Birthday Party Pics...

I can't believe I am just now posting these. We have had the flu around here and this Momma has been exhausted. Actually, exhausted doesn't exactly describe how I've been feeling. It hasn't been pretty. But I got some sleep last night so things are better today.

My sweet friend, Vickie, took the pictures for me at Mika's party. She rocks. Seriously, she is so talented. She took so many pictures and I've had so much fun going through them. Rather than post them all individually, I made a few collages for your viewing pleasure.

Mika's Party was full of Pink, Purple, Red, Zebra, Valentine's touches, Family, Friends, Fun, Snacks, Cake, Cookies, Gifts, and Memories.

My Nanny made the smash cake. I did everything else. :)

Some of the guests..... we are so blessed that our kids are loved by so many people.

Such a special birthday girl. I love this baby girl so much!! 

It was such a wonderful time of celebrating our baby. 

Now.... I'm busy planning a party for a certain almost 4-year-old. Yikes!! I also have some other posts I'm working on. Hopefully I'll be able to stay rested and it won't be so long before I post again. 

Love.

What We Have Going On...

First, my "o" key is being goofy so if I leave an "o" out of a word, I apologize. (And I think there were like 45 "o"'s in that sentence. Ha!

Here is a little list of the goings on around here this week.

1. We got snow..... about 6 inches which is much less than my sister got (about 20 inches). It was really pretty as it came down, now I'm done with it. Spring? Yes, please.
2. The girls and I took Mika Lynn to her one-year check-up. She is perfect (of course!). I was surprised, however, to learn that she doesn't even weigh 20 pounds yet. Really? She's in the 75th percentile for her length but only the 25th for her weight. Long and skinny. Her daddy thinks she will make the perfect WNBA star!
3. Miss Peyton Lou is turning 4 in a couple of weeks. What? My baby is almost 4?! How did that happen?????
4. With the upcoming 4th birthday, we are planning a fun little party. I asked P what kind of party she wanted and she is adamant about having her party in our backyard. I have it all planned out and only have a few things to actually do (I may like this outside party idea - not a lot of decorating!). Now we are all just praying for beautiful weather for her party.
5. I need to get out of this house badly! I am hoping we can all get out together tomorrow - I don't have anything to do really, just need to do something. As beautiful as it is, I think the snow can negatively affect our moods, if we let it. I need to go out and show that snow who's boss, I won't let it control my life! Ha! Seriously though, I just hate being stuck inside.... the girls and I are a little stir-crazy.
6. Jared has been working a lot this week, so we are missing him. I hope we can be lazy tonight and catch up on some DVR.

Alrighty, naptime is over.

Love.

Sneak Peek at the Party...

We had Mika's first birthday party Sunday afternoon. My sweet friend, Vickie, offered to take pictures for us (it doubled as homework for her photography class). She gave me the CDs with the pictures on them last night. There are waaaaaaaay too many to share with you. I'm still going through them myself. But they are absolutely perfect. Vickie is extremely talented behind the camera and it helps that my baby is a pretty darn cute subject to photograph!

So.... here is a glimpse at how we celebrated our "baby" girl! We had a Valentine's themed party - lots of pink, purple, red, glitter, hearts, and of course, zebra print! It was perfect.

The Birthday Girl!

Chocolate frosting this time. Nanny made this cake for Mika (she's made all three of the girls' first birthday cakes!!).

Daddy and his little girl. 

I have some more pictures to share, but for some reason Blogger is flipping them sideways and I'm too tired to figure it out tonight. We are supposed to get snowed in tomorrow which should leave me plenty of time to figure out this picture issue. So.... that's all folks!

Good night, stay warm!

Love.

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A Lighter Day...

I've had a heavy couple of days this week. So today I'm writing a completely "fluffy" post. Nothing deep, just some cuteness.

We are still planning Little Miss's First Birthday party. I love having parties for my girls. I don't go overboard and we don't do anything really elaborate or fancy. But we have fun! I love choosing a color theme and seeing how far I can take those colors when planning the party.

I also love that Mika has a February birthday.... we are going all-out Valentine's colors for her party. If you show up, prepared to be surrounded by pinks and reds and purples! I used this picture for her invites - I love it!

The girls and I are planning on making some cookies today to test out some ideas for the party. I just thought I was going to stop eating so much after Christmas. Ha! I feel like I'm still baking all the time (and eating what I bake). Its good for my soul but not so good for my hips. And I know I'll be wishing I hadn't been so quick to jump in the kitchen and turn on the electric mixer when I have to put on a swimsuit this summer. Ha!!

We also have our first case of pink-eye with the girls. Eeek. Peyton woke up complaining her eye was hurting yesterday and it got worse and worse throughout the day. We started eye drops last night so I'm hoping we can get it under control before anyone else gets it. We've been washing hands and trying not to touch in the hopes that we won't spread the eye junk. However, I am so thankful that the girls don't get sick too often. 

And finally, I've said it before, and I'll say it again... How is it that my baby is already ONE? (Well, she'll be one next week.) Where does the time go?! It is so funny to me to think back to this time last year - I was SO pregnant and expecting to go into labor at any minute. Ha! Now look what I have - one year later - this sweet girl to love on each day! 

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Time Flies!

I cannot believe how long it has been since I posted. Really?!

Things have been SO BUSY but very good. I'm not so sure about how much I'll be blogging for awhile.... there are just so many other things that demand my attention and time and the blog has taken a backseat.

There are a few things I want to record for memory's sake.

We went to the NWA Craft Fair a couple of weekends ago. It was such a blast! Mom, Nanny, Whit and I know how to shop and it appears that my girls are learning at a very early age. Our time together was wonderful and we managed to pack my vehicle down like it has never been packed down before! That's talent people.

Laila decided that she was done with diapers. We are going on two weeks of no diapers and it has been so easy. She's done so well, we are so proud of her! It doesn't quite seem like my baby should be out of diapers. It is also a weird feeling only having to buy diapers for one baby - my bank account likes it though!

The girls and I spent a few days helping Pappy out. He broke his wrist in a "scuffle" with one of the horses. We loved our time with him and I'm thankful his arm is healing well.

My niece, Amelia, turned one and we celebrated at her Birthday Party! It was a good time for everyone (except me - I was miserably sick). The girls had a ball and have pretended to be at Amelia's Party ever since we came home! :)

Also, I've been busy busy painting some things for a few people. I have really enjoyed it and feel like it is such a blessing to be able to do something like that for my friends and family.

Mika Lynn is growing like a weed, I tell you. She is pulling up on EVERYTHING. She thinks she is Big Stuff! She says all sorts of things - the latest include: "num, num, num" when I put snacks on her tray, "mama" - FINALLY!, "bye bye" - or something like it (totally not in context), and something that sounds like she is trying to say "no no" - you know she hears me say that all day to her sisters and they like to say it to her, ha! She is such a little joy and we love her to pieces.

Peyton got to do some major Fall/Winter shopping in Branson and scored some cute things! And we finally found her some red shoes. My, oh my. She has been asking for red shoes for months. I had no idea it would be so hard to find some. Thankfully we came across a fairly cute pair in Branson so I'm no longer searching every store I go into for red shoes. She's happy and wants to wear them all the time. We are still working on her ability to coordinate outfits... Ha!

Today we had Aunt Jill and Amelia over to play. It was such a good time. The girls all love to play together and Jill and I enjoyed adult conversation during the day. If you are a SAHM, you know how rare that is!

I think that about sums it up. I always go into Fall thinking that it will be a time to relax and chill.... and I'm pretty sure Fall is always the busiest time of year for me! Eventually, I'll figure that out and won't be so surprised when I don't have a free weekend during the Fall months.

Hope your Fall is as fun as mine is!

Party for a Princess

My little Princess Laila turned TWO this month and we had her party Saturday. 

Menu:

Barbecue Chicken or Beef Sandwiches

Cheese Dip and Chips

Watermelon

Birthday Cake

Homemade Ice Cream (my favorite!)

Party Punch

Lemonade

*Nanny brought her a Princess Cake*

I did a few decorations... not much, but enough to make our house feel special for Laila's special day. I like to do color themes for my parties and this party was pink, turquoise and brown. I also like to try to dress myself the girls to match as best I can :)

I also had a lot of help from my mom and Nanny. I love having them here!! And a BIG THANKS to my sweetie for working himself sick outside on the yard. It looks spectacular!! I did not get any pictures so you'll have to take my word for it!

I could not be prouder of my girls. I wanted a picture with the Birthday Girl but I couldn't refuse Big Sister when she asked to be in the picture. Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture of L looking at the camera. 

*Check out Big Sister posing.... she is such a mess!*

*And I'm sporting my fresh hair cut thanks to my dear friend Katie and her salon!*

We sang Happy Birthday and I LOVED watching Laila's face - I think she felt special and loved, at least I hope so!

Make a wish sweet girl! 

It was a great party with some of our family (we have already partied with some and there are some that couldn't make it). I love having people over to our house and I LOVE doing it for special reasons like celebrating my babies. Thanks to everyone who made this a special day for the birthday girl!

What I've Been Up To...

I've had quite a few projects going this week:

I've had some people ask me to make some things for them and I needed them all done by this weekend - done!

I've hung some of the pictures and things in the house that needed to be hung.

I finally made a third bow holder - I've been needing one for a while and I finally got it done. Complete with bows!

I've got birthday invites ready to be mailed.

Birthday plans are still in the works. I need to get on the ball since we will be partying in a little over 2 weeks!

And I've working on some things with my girls - little daily projects and such for them to be involved with! Such fun!!

I decided to dress Little Miss up today in some Hog attire - love it!! I made her the red headband to match the red bows and I'm so loving it!!!

Go Hogs!!!

What's Left? Well I still need to pack for the weekend and clean the house and mail the invites.... nothing too crazy!

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!!

I can't believe it...

I absolutely can't believe that three years ago today our little Peyton decided to make her appearance in this world. I still remember every detail of that day like it was yesterday.

This little girl is such a joy in our lives. She is full of life and personality and is incredibly smart. We are so proud of her and proud to be her parents. 

We had her Birthday Party on Sunday afternoon. We just had our families over for cake and ice cream and snacks. Peyton loved it!!!!! I let her help pick out different things for the party to try to make it as special as I could. We kept it low-key since I'm technically still recovering from surgery and things around our house have been crazy this past month. 

It was a good party and my BIG girl had a great time - which is all that matters! 

We love you P-Town and while we can't believe you are three already, we are so proud of the little girl you are! 

Birthday Party!

I know, this is late.... but I finally got the party pictures on my computer. YAY! I don't have a lot because I was busy being Mom and making sure everything was taken care of, but I did manage to get a few.

We had a celebration with Mimi and Nanny the weekend before her birthday. Little Doll LOVED some cake! Seriously, this child has never refused any food that I have offered her. She likes it all!

Nanny made her a special cake... just for her. And she ate it up! By the time we took the cake away from her (well I took the cake away from her, Mimi and Nanny would have let her eat the whole thing!) there was chocolate frosting ALL OVER HER FACE! It was hilarious! The picture must be on Mimi's camera because I didn't take it. :)

We had a celebration with Pappy over that weekend too, but that was TOO crazy and even if I had brought my camera I wouldn't have had a chance to take any pictures. Anyway.... we have the memories!

Then last Thursday we had a little party at our house for the family here. I love a party theme.... but this party was right in the middle of a bunch of craziness for us, so I decided simple was best. I had these cute napkins with coordinating plates and a banner. So I decided to make cupcakes (easy with little cleanup) and decorate them to match (pink and green). We ordered pizzas and I made some homemade ice cream to go with the cupcakes.

Little Doll loved the party and opening the presents.... Daddy helped her and it was very special.

She got very excited over everything! It was wonderful! Then she got to eat her cupcake....

Of course she loved it! And it didn't take long before she figured out that she could pick the whole thing up.... food and a toy! :)

She ate nearly all of this cupcake and it was so much fun. The party was great - we had a great time. These pictures don't even begin to show how much joy we felt in sharing such a special time with our baby girl. Even the Crazy Girl had a blast! She woke up the morning after the party at our house asking for "Party again?!" It was great!

I love being a mom and I am so thankful to get to share in such special times with my children. Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us!