Preparing for Avery's 1st Birthday

Avery turns 1 on May 5th... tear.... I still have invitations to her "cookout" (because "party" sounded too official) on my console table by the front door. I've been in NO rush to plan this "gathering" or mail out the invitations because I'm in total denial. I say this as my 11 month old walks around the kitchen floor reorganizing my kitchen chairs while drinking a Capri Sun (I don't think I gave Parker a capri sun until he was 18 months.... oh 2nd child syndrome). She seems so tiny to me and at the same time mature beyond her years. There are moments I can't believe she's 1 and other times I feel like I should be planning her 2nd birthday party... those moments are when her 2 year old attitude erupts.... I just keep reassuring myself that means she'll conquer the "3's" at 2 and so forth so maybe she'll be well behaved before other kid's her age? A leader? Wise beyond her years? I can dream...

The theme for the party is "cute and girly".... because I'm not a theme kinda girl. I got some cupcake stuff, some polka dots, lots of pink, some candy.... and hamburgers. I have a vision. I'm 99% sure that 10% of my vision will ACTUALLY happen (darn you Pinterest) but in my mind, it's precious. My mental picture of the party also includes me being totally unstressed and well behaved toddlers playing outside on a 75 degree weather evening with sunshine and a slight breeze while mamas sip margaritas and dads grill and play with the aforementioned well behaved toddlers on the swing set and bounce house. I think I may need to readjust my expectations ever so slightly, no?! hehe

One thing I really wanted to do was a banner for the mantle with a picture from each month. During the kid's nap time (YES... NAP... both of them. Praise be to the Lord!), I went through 12 months of Avery photos. It's so fun to look back at the different phases and notice growth spurts and milestones my frazzled mommy brain has already forgotten.

Check out this cuteness!

Umm.... I could just eat her up! I suppose it's officially time to embrace Avery being 1... it's a new chapter in the Wise Family. Time to sell the baby gear and bring on the dolls and Disney Princesses. I'm ready (well not really but I'm working on getting there). I'm going to miss a lot about Avery being a baby but I think as long as some of my friends keep procreating and letting me snuggle a newborn here and there, I should get my baby fix in and be perfectly fine being the mom of 2 toddlers! :) Hpapy (almost) Birthday, Avery! Check back for her party post in 2ish weeks!

Zury is 3!

Last Friday we celebrated our dear friend Zury's 3rd birthday! It was a precious cow girl party and her super mom, Amber, went way over the top with a real pony, awesome food, beautiful decorations and a stick pony as a favor. Who doesn't love a stick pony!?!

Parker was in a funk and refused to ride or get within 40 feet of the pony but he sure enjoyed swinging and playing on the play gym. SO much so that if anyone was in the baby swing, he'd whine until it was his turn again. Despite his less than stellar attitude, we still had a wonderful time!  Once Parker discovered the stick pony and how fun it was to jump off the hay, he was good to go. I was so pleased to get some good pictures of Parker smiling. If you're a frequent blog reader, you know good pictures of my picture hating Parker are hard to come by!

I took 200 photos of the party but here are my favorites of my kids:

This may be my favorite photo of Avery and I ever. I edited it on my computer and cropped out the man but then my computer went to heaven and now I'm using Daniel's work computer. Shh! Don't tell him!

Howdy!

The hubs was pretty excited that he wont have to buy her a pony any time soon.

Most precious face, ever! Yes, my dear... cake pops ARE THAT GOOD!

How cute is that face with the stick pony!

Hurling himself off the hay.

Love the hair and the face!

Rockabye

Happy Birthday, Zury!!!

Parker is 2!!!!

Parker is officially 2 years old. I thought I'd be WAY more emotional like I was when he turned one but I'm pleased to announce I didn't shed a single tear yesterday (his birthday). Maybe it's because I'm slightly overwhelmed with sewing projects, a messy house and the sudden "Oh my gosh, Avery will be here soon" errands/anxiety. I enjoyed his party VERY much and really felt like I "lived in the moment" which is something I honestly struggle with. 

Today was Parker's 2 year well check.  He started crying the moment we pulled in the parking lot. The Barney "A doctor is a friend of mine" DVD I played in the car on the way to the office apparently didn't sink in. Thankfully, half way through his well check, he stopped screaming and performed a few tricks so the doctor could make sure he's on track. Parker is one consistent little dude! He's in the 48th% for height, 51st% for weight and 78th% for head circumference. His height and weight has been around the 50th%  since he was about 9 months.  The doctor gave him a clean bill of health, he's right on track (even though I feel his speech is slightly delayed, the doctor promises me he's right on track with other boys) and he said he's "smart." WOO HOO. Apparently, he's reserved, observant and a survivalist. I'm not sure how he decides all of these remarkable qualities in 10 minutes, but I'll take it!  He was not a fan of the shots but I can't blame him. Thankfully, suckers cure "shot tears."

On to fun stuff... his birthday party! We had it at Splash Planet and 8 of Parker's best buddies came. Everyone seemed to have a blast in the water! The kids were so ready to swim, many of them forwent the cupcakes....including Parker! Everyone brought toys for the Levine Children's Hospital and we are SOO excited to take them next Thursday! I made hooded towels with the kid's names on them for his favors and I was happy with how they turned out! I wish I had gotten a picture of the kids in their towels but they were ready to get in the water! Group shots at age 2 seem more of a hassle than a good idea! Here are a select few (I took 400!) pictures from the party!

Parker's Cupcakes. I got the cupcake toppers from Dimple Prints off etsy.

Nana, poppi and Parker

My dad throwing Zury

Brooklyn and Piper

Smiling Logan

Parker LOVED to slide!

Having a blast!

Shooting hoops! Look at that follow through!

The birthday boy being thrown!

Ana and Parker... future cheerleading stunt partners?

Flying squirrel!

Our attempt at a family picture. Parker refused to look and I refused to get wet!

Officially 2 and NOT ready to leave his party!
 
Now lets see if the newly 2 year old will be a good boy and take a SUPER long nap! ...as in like a 3 day nap because I've got about that much stuff I need to fit in while he sleeps! haha! Here's to hoping!

Blogging while Embroidering = Failure

Parker and I are heading to Atlanta tomorrow after my doctor's appointment so we are down to the wire on his 2nd birthday party preparations. I know I'm paying to have it at Splash Planet so that I don't have to worry about bringing all the extras but I can't help it! The closer I get to Avery's birth, the more I want to do special things JUST for Parker (even though he'll never remember it or care!) I think I'm basically doing it for myself with him in mind. How fun does this place look? We go a lot on tot Mondays and Parker loves it! I don't so much enjoy getting my hair wet or being cold (it's a bit chilly) but I do it because I love the little booger.

Splash Planet

I wasn't thrilled with Parker's shirt I made him because I was silly and did it in red and turquoise instead of red and royal blue.... what was I thinking, I know. But I'm currently up (past my bedtime) making him a new one... because silly things matter to me. Food, on the other hand.... ehh... whatever.... haha. I bought a GIGANTIC box of goldfish, pretzels, ELFudge cookies (we'll see if they make it to the party... I think that was more of a pregnancy purchase), bottles of water, capri suns and I'll make (more likely buy) a fruit tray Monday morning. My girlfriends and I will bake cupcakes Sunday morning (funfetti of course). Since the kids don't actually care about my polka dot bucket, pinwheel centerpieces, I bought them each a $.99 beach ball, markers and a poster board to color while we wait for everyone to arrive.... VIOLA.... 2nd birthday party success. Pics to come after his party on Monday!

In other WAY less exciting to you but SUPER exciting to me news.... we filed out taxes today and boy did that feel good. Regardless of whether you pay or get back, just having them DONE is SOOO nice! 2 years ago, we were stupid and waited too long and we had to do them while Parker was in the NICU... we rushed through them.. made mistakes... the IRS apparently had a bit more critical eye than we did and made sure to let us know. Thankfully, since then, with me not working our taxes have been easy breezy with a nice little present at the end in our bank account! WOO HOO! Thank you, Jesus! PS- When did I become old? Discussing taxes and insurance makes me feel like such an adult when I really just think I'm still young and playing house.

Ehh... I just made a mistake on Parker's birthday shirt because I was trying to multitask and blog. Hmm.... Let's see if I can cover and it and maybe no one will notice. Nope... definitely not fixable. I suppose I should pay attention now except I'm tired so I guess he'll just wear his bathing suit to his pool party.... duh... appropriate and easy. Until next week, blogger buddies!

OH WAIT... one last piece of exciting news... I'm getting a new embroidery machine next week! WOO HOO! It's big and pretty and nicer. SO now I can supersize the designs and make l...o...n....g names (ah hmmm... Holly C.) not so tiny! All that to say, now I can do larger shirt sizes, bigger designs and longer names so don't forget to put in your orders prior to mid-late April as I'll be taking a little time off when Avery comes. All Easter designs are currently on SALE in my etsy store and the full product line can be found on Rompers & Ruffles! (Don't forget Wednesday night's R&R mystery sale on facebook!)

Bad Little Blogger

I admit, I have been a bad little blogger! I've been reading them but haven't been doing much writing. It's not that I've had nothing blog worthy to write about but I've been super busy going and doing! :) With Avery's arrival getting closer, I've tried to plan fun activities for Parker that will be substantially more difficult once the little Miss is here. We've been to Discovery Place Kids, Friendly's to eat ($5.99 for a drink, meal and sundae... yes, please!), the park, Splash Planet and Plaza Fiesta! WHEW! Parker also spent the night with my mom and dad on Wednesday so that Daniel and I could go on a date! We had our stereotypical Cheesecake Factory date and it never disappoints!

Today the weather was A-MAZ-ING and we strolled to the park and played. We met a new Canadian family and bless their hearts, they were sweating, covering their kid in sunscreen and complaining that it was unbearably hot. I had to snicker in my yoga capri's tank top and light jacket for when it was breezy. Today was simply fantastic and I'm loving that the windows are still open and the sun is still shining! Granted, Daniel and Parker's noses are running from allergies but I tossed them each a benedryl and told them to get over it :) Tough love.

The Little Mister's 2nd birthday is next Monday! I can't believe it! Parker and I are heading to ATL Wednesday-Sunday so the party must be fully planned before we leave. I'm pleased to announce that I'm 99% done and excited for his party! Should be fun! Pics definitely to come of that!

Lastly, the business has really taken off and I'm still so excited about it! I'm loving having something for "me." I find it really gratifying to create these precious items of clothing and I love it even more when I see pictures of other kids wearing them! Don't forget to get any orders in before Avery comes since I'll be taking a little time off after her arrival! Easter Shirts are currently on sale so get your orders in soon! The Easter shirts are on sale at my etsy shop but be sure to check Rompers and Ruffles for our full line! My business partner has started making adorable headbands to match the Easter appliques so be sure to check those out too!

I'll try to be a better blogger after Parker's party!