The Big "B"-day Party! (Part 2)

     I am so proud of the little bubble outfit that I made for Sara Beth to wear at her party! It's just a simple pattern, but I appliqued a cute little bird on the front, added bows to the legs, and even made a hair bow to match. She looked so pretty in it. It was even good for playing too (which is important, you know). I was one proud mama!

SB in her B-day bubble

     After all the guests had their fill of the outside activities and yummy food, we headed inside to do the traditional birthday singing and cake smashing. I expected to see SB with cake all over her face and hands, but that's not exactly how it went. We put on her birthday bib and hat, lit the candle, and started singing, "Happy Birthday to you. . . . " She seemed to be enjoying hearing us all sing to her. When it was time to blow out the candle, she reached for the flame. Adam blew it out as fast as he could, but SB grabbed the wick the instant that the flame went out. It was still blazing hot, so she burned (pretty badly) her finger. Que the song: "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!" She was hysterical for a few minutes and never really took to the cake after that trauma. We tried to stick her hand in the icing and put a little cake in her mouth, but she wasn't interested at all. Poor thing! Check out the sequence of events in the picture collage below.

Here, Papaw. You can have the cake instead!

I have to give big thanks to everyone that helped me pull this party off. I'm sure I'll forget somebody, but here's my attempt. Thank you. . .

• Adam-- for designing the invitations, building the barrels and signs, climbing up into tall trees to hang my paper pompoms and lanterns, and for everything else you did!
• Mom-- for making those delicious nests, picking up the cake, and helping me set everything up!
• Mrs. Jonell-- for the gorgeous flower arrangements, allowing us to use your home, washing all those dishes, decorating her birthday wreath, and blowing up the balloons!
• Mr. David-- for hauling all my stuff back and forth and for grilling the burgers!
• Daddy-- for helping Mr. David grill the burgers!
• Carol-- for being the party photographer! You got some really good shots!
• Diana and Stephanie-- for letting me borrow all your party stuff!
• All our family and friends-- for coming out to celebrate our little girl on her first birthday. Thank you for the books and gifts that you gave to Sara Beth! But, most of all, thank you for being a part of our lives! We love you!

              

Here are a few links to some websites that I used for inspiration:

• The Tissue Paper Pompoms that adorned the trees:  http://www.partyblog.mygrafico.com/diy-party-pom-poms/
• The Birthday Hat: http://www.tinysproutphoto.com/blog/2010/09/01/diy-birthday-hat/



The Big "B"-day Party! (Part 1)

     Sara Beth had a great first birthday party a couple weekends ago! Even though the weather was drizzly and overcast, I think everyone had a good time. I was just glad it never really rained. That would've been a disaster for this outdoor party. We celebrated at Adam's parents' house on Cross Lake. I'm so grateful they allowed us to take over their home for the weekend! It's beautiful out there! The party was "B" themed (as in the letter B). I did my best to have everything start with B, from the games to the food. The theme came about because we realized that all of Sara Beth's favorite things, and most of her words, start with B. Also, little birds have been a constant theme for her, from my baby shower, to her nursery, and now for her first birthday party. I think it came out really cute! See what you think. . .

I LOVE the invitations! Adam designed them and I wrote the wording. We must be a great team or something!

A fabulous cake by Kathy Cubley, adorable little edible nests made by my mom, and a few handmade touches by me. The pennant banner is made out of felt and ribbon. The birthday hat, which matched her outfit, is repurposed from scrap fabric, ribbon, ruffles, and a Christmas gift box. The SB pictures that hung from the chandelier were from her photo sessions with Nicole Spikes (newborn, 6 months, and 9 months).

The food, play areas, and my favorite part of the party-- a clothesline of pictures, one from each month of her sweet little life.

The Menu: 

Burgers, BBQ chips, Bowtie Pasta Salad, Berry Spinach Salad, Bean Salad (of the Mexican variety), Berry Kabobs, Baby Bites (little food for the kiddos), Beverages (sweet tea, pink lemonade, and water), Birthday Cake, and Birds' Nests

By far, the most popular play area of the day-- Balls. We borrowed Tristen's ball pit and also had other balls to throw and roll around the yard.

The Blocks center--- SB and her cousin played hard after the party. We used some of SB's blocks from home and a wooden set that I found at a consignment store in town.

Ah, the Barrels! Our original idea was for box tunnels, but we didn't have any boxes. We did have these plastic barrels sitting in our backyard though. Adam did a fabulous job converting them into fun tunnels for the party!

To round out the "B" activities, we had a little bounce house (once again borrowed from our friend Tristen) and a bubble table. My attempt at homemade bubble solution was not very successful, so there weren't too many bubbles to be had. It was really messy too! I had pipe cleaners and cookie cutters so the kids could make their own bubble wands. A good idea, in theory. . .

An "Egg"cellent Easter

It was a beautiful day outside on Easter Sunday this year. First, our family joined us for the Easter worship service at church. Then, we headed over to my parents' house for a delicious lunch and some egg hunting (sort of). Mostly, Sara Beth just sat in the grass and played with the eggs, but she certainly had fun doing it. Later that afternoon, we went to Adam's parents' house. Adam's brother, Travis, his wife, Carie, and their little boy, Charlie joined us too. Sara Beth really stepped up her egg hunting skills for the second round of egg hunting. She had fun walking over to the eggs and putting them in the basket. Putting something IN the basket is a feat in itself! Usually, she just takes things out. All in all, it was a wonderful day!

At Nana and Papaw's house

Roly Poly lesson

At Nonni and Opa's house

My favorite picture of the day

Cousin Charlie

Nana and Papaw

Nonni and Opa

Just us!

Birthday Teaser

I just made my very first hairbow for Sara Beth! I had to have one that matched the birthday outfit that I made for her to wear to her first birthday party. Her outfit is adorable and this bow isn't too bad either! Here's a sneak peak of the birthday ensemble. Don't worry. There will be plenty of pictures to come after the party.

Bikes, Trikes, and One Sweet Friend

     Here's the back story on Tristen, in case you didn't know already. Tristen and Sara Beth were born two weeks apart in the same hospital room. We met his mom and dad, Diana and Justin, through Adam's racing. Since T and SB were born, Diana and I have become good friends and we get the babies together as much as we can. Tristen is a sweetheart and is very energetic! Sara Beth always learns new things from watching him on the move.
     Today we celebrated Tristen's first birthday with an outdoor party at his grandma's house. The theme was vintage bicycles and tricycles. It was so adorable! Diana did a great job pulling it all together! Sara Beth's favorite part was the ball pit. My favorite part was the personalized Jones soda bottle. Here are a few pictures from the party today.

Ball pit fun!

He's famous!

The beautiful cake table

Sara Beth trying out T's tricycle

My two favorite people in the world

Flattering, I know. But, look at those two new top teeth!

Time for cake

A wagon of ice is better than any toy

Happy Valentine's Day!

     I made a multi-course dinner for Valentine's Day last night. I seriously LOVE cooking! I'm sorry about the lack of pictures, but I decided it was better to enjoy the moment instead of snapping photos. Thanks to Adam's mom for hanging out with SB for several hours yesterday so I could cook! Thanks to my parents for letting her sleep over last night! Adam and I had an amazing Valentine's Day evening together. And the yumminess continued this morning too. Adam made me breakfast in bed: heart-shaped french toast and candied bacon. Mmm, mmm! Here's what was on the menu last night:

Brandi & Adam's Valentine's Day Dinner 2011

Appetizer

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

First Course

Carrot and Cumin Soup

Main Course

New York Strip Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Linguini with Saffron Butter Sauce

Roasted Asparagus

Dessert

Mystery Mocha Cake

Vanilla Ice Cream

Fresh Strawberries

Here's a picture of SB on her first Valentine's Day. I just couldn't post without a single picture. :)

Christmas Fun

     We had a great Christmas this year! We started early by getting our tree up right after Thanksgiving. Adam decorated the house with beautiful lights and garland. We didn't have many Christmas parties to attend this year, but that's probably a good thing. I usually gorge myself on sweets at those events, and I did enough of that without the parties. I did attend a fun cookie exchange and SB met Santa at our friend Kim's house.
     On Christmas Eve, we went to church for the candlelight service. It's always a special time and this year was even better because we had SB with us. She was on her very best behavior too! After church, we headed over to visit with the Mee family (my sis-in-law's parents). Mrs. Roslyn cooked a yummy dinner for us and Sara Beth received her first present, a baby laptop toy. Back at home, Adam and I sprinkled magic reindeer food (Thanks Kim) in the yard even though SB was fast asleep. It's fun to pretend to be kids sometimes!
     Christmas morning was full of stockings and gifts at home. I'm glad that we got to have our little family time together before heading out for the day. I hope to start our own traditions some day. We got SB a swing for the porch and a music player for her room. Adam built me a beautiful sewing table and I got him a new bike light.
     Next, we drove out to Cross Lake to have Christmas with Adam's parents, Travis, Carie, and baby Charlie. After a delicious breakfast, we opened gifts and watched Sara Beth play with her toys. Charlie was too little to know what was going on this year, but I bet we'll be in for some serious fun next year.
     That afternoon, we headed over to my mom and dad's house to celebrate with them, my brother, and my nieces, Shelby and Maddy. I guess SB had about all she could take (with no nap) because she had a melt down. There was crying at the dinner table, crying opening presents, and hardly any smiles at all. Poor thing! We enjoyed spending time with our family even if it didn't work out the way we hoped it would. Sara Beth finally fell asleep on the way home and ended up sleeping 3 hours in her car seat. We were not about to wake her up after the day she had. When it was bedtime, we changed her clothes and fed her. Then she slept until 7:00 the next morning!
     Overall, it was a great first Christmas for our little girl (as evidenced by the multitudes of baby toys at our house right now)! My goal next year is to figure out how to make Christmas more about Jesus and less about presents. It's hard to do, but I think it's worth the attempt. If anyone has any ideas or traditions from your family that you would like to share, please leave a comment. I'm up for suggestions!

Her first gift on Christmas Eve

Mommy and SB opening her stocking

Swinging in freezing weather is so much fun!

Daddy and SB about to go on a ride

She's 8 Months Old! Can You Believe It?

1-1-11 Happy New Year! I'm 8 Months Old!

    
     It's hard to believe it's been 8 months since Sara Beth was born. We love her more and more every day! Her smiles and laughs are so beautiful and they really bring us joy. She is learning so much so fast these days. One day, something seems extremely difficult for her. The next day it's a piece of cake. This month has been very busy, but full of fun. I am taking two online graduate classes now and Sara Beth is into everything since she's so mobile. So, I've been getting some much needed help from the grandparents recently. I am so thankful to have my parents and Adam's parents nearby!
     SB's first Christmas was very memorable. She did great at church on Christmas Eve, at our house on Christmas morning, and at Nonni and Opa's house for Christmas brunch. Then came the meltdown. She wouldn't nap, cried at the drop of a hat, and didn't want to be put down for a second. I feel terrible even though there is nothing I could have done. We definitely need a do-over at my mom and dad's house! All in all, though, it was a great month!
     Washing my own cloth diapers is going well. I usually have to wash them every other night. The only time she's not wearing cloth diapers is at church (for the nursery workers) and if she spends the night away from home. Here are some things she's been up to this month:

• She has two bottom teeth now. They make her smiles even cuter!
• She learned to sit herself up. 
• She pulls up on everything and can stand for a long time. Just yesterday, she figured out how to fall without face planting every time. That  makes us less worried about her, for sure!
• She has become quite a good little eater. So far she's had sweet potatoes, zucchini, apples, bananas, avocados, sweet peas, carrots, peaches, butternut squash, and brown rice. I've been enjoying making all her baby food! She's liked everything except for the brown rice that she tried today. We'll keep working on it!
• We've started pulling back her bangs into the ponytail. Her hair was all in her eyes and looking pretty rough. We probably need to cut it, but I just can't bring myself to do it yet.
• She claps all the time and is beginning to try to wave.
• She "talks" a lot! Her favorite words are "Da-Da" and "ball". She loves rolling the ball back and forth.

Finally meeting cousin Charlie





Loving her swing that she got for Christmas

 

Morning hair

Driving her pink car at Christmas

Playing in the ball pit at Tristen's house

My name is Trouble!

     I haven't had much time to blog (or sew, shop, cook, breathe, etc.) lately. Miss Sara Beth is very mobile now and into everything. She requires my full attention--every bit of it! What tiny bit of energy left in me, I've been using to finish the piles of work for my two online graduate classes. When I'm overwhelmed, which is about every other day, Adam likes to remind me that taking these classes is allowing me to stay home with SB. I know! I know! But, can't a girl whine about it anyway? Here are some pictures from our precious little troublemaker. We love her, by the way! 

In laundry basket jail

Trying to play with the kitty's toys. Notice how dirty her backside is!

Climbing on the dog's bed

On a side note. . . Adam did a fabulous job decorating our house for Christmas this year! We have the prettiest house on the block! Merry Christmas!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

     We recently drove out to Frierson, LA to Santa's Woods Tree Farm to find the perfect Christmas tree. For the past 3 years we've gone to a different place, but we thought we'd try out a new spot this year. It was a gorgeous day for tree hunting! We took a hay ride to the back of the property and then set out by foot to find our tree. We looked at the Carolina Sapphires and the Virginia Pines before deciding on a Leland Cypress tree. We had narrowed it down to two trees and were walking back and forth between them when SB finally said, "Bah!". We figured that must be her way of choosing the tree, so that's the one we bought. She's got a good eye! Adam cut it down for us and then the workers came to pick it up and get it tied to the car for us. We enjoyed some hot apple cider while they worked away. It was a great way to spend a Saturday and kick off the Christmas season!