A Few Magical Details.....

Thanks to my sweet friend Nicole for reminding me that I FORGOT to share the image of Paige's party invitation!  It was the inspiration for the whole party and really got my imagination and ideas where I wanted to be!!  My dear friend Chelsea found about 6 amazing options on Etsy and this was both of our favorite!!

I wish you could read all of the words and quotes!!  I had her add the Mad Hatter quote on the back and also a quote from Alice that reminded me of Paige.  "Sometimes I believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast." Alice 

This is a sweet quote but if you really think about it, isn't it something we all want to instill in our children??  I definitely do.  I want our girls to always reach for the stars and have us behind them cheering and telling them with hard work and determination, you can accomplish anything.  That is exactly what Alice meant and did! 

The Mad Hatter quote reminds me of how I want our home to feel.  Its a little dramatic but I want our home to always be fun and exciting for our friends, family, the girls and their friends.  The Mad Hatter worked very hard to make sure everything was wonderful!  Ok, enough over analyzing Alice in Wonderland...clearly I love the movie...

After seeing the invitations in person in all their grandeur and delicious paper, I decided white envelopes would never do so I ordered Kraft Paper envelopes.  LOVE them!  I also found hand cut/glittered Queen of Hearts envelope seals that I ordered.  This is a little more than I would normally do but the invitations really deserved some special touches!  If any of you are ever looking for an invitation for a special occasion, let me know and I will send you her info!  She even has an option to buy the image from her for your invitation for a very small fee then you could print your own for much cheaper.  I have heard war stories with people who have done this and it ends up as expensive as custom order by the end and doesn't look as good but I think if you are qualified and have good printing equipment, it could be done for very cheap!!  I am a bit of a paper snob and also lack the equipment and knowledge to print out my own invites to this caliber.  So for my special occasions...we will go with custom printing!

Here are a few fun things we served and links to the recipes.  I was a HUGE fan of all of them and will be making everything again! 

Drinks

Homemade Peach and Strawberry Soda (I saw Giada make this several months ago on her show for a children's party and knew we must have it!)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/peach-and-strawberry-soda-recipe/index.html

Peach Tea

Snacks

Fruit Tray and Janet's Apple Brickle Dip

Veggie Tray and homemade Ranch

Grown-Up Food

Avocado Chicken Salad w/ avocado dressing (a friend of a friend writes this food blog that is divine! If you like to cook, you must check it out!!  Beautiful layout, lovely gal and most importantly, divine recipes!) Looks like she credits Paula Deen for this creation.

http://thelittlekitchenthatcould.blogspot.com/2009/08/avocado-chicken-salad-with-avocado.html

Black Bean and Corn Salsa w/ blue corn flax tortilla chips

Kiddie Food

PB&J Sammy's

Alphabet Cheezits

Treats

Cake Balls (another Paula Deen delight!) I promise this is the easiest and best cake ball recipe out there!! 

http://www.smithfield.com/recipes/recipe/paulas-cake-balls

Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Balls (Paula Delight!--saw her and her grandkids make these awhile back...Fabulous and soooo easy!!)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/crispy-rice-cakes-recipe/index.html

I can't wait to make these rice crispy balls again for Halloween and Christmas!! Just a change of the sprinkles and they are perfect for any holiday!!  Even your fave sports team for a football party.  In fact, adults loved these more than kids.  I honestly had no intentions of trying them because they just seemed silly...I promise the only silly thing was me almost NOT trying them!  Soooo good and I don't even like sweets that much.  The cake balls are a little more labor intensive but were so good and so worth the 3 day process.  After making them a few times now, I can understand why bakeries charge over a $1 a piece for one bite of cake.  If I made them for a living, I would charge $15 a piece!!!  They are a labor of love...only make them for those you really love--you know, unless you just like spending 3 days on a recipe! 

The After Birthday Fun...

After Paige's birthday we were all exhausted.  It was a full out busy weekend!  Family in town, Tyler had friends in town for his 10 year reunion, his parents leaving town so lunch with them on Sunday and I had plans with some great friends before they leave for one of their weddings!!! Sniff Sniff, I wish I were going!!!  Paige slept for 15 hours straight from 4:30 pm on Sunday to 7:15 am Monday morning!!!  Here is a montage of photos from that time period!

As you can probably tell...she fell asleep in her carseat while we were running errands.  Then I just laid her in my bed and I watched TV while she napped.  When I realized at dinner, after prodding her to wake, that it wasn;t happening--I called in daddy to do the dirty work.  You can see how tough he is can't you??  I married a real tough guy!  He picked her up...she stayed dead asleep--then he let her curl up on him!  I called in pizza and subs and we took turns eating.  I don't believe in eating in bed under ANY circumstance!  Gross! Crumbs in your sheets???  I let Tyler know I was pregnant (as if he needed reminding) and that I would not participate in staying up all night when she woke (even though I don't have a paying job outside the home).  Luckily for all of us, she slept til 7 am!! 
After the great rest, we had plenty to do on Monday!  The house was clean because I scrubbed the day before but we had to organize toys and write thank you notes!!  As I wrote, Paige would model all of her new things!  It was SOOOO fun and she kept reminding me of myself!  I love trying on new things and showing them off and I love seeing her do it!  Even if she changed 800 times in one day...

Something about this one makes my heart melt...I love her face and how excited she was to get a package in the mail from 2 of her out of town besties!!  Thank you Leah & "Natawie"

 New sunnies!

 First dress up clothes!!!!

 "Mom, I can't take a picture in a bikini without sunnies?! Thanks Buffy & Hudson!!!"

 "Now Paige, baking in sunglasses might make you look cool, but nothing good happens in the kitchen with sunnies on, I assure you!"

 LOVE this face and this gift!!!  I think I have blogged about Paige's love for bikes and in particular our neighbor who is a cyclist!  His wife made her the most adorable gift! This shirt and a "Neighborhood Watch" shirt with binoculars!!!  She did her best neighborhood creeper face for this photo:)

And here are just a few more from the weekend of Paige, me and baby bump at 23 weeks!

Someday I will have Tyler take a decent photo instead of always trying to take my own photo...

 Soaking away all of the birthday goodies!!!!!!

 Looking so much like mommy we think!

And Just Like That...She Was Two

This beautiful photo was taken before our beautiful girl even had a legal name!  The most perfect little person I have ever seen.  I remember this day like it was yesterday...but somehow two years have FLOWN by and soon we will be taking this photo of her baby sister!  She still looks exactly like this when she sleeps and even though we thought we were completely full of love for her then, it has grown each and every day since then just like she has grown! 

She is learning and changing so much!  She knows all of her ABC's, lots of colors and well on her way to counting to 10!  I really feel like I was 4 before I knew most of that??  Must be all the vitamins in milk these days:).  She has been mostly potty trained for about a month now and the past 2 days NO accidents and only a diaper at nap and bed time!!!  Her doctor was VERY impressed and so are we!!!  She tells me each morning diapers are for babies not big girls!  HA!  She has even gotten over her fear of poo in the potty and has been taking care of business in her potty!  She knows about 10 songs by heart but the one I beam about the most is Jesus Loves Me...she always sings it quite loud in the grocery stores and old ladies always look at me like I'm the greatest mom ever!  She has memorized so many books so she can "read" them to herself.  It was bizarre when she started doing it because obviously she can't read but its super funny and impressive watching her go through the pages and by memorization and photo cues, she knows the words!!  She reads to her babies, Oscar and her baby sister!  This morning she was telling her baby sister about a bible story and was talking about Jesus.  She then talked about Joseph and Mary, looked at me confused and asked if Joseph stinks.  I hope your laughing...I couldn't stop.  I also didn't really know what to say.  "Well Paige, I haven't ever smelled Joseph but I don't think he stunk.  I haven't read anything that leads me to believe he was a smelly man but I also know there wasn't a big selection of soap or shampoo...lets just stick to he didn't though."  I love the questions she asks and how she wants to know about everything and details of how things work. 

Its amazing how SOON being a GIRL comes out.  She is dramatic, loves makeup, jewelry, accessories, taking fashion risks and playing with babies.  We call sunscreen "makeup" at this house so she will wear it.  She has her own deoderant and lotion because she is obsessed!  (She doesn't get to wear deoderant but likes to pretend putting it on).  She changes shoes 100 times before we leave the house all while saying "I do it myself!"  She loves her friends and mine and even if she hasn't seen someone for awhile she still asks about them and they turn up in her prayers out of nowhere. 

She loves food!  So very much like her mom and dad!  She will eat most anything but prefers home cooked food!  She gets spoiled with having a cooking mama!  Last night she came up to me and said "I want chicken, I want noodles, I want corn, please mommy!"  She doesn't eat a ton of bread or drink much milk but she loves crackers, cheese, yogurt, etc.  I was happy to know the doc doesn't much care which dairy she ingests as long as she gets some from some source each day.  I have also long practiced this ritual. 

At her two year appointment this week, she was 27 pounds and almost 36 inches tall.  50% in weight and 85% in height...seems like she is taking after mama's body!  Its so funny how tall and long legged she has seemed to us lately!  We LOVE it! 

We celebrated her birthday last weekend and it was a grand affair!!!  So many wonderful friends and family joined in on the fun!  We did a Mad Hatter Funky Tea party and it turned out great even with the scorching heat!  Here are a few photos from the event!

 So happy her friends came to celebrate with her!!

Our dining room transformed to Paige's Wonderland!!  Balloons, sunglasses, rice crispy balls, cake pops and homemade fruit soda! 

 
Paige blowing out her candle from her chocolate coated peanut butter rice crispy ball! Oh these are divine!!
 
Hudson & Abigail sporting the super fun sunglass favors!

 Checking out some of her new toys!!

 Mommy and Baby Gaga relaxing after the festivities!!

 I can't wait to see what this next year has in store for us!!! 

Overflowing Love & Thankfulness

Last night, on the eve of Paige's 2nd birthday, we laid in her bed like we always do singing songs, saying prayers, thinking of all of our family we love and miss I was also reflecting on the prayers I would say asking our gracious Lord for a child.  I began telling Paige how hard I prayed for her and when Jesus was ready he gave her to me.  Then every day as she grew in my belly how I prayed she would be a healthy happy baby, full of love and life. I told her I still pray every day over her and I haven't let one day go by without thanking God for her and now for her sister.  A lot of times we pray for things and are so thankful when we get them but soon stop appreciating the miracle of an answered prayer.  I am guilty of this with a lot of things but never with my children.  I explained to Paige the importance of prayer and the equally importance of thankfulness.  She has such a big heart and is so sincere.  I love how genuine her prayers are and the people, things and animals she prays over. 

A good friend of mine said "I'm so filled with love for my children that I feel like I could literally explode."  That is exactly how I feel and sometimes I look at Paige and have to hold back tears because I literally feel like I could explode with love for her. 

Children are the most beautiful, perfect expression of God's love for us.  It should never be taken for granted.  I pray every day for the women who long to be mothers that the Lord will bless them with this precious gift in His perfect time. 

As we celebrate two unbelievably wonderful years as parents to the greatest gift God has ever given us, I am reminded of all of the answered prayers already with this child.  Thank you, thank you, thank you Lord for blessing our family with Paige and answering our prayers for her.  We will work every day at being the best parents and role models for her and will never lose sight of what an incredible gift she is to us. 

We love you so much Paige all the way to the moon and all the way back! We are so proud of you and thankful for you!!!  Happy 2nd birthday precious girl!!!