmost part of Rhode Island, & I love the scenic drive.

The first time I went to Watch Hill it was for a dinner at Ocean House. Originally built in 1868, it was closed in 2003 when it was deemed beyond repair. It's since been restored, & the restorations captured the rich history & beauty of it's past. The Victorian building is both massive & quaint, & I've fallen in love with it's architectural beauty. It's sitiated perfectly along the shore with beautiful ocean views all around. Dinner (& I imagine the rooms) are a little pricey. Still, I couldn't wait to share the scene with you & Daddy. As we drive past it I sigh & feel a calm rush over me, knowing that we are entering historic Watch Hill, a beach that has become one of our favorites.

Each time we go to Watch Hill, your daddy & I are struck by how much the town reminds us of Dingle, a quaint little shore town in Ireland. We've been to Watch Hill a handful of times, mostly during the spring & fall when the streets are quiet. This Friday was my favorite trip, a little adventure.

love letters

Dear Em,
Today is your last day of school. How did a school year go by so fast? I feel like just yesterday we dressed you up in your cute little bumble bee outfit, put your backpack on, gave you a million kisses, & waved goodbye.

It's been such an amazing school year of love & learning & fun. We can't thank your teachers enough. So, we made them little gifts (which I'll talk about next week) & we wrote them a letter (remember the letter we wrote in December?). Here's the letter we wrote...

Dear Miss T & Miss S,

I never thought I would be the type of mom who sent her children to daycare. I always planned to be a mom & I always planned to be a professional. How I always thought my child would never go to daycare, I don’t know. I guess I hoped my mom would be around to watch over our kids. “Daycare” was always a scary word to me. It was where germs go to spread, bad words are learned, & biting prevails. At least that’s what I thought. I know those thoughts are irrational. I know there are some great places out there, & I know so many kids go to daycare & do well. Still, that’s how I felt.

We were lucky for the first year and a half to have two loving nannies & their daughters watch Emma from our home. When they both left us at the same time to follow different paths, we were devastated. For a while, I ignored anything was changing. I couldn’t even admit to myself that we would be sending our child to daycare. I had knots in my stomach, had trouble sleeping, & felt like we were failing Emma.

That’s when Emma started at XXXXX XXXX, & the experience has been an overwhelmingly pleasant surprise. It’s been a place where Emma has gone to learn & play, but also to be loved. Under your care, we’ve watched our daughter bloom & grow from a 1 ½ year old toddler to a 2 ½ year old young lady.

We never felt like we were sending her to daycare, but instead a school. With the two of you as her guide, she’s learned her letters & their sounds, the days of the week, counting, what clouds are made of, & so much more. She learned in such a fun way with songs & activities. We can’t wait to pick her up at the end of the day & hear about all she learned & did. She tells us with excitement & looks forward to her next day when she’ll be able to do weather or the calendar. At such a young age, the love of learning has been fostered in Emma, & you’re such a huge part of that.

One of the most precious moments of my life was the day she first spelled her name for us. It was such an amazing gift, tears filled my eyes. We can’t thank you enough.

Em has learned more than that. She’s learned manners & sharing & compassion. And when Emma has been ready for the next step, it’s the two of you that has seen it before we have even seen it ourselves. Drinking out of a cup without a top, potty training, I don’t think Emma would have done either of those things yet had you not told us that she was ready. You see the potential in our daughter even when sometimes we don’t see it ourselves.

We’ve always felt like you’ve partnered with us in handling the difficult stages, in praising Emma for the things that she’s accomplished, & in transitioning into that next milestone. We can’t describe what a comfort it has been for B & I (& certainly Emma too) to have such amazing partners along the sometimes scary journey of parenthood.

Your classroom feels like home to Emma & it feels like home to us. The two of you have fostered such an amazing atmosphere within your class. When we drop her off each day, we can give 100% to our jobs knowing that Emma is where she is meant to be. We trust the two of you with our child more than most of our family.

It’s not just Emma. We’ve watched the whole classroom learn & grow & develop, from almost babies, into such sweet children this past year. It’s been such an amazing year of love & learning & fun. We hope you both know what a special gift you both have, what a gift you both are. You’re molding little minds & making such an amazing difference in the world. You’ve made such a big difference in our world, & we can’t thank you enough.

In you Emma has gained two people who love her, comforters, cheerleaders, patient teachers, two people to kiss her boo-boos, two people to change her several times a day poopy diapers, & a fun audience for her cute little sense of humor. We’re going to miss you both so much this summer, but with happy hearts we can say that Emma will be beyond excited to return next year.

With so much love & gratitude,

J & B

chasing boys

Dear Em,
The other day I took you to the park after school. You're growing so big. It was the first time at the park where I mostly sat & watched you play instead of standing a foot or two behind you, ready to help or guide you. It was a sweet way to end the work day.

You found a little four year old friend. She wanted to chase the boys. You wanted to do whatever she was doing. As she ran after the boys & you ran after her, you stopped & looked back at me.

"Want to chase the boys with us, Mommy," you called back to me.

I smiled & told you my days of chasing boys were over.

Yup, we're going to have to add this to the list of things I never thought I would hear you say at age two (remember this post?).

I love you so,

Mommy