Slumber Party!

Before Jared & I had Jett, every once in a blue moon we would declare a "Slumber Party" night.  Slumber Party nights always occurred on Friday nights, after we both had had a long week at work & they consisted of spreading a great big pallet across the floor, pillows piled high, heavy quilts & comforters to snuggle up under, munching on an assortment of movie box candy & popcorn, & watching a marathon of movies til' our eyes grew droopy & we drifted off to dreamland.   We always had great intentions of spending the entire night on our big pallet & sleeping on it til' noon the next day, but every single time, without fail, I would end up waking Jared in the middle of the night {wondering why in the world I was choosing a hard floor over my soft king size bed} & we would groggily {is that a word?} stumble off into the dark to our bed--where we would then sleep until noon the next day!  Ahhh...those were the days!

Now, I realize this may seem a little silly, considering that Jared & I slumber together every single night of our lives, & have for the past 7 years, but it's something out of the ordinary routine that we always found to be fun!

And here lately, I've been missing it...

So yesterday, while I was out doing my grocery shopping, I stocked up on all the necessities for a rockin' "Slumber Party", & sent the hubster a text telling him I had a surprise for him!

After Jett man went down for bed last night, we made a pallet, popped in a movie, ate Whoppers & Sour Strings til we had belly aches, & debated on whether or not we should spend the entire night on our pallet on the floor...

And when we woke up this morning...

we were in our soft king size bed.  Haha. Some things never change.  And this time, our wake up call was not at noon, but rather, at 8:40 a.m.-- to a happy little boy squealing over the monitor!

Sure, our times have changed just a little, & we've had to tweak our plans here & there, but it is so important to find time to do the things we have always loved to do & to incorporate them into our new lives as a family.  I imagine that one day, when Jared & I lay there on our big pallet, snacking on our junk food, & having our movie marathons, that we'll be squished together by a bunch of little warm bodies who have decided to join us {yes, you read that right--I said a "bunch" because I really do want a "bunch" of em'}!

Hmmm... or maybe Jared & I will keep our  "Slumber Party" nights as a little secret between just the two of us.  We will see.  Either way, there is no other place I would rather be on a Friday night!

Ridin' In Style

Check out this cool cat!

The other day I cleaned & organized Jett's closet & dresser drawers {woot woot for checking things off that Spring Cleaning To-Do List}, & I ran across the sunglasses he wore last year.  I figured he wouldn't get much use out of them this summer since 1) his head has probably doubled in size since last year & 2) kids this age usually hate any kind of accessory being attached to their heads or faces. Boy howdy, was I wrong!  He loves these sunglasses!  He insists on me putting them on him about a hundred times a day!  It cracks me up!

The funniest thing is that he MUST have them on when he drives his little red car!  Before he climbs up in his "cozy coupe", he does a quick scan of the room, finds his shades & then he's set {well, after he grunts & holds them up to his face for me to put them on him}!  This kid is a riot, & I LOVE LOVE LOVE him!!

I'm now on the hunt for a cute little pair of aviators for this summer {how cute will that be?} so if you run across some or have seen them somewhere, send me a shout so I can snag them!  Thanks =)

Well, that's it for today!  I'm off to lay the little stud muffin down for a nap!

 {he also takes along his sippy cup of milk & places it in the cupholder behind him when he's out for a cruise--did I mention I love this kid?!}

Have a great day!

Kiss & Tell

So the other night, Jared & I were watching tv when this commercial came on...



28 first kisses?  Hmm.

And before I even had time to process the commercial, let alone make a comment,  Jared pipes up from across the room & says, "Ha!  You blew that number right out the water!"

"JARED!!" I shrieked!

He then cracked up laughing, quickly reminding me of how many boys I had dated in my past {that's what I get for filling him in on every stinkin' detail of my life}!  He laughed & giggled like a little school girl, thinking it was the funniest thing to sit there & taunt me about my kissing history!

There I sat, for the first time in my life without some smart remark to come back at him with.  He was right & we both knew it.  It was true.  I had dated lots of boys.  And as a result, I had kissed a whole slew of em'!  I was a teenage girl, swimming in a high school sea of boys--what ever was I supposed to do?!

**And just to defend my honor here, I can't let it go unsaid that I was a good, wholesome girl, & while yes, I locked lips with a bunch of boys, I was never one of "those" girls.  So please, don't go thinking I am or ever was some "fill in the blank". Thank you. =)**

Alright alright, so he got me.  But 28?!  That was pushing it!  So I began to tally them up in my head.  If my memory serves me right, my total falls below that 28 average mark & I did not "blow that number right out of the water", after all!!  So there!

We've gotten some good laughs out of this over the past couple of days, Jared especially!  He loves to tease me about it, & watch me get squirm & get all embarrassed.  It's all in good fun, & I can be a good sport & take it.

But in my defense, there was a method to my madness & I stand by the trusty ol' saying that--

You've got to kiss a lot of frogs before you kiss your prince! It's not MY fault there were so many frogs out there! ;)

  

Weekend In Review

Greetings from the land of croup cough, snot noses, relentless fussing, sleepless nights, & the overpowering scent of Vick's Vapo Rub.  Dreamy, huh?  If I haven't painted the picture clear enough, I'll just let you know that it has been one doozy of a weekend.  I am convinced that there is nothing worse than listening & watching your child suffer right before your very eyes, & not having the power to relieve that suffering.  Every time a coughing fit rears its ugly head, I find myself wanting to just cry right along with my little guy.  But instead, I fill my boots as "Momma", &  I spend hours upon hours rocking, snuggling, kissing, reading books, singing songs, & doing everything that I possibly can to bring just a little comfort to my sick baby.  I don't know how long this croup junk is gonna last, but I think it goes without saying that we will all be glad when we're out of this land & onto healthier, happier, new land.

One of the good things about being cooped up within the four walls of this house all weekend was that I had a chance to stare into the faces of all the things that need to be cleaned, organized, painted, & repaired during my upcoming spring cleaning fest this year.  I take my spring cleaning quite seriously around here, complete with a detailed list of each & every room in our home & what needs to take place in that room to get it up & running in perfect shape once again!  The garage & yard are also included in this list, but Jared takes care of those areas.  So this weekend I got a little jump start on the process & made my list! It's 3 pages long {I clearly have my work cut out for me} & is hanging on my info board in my kitchen so that I will have to look at it every single day until everything is all checked off!  Even though I haven't completed a single task on that list just YET, I already feel rejuvenated just having it all typed out & hanging there!  It's a move in the right direction!  I can just envision it now-- a perfectly tidy house, no clutter closets, bright white baseboards, sparkly clear windows, every thing in its place, trash bags of stuff being hauled off to Goodwill-- yah, I'm a bit of a psycho when it comes to cleaning.  I'm working on that.

We did manage to get outside today for some fresh air.  While we were out strolling the neighborhood, we ran into Jett's buddy, Henry who lives across the street. Jett & Henry enjoyed a little wagon ride around the drive way together & got a kick out of giving each other "high fives" {well, the parents got a kick out of it anyways}!  We laugh that in just a matter of time, these two will be running the neighborhood!

Welp, that's our weekend in review.  It wasn't a complete loss, & we still managed to have a little fun in between wiping noses, buying every kind of "vapor" product on the market, & taking care of a crabby, cranky baby.

And now I'm off to hit the hay early to try & catch up on some of the sleep I've lost over the past few days.  I've got to get refreshed if I'm gonna conquer that Spring Cleaning list!

Goodnight friends!

A Taste Test

Oh me, oh my, what a BEEEEEAUUUUUUUTIFUL day it was here today!  The sun cheerfully came out to play & brought along with it a little "taste test" of the fresh new season that is just right around the corner!  As that big ball of heat beamed down its Vitamin D packed rays, it left our skin feeling tingly & warm, & left our thoughts swooning over things like long walks, sidewalk chalk, swing sets, water hoses, picnics in the park, open sunroofs, grilling burgers on the back deck, & Sonic cherry limeades!

It was the most gorgeous day, & the little Jett man & I had to get out & bask in the toasty 70 degree temperatures that it boasted! We took a long walk around our neighborhood & waved to neighbors who had the same idea in mind as us!  I smiled as Jett giggled at the dogs that would bark at us while we strolled by, & chuckled as he would see children playing & inch himself up to the very front of his stroller, so eager to say hello!  I am so proud of the little social bug that he is {he gets that from his DaddyBoy}!  Once Jared got home, we met him at the door & decided to get out there again & squeeze every bit of sunshine out of the day!  This time we loaded Jett up in his new wagon! The neighborhood bursted with shrieks & squeals of children playing, basketballs, baseballs, & footballs bounced & flew through the air, neighbors stopped to chit chat, the delicious smoke smell from a fired up grill filled the evening air, & before we knew it the sun was quickly fading away.  What an absolutely gorgeous, perfect day.  I am already finding I have a little skip in my step, I'm feeling more alive, & I am more than ready for that sunshine to come back to stay!

This little "taste test" of a day sure was yummy & it did precisely what a good taste test should do--it left us craving more!

Oh Spring, do come quickly!

Speakin' My Language!

Love language, that is!

You've heard of the 5 different love languages, right?  Well if you haven't, go to THIS website & you can take a quiz to find out what yours is! It's a fun little way to figure out how to love your spouse in the way that they desire to be loved!  I'm pretty sure I already know what Jared's love language is, but I'm gonna have him do the little quiz tonight,  just so I can be sure!

So after doing the quiz for myself, it revealed that my love language is:
Receiving gifts, followed closely by Acts of Service.  Yep, that's definitely me! Buy me a present, then load the dishwasher, & my heart is all yours!

No seriously, it's not that I'm all about gifts & that I have to have "things" to make me happy.  It's so much more about the thought & time put into making something special for me, & only me!  It's the small things, like the love notes he leaves for me every single morning, or the "prizes" he always brings home to me when he goes to the grocery store by himself!  Thoughtfulness is a really big deal to me, & the small things go a long, long way with me!

So yesterday {Valentine's Day},  I was a pretty happy girl when I woke up to this:

Little heart stickers stuck to everything I would be sure to come in contact with--the remote control, the refrigerator, the microwave, the computer, the light switches, my bathroom mirror!  Little pink, red, & white hearts were scattered all over the house & I got giddy every time I stumbled upon one!

"Happy Valentine's Day" balloons sprinkled all throughout the house!  They were little touches that reminded me I am loved every time I bumped into one!

A little tin full of my favorite--Reese's candy!

The sweetest little bouquet of pink & white flowers {from my Jett Jett}, wrapped with a little pink & white polka dot bow around the vase!  I'm not a big flowers kind of girl, & I always say to not waste the money on them, but I must say that this little bouquet could not be more "ME" & I really love it!  It sits on my window sill above my kitchen sink, & I smile every time I look at it!

Jared made the day really special for me, & I could see that he really took the time to think about what I would love, & carried those little things out for me!  I already KNOW that Jared loves & adores me, but it means the world to me when he takes the time to SHOW me by speakin' my language!  It helps me to remember what a blessed, loved, & cherished girl I am!

Jett Jett was feeling pretty loved  & adored, as well!  He woke up to a fun little basket of goodies & a yummy breakfast, complete with heart shaped pancakes!  We were supposed to go & meet DaddyBoy for lunch, but I ended up feeling a little under the weather, so we spent the day at home instead.  We made dinner together as a family {homemade pizzas with heart shaped pepperonis}, & chocked the evening full of hugs, kisses, & lots of snuggling!

 Jared & I are really looking forward to this weekend when we will have a sitter for Jett {thank you, Allyson} & celebrate our Valentine's Day as a couple with a romantic evening to ourselves!

I sure hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day & that someone was speakin' YOUR Love Language!

And the WINNER is....

Happy Monday!  And HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I must say, that doing this giveaway was so much fun for me!  My absolute favorite thing about it was reading all about each & every one of your Valentine's Day plans!  It made me feel like I got to see into a little slice of your lives!  You all are such sweet friends, & I truly enjoyed hearing about your little traditions, the way you celebrate with the ones you love, & how you transform into "cupid" for the day!  Every time I sat down to read a comment, I found myself smiling from ear to ear!  So thank you--for following my silly life here on this blog, & for sharing a little smidgeon of your life with me!

The only thing I did not enjoy about doing this giveaway was that I couldn't give something to every one of you {insert sad face}! At one point, the crazy thought of just going ahead & making an apron for each & every one of you crossed my mind!  Then I realized I'm nutso for even thinking I could pull that off!  I've never been one for leaving anyone out, or making someone feel excluded so I struggled just a tad with giving only ONE away.  But that's the name of the game, I suppose. BUT... if you are feeling left out, or hurt, or EXTREMELY disappointed, chances are you can work my heartstrings enough, & I'll just go ahead & make you a stinkin' apron!  Haha!

Okay, so are you all ready for the winner?!

Can I get a drumroll please?!
........................................

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Alright, alright!

THE WINNER IS..............

Yay!  Congratulations, Korie!  Shoot me a message with your address & I'll get it in the mail to you a.s.a.p.!

Thanks to all who played along!  For those of you who didn't win--stay tuned!  I'm thinkin' I'll do another one here soon--perhaps something SpRiNgY!

I hope you all have a very Happy Valentine's Day full of hugs, kisses, & lots & lots of LOVE!!

XO

SURPRISE!

It's Friday!!  And I've got a surprise for you!

You know that Valentine apron I was working on yesterday?  Well...it wasn't for me.  Lord knows I've already got too many aprons as it is!  It's for you!  That's right, this is my first blog give away, & I am so super excited about it!

So many of you have inquired about these aprons that I make, & while I don't have the time {right at this moment} to whip them up for everyone who has asked, I thought it would be fun to give one away here on my blog!

So, if you would like to be the proud new owner of this festive little apron, just follow these 2 simple rules to enter:


1) Be a follower of my blog.  It's easy.  Just click the FOLLOW button over there on the right!


2) Leave a comment under this post & tell me how you plan to celebrate Valentine's Day!  Elaborate or simple, I want to hear about it!

That's it!  Easy, right?!

I will draw a name at random & announce the winner on Valentine's Day {Monday}!  Good Luck!

Have a wonderful weekend!

PLAN B

What's a girl to do when she has her whole day planned out {starting with Kindermusik in the morning & finishing up with a 12 month doctor appointment in the afternoon}, & not even a mile down the road the car starts to drive funny, a little bell dings, & then the CHECK ENGINE light proceeds to light up in orange?

She whips that car around & heads home to figure out a PLAN B for her day!

PLAN B= CRAFTING!  Valentine style!

And I didn't choose just ONE project to immerse myself in.  I'm an overachiever by nature.  I dove right into THREE projects!  I'm crazy like that.

So here's what my PLAN B kind of day looked like--

Valentine cards to send out to our families!

A Valentine apron!

A cute little Valentine sure for Jett man!

And now that I am knee deep in my three Valentine crafties, would you believe that I am actually contemplating getting my big ol' tub of cookie cutters & sprinkles out to start in on some Valentine sugar cookies?  Go me!

How's THAT for a PLAN B?!


{disclaimer: no child {aka Jett} was left being neglected while all of this crafting was taking place.  He was taking a super duper long nap, & as you can see, I was making the most of it!}

"ONE"derful!

Saturday, February 5, at 12pm, we had quite a little celebration here at our house.  I have reflected on the day over & over & have let all of the wonderful details kind of simmer & seep into my heart, & the conclusion I continue to come up with is that the day could not have been more perfect.  It was simple, & intimate, & beautiful.

At some point on Saturday, in the midst of all of the celebrating, something "clicked" with me.  You ever have a moment where you KNOW something to be true in your mind, but then something just "clicks", &  you go from knowing it in your mind to actually FEELING it in your heart--and then that changes everything?  Well, I had one of those moments, & it was pretty amazing...

If you know me at all, then you have probably figured out that I am pretty over the moon about being a mother!  Jett came into my life & he changed it forever.  He makes more out of me.  He brings more meaning to my days.  He makes me smile when I'm at my lowest.  He gives me a strength, a courage, & a zeal for this life.  To simply state it, he makes my life better.  And as I looked around the room on Saturday, trying to make a conscious effort to memorize every single detail of the day, what I saw staring back at me wasn't all of the details of the party.  It wasn't the party hats, or if I needed to refill the veggie tray, or who needed a drink, or if everyone was perfectly comfortable.  What I saw was this all consuming love that filled my home.  A love like I have never witnessed before in my life.  And it was literally oozing from every single person present.  There wasn't a soul in attendance that was there out of obligation, or was simply squeezing Jett's big day into their schedule. Every single person was present--really present, as if this day was as big to them as it was to me.  And that's when it "clicked".  I realized that this day was as big to them as it was to me.  Every single individual at Jett's one year old party, they LOVE him.  They really, truly love him.  He has slipped into their lives, just as he has mine, & he has changed them forever.  He has brought life & energy & love into their hearts that they never knew was missing until he came along.  Wow. This realization hit me & it floored me, all at once. To know & feel how much you love your own child is one thing--it's something that is almost paralyzing & there aren't even adequate words to describe it.  But then to be able to feel & experience the love that others have for your very own child?  Well, it's right up there with indescribable.  I'm talking about real true love, the kind that once you have been in the presence of, you cannot deny that you felt it. THAT kind of love.  To come to the realization that other people have this kind of love for your very own child, it is amazing.  It is beautiful.  And there isn't much more that could make a momma's heart smile bigger.

You know, I have always heard the quote that "it takes a village to raise a child", but honestly, I never personally got it.  I'm pretty independent & always believed that between Jared & I, we've got this family thing covered.  That we can manage just fine. And we do. And we can.  But oh my, what we would be missing out on, what Jett would be missing out on if this "village" wasn't here being his cheering section, pouring out this immeasurable amount of love that the walls of my home could barely contain, & bringing out the very best that lies inside him.  These are the people that will stand behind him, help to guide him, & play their each & individual intricate roles in molding & making our little Jett into the person he is going to be one day.  They are important.  They are needed.  They are our "village".  They bring a great big army of love to my little boy's life, & he will be blessed because of it.

I can honestly say that Jett's party was one of the most beautiful, perfect days  I have ever experienced.  And not because I planned the party or because of all of the little party details.  It was none of that. It was because of the love that I witnessed on that very special day.  I won't ever forget it or take it for granted. 

Clearly, it was a really "one"derful day!  And here are the pictures to prove it!

The FABULOUS cake!  Made by my very dear friends.  If you ever need an amazing cake, get ahold of me.  I'll give you their info.  They are so very talented & can make anything you can dream up!

Little details! 

Party Favors!

Cake Table!

 The birthday boy showing off that he is "1"!

Happy Day!

His new spring horse, "Lucky" {from Coach & Gigi}

So excited for his gifts!

One of my favorite moments about the day was his reaction to every gift he opened!  Every single time he opened a present, he would grin this adorable cheesy grin as if he was saying "thank you"!  He made everyone in the room feel so special, like they had chosen THE perfect gift for him!  It was pretty sweet!

New car {from Papa & Grandma}!

He went for lots of rides in it, did a few donuts on the kitchen floor, & popped some major wheelies, with the help of some grandparents, aunts, & uncles!

The "village" in their party hats!

Singing "Happy Birthday"!

Having his cake, & eating it too!

Digging in!

Sharing with Daddy!

Even the dino partied it up!