sometimes you just have to laugh

Posted on November 30, 2012 by oneyounglove

I was laughing to myself this morning as yet another completely ridiculous phrase left my mouth, thinking ‘only from the mouth of a mom.’ At 16 months Everly is SO funny and I am so thankful that I appreciate her antics and actually laugh about them (most of the the time out loud but only after I have made a huge effort to be really serious about my instructions to her). I never would have imagined saying things like – ‘please don’t put your book in the bath’, ‘toothbrushes, socks and toys do not belong in the garbage’, and ’please take your sandwich out of your ear’. Believe it or not these are things that are brining me so much joy these days. Especially when I choose to see them as the blessing of comedy that they are rather than getting frustrated that she’s not acting like an adult yet.

So thankful for the moments of comic relief and such a funny little girl.

everly’s first birthday: the decor

Posted on October 29, 2012 by oneyounglove

If I do say so myself, this was a great first birthday. At first I’ll admit, I was a little overwhelmed by the responsibility planning my first child’s first birthday but after I got over the initial hump I had so much fun! Yes, this did happen two and a half months ago but as you may remember I was on a bit of a blogging hiatus. I figured there’s no reason for you to miss out on a perfectly good party just because I was out for the summer AND part of the reason I am blogging in the first place is so we can document all these great memories. I definitely did not want to skip this one

In general I’m not really big on ‘themes’. I wanted her party to be fun, colorful and just the right amount of girly so we decided to do a simple picnic in the park.
Because I couldn’t find any invitations I was in love with - and partly because I procrastinated planning until it was too late to order any - I decided to make my own and I was SO happy with how they turned out!I set up some old folding doors my parents had in their garage to serve as a backdrop for the food tables. I really like how it defined the space and made it feel like a party rather than just a field. I kept the decor pretty simple, a few tables and crates from home, Everly’s high chair and little reading chair. The banners were made out of solid scrapbook paper with scrapbook letters and the garland hanging on the tables is made out of tulle puffs that I hope to have a tutorial up for soon.
We set up a lemonade bar which was a big hit. I set out a large pitcher of plain lemonade and had strawberry, raspberry and peach purees available for guests to mix their own drinks. I will definitely be using this ideas at future parties.
The guests had vanilla bean cupcakes with key lime frosting and Everly got her own baby birthday cake. I used the Baby’s First Birthday Cake recipe from this website because I was a little freaked out about the thought of her eating all that sugar. With a cream cheese frosting it actually turned out delicious!She was not super thrilled about being the center of attention…
But she did love her cake! What a pretty girl we can’t get enough of her!

you at ten months

Posted on May 31, 2012 by oneyounglove

You have grown so much but you’re still so tiny! Weighing in at just over 15 pounds you are still our little pipsqueak. You have two adorable bottom teeth that you love getting brushed – lots of giggles – and your blond hair is getting so long! You look just like your daddy especially when you’re tired but you and your mommy’s baby pictures look like the same baby. Your big blue eyes are gorgeous and you have the sweetest smiles. You are so pretty!You are everywhere! You crawl so fast, especially when you see something you want. You are pulling up on everything and standing so well, until we try to get you to stand on your own, then, noodle legs. You are cruising along which is why we think you would be so good at walking if you just tried it!You still don’t like when anyone touches your hands and don’t even think about making you touch anything else, you will do it on your own. We have tried for months to get you to clap knowing that it would be your new favorite trick after much resistance you finally tried it the other day, very uncoordinated at first but you’re getting better and just as we thought, you can’t get enough. You’re also great at waving and pointing.You love bath time, doggies and helping mom unload the dishwasher.Cheerios are your favorite snack.You LOVE blocks. They have been your favorite toy for about a month now and you almost always have one in hand as you crawl around the house. Night time diaper and jammies is the highlight of yours and your daddy’s day. You think he’s really funny! Your sweet babbling sounds like you’re having a real conversation with us and there are even a few words that we understand. ‘Mama-mama’ when you’re tired, ‘Daddy’ all the time because you love him (you skipped dada and went straight to daddy – smart little girl) and ‘doggie’ every time you see one. You absolutely love being outside, the windier and rainier the better – you are definitely an Oregonian.You’re still a very sweet and very easy-going little one but you are starting to figure out what you do and don’t like to do. And there may be a bit of sass showing up – are we surprised? Don’t worry, your mom is really good at dealing with sassiness since your mom can be pretty sassy herself. You’re just starting to think that snuggling might not be as bad as you thought it was a few months ago – we love that! You just took your first passport picture and believe it or not you even smiled! Keep that one as long as you can!