ellie’s big little girl bed

cue allllllllllll the tears. like sheets of rain jumping outta my eyes.

{apologies now as i get passionate talking about this stuff…so i then start to ramble.}

at the beginning of may, we took away the paci from ellie. oh my goodness…it pained me a bit to do so but ellie made it so easy. one day, i said no paci and she was like ok and i hid it. i was very, very surprised that she gave it up so easily because months prior…it was a fight to always have it {and i always gave in}. so, that was the first part of my heart breaking a bit.

olive never took to the paci, so i never had to break her from it but with ellie being our last baby, the fact that we weaned her from the paci was another moment of me realizing that she is growing up. it is just so damn bittersweet.

so that was the first milestone.

we had purchased ellie’s toddler bed awhile back in readiness for her transition. we wanted to have it just in case she showed signs that she was ready to sleep in a big girl bed. i decided on a toddler bed because one: she’s so damn tiny and i know she will sleep in it for several more years and two: it was so darn cheap!!!! also, three: her room is small in square footage, so a little bed was a perfect fit for her space. we bought the bed for $70 and the bedding for less than $100! score!

at bed time, one week, i put ellie in olive’s bed and she was grinning ear to ear. i asked her if she wanted to sleep in a big girl bed and she nodded her head yes. i told hc what had happened and he took it literally. so on 5.28, he surprised us both {while i was at gymnastics with ellie} and built ellie’s bed!

uhhhhhh, who cares if ellie was ready cause i was NOT! i came home and i was like whaaaaaaaa?! i kept thinking, where’s her crib? i’m not ready! what? my baby has a big girl bed?! i was crying inside a little bit but i knew it was time. kind of. sniff. sniff.

ellie saw the bed and freaked out. she didn’t want it. those were her words. ‘i don’t want it’. it’s so cute when she says that! i think she was freaking out a bit because i told her that if she wanted to sleep in a big girl bed, she would have to stop nursing. {yes, i still nursed ellie…those who judge have NO IDEA, so don’t roll your eyes and crinkle your face in disgust. shame on you for judging the most beautiful bond a mother and child can have but more on that later}.

ellie laid down in the her new bed cautiously and hesitantly. i knew this was going to be a big change for her. that night when we were getting her ready for bed…she seemed stiff and worried. i put her down in her bed, grabbed a book to read to her, and she had the most somber look. once i finished the book and said goodnight…she started bawling. oh it broke my heart. i walked out, slightly closed the door and she cried soooooo loud. i came back in because my heart couldn’t take it and saw the most devastated look on her face. i looked at rich and he said ‘just nurse her. let’s not shock her all at once.’ so i did. i nursed her for three more days and then it happened.

on 5.31…ellie gave up nursing.

yes it happened. it finally happened. i had played around with the idea of us giving it up several times prior to this but each time, ellie put a kibosh on it. she firmly held her ground and would NOT stop nursing. i didn’t mind. i loved it…probably just as much as ellie.

so, let me talk about nursing and why i loved it so much. while i was pregnant with olive, i was not fond of the idea of nursing. #truth. i didn’t want to. i didn’t like the idea. i didn’t want to be bothered. #truth then around 7-8 months pregnant, i thought: why knock something you haven’t tried? so i committed to the idea and said to myself – i am going to give it a try…and see where it takes us – boom. olive was born and 20 months later…she chose to give up nursing herself and i cried. it was so easy for her to say bye bye to the boob.

when i started nursing olive, i told myself the goal was six months. then six months led to one year. then one year led to 20 months and then she became a big girl and said, ‘see ya later booby…i don’t need you anymore’ and i was utterly sad. that day is so clearly etched into my memory.

olive’s journey was tough. so much more tough than ellie. nursing olive hurt and it didn’t just hurt in the beginning…we struggled, i had anxiety, i bled and not through a bite {although she only bit me once and learned her lesson and never did it again}, and it was at times very, very painful but i persevered and we made it to 20 months. i loved everything about nursing…it’s difficult to put into words how amazing the experience can be. giving birth was so freakin’ empowering and feeding my child was like the cherry on top. i feel that being a mother, overall, i was meant to nurse. the emotional return was priceless.

ellie’s journey was so much more relaxing, easy, and pain-free. i was seasoned, i didn’t care where i nursed, and ellie loved it. our journey hit six months, one year, two years, and it almost hit three years. 2 years and 10.5 months to be more exact.

our whole experience was absolutely wonderful. i loved nursing for the closeness, the quiet moments together, the bond, and the nurturing aspect of it. there’s something so wonderful about feeding your child, having those special one on one moments with her just filled my heart with joy. i couldn’t imagine doing a better act as a mother.

now, let’s talk about other people’s perception and how many people judge you, had opinions, and literally rolled their eyes at me for still nursing ellie.

i am a firm believer that you do what is right for you and your babe. people will judge. people will comment. people will think it’s wrong she’s so ‘old’ but who really gives a shit? everyone has an opinion and i chose to not be bothered by it. if anyone ever showed signs of judgment…i am confrontational and i just made it awkward for them. their opinions didn’t stop us or persuaded me. sometimes i felt when people judged me…they wanted to shame me into agreeing with them but it caused the opposite effect.

there are worse things a mom could be doing than nursing her almost three year old daughter. give me a break. people looked at me like i had two heads. uh, there are moms out there who neglect their kids, who abuse their kids, who don’t feed their kids, who don’t care for them in a proper way, and people are going to verbally judge me because i am providing my child with love, care, and nutrients?! you don’t think it’s right i should nurse my child who can walk and talk?! smh. create a better argument and maybe i’ll listen.

on 6.14, we had a slight relapse. totally not her fault. my bad for positioning ourselves the way we used to nurse! we woke up one morning and hc was home as well. olive and hc were laying in our bed when i got up to wake ellie. i pulled her into our bed and we laid down. now, during our nursing days, we used to nurse in our bed, laying down and this brought back strong memories for her and she tugged at my shirt to nurse. i said, “no, ellie…no more night night.” {what we called it} and within a nano second she burst into tears. oh my heart shattered into a million pieces. she cried and was so distraught, tugging at my shirt. i softly told her no again and she was so upset…oh my poor baby!

i felt so bad but after 5-10 minutes, she got over it and we moved on. i won’t be doing that again for awhile {laying her down in our bed in the morning} but we are totally in the clear. she is boob free, i am free, and we are both loving life!

so, short story long…we finally put together ellie’s big girl bed and all the big girl things fell into place. now if we can master the potty training, we’ll be good as gold!

sooooo, check out her ‘big’ girl room below {her room pretty much stayed the same, we really just updated a few things}. i am loving all the details. sigh…oh my sweet ellie. you always keep us on our toes.

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[flamingo, gold sequins, and pink roses]

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[felt flowers and wooden name sign]

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[grey polka dot sheets]

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[new whitewashed bookshelves]

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[star filled wall and black tassel curtains]

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[night night!]

xoxo

first birthday party

so it begins.

olive was invited to a classmate’s birthday party. her very first birthday party ever! i was so excited over this and so was olive! it’s funny how special it is for me in a mommy sort of way and fun for her because she’ll be with her friends from school!

it was a very cold afternoon and the party was being held at olive’s gymnastics building, how easy and convenient! i had NO idea they hosted parties there! once inside, i signed a waiver and we ran downstairs to be greeted by gwen and george, sam’s parents. all the kids were already on one side of the building, playing with the parachute! i walked olive in, sam saw her and called her over to her. olive happily ran over to sam and joined in on the festivities.

hosting a party there is great! the instructors take care of everything. they are like the pied pipers. they lead the kids all around the gym, engaging them in fun activities, they serve the food, they divvy up the treats, direct the kids, and complete the clean up! how sweet is that? you bring the food, decor, and whatever else and they lead the event for you!

olive had such a great time! she loves playing with her friend sam…she told me that she is the one she plays with most at school. how sweet!

i didn’t take a bunch of pics as the kids were constantly in a different room from the parents plus, i always veer away from that when it involves other people’s kids.

olive’s first friend birthday party was a success! she loved all the activities, the food {she tried carrots for the ‘first’ time and like it!}, she loved the pink frosted cupcake treat, and was so excited over the purple {her favorite color} treat bag she received!

happy birthday sam and cheers to many more birthday parties to come!

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[olive eating carrots for the ‘first’ time and she didn’t choke! she actually liked it. duh!]

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[the cute favor bags her friend, sam, decorated]

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[the kids gathered around the instructor for favors and it’s so funny how close they got to her!]

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[with her good friend and birthday girl, sam. it was too cute, sam ran over to olive and gave her a big hug goodbye!]

xoxo

olive’s birthday

olive’s birthday fell on tuesday of this year.

we started the morning with a happy birthday song with a big gold 5 balloon in her room. she woke up smiling – goal! hc made her a birthday breakfast and afterwards, she chose her outfit of the day. a gold sequined dress {courtesy of miss tashina}, lavender tights, gold converse, and a gold flecked caplet. the most perfect outfit ever for a birthday.

i took her to school and excitedly dropped her off for the day. there, she was star of the day, natch. she led the class. she got to wear a birthday crown and mama made stupid treats for the class. as in, i brushed lettered her name onto the brown paper bags, put stickers on them, olive filled each bag with coloring books, activity book, chocolates, candy canes, and more stickers! i really hoped the kids enjoyed them!

hc chose to stay home for her big 5 birthday! we were excited to have him home. about 20 minutes before her class ended, hc, ellie, and i hopped into the car to go pick olive up and take her out to brunch! to my dismay…in which i understand, hc wanted to go pick her up. i know i am always picking her up but this was her birthday! so, i reluctantly let hc do the honors and be the person she saw when she got out of class. we then drove to a local brunch restaurant and enjoyed our time together, celebrating miss olive!

later that day, we just snuggled, relaxed, and then later on, after dinner, we sang happy birthday to miss olive with a vanilla bean cake!

happy birthday beautiful girl. we wish you all the love, happiness, and fortune in life!

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[she chose this fancy little outfit for her birthday at school and yeah, that pose? trouble]

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[dada took the day off to celebrate olive’s birthday]

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[my budding artist]

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[she’s oh so sweet and sassy!]

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[olive was upset we made her wear her caplet outside because it was cold. look at the pouty face. [mama: *eyeroll] ellie is happy though!]

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[she loves to color and draw every day]

xoxo

olive’s first haircut!

it was time.

all these years, i’ve always asked olive if she wanted her hair cut. she always said no. if i felt that i needed to get her hair cut, i would have done it but i didn’t care. so i just waited. i waited for miss olive to feel that she was ready and that time had come.

her long, long hair was getting quite tangly and it bothered her. one day while i was brushing her hair, after a bath, i asked her if she wanted to get her hair cut. she said yes and i was like done! after several more comb throughs and more yes’s, i scheduled an appointment at kids snips in oakbrook. my nephews have been going to the same stylist for yearrrrrrrrrs, so naturally, we had to go there too and get olive’s first haircut by keisha.

it was a very snowy day when we woke up. we hustled, headed out, and just made it to our appointment with a few minutes to spare. as we were pulling into the parking garage, olive immediately remembered coming here with my sister and her cousins to get their hair cut. she screamed, “we’re going where bennett and reagan get their haircut!” i was amazed that she would remember something like that just from pulling into a parking garage {especially since my sisters don’t usually park where i park in the mall}.

i’ve never been inside this ‘salon’, so it was all brand new to me. it’s so small and crowded!!! for every child there were two parents, so with it being so tiny, you can imagine how packed it gets inside, with no room to sit. olive was so excited to get her haircut and loved this place. keisha took olive right away. she was wonderful, very sweet to olive, and so kind to us.

olive ended up getting 9-10 inches in total chopped off! the initial cut was over 7 inches and then keisha trimmed it some more. after her haircut, keisha styled her hair and olive absolutely loved it!!

her first haircut was a success!!! olive was so wonderful and so was her stylist keisha. the total process took 15-20 minutes! it was so fast! thuy met up with us after olive’s haircut and we all then went shopping, natch!

from the moment olive was born…i was waiting for her first haircut and it did not disappoint. i was so happy she was happy and excited for her haircut, i couldn’t have asked for a better combo. her hair is now so easy to comb through and doesn’t get crazy tangly!

happy first haircut my beautiful girl!

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[ready for her haircut. she was much more excited than she appears! lol]

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[keisha undoing her hair]

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[really ellie…such a funny girl in the background]

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[she’s so grown up…wahhhhhhhh]

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[measuring how much we’re going to cut]

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[snip, snip…]

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[there it goes!]

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[excitement]

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[she’s so happy…i can’t tell you how happy this picture of her makes me]

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[she LOVED her style by keisha]

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xoxo

happy 5th birthday my dear olive!

wow…i can’t believe it’s been five years since this beautiful girl has joined us. it’s surreal. my life changed when she was born. of course it did. but what i mean is…life had meaning. life had purpose. life was fulfilling with her in my world.

in your younger years, you wander. you wonder. you live life self centered. as a mother…you realize that this {having children} is what life is about. my heart is so full and the love that i experience every day is like no other. i feel so incredibly blessed to have her as my child and so fortunate to be able to do this. to raise kind humans and do my damndest to raise someone who can make a difference in this sometimes dark world.

sooooooo, olive’s birthday party turned into a surprise party because i went off of something she said a few months ago. she had watched something on her iPad and said to me, “i want a surprise party!”. i said, “how am i suppose to throw you a surprise party while you’re in the house?” she says, “i’ll just go in my room and when i come out, everyone can say ‘surprise!'” bahahahahahaha! ohmergawd…i LOVE her!!!

so, last minute, i told her guests that it was going to be a surprise party! it worked out perfectly! hc dropped the girls off at my sister, thuy’s place, in the morning. hc and i hustled and decorated the house for the party, readied the apps, and the guests started to flow in. about 15 minutes after the party started, my sister shows up with olive and ellie.

i was so excited. i couldn’t wait to see her reaction! i heard her say to thuy why were there all these cars at our house. ha! she walked in and everyone yelled ‘surprise!’. her facial expression was priceless! i was in heaven seeing her so elated! afterwards, she greeted all her guests and made her way around.

olive chose her brown horse theme. she talked about it for months. months!!! it was the first time she chose her theme, so i was in a bit of a pickle because i have always been the one concocting her themes. now that she is independent and opinionated, she expressed exactly what she wanted for her 5th birthday party and i had to go with it. i was a bit stumped but in the end, i figured it out and we had the most wonderful horse themed party!

side note: i went to party city to get some horse themed balloons. uhhhhhh, i didn’t know they carried NOTHING horse related. whaaaaaaaa?! so, as the young male teenager was ringing me up, i asked him if that was a poop emoji balloon on the wall. he said yes. so i said to him, “i will get that balloon. i can’t believe you guys don’t have anything horse themed for my daughter’s birthday party. i’ll get the poop emoji balloon because i think it’s horse’s shit that you don’t have anything else i can get.” yup. i said that to him. he found it funny too.

well, i hope you enjoy the pics! we had such wonderful time celebrating our baby girl turning 5! happy birthday olive. we are so utterly blessed to have you in our lives. thank you for being you. we love you to infinity and beyond!

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[the balloon that stood out. she loves hello kitty!]

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[my story about the poop emoji balloon above. tassels by glamfete]

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[flowers by my sister kim]

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[daniel and auntie missy]

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[stop horsing around!]

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[terry, dan, and agata]

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[calligraphy place cards]

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[bandana’s for our guests]

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[banded flatware inclusive of the party theme]

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[easy cups for kids or adults!]

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[horse favor bags]

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[a party staple]

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[i love our fireplace]

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[i heard her asking about all the cars in the driveway…]

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[i love her facial expression when she saw everyone and mine!]

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[i love this]

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[she’s oh so sweet]

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[y’all…i love her so much!]

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[greeting her guests]

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[she’s so sweet]

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[cousins]

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[with ba]

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[grace, annabelle, and edwin]

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[gramma and olive]

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[backdrop by glamfete. she’s such a princess!]

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[oh how i love her so]

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[i can’t post enough pics of her]

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[this is sooooooo ellie and olive]

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[olive showing off her beautiful unicorn painting]

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[here comes the cake]

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[happy birthday day to you!]

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[make a wish!]

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[she’s so silly! her cousin bennett gathered all the horses around olive]

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xoxo

happy second birthday my ellie belle!

we just celebrated ellie’s second birthday with a fun party!!

ok, ok…i say it e v e r y time. i’m only going to get balloons and a cake. eep!!!! what starts out small and innocent blows way out of control. first, it starts with…’oh, i’ll do a sprinkle theme’, then i think – this idea is fun. this idea is cute. oh, i can make this. wouldn’t this kind of cake be perfect? oh, sprinkle balloons would be a nice touch. what about sprinkle favors as name cards? and on, and on, and on my brain goes into overdrive and my crafting hands get to work and can’t stop. that pretty much sums it up and then boom! a simple party is born. hahahahaha!

hc and i had a very, very, very busy week. we had birthday parties to attend to, traveling to do, laundry to fold, friends to visit, grocery stores to go to, activities for the girls, cleaning to do, baking treats, crafting to finish, a brunch date, errands to run, keeping little humans alive, ya know…typical, every day parent shit.

then saturday came at us and we were ready. we had the food catered, the decor was ready to go, i did some easy baking, dressed the girls, and we were ready for our guests! there was a lot of prep work done the weeks prior, so the day of the party was easy. although through all my hustling that day, i literally ran out of time to dress myself. i said screw it. i’m wearing what i am wearing, everything and everybody else can look nice!

it was another hot day outside, so most of our guests stayed inside. we served apps {vege tray and a cheese plate!], plenty of drinks {alcoholic and non…}, mingled with family and friends {plus i ran around like freakin’ paparazzi!}.

right when the party started was ellie’s nap time. so i put her down 20 min. before the party began. she only slept an hour or so {there was so much commotion going on in the house!} but to my surprise, agata had retrieved her from her crib!!!! whaaaaaa? i was shocked ellie didn’t cry and let agata pick her up!? she allowed others to be in her personal space until she saw me, of course. but overall, she was so calm and well behaved for waking up to a full house of people!

after dinner, we served desserts but not without singing happy birthday to my beautiful girl! she was a bit upset i put her down in the chair but i quickly lit the candles and picked up her cake to bring to her. her face was like, ‘what’s going on here??’ we started to sing happy birthday and she was making the funniest faces!!! she was quite amused {watch the video below to see it in action!} but the best part was when we laughed at her cuteness and she busted out laughing herself; she was not sure on why people were laughing but joined in just because!

her birthday celebration was a total success! i had so much fun putting it together and i think all our guests, especially our guest of honor, had a great time!

happy birthday my beautiful ellie. you are spunky, sweet, silly, tenacious, so loving, thoughtful, amusing, and full of life. we are beyond thankful you have graced us with your presence. always remember how beautiful, strong, and intelligent you are! we love you so much baby girl!!!

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[pout pout]

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[flowers by my sister kim]

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[sprinkle wafers]

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[sisters]

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[chocolate dipped goodies covered with sprinkles]

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[thanks for the picture reagan!]

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[hc made the donut board and i glazed and sprinkled the doughnuts!]

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[not impressed by my decor]

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[two sweet]

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[family]

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[sprinkle cake]

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[dessert bar]

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[sprinkle cups and calligraphy names so people won’t lose their cups!]

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[these babes with ba…oh my heart]

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[i filled each balloon. oy]

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[barbara and lynne]

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[emoji favor bags]

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[thuy and lan]

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[she’s a doll]

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[sprinkle vases]

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[ready for her cake!]

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[singing happy birthday to ellie]

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[we all started laughing at her funny faces, so she laughed along with us!]

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[trying to get her to blow out her candles!]

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[she’s soooooo sweet! i could eat her up!]

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[my girls]

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[that face!!!!]

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[present time!]

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[i wear my sunglasses at night]

xoxo

mother’s day concert

olive’s school hosted the moms and their families to the mother’s day concert!

i was excited. i love being involved in anything school related. i love supporting olive in any school activities. i find these moments, these years too short. i try my best to be present. i try, i fail, and i succeed. i am not perfect.

olive has become more tenacious, more vocal, more opinionated, and together we have become more combative. she levels out my thinking and really makes me look into the mirror, which i am so grateful for. i realize how difficult i can be, how irrational and temperamental i am. i absolutely love her honesty towards me and it definitely puts me in my place.

being a mother is such a great gift. i feel so lucky to be on this journey. the lessons i’ve learned, the selflessness, and the reflection i must look at helps me become a better person. having children forces me to be a better human as i help them become better human beings. it’s my calling. it’s my purpose. it’s what i am meant to do. children are the greatest gift in this crazy, messed up world!

anyhoo, the concert was so stinkin’ cuuuuuute!!!!! so cute! they did such a great job singing all their songs and i was so proud of olive! she belted out some tunes! it was so cute to watch and hear her sing her songs.

after the concert, each student grabbed their gifts for their moms and walked down to us! it was so fun and sweet to see olive so excited to see us and give me her present! it was a book of handprints…from september to may, celebrating each holiday or milestone throughout the school year. i loved seeing her hand print grow with each month…oh my heart!

after the gifts, they had cookies and water for us to enjoy. it was so darling and fun! i attached a video of one of the songs they sang. you can hear olive so clearly in this one. my heart is so full!

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[getting ready to sing!]

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[waiting for the teachers to call her down to give her gift to me]

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[olive ready to give me a mother’s day present!]

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[my focus was sooooo off but i love her expression here, so i had to post it.

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[how cute is this??!]

[my focus was sooooo off but i love her expression here, so i had to post it.

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[she’s so damn sweet]

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xoxo

hello olive

so i thought i’d interview miss olive and ask her a few questions.

i wanted to capture her innocence and sweet personality. i wanted to freeze a brief moment in her, well, our lives. i want to remember her clearly at this age. 4 years and almost 6 months.

she’s grown so much in the last year but lately, each week, each month she grows exponentially. i am surprised and pleasantly shocked at her thought process. her maturity. her emotions. her loving and caring nature. this girl is soooo utterly emotional and sensitive. she can crumble easily but forgives instantly. thank God because i always need to be forgiven. i am too temperamental and rash, i am alway kicking myself for getting too heated but this amazing soul, we call olive, always comes back to this bear of a mother and forgives. she turns my heart into a puddle and my love for her is indescribable and so big, it’s beyond words.

she listens and is so compliant. i am amazed by her inherent abilities to flex with her environment and other people’s personalities. she dotes on her little sister ellie. she is so patient. she is kind. she has a memory like her mama – sharp and clear. her social skills have blossomed so much over thee past few months and i am amazed every time i see her so talkative and receptive to others that she might not know as well.

my ‘interview’ was short and sweet. so, i asked her a few simple questions:

kiki: what’s your favorite color?

olive: purple!

kiki: what’s your favorite thing to do with kiki?

olive: play with a tea party {which we did after this interview!} with my dollies

kiki: what else do like to do with kiki?

olive: to decorate the house

kiki: what’s your favorite food?

olive: hot dogs!

kiki: is there another favorite food?

olive: pancakes!

kiki: who’s your best friend?

olive: grace

kiki: what is your favorite toy?

olive: my dollies for a picnic; bunny unicorn and rockstar

kiki: what is your favorite holiday

olive: shopping

kiki: olive:

kiki: what’s your favorite dessert?

olive: a pancake!

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[a 24 hour old olive]

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[the only time she took a paci…after that, it was history]

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[her sweet baptism]

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[ten months old]

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[first birthday]

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[two years old]

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[four years old]

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[my sweet baby]

xoxo

first day of school

it was olive’s first day at school. wow…i was sooooo excited but my heart was crying a bit because my first baby is getting so big. she’s growing up and i am so proud of her, so full of love for her, and absolutely blessed to be her mom. this girl is like a ray of sunshine in my life and i am beyond thankful for her presence.

she’s becomes such a strong, silly, fun person. she’s so respectful and listens so well. she has a heart of gold and is the best big sister to ellie. a few things about her: she loves to make friends. when she sees another tot, she is immediately drawn to them. she’s not shy about that. she will slide on up next to the kid {boy or girl] and make eye contact, smile, and tries to seamlessly join in on their play. it’s the cutest thing to watch.

this girl has a pretty amazing memory. for example, we will see a toy store at the mall and i will tell her we are not going in there now and say to her, “we can go in there after we finish our errands.” she will politely and obligingly say, “ok”. after a couple of hours of shopping and letting this mama finish up what i need to get done, olive will then say, “ok, now we go to the store!” as in the store with the toys. hahaha! i think to myself…how do you remember?! she does this all.the.time. she doesn’t forget!

she’s become a bit opinionated about her clothes but not so much where she takes the reigns. i am still the dictator in the is department but i think it’s adorable when she wants in on what she wears. she usually listens to my opinion but i love that she adds in her fashion twists.

she’s become a bit more open with eating different things. i love that she will take my advice on trying things once. i told her that she needs to try something once and if she doesn’t like it, i won’t make her eat it but it means a lot to me if she tries it. i will totally admit that i am a sucker and i give in to her wants…i can’t help it!! she’s so darn cute! you want peanut butter and jelly? okaaaaaayyyyy. lollipop? suuuuure. whatever you want sweet girl.

anyhoo, on her first day of school. we rustled her awake and fed her a breakfast of fruit {grapes and strawberries} and cinnamon waffles. i got her dressed, hc dropped ellie off at my parents, and we took off to school. the week prior and leading up to that morning, olive seemed excited at the idea of school. we parked the car and her little face dropped. she looked concerned and somber. as we were walking from the car, she asked if i could hold her hand. of course baby girl. i am here for you! i held her hand and i could tell that she was taking in everything, observing it all. she was so calm and serious. we waited outside the classroom amongst all the parents and kids, waiting for mrs. finley to open up the doors. once she did, we walked inside and olive’s face lit up when she saw all the toys!!!

yes, toys make this girl happy. we greeted mrs. finley, walked around – checking out the classroom, dropped off our supplies, and watched olive play. after a bit, mrs. finley called the kids to sit down and the parents to gather around. she went over their every day schedule and a few rules and expectations. i really, really like her. she is sweet and seems so concerned with their well being.

olive already had homework! she needed to color an apple and bring it back for their tree. we took home some more paperwork and after 40 minutes or so, we left the class. we checked out the bathroom {it was so cute with all the mini toilets and sink}, we stressed to olive that if she needed to use the washroom, she needed to remember that she needs to pull her pants down and up on her own, and pretty much be independent. i think that’s the only thing i worry about right now. no one wants their kid to have an accident!

after we walked around the school for a bit of exploring, we then took little miss olive out for breakfast. our first and her second one of the morning! there this girl mowed down her mickey mouse pancakes and a plate of bacon. she cracks me up! gosh, i love her spirit.

well, olive’s first day of school was a success i must say! she was a bit nervous but everything for her, and us, turned out great! i was so looking forward to this day and it was absolutely perfect. i am so proud of my munchkin and i am looking forward to a fabulous school year!

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[first day of school]

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[a slight look of concern]

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[she looks so much like me here]

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[she got real serious here]

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[putting her bag up]

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[excited over the toys]

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[dada helping her raise her hand]

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[with mrs. finley]

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[grabbing her backpack]

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[such a big girl]

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[treating my girl to breakfast]

xoxo

ellie’s first birthday family photos

i was so excited for ellie’s first birthday professional pics! i always have anxiety leading up to their photo sessions because kids are unpredictable and me, being type a, always wants everything perfect! olive has had the reputation of being fussy and she’s always been so difficult with every photo session we’ve ever had with her.

ellie was awesome during her newborn sesh but sooooooooo dang fussy with her six months photos. plus, she’s been increasing clingy of late, so i knew her one year sesh was going to be hard to capture.

on top of that, our date with tricia had been cancelled twice and rescheduled three times! once due to personal conflict, another time due to inclement weather, and then we finally settle on a third date! well, the day had come and we were ready!

tricia had suggested that we take family photos instead to the usual birthday photos of just ellie and i was game. we were going to do individual pics of her but i absolutely loved the idea of family pics because that is what we are about! make is special for ellie but document us all on this very special milestone!

the evening was warm and muggy. like suuuuuuuper muggy!!! wet. moist. sticky. yes…all those descriptive words. at first, olive {had fallen asleep in the car equating to a grumpy wake up and girl}, she was rather somber and glum at first. typical! i gave her a little pep talk and asked if she wanted a flower and that perked her up instantly! next thing i knew…she was happier than a clam!! she smiled, giggle, and made the cutest faces for tricia! i was blown away! she was sooooooo stinkin’ cute! she is usually like this when we take pics but it was so heart melting to see her like this with tricia!

ellie cooperated quite well until we placed her in a bed of flowers {i warned tricia that she didn’t like being out of my arms and definitely didn’t like the grass!!!}. that was a compete mess but nonetheless, it was a very successful photo shoot! we truly had a wonderful time!!!

i am always so pleased with tricia’s work. she takes the most amazing pics of our family and i have loved having her as our family photographer for years now.

happy birthday miss ellie. you have blessed our lives in so many wonderful ways. we love you so much and the first year with you in our lives has blessed and fulfilled us in so many amazing ways!

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[my sweet birthday girl]

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[sweet, giggly girl]

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[the smiliest she’s ever been for professional pics…i’m in love]

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[meeeeeelting…oh how i adore this picture]

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[i can’t]

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[my girls. my sweet, lovely girls.]

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[my faaaaaavorite of these two]

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[yup…this is what we get for sticking her in a bed of flowers. she’s like, nope.]

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[my life]

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[pure love]

xoxo