Christmas 2011 Unwrapped!

Now that the Christmas holiday has come and gone, is officially packed up and put away, and the living room is bursting with toys I can finally sit back, relax, and reflect!

Even though my holiday spirit was hard to come by this year  (due to the lack of snow and unusually warm temperatures) everything about this Christmas felt magical...as it should be!  Having a little one to share the traditions and excitement with was breathtakingly priceless...even if he doesn't quite yet understand.

So without further ado, here is our Christmas wrap up...no pun intended!

This years tree was a bit different than all the years past.  You see, ever since becoming a homeowner I have always decorated the tree in some sort of theme; it's sort of become my thing.  This year, I let Daddy take the reins and decide what our plan of attack was going to be.

Personalized ornaments and LED lighting it was.  Surprisingly, I loved it and it actually inspired us to begin a new family tradition...ornament exchanges!

We also got to make our first of many homemade ornaments!  I heart them and all their imperfections!

The hilariously funny part about this year's tree is that the ornaments slowly made their way up and out of Charlie's reach!

After carefully inspecting, exploring, and discovering the tree for weeks (mind you it goes up immediately following Halloween) Charlie gained enough confidence to frequently crawl beneath it (with the kitty) to check things out and to um...undecorate it!  Silly boy!

The kitchen window display was by far, my most favorite project of all time!  While it may have been a big pain in my ass the finished product was truly stunning!  Essentially all I did was take a wire curtain rod, wrap the pine needle garland around it, hang/tie ornaments from fishing line, and VOILA, a beautifully decorated window!  As far as the rest of the decor it was very limited because of said mobile and highly curious toddler!  Pictures were wrapped up like presents (Yes, I decorated the bathroom!), pine needle light garlands were strung, and the stockings were hung...even if we may have neglected to fill them!  Oops!

The days leading up to Christmas were full of fun special moments shared between the three of us at home spent being silly (look at that crazy hair) and a very special visit from Santa Claus...aka Daddy!

And it wouldn't be Christmas without at least one "crying" with Santa picture!  He he!  I don't think Charlie quite knew what to think!

My boys, my loves!  Oh how I love them!

Christmas eve day was spent with my moms family and that evening we spent time with my family at my brother and sister in laws new house!  It was wonderful!

Presents were unwrapped slowly, boxes and bows were a hit, and the stairs were explored more than usual!

Charlie even made a new friend!  Don't get any ideas boys...we AREN'T getting a dog!

Come Christmas morning Charlie was a pro!  To our surprise he was picking up presents and carrying them over to us...such a good little elf he was!  I have to say it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen!  I can't wait until next year when it all makes just a little more sense to him!

But the best presents of all were...

...my homemade "Mommy Guilt Free Fishing Coupons" for Daddy!  In fact, it only took him one day to use them!

...and Mommy finally got to put her new super camera to use!  Oh yeah, did I fail to mention that I have the best family ever?!  Our parents got me my super camera for my birthday and it finally arrived!  I have so much to learn!

And that my friends, was our Christmas recap.  Until next year, here's hoping you and yours had a very, merry, magical Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday...crazy hair!

Wordless Wednesday: Mmm, rice krispie treats with Daddy...ME LIKEY!

1st Year Motherhood Badge - I've Earned It!

I'm pretty sure I'm probably preaching to the choir but after kicking Charlie's first year in the ass I thought it was only appropriate to look back upon and reflect upon the many, oh so many things that I have learned...

Love them.  Cuddle them.  Hug them.  Kiss them.  But most importantly, cherish them!

You will be forever different!  Mind.  Body.  Soul.

You, and only you know your baby the best!  Don't let anyone else try to tell you otherwise.

Never, under any circumstances, compare your baby to another.  He/she is unique and one of kind.

Don't wish the time away!

They will roll, crawl, talk, walk, and etc. when they are ready!  There is no reason to wish for them to grow up faster than they already do.

Never regret nor wish/wonder why you did this or that.  Trust your decisions and figure out how to learn and grow from them.

There is nothing easy about breastfeeding but all the pain, frustration, and isolation is totally worth it and so gratifying!

Document things as they happen (even if its informal) because before you know it and by the time you finally find the time to sit down to collect your thoughts all of those "small and very important milestones/memories will have slipped your new Mommy brain!

You will talk about poop and study its consistency without thinking twice about it.

TRUST YOUR MOM-STINCTS!  99.9% of the time they are right!

Share your baby with others, they want to love up on him/her too.

Take pictures and lots of them!  You will thank yourself in the future.

Teach them, they look up to you!

You can plan all you want but mother nature is always going to trump you!

It's okay to ask for help.

Take a break to recharge.  Your baby will thank you!

There is nothing consistent about sleeping patterns.  Just as soon as you "think they got it" a speed bump comes along and resets everything!  Here we are one year later and Charlie is still not sleeping through the night!

Don't forget to take time to nurture the relationship with your spouse, he has needs too!

You will finally understand your parents and guess what, they were right!

Being a Mommy is by far the BEST job (next to being a wife) that I/you will have ever had!

DIY: Balloon Wreath & Topiary Centerpieces

Bright colorful balloons are a must for any birthday party, but more so for those whose sole theme is based upon them.  So, as soon as I came across these balloon wreaths and topiary centerpieces on Pinterest I knew they were a MUST HAVE for Charlie's party!

Although, come to find out the way I had actually envisioned these projects coming together was 99% different than every tutorial out there...go figure!  I guess maybe I should have actually done more research and reading prior to purchasing my supplies!  Oh well, can you say improvise?!

Balloon Wreath

Note:  As you can tell from my pictures below I started on the outer most wire and worked my way in.  I did find that outer fluffy layer to be in my way when I began working on the inside.  Hence my recommendation to work from the inside out.  Additionally, I only tied balloons to the outer most and second to most inner wires and I found the wreath to be plenty full.

Gather your supplies i.e. wire wreath and balloons.  I can't tell you exactly how many balloons you are going to need (I used 400+) because it's all going to depend upon how big your wreath is (I wish I would have used a smaller one), the size of your balloons, and how densely you decide to pack/tie them in.  But, I can tell you that you are probably going to need WAY MORE than you think you will so buy extra...you will thank yourself later!  The cheapest ones I found came from the dollar store and Walmart.

To begin, thread your first balloon through and around the wire and then tie it into a knot as close to the center of the balloon as possible.  This way, you will have an even layering of balloon tops and bottoms pulling through your wreath.

With the next balloon (so on and so forth) thread it in and through the wire in the same direction as to which the previous balloon fell.  Can you see/follow the pattern?

Repeat, repeat, and repeat until you have balloons covering your entire wreath.

Along the way you will notice that sometimes a little bit of air will sneak into your balloons as you are tying them.  It's no biggie...just preposition the balloon so that the inflated portion is facing towards the back or go ahead and pop them.

400+ balloon knots and dry cracked latex smelling hands later...VOILA, the finished product!  I love it and I simply can't wait to pull it our for every birthday in our house!  Traditions, traditions, traditions.  I heart them!

Topiary Centerpieces

While the tutorial I found online was pretty self explanatory (please follow this link for the exact directions) I quickly realized that I was going to have to improvise drastically!  Due to the light weight canister and over sized styrofoam balls the top of the topiary ended up being too heavy.  Oops!

So, in an effort to continue with what I had I simply just removed of the pinned balloons and just placed my balloon balls a top the container and left it at that!  While it's not even close to what I had envisioned it worked and served it's general purpose.  Who knows, maybe over the next few birthdays I can jazz it up a bit more with some paint or ribbons?!

Today, I'm 30!

So what does one exactly write about on said mentioned monumental birthday?

Honestly, I'm not quite sure but it only seems fitting to write about me and only me as I begin to tightly pack up and put away the past decade of my so called life.

Early 20's:  I half ass attempted college and failed miserably, broke up with my high school sweetheart multiple times, dated several too many Mr Not's, and I quite literally drank myself silly!  I guess girls really do just want to have fun!

Mid 20's:  I met Mr. Right and fell madly in love, we got engaged and shortly thereafter married, we bought a house, and I landed my first "REAL" job.

Late 20's:  I learned responsibility and the importance of good financial planning/management, I was promoted THREE times, formed some valuable and genuine friendships, but most importantly, I became a mommy!

Looking back and thinking about it now, I'm pleasantly surprised to finally realize that I actually did accomplish much over this past decade...even if most of it was a blur!

From everything that has helped shape and form me, I can now say I've learned that...

...it's important to embrace where you've been to appreciate where you are going.

...looks aren't everything but feeling comfortable in your own skin is.  I think I'm finally getting the hang of what makes me feel pretty.  Part of it comes from some cake frosting flavored lip gloss, a messy ponytail, and a pair of jeans that makes my a$$ look like a million bucks!  But the bulk of it?  It comes from motherhood!

...there is good in everyone but sometimes you may have to dig for it.

...photography is soul soothing.

...love has no words or boundaries.

...motherhood is an all consuming life changing kind of love.

...surprisingly, it's much easier to function on little to no sleep than I thought!  As my hubby always says, you'll sleep plenty when you're dead.

...if I don't keep myself hydrated kidney stones are just on the horizon!

...I'm not perfect and neither is anyone else.

...i like my meat medium rare and extra dressing on my salads.

...i love to be loved and to give love.

...receiving hand written cards and letters via snail mail is priceless!

...I'm a seafood hater and it's not for lack of trying.  I just can't get past the fishy smell, ick nasty!

...family is everything and should never be taken for granted.

...being the "big spoon" isn't so bad.  Everyone needs to be held every now and again!

...I totally overuse exclamation points and other unnecessary punctuation when I write!  I guess I'm just a bit expressive!

...no matter how hard I try to keep it clean my car will always be dirty!  Both inside and out.

...doing the laundry is my most dreaded chore.

...I find great comfort and satisfaction in decorating my home because let's me honest, Dorothy nailed it...there is no place like home!

...when I'm crabby more than likely I'm hungry so feed me!

...it's always better to give than to receive.

...I'm an open book, ask and you shall receive.

...I have a really hard time saying no!

...it's the tiny insignificant moments in life that matter the most!

While I know that I still have a great deal to learn (I will with time) at this point in my life I can genuinely say that I am truly happy; for that, I'm so very thankful! 

And, instead of putting myself into a deep depression or swirling into a mid life crisis I'm going to look forward and ahead into another decade of growth, experience, challenges, sorrows, and all of the love it entails.

With that, I would now like to extend one big HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout out to myself!  Woot woot!

Charlie's 1st Birthday Party (Photo Dump)

We celebrated Charlie's first birthday this past Saturday.  It was nothing short of amazing, chaotic, and awesome all blown up into one giant balloon!

And simply because I'm still trying to grasp the concept of the magical and sentimental past few days we have had (yes, I'm a bit emotional) please don't mind my massive photo dump.

Happy 1st Birthday Charlie!