Word "less" Wednesday

So, I went to take Henry to bed and on my way up I said, "Find something for dessert, like chocolate chip cookies or something."

I came back down...

Yep, he is making chocolate chip cookies. I love him.

A Good Run

When I say a good run, I don't mean I went running, because we know that is not happening. I mean after 12 and 1/2 months of not being sick, Mary has her first something. Yes, for over a year we only visited the pedi for well visits. I'd say that is a pretty good run.

Daycare called yesterday and said she had a fever so the pedi wanted me to bring her in. I kind of laughed when I called because I hadn't called in a year. They ruled our strep and the flu. Her ears are clear and her breathing is fine, so we guess she has a little virus. We have been able to keep her temperature down and she is still eating.

But, look at this face.....

This was right after she woke up this morning. Poor thing. Fever was about 101, so she got some morning snuggles and a little Tylenol. She ate some breakfast and now is watching Elmo, while Mommy works.

It's nice having an office mate today. I hope she cooperates because Mommy has to get some work done today. I hope this plays out well and my baby is back to herself tomorrow.

Weekend Recap

I can't believe today is Monday and that the weekend just flew by. We were kind of busy but nothing too crazy.

Henry had a Birthday party on Saturday, it was a roller skating party. He had so much fun! It was cool how they created these "walkers" for the kids so they could skate more easily. It's kind of funny watching your child skate, and it also brings back a lot of memories. As soon as I walked in, I flashed back to my basement circa 1986, when we would skate in circles for hours around it. I tried to tell Henry that we would skate and skate and skate and just wave to Grandfy and swing around the beams. He thought I was crazy but I it was my memory.

Here is a video of Henry skating.

Henry fell asleep on the way home from roller skating. Mary the one who really needed the nap, did not. She had fun picking on her brother while he continued to sleep on the couch.

Sunday, Charlie and Steve went skiing up at Liberty. They left pretty early so it was me and the kids for most of the day. It was a good day, Henry is very happy playing with his Star Wars guys and Mary, well, she loves the pantry and pushing her baby stroller.

After her morning nap, we headed out to the Red Store, aka Target. We needed some essentials...diapers and baby food. Of course you can't leave Target with only what you went for, it's just not possible. Got a few Birthday gifts and picked up a few other things.

After that, I high fived Charlie in the driveway and Mary and I headed to Maryland for her pictures. She fell asleep on the way over. We got there and she seemed fine but then she lost it. I'm pretty sure she ate close to entire container of puffs. We were doing anything to get her to smile. Finally, I played Elmo and she stopped and stared. It worked for a little bit.

I brought a cake thinking we could get some great pictures of her doing a cake smash....ummm yeah, no. Just cried. I even put puffs in the cake so she would dig them out, nope not even that worked. So, pretty interested to see what Helen got. She's amazing so I'm sure she got some great ones. She sneak peaked us this one.

Yeah, can you tell she was just crying in this picture? This was her last outfit of the day so it looks like she was a happy camper - lies, I tell you.

I will end the post with this picture from this morning. She was very happy and just wanted to give hugs or eat my phone, whichever we would let her get away with.

Word "less" Wednesday

Loving my Silhouette tonight. Such a fun machine.

Inaugural Recap

Where to start, where to start. It was certainly something to experience and I am so happy that we went. It's not every day you get to get dressed up and act like adults.

Here is us before we left and what the tickets looked like.

We left around 4:30, drove to the metro and then hopped on the orange line to metro center. So far so good. We get out and we start walking and walking. Yeah, a girl in 3 inch heels pounding the pavement while my dress was blowing up, not my idea of how the evening should start. We get in contact with our friend and find out we have to walk more. Fine, I'm numb what was the difference, it was all about the experience. While we are walking we pass a CVS and I dip in for a Snickers (it's what's for dinner) and a pair of socks. These socks to be exact - remember them for later.

We find our friend, we say hello and we go in. Coat check and we are on our way up to the ball. Apparently, there were three balls at the Convention Center. The Commander and Chief was upstairs, another ball downstairs and the one we were going to.

I thought it would be a little more "bally" then it was. I guess I was thinking there would be dancing and such but really it was a convention center with stages for acts to perform. There were bars and food tables. Not a seat to be found unless you were in the VIP area. Here is the room.

The first picture is where Alicia Keys and Jamie Foxx played on the piano. The second picture is the room and the third picture is me in front of where the President and First Lady took their first dance. Jennifer Hudson was amazing.

We kind of mingled around for a little bit. Katy Perry was first and she was really good live. She gave a lot of great energy to the room. The picture I have is not good but we could see her. Then it was Alicia Keys and Jamie Fox. They only played a song each. Vice President and Dr Biden came out. Then we waited and waited and Jennifer Hudson came out and the President and First Lady danced.

After that Smokey Robinson came on the stage in front of us. He still have some good moves. This is how close we were to him.

And here is a little Smokey for your listening pleasure. He was really good and it was great to see such a fun act perform.

Please note by now, I was carrying my shoes. Three inch heels and a broken foot don't really go together when you have to stand for six hours. The bars were getting more crowded but they were moving rather quickly. While we waited in the bar line, Amber and Blaine from Glee came on the stage. They have some serious pipes.

After them the Black Violins came on. Holy cow were they cool. One guy played an electric violin and the other played a regular one. Sorry for the lack of terms. They had a DJ and a drummer. Look them up, it was just so fun to see them play.

It's getting late and we are closing in on 11pm - yes that is late for parents. I told Charlie I was not leaving until I say Usher, he agreed and we continued to stand and chit chat with the people around us. The lights get low and Far East Movement comes on, on the far stage. They were good, but really at this point I just wanted to see Usher and we do.

WOW - he is a great performer. Unreal and he had the whole crowd going. Here is a picture of him and a video or two.

Totally worth the wait and it was a great ending. The mad rush out was not that bad. We got our coats, saw our friend again. He escorted us out and we were on our way. 

Now those socks I showed you, they were on my feet and I walked to the metro and all the way home with just those socks on. It was probably the best outfit change I could have done. There is no way I could have walked all the way back to the metro in my shoes - not a chance. Did I care that I was walking on rocks and glass and dirt in socks, no, my feet were happy.

We got home and into our bed around 1:30am. Look at us crazy kids staying out that late. Was it worth it, absolutely, would I do it again, probably. It was a once and a lifetime experience and I loved every minute of it, but next time I will know.....long dress and a pair of flats. No need to get your hair done or anything crazy like that because really it's more like a concert then a ball. Don't get me wrong I loved dressing up and seeing all the celebs perform, but I just wish it was more of a ball. 

The best part of the night was spending it with Charlie. We know we were very lucky to get to do this and were so thankful to go. I could not have asked for a better night out with him. Now back to reality and our normal every day life.

Monday, Monday

I know it's Friday but I am dreaming about Monday. Yes, it's crazy but we are going somewhere big on Monday. So, big that I needed this dress:

and these shoes.

Can you guess?

We are headed to the Inaugural Ball Yes, me the hubs and 35,000 of my closest friends will be brushing elbows at the convention center. I'm a little in shock, a little nervous that I am going to freeze my you know what off and a lot excited.

I'm also very impressed with my bargain shopping. It's not everyday you get to go to an event like this and get to buy your self these things. The dress cost me of $45 and the shoes were $38. I scored the dress at Nordstrom Rack on super sale or something and the shoes were 1/2 off at DSW. I'm still looking for earrings to spice up the outfit. I'm hoping they won't cost more than the dress or shoes. Me and my bargain outfit will be up against some high priced evening wear, but hey, they won't know.

I will have a full report next week. Have a great weekend!

Henry

In the midst of all the holidays, families, parties, reorganizing, I haven't really blogged about Henry. You know he did turn 4 a few weeks ago and I didn't even post about it. How awful of a mom is that? So, let's now waste any time, let's talk about Henry.

Henry had two birthday parties this year. We had his family one at the house and that was Star Wars and then we had his school one that was a Mario party. He is into both a lot right now. Star Wars popped up, out of nowhere and Mario has been around a few months. They are kind of older things to be liking but they make him happy.

Henry will spend hours playing with his figurines on the table or in his play room. He has a great imagination and we love watching him.

He is loving school again. I have a conference with his teacher today so we will see how he is doing. He is getting really good at writing his name and you can tell he is learning a lot. We do need to work on his fine motor skills a little bit more, but I know we will get there. We keep trying to get him to color more because he loves to not follow the lines and just color blobs but again we will get there.

He remembers EVERYTHING! Everything I tell you. Tell him something on Monday he brings it up on Friday. Tell him something in December, he remembers in January. Can't put anything past this kid. Although, we asked him what tomorrow was and he said, "No school day?" No, it's a school day - tomorrow is Mommy's Birthday. His response, "no, it's not" Sighhhhhhh.

Other than that he is getting bigger, learning to deal with Mary more and show her things. He still likes to yell in her face at times, but hey what is a big brother for. He is a true love and a real good snuggler - when he sits still longer than five minutes. Watching him grow and learn new things is truly an incredible experience and I love our mornings that we have together.

Love you, Bugga!

Mary's Party - Vendor Review

This past Saturday we held Mary's 1st Birthday party. I'd say, I've been planning the party since last August. I felt that if I spread out the expenses it would be better then taking one giant hit at once. I knew we wanted to do owls, because her nursery is owls and she kind of became the girl who loves owls. I ran with it and had so much fun doing it. Did I get a little crazy, yes....was it worth it, yes!

So let's break it down ( tell me you just went into MC Hammer).........

First up the inspiration to the whole party, the invitation. My good friend Jessica who's Etsy shop is Two Little Birds Design, created this invitation for me. She knew exactly what I wanted and was able to create the exact look and feel I was going for. I had Becca over at Jumping Jax Designs add the birds and she was able to print them for me. Birds not shown in this version, but they were there!

Next up - Banners and cupcake toppers. I searched all over Etsy for what I was looking for and came across Pink Paper Cottage. Lorry was so easy to work with and she didn't even think I was crazy ordering the banners back in November or maybe August. Then in December, I had a last minute change with cupcakes and I didn't have anything for them so I contacted her again to make cupcake toppers. She of course matched them for me and the turn around time was quick. The quality of work was amazing and I highly suggest using her.

Mary's outfit was a no brainer - tutu all the way and a cute onesie and of course hair bow! The tutu came from Little Moments and yes I know it says Photography but she makes tutus and other accessories on the side. I actual won the tutu back in August and she was kind enough to wait for me to order a little later. When the tutu came, I probably squealed because it was so perfect. I loved that she sewed the ribbon to the tulle and the colors - she matched the invitation perfectly.

Mary's onesie came from Naptime Craft Mommy and her bow from Little Roo's Boutique. I found Naptime through a moms board and I can't begin to tell you how happy I was working with Tracy. She was eager to help and got me exactly what I wanted. The colors also matched perfectly with the tutu. Once I was able to lock those two things, I need a cute but not over the top hair bow, so I contacted Shannon at Little Roo's. Her bow, was the perfect touch to complete the outfit. I have bought lots of bows from Shannon in the past and seriously she is so fun and comes up with the cutest designs.

Now the decor and this is a cute story. I've been loving the poms that everyone has been using - they are cute, colorful and an easy add on to any party. Last summer, I had found a long lost friend on Facebook and I noticed that she made these adorable poms for a Sesame Street party. After a little searching I saw that she made all kinds of poms for all kinds of parties. I immediately reached out to her and asked if she ever made owls. She said, no, but that it would not be a problem. So, we discussed colors and she worked her magic and viola, owl poms. Michelle also made the kitchen table centerpieces. Those fuzzy little owls came from her too. You can find her at the Shower Planner on Etsy. She has some really cute poms and other items in her shop. The other poms that are hanging between the owls came from Megan at Pomtastic. She too was easy to work with and shipped my two poms out quickly.

I embossed the confetti myself with a Martha Stewart embosser I got at JoAnn's. The burlap I also ordered from JoAnn's and we just cut it to make the runners. I bought all the mason jar's at The Dollar Store and then I purchased cute lids for them from Enchanted Frog Events. I also got my stripe paper straws from them too. Another great Etsy vendor. Plates and napkins came from Amazon.

Food, cupcakes and favor time. All the food was either from Costco or Sam's, we knew we wanted party food but nothing to heavy. I'm glad we served what we did and I think we had just enough. The cupcakes came from Sam's Club. Yes, Sam's Club and they were outstanding. We were able to get 60 cupcakes for less than $30. It was exactly what I needed and I was able to cut a little cost there. The cupcake stand was from the Martha Stewart line at Macy's and the little paper cupcake holders I found at HomeGoods.

I didn't know what I was going to do for the smash cake and I was kind of at a loss. Then I walked into Wegmans and saw this little cake. For $7 it was perfect - she barely touched it and it was the perfect size. I wanted something else besides a cupcake for her and this worked out great. It was also delicious. The smash cake ceramic stand came from HomeGoods. I scored that for $8 and it will certainly get more use through the years.

I loved everything about Mary's party but I have to say the owl cookies as the favors just blew me away. I found Kari at 2 Sweets through Kristy, who did Henry's cake last year. I contacted Kari in August about doing the cookies as favors. We kept in touch through the months and I really had no idea they were going to look this detailed. I seriously thought, it was going to be a flat cookie iced in the colors we talked about. Then I showed up Friday at her house and was in awe.

Never in a million years did I think they would be 3D and have that cute adorable bow attached to them. She did tie the yellow ribbon on them and we added a little Thank you cut out to it.

Everyone loved them. They tasted so good, and I could have probably eaten all of them. If you are in area, please find Kari on Facebook and order cookies from her, you will not be disappointed.

Finally and this part isn't from a vendor, it's just an idea I had found on Pinterest, it's her Wishing Tree. I loved this idea the minute I pinned it. My friend Jessica cut out the owls to hang on the tree and my other friend Maggie helped us come up with the wording. We just cut branches down outside and I had the container in the basement and here it is.....

I've put the owls in a keepsake box and we will re read them on her 16th Birthday. I just thought it was a great way to get the guests involved.

I know some people will think I went a little over board and everyone says they don't remember their first birthday anyway, but you know what, I loved planning this party. I love that I was able to give Mary a party she will only remember from pictures because in each picture she will see how loved she is.

One Year Stats!

Took Mary to see Dr. Bill this morning so we could get her twelve month stats. She is weighing in at 20 pounds 14 ounces and is 29" tall.

She has gained over 15 pounds this past year and has grown 10.5". Dr. Bill says she looks great and is very healthy. I also asked him about her left eye. I tend to think that it over corrects itself more than it should. He said he didn't really notice anything but after I said it, and he watched her a little more, he did see her do it twice. He suggested seeing an ophthalmologist just to be sure.

Charlie and I will be reviewing them tonight and hopefully making an appointment soon.

Here is her at the office.

She was in great spirits until the shots came, and even then she was a trooper. We don't go back again until her 18 month appointment. I can't even imagine - 18 months - wowza.

Happy 1st Birthday!

I know it's only 8:05am but we have already had a very busy morning! In keeping with the Nardiello tradition, Mary was greeted this morning with the Beatles and Balloons.

I'd say she liked it.

Then we grabbed a few pictures of her in her crib and took her last sticker pictures. I'm impressed I remembered to do them every month.

After that we came downstairs and took a few more photos in her new chair. We didn't open gifts, even though Henry really wanted too. She did get to play with her new Little People zoo.

Tonight will be filled with pizza and cake and more birthday celebrations.

Happy Birthday to the sweetest little girl around. We love you more than you will ever know and you light up our life every day. We are so blessed that you came into our life (even if it was a little early) and we can't wait to see you grow.

Word "less" Wednesday

Birthday Eve......

I wish I could say a year ago, I was having labor pains, but I can't. Tomorrow, she will be 1 and I can't even begin to tell you where the year went.

A big Birthday post tomorrow!

Organized and Revitalized

Last week I posted about us redoing the family room well this weekend we tackled the play room. It was a disaster after Christmas and there just wasn't any room to play.

Saturday morning, we stood in there and figured out what we could do to make it better. I remember seeing some book shelf on Pinterest that people get from Ikea to use for storage. Well that is all fine and well, but trying to convince your husband we need to head to Ikea on a Saturday is not as easy. I was able to talk him into it and off we went.

We picked up two of the shelves and some storage containers. The $69.99 price on those shelves is really a great deal. They are sturdy and I am not worried about them falling on the kids because they are so solid. We also picked up a new lamp because the room was lacking lighting and some fun bright book shelves.

That night while the kids slept, we got to work. Purged toys, moved old storage units to the basement, put our new furniture together and viola, a brand new playroom with space for everyone!

Mary is the hot pink side and Henry is the black side. They each got their own unit. Which I know won't stay like that forever but it works for now. I also love that Henry can reach the top and take his toys down. That helped a lot for space reasons.

The art easel was always in the corner, but we added that bright lamp over there. I'm loving the fun colors on the shade and it fit in so perfectly.

These are the book shelves. They work - they don't hold a ton but they serve the purpose that we need them too.

Finally the train table. Henry doesn't really use the train tracks anymore so we use it more for a large a table for him to play on. He loves playing with all his figurines. We left the tracks in there in case one day he does want to play with them again. They are all stored in those red containers under it.

I think it came out great and gives the kids the middle of the room to play or watch movies. It feels so good to walk in there and not be overwhelmed. Now, I know it won't stay this neat forever, but for now it works.