Sprinkles, Sprinkles Everywhere

Last night, we had Catherine's friends Ben and Calton over to decorate Christmas cookies. I baked tons of sugar cookies, decorated the table, and placed all of the toppings on the table. There were sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, and M&Ms as well as icing in little squeeze bottles meant to make it easy for tiny toddler hands.

I was prepared for a mess. I really was. But, I'm not sure I was prepared for this level of mess. It was worth the sprinkles in every corner of my house though, because it was so much fun watching the kids decorate, eat, and play together. They ate far more than they decorated, but that's part of the fun, right?

It was so much fun to spend time with friends during the holidays. I'm so glad we have such sweet friends and I look forward to this becoming a tradition each year with our little ones.

Good for the Soul

Girls night is good for my soul. I love my day/night/life job more than anything; but it's nice to be reminded that I am still young and fun and can look pretty when I actually shower and apply makeup and break out the Louis Vuitton instead of the $19 purse from Target with Cheerios floating around the bottom and partially chewed suckers stuck to the lining. 

Plus,you can't beat the company. 

I love these ladies.

Musical Chairs

Tonight at dinner, Husband slid his plate over to the seat next to mine and said, "I think I'm going to sit here from now on."

Me: "So you want to be able to see the tv?"

Husband: "No, I just want to be able to hold your hand."

(Overheard from living room: "Touchdown Steelers!")

Husband under his breath: "yes!"

Gingerbread House

This one time, I thought decorating a gingerbread house would be a fun, easy, rainy day activity. I assembled the house last night and provided only icing and two types of sprinkles for decorating. Easy enough, right?

The first thing she did was dump every single sprinkle out onto the table, sending them rolling and scattering across the kitchen into corners that will no doubt hold them for months.

Then, I introduced the icing... 

And then, because she hadn't made a big enough mess with sprinkles, I gave her a shaker...

As soon as we were finished, I scooped her up, beater and all, marched upstairs and plopped her straight into the bathtub (which I will be cleaning tonight because it is dyed by red and green sprinkles).

It was fun. And, is that not the most beautiful gingerbread house you've ever seen?

Making memories is messy. Mommy has much cleaning to do.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

This week, Husband crossed over the precipice and left his twenties behind him. He made me promise not to throw him a party for the big 3-0, so we celebrated with family this week instead.

Last Sunday, his parents joined us for lunch and presents. Catherine helped me make Husband's favorite meal - pot roast, mac and cheese, and fried okra; and his mom brought her famous chocolate chess pie. 

It was such a nice, relaxing way to celebrate our favorite person. And C loved getting to spend time with her Mim and Pop!

Since his actual birthday fell on a work day, we settled for a quick celebratory lunch in the food court (and a carousel ride of course). 

Last night, we were able to celebrate with my family. My brother-in-law's birthday is this week, so we had a combo dinner complete with way too many cupcakes.

I somehow managed to get zero photos of Husband or my brother-in-law; but I managed to get plenty of C dressing up in my and my sister's old dance costumes! We had so much fun relaxing and celebrating with family this whole week.

Husband's favorite response to people making a big deal about his birthday is this quote:

There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age 11. -Dave Barry

Nevertheless, I can't not celebrate the life that has changed mine so much. This man is truly my best friend. He makes me laugh. He has been beside me during some of my favorite memories. He is my late night movie marathon partner, my early morning dance partner, my toughest critic, and my biggest fan. It's tough not to love him or all that he is. He is selfless, gentle, and loving. He is thoughtful and loyal. He works tirelessly to provide a beautiful life for our family; and, above all, he is the best father to the best gift we have ever received. 

I can't imagine my life without this man, nor do I want to. I am thankful for his birth today and every single day. 

Happy birthday, my love (and don't worry, you don't look a day over 29)!

Beauty Tip

In case you were wondering if baked ziti works well as a hair conditioner, I can assure that no, no it does not.

The Great Narrator

They say to help teach your child language, that you should talk about everything you do, narrating your day in hopes that some of it will stick. I've been doing this for some time and it is obviously working, but today, I had a revelation.

If you narrate your every move so that your toddler will learn, they will learn to narrate their every move.

C now tells me everything she's doing while she's doing it, often in triplicate (a habit I must have).

Heard daily around our house:

"Wash, wash, wash" (while washing her hands)

"Dry, dry, dry" (while drying her hands)

"Rock, rock, rock" (while rocking her baby or while being rocked by me)

"Clean, clean, clean" (while helping me dust or wipe up a mess)

"Up, down, up, down" or "step, step" (while on the stairs)

"Socks and shoes" (while putting on socks and shoes)

"Eat, eat" (while pointing to food she has deliberately dropped on the floor for the dog)

Other favorite phrases:

"It's okay"

"Oh no"

"No, no, no"

"It's all gone" 

"Mik pease" ("milk please")

"It's a cow! Mooo"

"It's a puppy!" "Puppies!"

"Hi!"

"Bye!"

"Car! Beep beep!"

Watch what you say. Nothing is a secret around here!

Under the Sea

Few things are better in this life than experiencing something new through the eyes of your child, so we took advantage of being in Atlanta for the weekend and spent Sunday exploring The Georgia Aquarium. 

To say it is impressive is an understatement. We were there all day and only finished half of it; but C was exhausted from partying the night before at Stone Mountain and ended up taking a cat nap in her stroller while we ate lunch. 

We still had the best time walking through the exhibits and watching C's face light up as animals we'd read about swam over her head.

We watched the dolphin show and C was mesmerized. She clapped and gasped with glee each time a dolphin surfaced. When a ball dropped down from the rafters for a trick, she excitedly pointed and said, "ball!" and when it was pulled back up after the trick, she cried out, "oh no!"

It truly is magical to watch her experience new things. I love watching her eyes widen as she sees something thrilling or watching her brow furrow as she tried to make sense of it all. I love watching Husband carry her all over the place and point out different creatures. I love that in every experience is a lesson and in every place, a classroom. And I love that I get to share this sweet, smart little girl with the man she calls Daddy.

Georgia Aquarium, we'll be back. There are many more memories to be made.

Bubbles with Santa

Last year, my mom wanted to try the Christmas Village in Stone Mountain, Georgia. So, we loaded up the family and drove our baby to see Santa. We had so much fun immersed in the shows and parades and s'mores and twinkle lights and the train ride with sing along carols that we decided it had to become an annual trip.

One year later, we took a busy toddler back to see Santa. This was a very different trip, one in which we pushed an empty stroller while C ran around, touching lights, catching bubbles, and playing with a light up wand she needed. I've said it before and I'll say it again - this age is so much fun! I am loving this holiday season!

We arrived a bit earlier this year since she was old enough to enjoy some of the activities. We visited the Coca-Cola polar bear first. He was a huge hit, being fuzzy and all. She hugged him and petted his fur. She did not want to leave him.

We then went to a short little musical about misfit toys. It was sparkly and there was singing and dancing and bubbles. We even took C to meet the dolly after the show and the actress was so sweet. 

Speaking of bubbles, we happened upon a bubble show while waiting for the parade to start. Bubbles rank at the top of the list of things that make C happy 100% of the time. 

Now that we were veterans, we knew just where to stand for the parade and, as soon as Santa arrived, we were at the front of the line! She wasn't entirely thrilled with Santa this year. She didn't cry, but she was cautious. I'm blaming it on the lack of fuzzy coat like last year. Did he not get the memo about C's obsession with all things fuzzy? Despite her apprehension, we got some pretty cute shots of she and the big guy.

She was able to enjoy the candy cane this year and she was not letting go!

We spent the rest of the evening walking through the village of lights, eating delicious treats, and riding the train, where C fell asleep to the soothing sound of carols being sung by a train full of children. Life is good.

Merry Christmas!