Happy New Year!

Happy New Year friends!  

So, it's been a while, huh?  My little piece of the Internet has been seriously neglected lately.  I can't say I'm sorry.  Blogging became more of a chore to me; something I had to check off my to do list (I actually do love checking things off my to do list but that's neither here nor there).  So I took a break.  But I kind of miss my friends, the community.  So here I am!

Perhaps I should do a little recap?  

The kiddo.  She's going to be 2 on the 15th.  Like two whole years old.  I have no idea where the time went.  She is such a little person now with her own personality.  She is SO funny, but super laid back and chill.  She isn't shy but very cautious about certain things.  My favorite example is how she goes really slow walking through doorways.  It's like she's not sure about the change in surfaces or something?  It's completely endearing but super frustrating when we're in a hurry.

She's talking up a storm these days.  She was a late talker, which frankly had me a little concerned, but her vocabulary has just exploded within the last month.  We're working on her numbers and just yesterday I caught her counting to herself.  It was just the coolest thing.  Like, I taught her that.  

 

As for me, I took a part time gig late last year with a food tour company.  I give walking tours of a city close by and we stop and eat at four different restaurants along the way.  It is SUPER fun and I love getting out of the house and engaging with new people.  Plus, the last stop is for truffles and a wine pairing, and seriously?  I'd give these tours for free just to get these truffles.  

Opposite of truffles, I've coined this year the Year of Jenny.  I've been lingering around my pre-baby weight for 2 years now and it's about time I get my booty in gear.  I spend too much time and money at the gym for me to continue putting junk in my body when I get home.  So I'm not.  Well, the last three days I haven't and that's a start.

Hubs has been working like crazy and traveling even more.  It's a bit of a downer sometimes, but mostly I'm just thankful for his job because it allows me to have mine.  He was able to take almost two weeks off for Christmas which was such a treat!

 

 

So yeah.  That's about it!  You didn't miss much! 

Books, Beach, and Baseball...Oh My!

We had a really great, really full week last week!  My best friend was out of town so I was worried Natalie and I would be bored out of our minds.  But mama stepped it up and thought up some new activities!  We spent some time at the library a town over.  They have a fantastic kids' area and Natalie had an absolute blast!  I think we went there three times in one week!  Girl was in heaven.  Her favorite part by far?  Rocking in the little chairs. 

We also ventured out to the beach one afternoon.  Can you believe we live by the beach and we have never taken Natalie?  I mean, I have only been once myself!  She had a ball.  It was messy as all heck but totally worth it.

 

Daddy came home on the weekend from a week long business trip!  It was so great to see him.  I just adore Natalie's face when she sees him for the first time after he's been gone.  She loves her daddy so much.  We spent Saturday morning walking around one of the Metroparks in the area.  We saw so many deer out in the woods.  And we also found a park along the way.  Natalie is in her happy place in the swing...

 

Sunday morning Natalie and I enjoyed sitting in the yard watching Daddy cut the grass.  It was seriously the best.  The weather was so perfect, warm and breezy.  Great start to the day.

 

After her extra long nap, we took Natalie to her very first baseball game.  We have an independent league in Avon so we got some lawn tickets and enjoyed the game.  Seriously, it just made my heart happy spending such a great time with my family.  Natalie was a doll, ate a great dinner, and the weather was again gorgeous.  Seriously could not have asked for a better weekend.

 

I even scored a picture of us together SMILING!  Girl is so gorgeous I can hardly stand it. 

Hey y'all!  Shall we resort to bullets on a Tuesday?  Yes we shall.

• My parents came for a visit this weekend!  Although they're leaving today *tear* we've had a grand time.  Natalie has been enjoying walks with Grandma where they stop to pick flowers together.  It's precious.  And according to my mom, Natalie can now say 'Grandpa.'  Not sure if it's true or not, seeing as the last time she was with just my mom, Natalie said 'cup' which she has yet to say since.  Time will tell!

• Oh, and guess what happened last week?  My sweet girl was able to wear her hair in a single pony!

How is she possibly this big?  Sorry for the crappy photo.  Girl is always on the move and this is the least blurry one I could snap.

• Also, I made a cake for a friend this weekend for a 1st birthday.  It was Paris themed!  Such a gorgeous idea.   

 

• We had a beautiful weekend with Daddy until he left us again for the week in NY.  We're secretly hoping his case will settle so he'll be home with us soon.

• I made these enchiladas over the weekend and they were fantastic!  Annie's website is definitely one of my go to blogs for yummy food.  It was a little involved seeing as you make your own enchilada sauce...but totally doable for a weekend meal.  

A Little Natalie Update

I thought I'd give you a few updates on my kiddo, seeing as the last time I did...I believe she was 12 months old.

Yesterday she turned 19 months.  Yikes!  

Girl is still super tall, but her weight % seems to be leveling out around 50%.  I think she's around 25 lbs.  Tall and skinny...just like Daddy. 

She's in size 5 diapers during the day and size 6 a night.  This had saved us many a soaked morning :)  Too bad it took me so long to figure it out.

She wears 18-24 month clothes and size 5 shoes.  

Her favorite activity is being outside doing ANYTHING.  She adores her sidewalk chalk and will pitch a fit if I don't let her play with it.  She also has a Winnie the Pooh riding toy we keep outside that she fills with sticks, rocks, dirt, and all sorts of other goodies.  Clearly playing outside day = bath day.  

She also loves going to the park and swinging.  She won't do a thing else at the park.  Just swing, swing, swing.

Natalie's not much of a talker, in fact she only says Daddy consistently.  She can say a few other words, but I'm not too concerned.  Her doctor seems more interested in her understanding of language which she definitely has.  She can point to anything and everything I ask her in a book and gets so excited doing so!  She does puzzles, knows all of her fruit, and follows commands.  Most of them.  And I know when she doesn't follow commands it's not because she doesn't understand.  It's because she's purposely ignoring me.  Girl started that early.

She love to accessorize.  She gets her summer hats out all the time and puts them on around the house.  She also has two bead necklaces which are almost constantly around her neck.  She does still take out her hair clips frequently, but she's getting a little better.

Natalie really is such an easy going child.  She's very friendly and always has a smile on her face.  I've come to appreciate this more and more as the days go by.  We are so lucky to have such a happy, healthy little girl.  She's our joy.

Summer Lovin'

Hey y'all!  

Remember me? 

Not so much?  Let me remind you!

I have a really cute kid who is 19 months old.  Holy cow.  She's like a kid.  Not a baby.  A kid.

We've been keeping busy this summer with trips to the zoo, the pool, dinners out with friends, play dating it with other SAHM's, and generally living the life.  

Matt has been super busy at work...and when I say at work...I really mean in NYC.  He's been traveling like crazy and should have his own office in the city any day now.  Shout out to all the single parents out there because being on my own Wednesday-Saturday every week is no joke.  Even with a sweetie like mine. 

Natalie's not much of a fan either.

My cake "business" has been pretty busy lately and I'm excited to share some pictures of what I've done.  People are so creative with their designs and ideas these days.  It's been a fun couple of months!

Natalie's been learning so many things lately.  She knows every animal you can think of and can point them out in books.  She builds puzzles, brings me her shoes when I ask, and sweeps my kitchen.  Now, if the girl would just give me a consistent "mama" when I ask, I'd be a happy camper.  I've got a stubborn one on my hands, friends.  Girl only talks when she wants to and says only what she wants.  But the smile.  Kills me dead.

These are her 18 month pictures by the way.  It's hard to tell but she was a super fussy pants early on.  Obviously she perked up, huh?

Looking forward to catching back up with all my friends!  Hope everyone is doing well!!  XOXO

Party Deets From a Ladybug Picnic!

I thought I’d share a little bit about Nataile’s 1^st birthday party with you!  I think that was about the time I dropped off the face of the earth….

We hosted her party in January at our home.  Both my parents as well as Matt’s, along with my brother, sister, and her husband all came to celebrate.  Natalie invited several of her playdate friends as well as a few of Mommy’s.  As an aside, I will never invite this many people again.

First up, my beautiful, year old, baby girl. 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, I cannot take credit for this fabulous outfit.  I did nothing.  Well, I ordered the shirt.  Oh, and the leggings.  But that’s it.  My MIL made everything else.  I know, right?  So stinkin’ cute.

Next up…décor!

I should preface this by saying that I am not a crafty person.  I’m more of a wannabe.  So what’s a wannabe to do when her baby girl is turning one?  Outsource.  Insert my sister.  She made this adorable banner for Natalie that is, in all honesty, still hanging on our mantle.  It also became the most fussed over decoration before the party with practically my entire family assisting in its hanging.  The end results was nothing short of perfection.

 

 

I put Natalie's monthly pictures in terra cotta pots with fake grass to fit the ladybug picnic theme.  Those, too, are still on our mantle.  Matt and I sometime go over and try to pick out our favorite.  It changes every time :)

I stepped out of my comfort zone and whipped up some topiaries all by myself.  They were my “big” project for the party :)  Whoa.  I know.  Step back.

 

 

   

I printed this little image to serve as our guest book during the party so Natalie could have a keepsake of who came to her very first birthday.

Okay.  Let’s get to the good stuff.  The dessert table.  Now I may not be crafty, but I am a cake decorator.  This little table was my baby!  Truffles, cookies, cupcakes, candy, pretzels, marshmallows, cake…oh my.  Clearly I went a tad overboard.  But I was so happy with how it turned out and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  And I did make those labels myself…sort of crafty, right?

 

 

 

 

And here’s my sweet baby enjoying her first bite of cake.  Unfortunately, this moment did not go as perfectly as I had envisioned.  She’s smiling here, but seconds before she was screaming about being burned by the candle.  Yep.  You read that correctly.  The one thing you don’t want to happen to your child happened.  Ah the memories.

 

 

It was so much work...but so much fun.  Natalie had a great time with her friends and family and only had to leave 10 minutes early for a nap.  Pretty great, I'd say :)  I had crazy amounts of help from my family with the food and decorations and I could not have pulled it off without them.  Tis why I won't be doing anything like this ever again.  First birthday are a one time thing :)

Love you sweet girl!

All photos courtesy of Zoobee Photography