Mar 5, 2018

Charlee's 1st Birthday Party

Somehow my baby girl is turning ONE on Friday. I say this all the time, but I blinked and an entire year has gone by. We celebrated this big event yesterday!


I started off not having a theme and just a color scheme (bright colors, all of them) to match a tutu that Danny's sister bought before Charlee was born. But then as I began purchasing decorations, plates and napkins, it quickly morphed into a polka dot theme. Thanks, Hobby Lobby. It made getting the cake made pretty easy!



For food we did a macaroni and cheese/salad bar. Super duper easy! For the mac and cheese I used the party size platters of Stouffer's mac & cheese. Salad was a couple bags of lettuce and romaine blend. Toppings included: ham cubes, chicken, hot dogs, bacon bits, mini pepperonis, red and green peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, and shredded cheese. We had salsa and 3 kinds of salad dressing sitting out, as well as a bowl of fruit and some pickles (per the request of a friend). All the veggies I was able to chop up Saturday and then the meat toppings were warmed up prior to the party.



It was one of the easier parties I've thrown food wise.

Her cake was equally adorable and delicious!

Charlee got the cupcake and everyone else got the other 2 layers. We did chocolate and then confetti. Funfetti boxed cake is a personal favorite of mine, so my taste buds were pretty pleased with the professionally made funfetti cake.

The girl knew just what to do with the cupcake and went to town. Mostly on the icing like a true kid. I helped her smash the cake part after I took the icing away from her. She loved making a mess of that!



When it came time for presents, she got spoiled! Tons of clothes, just enough toys that she's happy and we don't feel overwhelmed by finding space for them, and plenty of money. Seriously, our kids rake it in every birthday. It's ridiculous. Tucker was also satisfied with the new toys she received too. He kept telling us Charlee told him she wanted to open each one.


For Tucker's first birthday, Danny and I made him a bear at  Build-A-Bear, Roger Theodore Bear, aka Roger T. Bear. Danny named him. We decided then that we would do that for each kid on their first birthday. We took Tucker with us to make Charlee's We were all 3 arguing for at least 10 minutes over what we wanted to make haha. Tucker wanted a My Little Pony (his current obsession), Danny wanted a unicorn and I really wanted a bear. A simple bear lol. We got none of those and got a puppy. Tucker had a lot of fun making his sister's puppy. We also let him pick out a new outfit for Roger since we wouldn't let him make his own animal. Tucker and Roger now have matching Paw Patrol jammies. This stage with Tucker can be so frustrating, but it's also so incredibly sweet.



I would say Charlee had a wonderful birthday party. She had so much fun with all of her family and some friends yesterday.


Feb 28, 2018

I don't know what I'm doing + What's Up Wednesday

Work is crazy, I have a birthday party to throw this weekend, some days I don't know what day it is, but this feels like a good time to start posting again. Maybe. We'll see haha. It's always good to start on the last Wednesday of the month though so I can recap life a bit?

What we're eating this week...
I've been eating the same thing for breakfast every day for a couple months: 2 eggs sometimes with veggies and cheese, piece of toast. Lunch this week is shrimp taco spaghetti squash. Dinner last night was 21 day fix enchiladas and they were delicious! There are many versions of these I'm sure but I  used this one. Not actively doing a 21 day fix, but I know the recipes are well rounded. Trying to keep the food in check this week since Charlee's birthday party is on Sunday (I can't believe it either) and there will be a Mac & Cheese bar.

What I'm reminiscing about...
This little baby.

I'm having lots of feels about this most likely being the last 1st birthday party I throw.

What I'm loving...
Crossfit! I took a beginner class from November to February and was hooked 2 days in. My arms and abs are so sore I want to cry every time I move since I took 2 weeks off while I was sick but I'm addicted. This was me yesterday. Except I was wearing more clothes.
What we've been up to...
It feels like nothing and everything all at the same time. Danny spent a week at the National Fire Academy last week. The weekend before he and I spent the weekend in Indy with our camping friends. We had so much fun!
What I'm dreading...
At the moment I'm dreading wrangling both kids in the bath tonight with the current state of my upper body. Also dreading having to clean my house before Sunday.


What I'm working on...
The never ending project of trying to get organized. I made the switch from iPhone to Android and am loving Google. I know I could have done this with an iPhone but it just seems easier now haha. I'm joining the 21st century and becoming almost completely paperless. Except for our tax refund. That check can come to my mailbox for at least another year haha.

What I'm excited about...
Danny and I have a trip to Charleston on the calendar for the middle of May. However, after 2 nights away from the kids 2 weeks ago we are thinking about making it a family vacation instead and going camping somewhere. Either way, it will be nice to get away. It's been an interesting winter, or 6 months even, so we could all use a vacation!

What I'm watching/reading...
Still hooked on Fixer Upper. Hulu put all of the seasons, or at least 1, 2 and 3, on recently. Danny and I have been talking about moving for a couple of years and where ever we end up next, I know I want some Chip and JoJo flair too it!

What I'm listening too...
Charlee and I are obsessed with Jessie James Decker's song Flip My Hair. So fun and badass!

What I'm wearing...
I've been loving Old Navy jeans since having Charlee. I have various styles of them and I love them all. Indiana has gotten a preview of spring the last few days so it's almost TOMs season and that makes my heart happy.

What I'm doing this weekend...
Charlee's 1st birthday party! Saturday we will be going to make her gift. Danny and I decided when Tucker turned 1 that for all of our kids we would make them a Build-A-Bear. We are going to take Tucker with us to make Charlee's so that way he can also get some time with us by himself.

What I'm looking forward to next month...
My busy season for work will be over on the 15th! I'm not entirely sure what my days will consist of after that but I'm excited for life to slow down a bit. 

What else is new...
You know that mudroom that we added on 2 years ago and then have taken forever to finish? It's like 90% done now. 
Danny built that laundry shelf for me! Then on the same all as that door we have a shelving system from IKEA. It gave Danny a hard time, but I think even he would admit that it was a good purchase. 

Bonus: Favorite spring break destination...
We are just now entering the school years of this parenting gig, so we have yet to do a spring break. We do love the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores, AL area, so I can see that being our spot! We actually went in October, along with Hurricane Nate!

Okay, now that this has taken me all day, it's time to go home! Maybe I'll be back tomorrow. Who knows!