Birthday Party for Little Loves: Garden Party Yummies

Dear Em,

This is a four part Series covering your Garden Birthday Party. You can also read about the Garden Party Invites, Garden Party Decorations, & Garden Party Favors. 

No birthday celebration would be complete without yummy treats- garden style. Actually, not all the food was garden style. Some of the food at the party was there simply because it tastes yummy & was fairly simple to make. For instance, we made calzones. They may not go with the theme, but everyone loves them.

For much of the food, we tried to have a little fun & put a garden party spin on it. We filled terracotta pots with tissue paper & put chips & other snacks in them instead of filling regular serving bowls.

Then there was dessert. The year before, your aunt & I made sunflower cupcakes. They were complete with little M&M lady bugs. Super cute, super time consuming.

I thought about making them again or making another kind of flower & tried to wrap my head around the time I was going to have to find in order to decorate flower cupcakes (I'm not a professional & decorating the cupcakes takes me forever). Then we went to another birthday party & saw the most amazing thing: a cupcake cake. From the top it looks like any other cake, but underneath the frosting it's all cupcake. You don't have to take the time to cut the cake or even find plates & forks for everyone. Where does this amazing creation come from? Stop & Shop.

I went to Stop & Shop, explained the color scheme & garden theme, & ordered the cupcake cake ahead of time. When your daddy went to pick it up, it was beautiful & exactly what I had wanted...except they had made a cake with 25 cupcakes instead of the 50 I had ordered. They remade a new one just before our guests arrived, but never gave us any type of discount for the inconvenience. In fact, your papi also bought the smaller cake. They were going to throw it away unless we bought it & your papi couldn't bear to think of it in the trash. Everything turned out cute & yummy in the end, but if I ordered a cake from Stop & Shop again I would probably confirm with them a few thousand times before the day of the party.

Your grandma jumped right into the theme & made a yummy batch of dirt. Doesn't sound appetizing? It's a fun dessert with pudding, crushed Oreos, & gummy worms. She put it in a potting plant with yellow flowers & a hand shovel as a serving spoon. Super fun, right? Also a super big hit, especially with all the little loves.

Of course, you also had to have your very first smash cake. So, when we ordered the other cake, we also ordered a small cake that was decorated similarly. We put it in front of you, sang happy birthday, & let you go for it. It was a smashing success.

Sigh, it's been so much fun reminiscing about your sweet 1.5 garden birthday party. How can it be that a whole year has already gone by? Right now we're gearing up for birthday party 2.5. We'll be celebrating on your 2.5 birthday this Saturday, & I can't wait to recap all of the fun. In some ways, we went more low-key. There is certainly much less DIY for this party (which kinda makes me sad in my heart, but we're still DIYing much of your new room so I guess it's ok), but still some super fun surprises.

I can't wait!

I love you so,

Mommy

Goodbye Crib

Dear Em,
This weekend was jam-packed full with wedding events, projects, & adventures. It was also filled with yet another milestone. You no longer sleep in your "cribby."

Friday night was your very first night sleeping in your big-girl bed. You've been super excited. We've been working on your room for two weeks. As we placed each new thing in your room, your eyes lit up with anticipation of having a new big-girl room.

The strange thing about this milestone? Daddy & I weren't exactly there for it...& that was a little sad for us. Your new bed was put in on Friday & the guest bed was moved into your old room. Your daddy & I had a rehearsal dinner to go to on Friday night & knew we would miss your bedtime. We also knew we had lots of company staying with us, & we needed a guest room. So, your nonnie & my cousin put you to bed in your big-girl bed for the very first time.

Daddy & I still got to be there the first time you saw your big-girl bed. You jumped right up & stretched  & rolled across it, a huge smile covering your sweet little face. You giggled & awed & ooed in excitement. But only for a few moments. You immediately became worried about your lamby & other stuffed animal friends being able to make the transition with you into your new room. As soon as I assured you that lamby & the rest could come too, the smile reappeared on your face. You ran down the hall to your crib & started pulling your lovies out & running them back down the hall to your new room. You are so precious.

Daddy quickly took your crib apart to make room in the new guest room (your old room). It was kinda weird. We were in such a rush to get things done & get out the door on time, I didn't have any time to really take it all in. I mean, your crib is gone. I remember helping your daddy put that crib together. My belly was large & round with baby & I carried dreams in my heart of what you would be like. I remember the first time you slept through the night in your crib, the first time you stood up in your crib, the first time you threw everything out of your crib.

Sigh, it all has sped by so fast. Now you're a big-girl in a big-girl bed. How did that happen?

Your nonnie reported that you did great your very first night in your new room. You sang & told stories for a while before you fell asleep, but that's typical. You never tried to get out of your new bed or cried with unfamiliarity. Like all the rest, you were ready for this next milestone. Yet again, it was your daddy & I who weren't quite ready & were holding on to the little bit of babyness you had left.

It's official. We have a big-girl, a walking/talking/potty trained/big-girl bed sleeping/stubborn/sweet big-girl.

I love you so,
Mommy

Busy Living

Dear Em,
I love this little blog & knowing that someday you will get a glimpse of what life is like for our little family of three as you grow. I love putting words to page that you will someday read.

But right now, I'm just busy living.

It actually makes me laugh to write that, because it makes me think of you. The other day you were playing. You were twirling & jumping & laughing & smiling. As I watched you, I felt like my heart was going to burst with love. I asked you to come over & give me a kiss. You looked at me and said, "I'm just too busy, sweetie" as you went right back to twirling.

Right now things are a little crazy for me. I'm busy working & playing with you & spending time with your nonnie & planning date nights with your daddy & taking night-time walks at the beach & spending time with friends & putting together your new room & planning your 2.5 birthday party. OMG, it feels like a lot, but it's a lot of fun.

I find myself having a hard time squeezing time in for some of these blog posts. I find myself thinking about the living I want to be doing while I write them. So, I'm going to give myself a little of a summer break (yesterday was the first official day of summer, you know). I'm not going to stop writing altogether, but I'm not going to force myself or feel bad about not writing five days a week either.

Because right now, we're just busy living...& laughing & loving & adventuring & hugging & playing & creating & sunning. Sigh, I love our sweet life.

I love you so,
Mommy

Birthday Party for Little Loves: Garden Party Favors

Dear Em,

This is a four part Series covering your Garden Birthday Party. You can also read about the Garden Party Invites, Garden Party Decorations, & Garden Party Food. 

Of all the things from last year's garden party, I think I enjoyed putting together the favors the most. We ended up with a fun variety of favors. When the kids first arrived, there was a basket full of hats & headbands, all from the Target dollar section (love the Target dollar section). There were different colored flower headbands, shamrock headbands, cute little bee beanies, & little froggy hats too. Some of the kids wore them, some just took the hats home later. Either way, it was pretty darn cute.

Next, we put together fun gift bags. We bought plain purple & green bags & decorated them with the first initial of each child that was coming. We used pretty paper from the craft store & letter stencils to make the initials. The bags were filled with coloring books & crayons, bubbles, temporary tattoos, books, silly string, & water squirters for each child to take home.

My favorite favor was the flower pot each child got to bring home. It was my favorite, it was a favor and a party activity. The kids had so much fun planting them at the party. So, maybe the parents did most of the work. It was still super fun to watch families plant together.

I bought the terracotta pots at a craft store for $.99 each. We used a green sharpie to write the first initial of each child on the pots. We bought potting soil & plants from the hardware store. I think we found your little shovels & bee watering can a Toys R Us. You still like to use the shovels & the watering can when we do gardening projects together.

I think the favors were fun but pretty easy projects. They were also fairly inexpensive. You were the absolute cutest in your little flower headband. Actually, you continue to be the cutest in your little flower headbands, because we use all the leftovers for dress-up. Win, win!

I've had so much fun thinking back on your garden party. Next week will be the last of the garden party recaps. I saved the best party for last: food!

I love you so,
Mommy

When it starts to feel creepy...

Dear Em,
We're in the middle of putting your bedroom together. There is furniture & mess everywhere...it's kind of my nightmare. I won't be able to truly rest until everything is in it's place.

Last night we were talking about the transition into your new room. Your daddy was talking about moving your video monitor into it. We love your video monitor. With it, we've watched the private singing concerts you've put on in your crib (twinkle twinkle is one of your favorites). We watch you pull books into your crib & read to your stuffed animals. We've even watched you put Minnie Mouse into time-out because she was not listening to you. It's been amazing to capture those precious moments that we'd know nothing about without your video monitor.

It's also nice to use the monitor to see when you've finally fallen asleep or when you're quietly waking up. Rather than waking you up with the sound of opening your bedroom door, it's convenient to be able to silently peek in. With this change into a new room & big-girl bed, the video feed will help us to see if you're staying in your bed now that you won't be in a crib anymore.

As we talked about this transition, your daddy started thinking ahead to some of the next transitions in life. "When do we stop using the video monitor?" he asked. I hadn't really thought about it, but it made me sad in my heart to do so. I cherish the precious moments we capture with the video feed.

Having no definitive answer, I answered with "I guess when it starts to feel creepy we'll stop using it? When she starts to want her privacy?"

"So, when she's thirty years old?" Daddy replied.

No, not thirty. I'm not sure when. I'm just glad that today is not the day.

I love you so,
Mommy

Father's Day Weekend Recap

Dear Em,
We had an amazing Father's Day weekend. Since my daddy lives in North Carolina, it's not often I get to celebrate with him in person. Last Wednesday, he surprised us by telling us he was flying up this weekend. So, this Father's Day weekend we got to spend time with your daddy, your papa, & your papi. It was so much fun.

On Saturday, your daddy & I took papa & papi on a Newport adventure. We went to the Newport Storm brewery to do a tour & tasting. It was so fun to learn about the brewing process & to find out that Newport Storm was started by a bunch of college friends who really liked beer. They had a dream & now they're living it right here in Newport.

Cheers to celebrating Father's Day with my daddy.

The dads standing where all the brewing magic happens.

Tasting beer with three of the best Dads I know.

Afterwards, we took them out to lunch at Coddington Brew Pub, a place your daddy has been hoping to go for a while. The food was yummy, & getting to spend time with just the dads was the best. As we crossed back over the Newport Bridge, we could see planes from the air show zooming by. My heart was so happy after spending the afternoon with three special guys.

On Sunday morning, we woke up early & let your daddy sleep late. You, Nonnie, Papi & I took a drive out to Narragansett to check out the Point Judith lighthouse & the Narragansett wall.

Then we picked up some crabs & lobsters in Galilee, right where the fishing boats come in. There were tons of lobsters! You liked that some of them had "pink bracelets" around their claws. You were happy to check them out, but didn't want them to get too close.

We went home to pick up a well rested Daddy & our cousin. We loaded into two cars, but Papi & Daddy had no idea where we were going. They were surprised when we pulled into Gillette Stadium. We had Five Guys burgers & fries for lunch before heading over to the stadium to tour the Patriots museum.

A precious moment with Daddy & Papi.

It was your papi's very first time at Gillette Stadium & it was so fun to share that special experience with him. You were excited to see "where Tom Brady lives." We got to pretend we were part of the offensive line, try to kick a field goal, use instant replay to review penalty calls, & stand in the huddle with the team. There was a short movie about the history of the Patriots. After being a fan for so long, Papi said the movie almost brought tears to his eyes.

Standing in the huddle at the Patriots museum.

Our little family outside Gillette Stadium.

We returned home to enjoy a yummy little lobster bake. Well, Nonnie, Papi, Daddy, our cousin, & I enjoyed the lobster bake. You were pooped & went straight to bed.

It was an amazing weekend. The best part? Sharing the weekend with our family & three of the best dads we know was incredible. These three dads give us so much love & joy. We're so fortunate to have such amazing guys in our lives, & it was a blast celebrating them.

I love you so,

Mommy

love letters

From here.

Dear Em,
This weekend is Father's Day weekend. Want to know a funny story about your daddy? He & I dated for a long time before we got engaged & got married. We did a lot of growing up together.

Needing validation & reassurance one day, I asked your daddy how much he loved me. He looked like he was really thinking about it for a moment & then said, "I don't know, like a truck load?" A truck load?! Are you kidding me?! Of all of the large things your daddy could be thinking of to compare his overabundance of love for me, he chose one small truck load?

After a lot of whining & complaining from me to tell me something bigger & better than a truck load, your daddy looked at me, smiled & said, "ok, like two truck loads?" Sigh, that's your daddy.

After that, it was kind of our thing. I'd ask him how much he loved me. He would tell me a truck load. I would pout, & he would laugh at me.

I can't remember the first time I got the answer I was looking for. Maybe it was when we were in the middle of frustrating wedding planning. Maybe it was in the middle of me being frustrated with the largeness & sickness of pregnancy. One day after years of asking, I asked & he told me he loved me to the moon & back.

Then you came along. If you asked your daddy that very first moment you came out & he held you in his arms, he loved you to the moon & back. If it was possible to articulate more than that, it would have been more than that.

I love watching the two of you now. You have a bond like no other. You two like to make milkshakes together, jump on trampolines together, talk about poop together, & laugh together. Sometimes, I love to go out just so I can give you two special time together. Most of the time, I like to stay so I can watch you two.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. I can't wait to celebrate your daddy, the incredible man & amazing dad he is. We're so lucky, lucky in love.

I love you so,
Mommy

El Tapatio

Dear Em,
I am still way behind on posts. Tonight we're going out for the once a month dinner we do with our friends. So, it's probably about time I post about dinner from last month. About a month ago I went out to dinner with friends from college. The plan was for your daddy to come too, but I accidentally planned the dinner for a night when our babysitters (Grandma & PaPa) & back-up babysitters were out of state. So, Daddy was sweet enough to let me go while he stayed home with you.

It's a shame that Daddy couldn't come, because he loves Mexican food. We try our best to find (what we think is) authentic Mexican restaurants. His favorite place is still Pancho Loco, in Connecticut, where he orders the Chicken Mole. He says it's so spicy, it almost burns your face off. I say, why would you voluntarily eat something that makes you feel like your face is burning off? Anyway, I digress.

As I walked in to El Tapatio, I was thrilled to be greeted by a mariachi band in full costume. SOOO fun! I met up with one of my friends at the bar & we were serenaded as we waited for the others. It made it kind of hard to have a conversation, but still so fun.

As we were brought to our seats, I was again reminded why I love eating at El Tapatio. Everything is bright & fun. Even the chairs are works of art.

For this time, my appetizer was a couple of margaritas. The raspberry one was wicked yummy. Nice & tart, the way I love it. I also ate probably the entire basket of tortilla chips & salsa that were on the table. I was hungry.

I ordered the Burrito Tapitio, a soft flour tortilla stuffed with rice, refried beans, & shredded beef. It's topped with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sauce, sour cream & guacamole. I asked for some jalepenos for an added kick. Firstly, the burrito was humongous. I felt slightly better that I cold bring half of it home for your daddy & then he could enjoy the food too. Secondly, it looked amazingly yummy.

The burrito was so good. It had all the things I think a good burrito should have, with just the right seasoning. After just half of the burrito, I was stuffed. I sat back, enjoyed the company of my friends, the atmosphere, the mariachi band (who had wandered into our dining area), & even some dancing (which I don't think is typical for this restaurant). It was such a fun time.

Laughter & yummy food is such a perfect combination, don't you think?

I love you so,
Mommy

Birthday Party for Little Loves: Garden Party Decorations

Dear Em,

This is a four part Series covering your Garden Birthday Party. You can also read about the Garden Party Invites, Garden Party Favors, & Garden Party Food. 

I'm in the middle of putting together your garden themed big-girl bedroom, & it's fun to think back to your garden themed birthday party (what I should really be doing is putting together your birthday party we're having in a couple weeks, whoops). I wanted simple, but fun decorations that went along with the theme. Just having the party outside gave us much of what we needed. Our backyard is green & surrounded by leafy trees. I wanted to add fun & whimsy & pops of purple, green, & yellow too. I was psyched when I found these tissue paper pom-poms. They're easy to DIY, crazy inexpensive, & a fun way to bring pops of color to a garden party.

First I bought lots of tissue paper from the craft store & then I set out to make 20 cute poms. Making 20 of them can be really time consuming, but I was lucky to have my mom, sister, & cousin staying with us. We sat at the dining room table together & chatted & laughed while we filled the table with poms. They didn't look exactly as amazing as Martha Stewart's. We had a tough time making them into full circles. Instead, they were kind of half circle poms, but I still think they looked super cute.

The morning of the party, we filled the yard with tissue paper pom-poms. Of course you helped.

Your grandma made a banner at work using the yellow & purple colors. You loved the butterflies & flowers. We had a flower covered box to put cards in. We covered the tables in green & purple table cloths & added bouquets of flowers to the top of the tables (which helped in keeping the table cloths from blowing away). It was cute & simple & fun.

The best decoration of all was the beautiful little flower who giggled & danced & smiled as she ran all around the party.

You weren't just a cute little flower, you were pure sunshine to everyone who came. Watching you play & squeal with delight to have all of your friends & family to play with all at once...it made my heart happy. I have a smile on my face just thinking back on it.

Tune in next week for garden party favors.

I love you so,

Mommy

Thanks a lot, Disney...

Dear Em,
Recently, you've been overheard saying things like:

"It's hopeless."

"It's hard to be a teenager."

"It's not possible."

and my very favorite...

"My mother just doesn't understand me."

At first, I was all like "where in the world is this coming from?" I don't even know that the word "hopeless" should be a part of a 2.5 year old's vocabulary. After asking you what I don't understand & telling you that I understand that I love you (& wondering why the heck I'm having this conversation with a 2.5 year old) for the 44th time, I actually started to listen to the words they were saying in the movie you were watching.

You've watched The Little Mermaid 3 frequently in the past few months, & it turns out all of these one lines are straight out of the movie. In the movie, Ariel has a child & the child is just as rebellious as Ariel was when she was younger. Her daughter almost gets them all killed in her love for adventuring. Clearly you are too young to understand the irony of how well Ariel (as a mommy) understands her daughter afterall. Instead, the movie has armed you with the words of a teenager.

And suddenly, parenting has gotten more challenging.

Thanks. Thanks a lot, Disney.

I love you so,
Mommy