Birthday Recap Part 2

I had big plans for Little M's actual birthday yesterday.  We were going to spend the entire day, just the three of us, and I wanted to do something extra special.  And what's more special than a kid's first trip to Chuck E Cheese!?!?  I was psyched and I knew she would have a great time {right Kim!}

We started the morning off with Skip making Little M and I some breakfast in bed.  We ate some waffles and watched a little Elmo.  Then we headed downstairs to open more presents!  Little M absolutely *loved* the play kitchen we bought her!  We finally managed to pull her away, got her dressed, and headed out.  Chuck E Cheese time!

Well about 40 minutes and lots of driving around in circles later, we had to move to Plan B.  Apparently the Chuck E Cheese we had seen this summer, the one I had confirmed was listed on their website that morning, was closed!!! :(  I was so sad.  Thankfully Little M really had no idea what was going on and didn't seem phased by the whole thing.  We headed over to Friendly's instead and had the most wonderful time!  We've avoided restaurants with Little M for the past few months since she's been known to scream and misbehave, but yesterday she was just wonderful!  She gobbled up almost all her mac and cheese and happily ate not only her ice cream, but some of her dad's as well!  

After lunch we surprised Little M with a copy of her favorite movie, Cars,  and headed home for a nap.  Once we woke her up 2 1/2 hours later {being two is hard work!} we had a relaxed dinner of leftovers and some birthday cake!  We finished up the night watching Cars all snuggled up on the couch.  It was a wonderfully special day that Skip and I were so happy to spend with our wonderful little girl!

Playing with her new kitchen!

New princess cell phone!

Ladybug pillow pet!

Ice cream!

Love her chocolate face

She needed to take a really long bath after all her eating today, haha

Sharing with Daddy

Yes that is my Jersey girl fist-pumping.  She knows how to party!

She cracks me up

Happy birthday my baby!

Little M's Birthday Recap

We have had a wonderful few days celebrating Little M's birthday!  We had her family parties this weekend.  My family came over on Saturday and we had Skip's family on Sunday.  Little M had no problem spreading out the cupcake eating and present opening!  This year our theme was ladybugs!  We had ladybugs on everything and kept the rest of the color scheme red and black.  I'm really happy with the way the decorations and food came out {even though I didn't take a lot of pictures, and the ones I did weren't good, but whatever}  Overall it was a wonderfully relaxing, fun weekend and Little M had a blast!

Terrible picture but here is the cupcake centerpiece with ladybugs in them

My pride and joy...ladybug cookies!

My beautiful girl in her tutu!

Hahaha, love this one.  I was trying to get her to stop chewing on her fingers and this is what she did

Presents!

Our little family!

Of course she had to put on her Giants jersey during the Sunday party!

I have to write another post about her actual birthday today with total picture upload.  Stay tuned!

A Day to Celebrate!

I did not mean to be MIA from my blog the past week, but things have just been so crazy.  We had a wonderfully relaxing Thanksgiving and then immediately went into party mode.  We had not one, but TWO parties this weekend.  Why you ask?  Because today this special girl turns TWO!!!  {cue Mommy tears}

photo taken by my dad

Full recap to follow tonight!

Not So Wordless Wednesday

I showed you some of the pictures of Little M that are NOT making it onto our Christmas card this year, so I should probably also show you the ones that are!  Even with all her fussing, there were a ton of great pictures.  So many so that I had to choose a card with a collage on the front since I couldn't narrow it down to just one.  Here they are!

I want to give a HUGE shout-out to my big sister L who took these amazing pictures!  She may not make her living taking photographs, but she is definitely a professional in my opinion.  I feel so lucky that she was willing to capture these moments for us!

Finally!!!!

Do you remember this post I wrote back in JULY about how Little M refused to say mom?  Well over the past few months her vocabulary has increased so much I can't even count how many words she says now.  She talks in phrases and some sentences.  She can even sing some songs!  But she STILL refused to say mom, momma, or mommy.

UNTIL THE OTHER DAY!!!!!  Little M woke up the other morning and standing in her crib she yelled out, "Mom! Mom!" I have never gotten out of bed so fast!  Now she calls me mom all the time, like she's been saying it her whole life.  Silly little girl.  It was a long time waiting for her to say my name, but it was definitely worth the wait!

Drama Queen

This is what Little M thought about having her Christmas picture taken this year.

Check out that pout

The teenage years are not going to be pretty.

Tiny Prints Review

I'm sad to admit that before they contacted me, I had never heard of Tiny Prints.  It is a wonderful website that carries photo cards, invitations, announcements, photo books, calendars, and more.  I can't believe I had never heard of them before...I would have sent out the cutest birth announcements for Little M if I had!

After spending a great deal of time scouring their website, I was more than excited to do a Christmas card review.  It was just so difficult to decide on which card I would get!  I finally chose this one:

I liked this one because it is not a typical looking card.  I knew it would stand out from all the others people would send.  It is a flip open card, and I had the option to upload a picture on the inside top.  I decided against this {since I hadn't had Little M's picture taken yet!}  but I can still slip it in later if I want to.  

I ordered 40 of these and received them in just a few days, along with matching address labels!  I was very impressed with the quality.  The cards are thick stock; they feel way more expensive then they cost. I know people will be impressed with the cards when we send them out.

I had a wonderful experience with Tiny Prints from their vast array of products, great customer service, fast turnaround time, and quality products.  I will definitely be using them again in the future.  Head on over and check them out for your Christmas cards this year!

Disclaimer: I received free Christmas cards to review from Tiny Prints.  I was not monetarily compensated for my review.  All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way to write a positive review

Our Very Own Flatware

When Skip and I were registering for our wedding, we didn't bother to register for flatware.  I had a cheap set I'd bought for my senior year in college and that combined with an old set Skip's grandma gave us, we figured we had enough.

The quantity of the two was enough for awhile, but recently pieces of my college set have been breaking apart an I felt like the set Skip's grandma gave us was really too fancy for daily use.  I wanted to be able to save that for holidays and big parties.

So when CSN wanted me to do a product review, I immediately started looking at their flatware sets.  I was really amazed at the choices, and great prices!  After days of deliberation {seriously} I finally decided on this set.

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As soon as it arrived I tore into the box and immediately fell in love.  The set is simple, yet elegant and perfect for daily use.  It is a great weight, not too heavy or light.  The quality is fabulous and I know it will last us for years to come.  Thanks for another great product CSN!

Disclaimer: I receive a gift card to use towards the purchase of this product.  However I was not monetarily compensated for this review.  All of these opinions are my own and I was not influence in any way.

Veterans Day

The Soldier

It is the soldier, not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier, not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the soldier,
who salutes the flag,
who serves under the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag,
who allows the protester to burn the flag.

By Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

Today is a special day, both in my house and around the world.  I am so honored to know so many brave men who have selflessly served our country.  I will always remember and honor them, and all others who keep us safe and free every day

Here are some of "My Boys"

Happy Birthday to You!!

I just wanted to take today to wish the United States Marine Corps a very happy 235th birthday!!!  I sure am glad you are around.  Here's to another 235 years!!

My Marine's Girls and I - MC Ball 2005

First ball as a MC wife!!  {and our last one before he got out}

Love Bug

Last year on Halloween, Skip had to work a 16 hour shift and missed the whole day.  So this year he took a vacation day so he wouldn't miss anything!  It was so nice having him home with us.  It was also the first year Little M could go trick-or-treating and we were more than excited.

We had a very busy day.  We went visiting at my grandma's, my parent's, my sister's, and a few friend's places.  We also did some trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.  In between lunch and naps that is.  Little M had such a great time and really loved wearing her costume, especially her black sparkly shoes!  She didn't quite master trick-or-treating though.  She would walk up to a door, hold out her bucket, and then try and walk right inside the house!  She also refused to actually say 'trick-or-treat' or even 'thank you'!   Oh well, good thing she's so cute and people didn't seem to mind.  We'll have to work on those things for next year.

Well without further ado, here is the cutest little LADY BUG you have ever seen!!

Such a big girl!!

Heading up to the first house

Walking around the neighborhood with Daddy

Love her face in this one!

Best buds {and seriously, doesn't my husband have the bluest eyes EVER sigh..}

I will be writing another post soon {I hope} about Halloween and being the mother of a child with severe food allergies...not fun, let me tell you!