Amelia's Second Sesame Street Birthday Party!

Yeah, it's been awhile since I blogged. Sorry about that. I make no promises I will blog any more consistently (2 kids on me at all times)

BUT I thought I needed to blog about Amelia's Second Birthday Party (that was in November!) We had lots of fun and had some little friends from church come over for our little extravaganza!

Planning:
I pinned and pinned to my little heart to get ideas for her party. I should be a professional pinner! (You can check my Pinterest board for ideas)Now I just needed the time to actually do it!

I designed her invitation on Photoshop and I loved it! I thought it was a great way to set off the party. I listed it on My Etsy Shop and have actually received a few orders on it!

One of my favorite projects where the Letter Characters! I bought the paper mache letters from Hobby Lobby and painted them with craft paint and went to town with construction paper and glue. Amelia loved them! I tested her with each one to see if she could name the character and she could so I figured I didn't half bad!

Here is her Balloon Wreath (it's now hanging on her bedroom door).

I didn't get a good picture but I painted Elmo and Cookie Monster on cardboard and they were hanging out at the party to greet the guests!

 

 

I made character Pom Poms (because what is a party without pom poms!) I made Elmo, Oscar, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Grove, Abby, and Big Bird! It's hard to get a good picture of them because they were constantly twirling.

 

 

 

One of my favorite projects was the Sesame Street Lamp Post because what is Sesame Street light? I used this tutorial. It hangs out in our bonus room now.

 

We found this lamp posts in storage at church and thought they set off the scene perfectly.

 

Our happy little family before we sang Happy Birthday!

 

Amelia loved the party!!

 

 

 

 

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Pumpkin Patch

We all went to the Pumpkin Patch last week. We went on the coldest day so far. It was 57 degrees but it felt much colder! This little farm is only like 15 minutes from our house.

When we first pulled up Amelia was very excited. We had to take a hay ride out to the field. At first she didn't know what to think!

Last year we went and we didn't realize there were things to do but this year we spent $2 to buy some goat food. Amelia thought it was the best thing ever! I knew she would like it but considering we have zoo passes and feed the goats there I didn't think she would react so strongly!

Of course we had to take a photo op of the cutest pumpkin in the patch! Any time you shoot the phone at her she says CHEESE!

Then it was off to the field to find our pumpkins. Amelia helped us pick them out and really wanted to carry all of them. We picked out 2 pumpkins and of course Amelia had to carry the smaller one.

Look how proud she was carrying her pumpkin back!

We had a lot of fun for a quick trip. Although we had to pass by a bouncy house and Amelia really wanted to go up this huge slide. Too bad we didn't buy any tickets!

PS I use Google Plus and it made these motion graphic for me. Too funny

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Five on Friday

I am linking up to The Good Life's Blog Five On Friday link up.

[ONE]
We went to the Pumpkin Patch yesterday. A whole post to come. We had lots of fun on a chilly afternoon. Officially felt like fall!

[TWO]
I have to work on Halloween again. Bummer! I hope I can get off early. I got Amelia a little Sofia the First dress yesterday because she loves Sofia and pretty much wore it all day. If she can't wear it for Halloween, we can start a dress up bin! Joe said we should find a bunny costume for Liam and he can be Clover!

[THREE]
I really want to get some nice boots this winter. My wardrobe has seriously lacked the last few years. I have been trying to decorate a house then clothe either my pregnant belly or my babies that I haven't bought anything for myself. I think these boots are super cute. But spending $100 on shoes probably not happening soon!
 

[FOUR]

I am really starting to get more done for the birthday party in a couple of weeks. Last year I said I wasn't going to do this again and here I am! Kids parties are fun to plan but I know I get more stressed out than I should! I'm just excited for Amelia to see the finished product. She knows all the characters so I hope its fun for her!

[FIVE]
I need to do something with toy storage. They are kind of crazy. I never put up a lot of baby toys because I knew Liam would like them soon. I need to come with a system that Amelia only has access to some toys at a time and rotate. Anyone have any thoughts?

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The Blessing Box

I am linking up to The Blessing Box. I know I always need to be thoughtful and grateful for the blessings God has given to me. There is a quote I hear on the radio. "What if you woke up this morning with only what you thanked God for yesterday?

So today I am thankful for my little family.

There were moments when I was not sure we would get here let alone have 2 beautiful babies our in laps. Sure my days are filled with little sleep, lots of diapers, and more tears than I can count. But we are filled with lots of love, snuggles, giggles, and I love yous!

I am thankful for my little princess who lights up my world with her big hugs, how she screams when Sofia comes on TV, and her stubborn instance that she needs a CRACKER!! I love picking her up from her Sunday school class and her running and yelling MAMA!! She has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger.

 

I am also thankful for this sweet unexpected blessing. He looks just likes his Daddy. Who loves his mama and gives the sweetest smiles that light up his whole face. How he has peed on many people in his short little life, even his Pediatrician who said that hasn't happened in years. And how he fits perfectly in our little family.

So I am immeasurably blessed!

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Having 2 Under 2

Since Amelia is going to be 2 in a couple of weeks I decided to bookmark the time in our lives when we had 2 under 2. I remember when I found out I was pregnant with Liam thinking how am I going to do it? Even that first hour after he was born I said to Joe we must be crazy! And maybe we are!

I have learned a few things since having my second child. You quickly learn to prioritize and multitask, especially when they are both crying.

I was also scared going in public with them at first by myself. But I decided it doesn't get easier until you try. So I went to Target. I put Amelia in the front of the cart and Liam in his car seat in the cart and we survived, but maybe not quietly!

Amelia really does do well with the baby. Probably every day we have to let her hold him for all of 30 seconds before she is ready for something else. She is also really good at getting his pacifier in while he is upset and I am cooking dinner. He thinks she is pretty funny and loves to smile at her. We have our moments of jealousy especially if we are at church and Amelia is unsure and wants me to hold her. I try to give lots of hugs and reasurrances.

What I have Learned
-I really have to go out of my way to get some special time with Amelia. Whether that is just snuggling on the couch, reading books together, or having a dance party in the kitchen.

-I really try to let Amelia help with the baby. She loves to help him get a bath and get me things.

-We talked about the baby before he came but she was young so probably didn't understand much. At least she knew the word baby.

-Again I love my carriers. I used the moby wrap when he was small and starting to transition more the ergo which gives me better support on my shoulders.

-Amelia takes afternoon nap so I really try to get him down at the same time so I don't go too crazy during the day.

Does anyone have any tips for having 2 little ones?

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Liam's Alligator Nursery

When we found out Liam was a boy I set out to make a sweet little nursery for him. I originally wanted a circus themed nursery but Joe nixed that idea pretty quickly. After searching for ideas, I decided on the Pottery Barn Madras bedding and based my design off of it. I liked the primary colors used, especially the green and navy. Then the alligators were very cute and you know I am always up for a good theme!

The room was originally our office which is code word for junk room and painted green. Once we cleaned it out we decided to keep a green strip to make it more interesting. It took probably an hour to tape it off and Joe painted the room for me.

 

Because it was a boy's room I liked the dark wood tones of the crib and strong lines. I think it plays off the color scheme well. The chair was another affordable craigslist find. I would love a big upholstered chair in there for all the rocking but it wasn't what we could afford. I found the alligator prints on etsy and framed them. I think they are adorable above his crib.

The curtains were inexpensive Ikea white curtains. I used a cheap twin flat bed sheet from Walmart and used no sew hem tape to make the stripes. They were time consuming to make but they may be my favorite part of the room.

 The dresser was a craigslist find. I had been searching for an affordable piece that I could make over. The weekend before Liam was born I found it and we picked it up on the way to the hospital! I used Annie Sloan chalk paint in Aubusson Blue. I found the idea of the peg board on Pinterest and I love how it turned out! I showed my dad a tutorial and he made it for me when we were in Indiana. I then used stain on the frame. I also love the wall shelf to display more cute things!

I had fun decorating the bookshelf with mostly things I found around the house. I brought some old toys of Amelia and put them in a basket (which Amelia loves to raid!) I also love the Jellycat Alligator (he shows up in Liam's monthly pictures).


Source List

Davinci Crib
Pottery Barn Madras Bedding
Davinci Bookcase
Jellycat Gator
Pearhead Alligator Bank
Alligator Wall Prints
Ikea Wall Shelf

Oh and the cutest baby in the nursery!

What do you think?



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