a Secret Garden Birthday party

on may 22nd our little Zo turned 3 years old. now to most people this wouldn't seem very old but to my husband and I it seems more like she turned 13.  and I'm not just referring to the attitude, heaven knows she's got one though, the term "threenager" is no joke...  anyways, her turning three was just one more reminder of how quickly time really does go by.  it seems like just a few months ago she was hardly talking and now she carries on full conversations every second of the day.  No really, the talking never. stops.  and even though it's sometimes tiring answering the same question over and over again (and again and again) it's also fascinating to listen to her learn to put correct words together and have conversations with just about anything and everything.  Her little imagination is expanding every day and I love seeing her use it so often and seeing the creativity that comes with it.  I don't think a meal goes by without one of her utensils turning into a friend that talks to her hand while the hand answers back about whatever kind of food it got on itself.   and even though I know I should be correcting her for playing with her food at the table, it's seriously hilarious to watch and I'd be lying if I said I don't usually answer the questions her fork asks me all the time...

she's three now so obviously she has to start practicing her makeup haha 

Okay, on to the birthday party!

As I mentioned in my last post, Zo is obsessed with all things garden related so the theme of her party was decided pretty quickly once I started looking at Pinterest with her and she got excited over every "Secret Garden" birthday Pin she saw. and since it was a toddler party we decided to make it a brunch theme and the timing worked out perfectly for everyone!  not to mention, how fun is brunch food especially when donuts are involved?! and so--with help from my awesome husband, my awesome mom & equally awesome siblings, the party turned out almost as perfect & beautiful as the birthday girl herself.
thank you so much to everyone that came and helped us celebrate this little lady!  She had the absolute best birthday and talks about her party all the time  :)

this floral garland made the perfect backdrop for the food table and to be honest, it's still hanging up... we just can't bring ourselves to take it down, every time the sun shines through the window it looks so pretty! eventually it'll come down, but for now--we're gonna keep it up, in the spirit of birthdays ;) 

Donuts & chick-fil-a are basically a guaranteed hit with all ages

it took my sisters and I the longest time to decide where to hang these paper fans & pom-poms but once we finally tried them in the entryway we fell in love with the way they turned out!  p.s. don't mind Greg hard at work back there ;)

favors!  sticking with the garden theme, I picked up some small tin buckets and filled them with vegetable/fruit seed packets, bubbles & lollipops

the necessities for the adults ;) 

one of my favorite family photos!  I love this little clan of mine. 

like I said, who can resist donuts? 

Peter was a big fan of the cupcakes as well 

this bouquet arrangement set (link below) turned out to be one of her favorites gifts!  she uses it every day and it's perfect for expanding both her imagination and fine motor skills.  

bouquet arrangement set

 

my sister is graduating with a nursing degree(!) so naturally she had to gift zo with a medical kit.  and not just any kind, a pediatric nurses kit!  zo absolutely loves it and uses it on all of her animals or whoever is willing to be her patient.

this girl partied hard and was so worn out she passed out on the floor in the corner of the couch shortly after bath time. i think it's safe to say she had the perfect birthday :) 

life updates & new little personalities

oh my, it's been a while since my last post. A lonnngg while... I have plenty of excuses but will just chalk it up to everyday life around here-- keeping up with a 14month old, a 3 year old (how?!) and being 5months pregnant keeps me extra busy & extra tired!

so here's just a few life updates before I get on to doing regular posting:

-first & most importantly: we are SO excited to be welcoming another little life into our family come November!  Baby's due date is november 7th but will be a scheduled c-section so unless they come early it'll either be October 31st (boo!) or November 1st :) we still don't know the gender as of yet and I was leaning towards boy but now I'm feeling girl... which would be perfect cause we have plenty of girl clothes to pass down but Peter has basically destroyed all of his clothes already. #allboy.  really though, so far this has been an extremely easy pregnancy, which im so thankful for, and it would be awesome if it stayed that way!  now our next big decision is deciding what kind of car to upgrade to since my car will no longer be big enough for our little crew once baby comes.  Currently stuck between a mini van and a suburban... please feel free to recommend away haha!

⁃ Zo turned 3 years old on May 22nd and I'm kinda in denial about it.  we threw her a real birthday party this year cause she is birthday obsessed, so much so that she plays birthday party with herself all the time haha. it was such a fun day for all of us and she had an absolute blast!  will be posting
about it soon :)  it's so hard to believe how quickly she's growing up!  But honestly, we are loving this
stage of her life (so far haha)!  she's almost fully potty trained (which turned out to be waaay easier than we thought it would be!) she talks allll day long, loves singing & dancing, has taken a big interest in puzzles, the solar system and is obsessed with all things garden, floral & nature related.
and since the talking is basically 24/7 I've started keeping little notes of things she says cause they can be pretty hilarious sometimes, and I also want to have proof of these sassy little remakes to show her when she grows up ;) one of my all time faves (so far) was when my sister was visiting and we were chatting it up, like sisters do after not seeing each other for a while, and Zo apparently had enough of us and finally just blurts out "alright alright that's enough talking!" hahaha!  the girl is sassy but adorable, such a great combo ;)

the boy in his natural habitat

⁃ Peter Man (as his sister likes to call him) has developed quite the little personality too and he's not afraid to show it... Now, he's almost always smiling and just has the cutest little grin ever--unless you go outside without him, then he losses his little mind. no really, he screams and throws himself on the
floor cause he wants to get out so badly.  he'll stand by our back windows banging on them and yelling to go outside (in his own little language) and if you don't listen to him he'll go find some shoes to bring to you, even if they aren't yours or don't match, and repeatedly hold them up to you saying "dis (this) dis!" until you finally give in and take him outside even though it's already 90 degrees and humid as a rain forest.  I swear he'd live outside if he could. Like I said #allboy.  oh, and he still hasn't said "mama" yet. *eye roll*

That's about it for the "fun" life updates! we're over here bracing ourselves for the hot season that's already upon us and preparing to spend a lot of time playing in the pool, water table & sprinkler.  So bring on the heat, cause I've already stocked the freezer with multiple kinds of ice pops. Summer 2017, we're ready for you.

love,
amy

what i'm thankful for

•quietish weekend mornings alone with peter while zo sleeps in with daddy.

•almond milk lattes with a splash of mocha kahlua.  why haven't i been starting my day like this every day?! #justkidding #orami 

•chilly fall like weather 

•sweaters, cardigans & layering.  but not for the reason you think.  peter's latest way to fall asleep is by gnawing on my shoulder with his newly debuted top & bottom teeth, all while yelling at the same time.  so i'm thankful for the protection the layers offer cause let me tell you, those teeth are sharp and they hurt! it also means i always have wet/stained spots on my shoulder sleeves too.  oh well, at least he's sleeping! 

•at home date nights.  sushi delivery & wine, while watching a movie (or the office for the 9th-ish time) is our go-to.  a new sushi place just opened up down the street from our neighborhood and we're big fans.  like gone 2 times in the span of 3 days fans. 

•wine 

•tissues.  cause both kiddos are sick and the runny noses are in full swing over here.  

•seeing the kids start to actually play together.  it's one of my new favorite things, catching these sweet moments of them bonding and starting a friendship together are memories i'll always treasure and be thankful for. 

•coffee.  lots of it. 

•getting a morning workout in while peter, surprisingly, slept in.  also-getting to eat a slow breakfast with just zo since he was still sleeping. 

•my sweet sister who took these adorable photos for us.

•all of our family members & friends.  we are so thankful for each and every one of you.

•my amazing husband who shows me every day how much he loves and cares for all of us.  i can't imagine this life without him, i'm so thankful i married my best friend.

•peter & zoey and the love i never knew was possible until i became their mother. 

•. i am so thankful for all that we have been blessed with in our lives, especially the mundane and every day moments that i all too often take for granted.  

•all of the above wouldn't be possible without my faith.  i am most thankful to Our Lord for His ever lasting love and for showing me that love on earth every day, especially through my little family. 

wishing you all the most wonderful thanksgiving. i pray that it is full of family, love, friends, togetherness and, of course, delicious food.  

happy thanksgiving!

~amy

dance it out

dress: Bonnie Jean similar||flats: target

this picture perfectly captures zoey's personality right now. this girl is obsessed with all things dancing & musical. she walks around singing to herself allll day long and is constantly making up a new song/dance routine. notice her right foot- she even makes sure to point her toes every time she dances!  it is seriously the most adorable thing ever. and don't even get me started on those shoes!  she calls these her "dancing slippers" and would wear them all day (and all night!) long if I let her.  she comes into the bedroom during the middle of the night, crawls up into the bed, gets under the covers, and that's when I realize she's gone and found her "dancing shoes" and is trying to go back to sleep wearing them.  we rented a book from the library a couple months ago that was about a cat who loved to dance and ohhh my goodness, zo was obsessed with it. she walks around saying lines from it like "jeté through the day" and "pirouette back into bed". needless to say she was not happy when we had to return it. the only way i was finally able to bring it back was when i told her we'd find another dancing book at the library. i've been looking into dance classes for her cause i know she'd absolutely love it. also--picturing her in a little ballerina outfit is almost too much cuteness to handle!

when greg captured this photo of her the other day we were all just hanging out on the front porch, playing with cars, watching the rain and sippin' coffee. such a simple but perfect way to spend the afternoon. 

i don't really let her drink coffee, she just loves "mixing (stirring) coffee" and trying to sneak some cause she thinks it's funny

oh, and peter is in all out crawling mode now so that's why he's on a sheet (now accepting recommendations on your fave picnic blankets!).  he no longer wants to be held, but instead has to be down exploring everything. it's exhausting but also very exciting watching him grow and discover the world around him.

i hope everyone has a great weekend.  this week has been so confusing & disheartening to me so i hope that just by reading this little post about a toddlers love of dancing it will help to brighten your day, even just for a few minutes.  if nothing else, maybe just take a page from the "zoey hand-book" and dance it out. it really seems to help her when she's having a bad day so maybe it will help the rest of us.


xo,
amy

parking it up

getting some outside time with the kids every day is a huge priority for me.  the sunshine & fresh air just do wonders for us.  we've been trying to hit up a lot of our local parks lately and we've found some pretty cool ones.  watching your kids explore & discover new things is so neat. we like to try and head to a park in the early morning, before it gets too warm later in the day.  

this is usually how i survive staying awake for playing ;)

watching a toddler play is like seeing the world in a different way.  they are discovering so much!  things you never really thought were a big deal are suddenly so amazing.  you find yourself being your child's own personal cheerleader when they (finally!) go down the slide by themselves, crawl through a tunnel or bring you a handful of random crap items they've found. 

if she can't find acorns, wood chips will do

 half of the time we go to a park Zo doesn't even play on the equipment--she collects acorns & rocks like they're going out of style.  she gets that from her dad for sure, haha.  We now have a jar in the guest bathroom (since that's where she goes to wash up after getting home) that holds all of her acorns; someday I'll get around to doing some nifty DIY craft with them... 

baby peter is also a huge fan of being outside.  as long as the weather isn't too warm, it's a win-win for all of us! i can't wait to see if he'll be the one with no fears or if he'll end up just like zo and want to spend the whole time finding "treasures" as she likes to call them.  he had his first swing ride a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it!  we're hoping the park that's near our house will someday put in swings.  until then he'll just hang out in the stroller with his personal fan, what's not to love about that?!   

 we can't wait for it to finally cool off around here so we can spend more time outside in the fresh air.  for now, we'll stick with mornings and just hope that it doesn't reach 90 degrees by 11am. 

 having to walk home is the hardest part for all of us.

i hope you're all having a wonderful week.  if not, step outside for just a few minutes and breathe in the fresh air.  its a real game changer.

~amy 

friday favorites: lush edition

this post is in no way sponsored, i'm just obsessed with Lush and many of their products so i thought i'd put together a list of our favorites in case anyone out there is looking to jump on board the "lush addict" bandwagon but doesn't know where to begin. your first trip there can be slightly overwhelming considering the amount of products they have to offer, i know the first time i ventured inside i wanted to buy just about everything and didn't even know what most of it was. i just knew it looked awesome & smelled amazing.  i saw a funny photo the other day that said something about how being inside a lush store while it's flooding would be the most enjoyable flood of all time, and i'd have to agree.  so, without further ado, here are our lush family favorites!

we'll start with my favorites! first up--Ocean Salt: this came in a gift box my husband got for me and this was my favorite product in the set. i love the way it makes my face feel after using it and to be honest, it kinda tastes like a margarita.  not that I'm eating it or anything, I just notice the taste when the water is running down my face while I'm washing it off...*insert monkey with hands over eyes emoji*

-Dark Angels: after i ran out of the ocean salt scrub I decided to try this one to see how I liked it. I do like the ocean salt more but this is a good one for a nice deep cleanse.  and it's kinda fun to see yourself covered with charcoal...

-Grease Lightning : hands down, my favorite product i have tried so far is this tea tree cleanser.  i started using it when i was pregnant with peter due to my skin breaking out horribly and i was so surprised to see how effectively it worked at clearing it up!  i now use it nightly and if i put it on a blemish before i go to bed it's almost always guaranteed to help clear it up, sometimes even just over night!  seriously, this stuff is amazing. 

-Kalamazoo : I bought my husband this beard wash as a Christmas gift a few years ago and since then it has become a staple for him.  eventually i had to up the jar size I was buying cause he uses it so often!  highly recommend it for your bearded man. I also buy him some of the soap bars on occasion, this one has been his favorite but I really enjoy this one!

okay, their bathbombs are amazing. and this is coming from someone who still hasnt had a chance to use one yet due to not having the time to take a nice relaxing bath these days.  BUT- back when zo was around a year old she was going through a sleep regression. we just so happened to be christmas shopping at lush one day when an employee mentioned that we should get a bathbomb for her.  we laughed and were like "um she's a baby and not gonna get any use out of that." she then showed us this one made with chamomile & lavender and said it helps to really knock you out!  we were desperate so we figured what the hey, we'll try it. that night we broke it into a few pieces and let her throw one in the tub (she got a kick out of watching the bomb fizzle in the water) and if you haven't already guessed it, she slept like a rock that night! now every time I go it's almost impossible for me to leave without her requesting to smell every single bomb and pick one out for herself. and since she doesn't use as much water in the tub as a normal sized adult, we can typically get 2-3 uses from one bomb by braking it up. these also make the perfect gifts/stocking stuffers (holy cow, I'm already thinking about christmas!)!  i'm so looking forward to the night i get to use the one that i've got hidden away for myself... 

-the other three products are ones we don't use as often but are still really nice.   Whoosh: a super fun gelly like soap, zo cracks up when I let her touch it.  Dirty: this is a hair styling cream that I was hoping could replace the need for hairspray with zo but it makes her hair just a little too difficult to work with due to the matte consistency. i really like using it in my hair though and I'm pretty sure it'll really come in handy once peter's hair finally decides to show up! Lemony Flutter: this cuticle butter is soooo nice and I love the way it makes my fingers feel after using it. 

I hope this post has been helpful for anyone that's been curious about lush's products. i'd love to hear if you have a favorite one in the comment section & don't forget to subscribe by email for all future blog posts! 

xo, amy

peter's newborn photos

on the 29th little man turned five months old, how is that possible?!  it seems like only a few weeks ago he was this tiny little munchkin who did nothing but eat, cry & sleep.  not much has changed in that regard except that he's switched out the crying for happily screeching like a velociraptor while he's awake and playing.  his favorite time to practice this new skill is right after he wakes up in the morning, i think it's his way of trying to make sure everyone else in the house wakes up. "everyone still sleeping?  here, let me sing you the song of my people!"  it can be both adorable & slightly annoying, but mostly adorable.  funny how babies work like that huh?  so, in honor of his graduation from tiny little infant to dinosaur, here are some photos from his newborn session to enjoy!  im having a hard time believing he was ever this small... 

p.s. a huge thank you to my amazingly talented sister who took these for us!