Thursday, December 29, 2011

3 months baby!!!

Man oh man..... Has it been 3 months already?!?! Time is flying by, but each day is getting better and better. We are celebrating with an "ugly Christmas sweater" and 3 hairbows! Amara's personality is blooming and watching her smile seriously is the best thing in the world. As I sit here typing, I don't even know where to begin explaining all of the amazing things 3 months has allowed us to experience. Our biggest accomplishment this month is sleeping through the night. At first, we were still getting up to put her paci back in to soothe her, then we slept one night all of the way through and realized that neither one of us had to get up to tend to her overnight.....It has been smooth sailing ever since! 7-8 hours a night!!

Amara is smiling bigger than ever, loving her play mat, working up some spit bubbles, starting to laugh, responding and recognizing voices and looking around to find the matching faces. My favorite part of her little baby body are her legs that won't quit....her chunky thighs to be exact. OMG!!! She just goes with the flow! We are just loving our family dynamic right now, but I have always dreamed of having around 4 kiddos. I have to admit, I love giving her all of my attention. I often think that there won't be a chance that we will get another "perfect" baby, but I know God has us!

I still can't believe that God chose little ole me to be the mother of Amara! It is a job I don't take lightly, and Gabe and I just continue to pray for her and that God does something AMAZING through her. She has already changed my life, and I can't wait to see what the future holds!!

Here is to 3 months!!!








Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Happy Birthday BFF!!

Okay....this party was on Dec. 16th and I am just NOW blogging about it. I am running behind as always people....


So, it was my BFF, Lori's, 30th birthday party disguised as a "holiday party". She and her hubby Heath kindly opened their home to all of her sweet friends! Everyone brought Lori a gift because we knew what was up!! ha! Lori just didn't want to celebrate the big 3 - 0. It was so fun to get together and celebrate her! The party was so adorable! I contributed some props for us to take some pics.
The birthday girl!






Friendship Tea.....delish!





This girl is seriously one of the most selfless, giving, joyful and GENUINE people I know. I have never been greeted by her with anything less than a hug and a smile. I appreciate everything about her spirit. Our husbands both travel a LOT, so we completely connect on that level. She has spent many nights with me and has become like a sister to me. She absolutely deserves all good things that come her way!!! The best part is that is LOVES my little Amara probably just as much as I do. She has more pic of her on her phone than me ;)



Stupidity at its best!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Holiday Card Garland

This week we have Amara's great grandparents coming from San Francisco to visit her for the first time as well as visiting our home for the first time .......Needless to say, things need to be in tip top shape for the holidays. I have a lot on my plate this week, but need to find time to CLEAN. hahahahahahaha......but seriously!

Anyway, out of slight boredom ( my husband was out at a party....no girls allowed) I decided to make a garland to display my Christmas cards. I usually toss them in a bowl of some sort and place them on a table, but this year, I wanted to display them a little bit better.

Using yarn, ribbon, and double stick tape......whalaa!!


I just tied ribbon onto the yarn with scrap pieces of yarn!


Yes, I even put our holiday card up.....Gotta show off baby girl! :)




Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Oh December.....

This month is just flying by for us....I was itching to have some girls from my neighborhood over and do something festive. I decided we should all do a craft of some sort and eat some yummy food. I found printable labels,tags,menus that were FREE. This whole gathering cost me about 30 dollars :) Most everyone came to just hang out with no craft, which was fine. I took it upon myself to create some Martha Stewart trees made out of card stock, which I actually didn't finish until a day later. I got a little frustrated and needed a break.

I honestly didn't take many pics because I got so overwhelmed with cooking my food that I didn't get to the picture taking until everything I had set up had been tampered with. For some reason, I haven't mastered the art of timing when it comes to my little shindigs. A work in progress .........

Anyway....just some pics for fun!






Martha Stewart cupcake decor


To go bags for leftover cookies and cupcakes :)



I filled my paci jar with some Keurig cups ( coffee, cider, hot chocolate)

ALSO......
  So I have been following this new blog  called Brooklyn Limestone. I LOVE it!!! She is so creative and it is fun to watch their renovation process. Anyway....found these adorable tags you can download. They go perfect with my kraft paper wrapping and my $1.97 roll of yarn :)









My Christmas trees....YES, they are crooked, and I am totally okay with that :)


Tuesday, December 13, 2011

All I want for Christmas......

What is it about the holidays that make me want want want?!?! I actually just want for other people! I love to buy gifts, I just don't have loads of cash ;)

After browsing the internets this am, I am finding lots of things I would like under my tree as well.
Cutest desk calendar EVER! I saw these at my friend,Lauren's
paper boutique! They are her very own designs. Plus, there
is no need to wrap it. :)

This Tory Burch case makes me want to have an Ipad....even though I have no use for one. I
wonder if Gabe would put it on his ;)

On Amara's wish list.....or mine for her!  This gets me super excited
for our first summer together ( with her out of my belly)
gap.com
If you love your pup, AND love a good price....11.99 Houndstooth dog collar from Martha Martha Martha!
Sadie deserves a good Christmas! She has been quite the trooper during our baby phase.

LOVE these! My favs are the ollie with hot pink lettering or the hole punch with turquoise ( pictured above). Every girl needs a stylish Iphone Case. Dabney Lee's patterns are so amazing!!








Target ( my second home) has some AMAZING boots this season! The quality is much better than usual also! 
I fell in love with these and NEED them.....yes, NEED!

Ok, I could seriously go on and on and on, but truth be told....I already have the best gift of all....Jesus and an AMAZING family. May sound cheesy, but that is whats up people! 



















Monday, December 5, 2011

Buttermilk Banana Bread

  I am not the best baker in the world.....there are a few people who would agree :) However, with the right recipe and idiot instructions....sometimes I can surprise myself. I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, thehouseofsmiths.com

  I am always willing to try a good banana bread recipe. It is my fav!! Thought I would share....