A Dino-mite First Birthday

Well, it has happened. Our bouncing baby boy is now ONE!

As most of you know, or at least now you will, I love birthdays. Next to Christmas, they are my favorite celebrations. I've had a blast planning an executing birthday parties for my daughter, and of course, I had to do the same for my sweet boy.

I went back and forth with themes and upon sifting through some ideas with my daughter, I was finally able to settle on one. In truth, she insisted that he have an orange dinosaur cake...so, dinosaurs it was.

Here is a look at his big day!

The Attire

July is hot. I wanted something cute and comfortable. I ran across this adorable outfit and knew it was the one.

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This boy is dino-mite!

The Food

I had a blast pulling the food together for his party. I also had some amazing helpers. My mom, mother-in-law and good friend all pitched in to help make the food amazing. Keep in mind, I am all about keeping our celebrations inexpensive and simple. No sense in breaking the bank.

First off, lets talk about the cake. G insisted he have an orange dinosaur cake. This momma tried to deliver. I created a little dino from fondant and plopped him on top of a chocolate iced cake. I used gummy fruit wedges that my hubby helped trim into spikes for the bottom of the cake. This was actually N's smash cake and an overall success. The cupcakes were just simply iced and topped with additional gummy fruit wedges.

My amazing friend, Charity, made this AWESOME watermelon dinosaur head. I had really hoped to do it myself, but time was not on my side. She is such an amazing person and willingly offered to carve this masterpiece. Everyone loved it!

In keeping things simple, I scored these dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets and paired them along side some pizza rolls. My mother-in-law contributed her oh-so-delicious meatballs.

The Décor

Balloons! I have become a huge fan of them. They add wonderful color and always add a festive touch. I used them as some basic decorations on the tables and cake tables. I was able to score some adorable dinosaur masks that I scattered on the tables for the kids' enjoyment. Simple. Cheap. Oh, so cute.

I also set up a book for people to sign on the gift table. I've done this for my daughter as well. It is such a sweet keepsake as people write down thoughtful birthday wishes. I also included a slideshow of pictures of N's first year. ::mommytears::

Overall, I am thrilled with how his party turned out. We had so much fun in coming together to celebrate his precious little life. I am so thankful for everyone that came to share his birthday celebration with us. We are truly blessed.

Linking up for Mommy Moments

Baby N: 6 Months

How could this have happened?! You are now 6 months old! We blinked and the first half of your first year of life is gone.

Weight: 18lbs  1/2oz

Height:  26 3/4in

Clothes:6-6/9 months

Eat: 7-8oz every 3-4 hours. You continue to enjoy trying new foods. We've moved you into eating various combinations of fruits and veggies and you seem to like everything so far. You occasionally snub peas but that's okay. You're sister was never a big fan either.

Sleep: It's been a little crazy but you are now sleeping in your own room. You and your sister are currently sharing but it is our hope that the two of you will have your own rooms in the near future. You are sleeping from 7pm until about 4am. You still tend to wake up once during the night, sometimes to eat, sometimes not, but readily go back to sleep with little fuss. These night time waking moments are slowly becoming fewer. You roll over to sleep on your tummy, and while I'd prefer you on your back, you are quite happy to stay that way.

Play: You are constantly on the go. You are always moving! Sometimes you are bouncing. Other times you are scooting yourself across your play mat. Your big sister is still your best friend and I love to watch the two of you interact. The bond between the two of you is one that I hope continues to grow. You grab things with no problem and have been seen switching things from hand to hand. You love your toes and grab your feet any chance you can get. You've also started really getting into bath time. You've discovered that you can splash with your feet and it gives you the biggest thrill. Your laughter is contagious and your smile is so big! You truly light up our lives.

Odds and Ends: You are now rolling from back to tummy. I'm certain you can do the other if only you'd try but you seem pretty content for now. 

There is definitely no leaving you even slightly unattended on any surface. One hand is on your little body at all times. You are also sitting up much better. You are still quite wobbly but you are getting stronger everyday.

You are SUPER ticklish!

You celebrated your first Christmas with family and friends. We loved watching you become delighted with all the sights and sounds around the house.

New Year's Eve was just like any other night. You were in bed by 7pm. You did ring in the New Year by waking up for a midnight feeding.

This year is going to be amazing, if for nothing else because it has you and your sister in it.

Linking up for Mommy Moments

Name Them One by One

One thing about caring for a newborn means that I'm awake...a lot. It may be in a drone like state most of the time but I'm awake nonetheless. In the daybreak hours the past few days I've been doing a lot of reflecting on our current circumstances and how God's hand is evident everywhere. It's easy to get wrapped up in worry, bogged down in bitterness and caught up in self-centered thoughts. It's even more easy to do when your sleep deprived. Satan is shameless and will use your weakened state to wedge in negativity. However, we have the power to combat the battles against us. God gives us the ability to see the beauty from ashes if we'll only take the time to look.

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I've been taking some time to really focus on our blessings. With so much that is and seems wrong in the world around us, it's vital that I remember that there is still so much good. The following is not an exhaustive list of all that I could write down, but it covers some of what has come to mind this morning...

-the birth of our son this week

-the fiery spirit that is our daughter

-financial provision

-Our church family

- dedicated friends

-my mom coming in tomorrow

-awake to see the sunrise

-Finding large ticket items (for baby) for less than half the orginal price

-caring and committed medical experts

-the biliblanket  (it means we can treat our son's condition at home instead of the hospital)

-July is filled with birthdays

-my amazing husband

While I could go on and on, I'll spare you. I do hope, that despite your circumstances today and in the coming days, that you'll take some time to count your blessings. Name them one by one and I think you'll be amazed at what the Lord has done.

Linking up for Tuesday Talk

Life is Full of Surprises

The past few days have been a whirlwind! I have so much that I can't wait to share with you, but for now, I'll share the most exciting of it all...

Our sweet boy made his surprising arrival in the early hours of July 1st. He is perfect and we are so in love. I'll share his birth story soon!

8lbs 1oz
20.5 in 

Baby N appears to be another redhead :)

Linking up for Mommy Moments

Snips and Snails

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Today my work family at school will be throwing us a baby shower for our sweet boy. We are so blessed to have their continued love and support.  His arrival is getting so close and this shower is another precious reminder of that. I'll post photos soon!

We also have another growth scan and ultrasound tomorrow.  They'll check his size and the position of my placenta.  It's my hope we'll know more about what type of delivery we'll be having after speaking with the doctor. Think happy thoughts :)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;   in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Linking up for Thoughts for Thursday

What's In My Bitty's Basket?

I love the Springtime and I love Easter. Easter is very important in our home as we grieve the sacrifice our Savior made and rejoice in His coming again. We share the Resurrection story with our daughter and stress the importance of what it means for all of us who know Christ as our Savior. While we do not promote the Easter Bunny as a living and breathing, true to life guy, we do share him as a fun character that can be seen in her books and at the mall.

We also enjoy putting together a small Easter basket with goodies for our sweet girl. I love the look of excitement on her face as she pulls each item from her basket. I'm joining Darci for this year's Easter Basket Blog Hop. It's always so fun to see what creative things people put in their baskets. Here is what G will discover in her basket this year...

3 Easter Eggs: 2 containing a pair of socks and one containing a plastic Frozen ring.
Plastic bracelets
Peeps
Egg shaped sidewalk chalk
Sophia the First bubbles
Doughnut Tee

I picked up the Peeps bubbles and the sidewalk chalk at the local Dollar store. The remaining items came from Target.

You can check out G's basket from last year here.

Also linking up for Thoughts on Thursday

My Person Turns 30

Today my best friend turns 30! We've known each other for almost 11 years (wow!) and I wouldn't trade a moment.  The tough times make us stronger and the good times just get better. I just want to take a moment to recognize one of the most special people in my life.

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30 of My Favorite Things About LBC

1. You are my best friend.
2. You call me out on my crap.
3. You keep me grounded.
4. You make even the most ordinary of days special.
5. You have fabulous fashion sense.
6. You know me so well...
7. You are an awesome aunt.

One of my favorite pictures (Easter 2014)

8. You are determined.
9. You know how to make others feel special.
10. We know what each other is thinking without saying a word.
11. You're generous.
12. You are humble.
13. You love the Lord.
14. You have a beautiful servant's heart.
15. You're well traveled.
16. You fight for what is right.
17. You're a wonderful hostess.

One of my favorite trips to date...2012

18. You are an excellent baker.
19. You are adventurous.
20. We share a love of movies, peanut m & ms and ice cream.
21. You always make our time together meaningful.
22. You challenge me.

Our first 5k

23. You inspire me.
24. You take chances.
25. You hold me accountable.
26. You make change for Christ.
27. You're honest.
28. You're loyal.
29. You make me laugh.
30. You're my person.

Happy Birthday!

Five for February

I'm so excited about February...we have so many wonderful things ahead!



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[Superbowl XLIX]

Our Cowboys were rocking it this year! Unfortunately, their final game was a heartbreaker and knocked us out of the running. Despite our feelings, we're really excited about the game. Knowing we should pick a side to cheer for and considering we're pretty anti-Patriots I guess there's only one option left...regardless, there will be friends, food and football come Sunday night. I hate to see football season go...

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[Valentine's Day]

We've decided to have a low key homemade dinner this year. I'm already planning the menu. We've decided to opt out of cards and gifts. With a new baby on the way and a new house in our (prayerfully near) future, we figured we could go without this year. I'm also looking forward to putting together some little goodies for G's friends at day care. I also must say that I'm loving this little outfit from The Hair Bow Company...

[Baby Mine]

We'll be finding out the gender of our littlest miracle this month. I CANNOT WAIT! Can you feel my excitement?! We're trying to decide how we want to share the news. With G we were just so excited that we called everyone...we may aim to be a little more creative this time around...



Baby Mays #2 at 12 weeks

[Birthdays]

We have a few birthdays in February but I must say, two of my favorite to celebrate are that of my hubby and my best friend. Who knew that my wonderful husband and my bestest would share the same birth month? Destiny.

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[Snow]

Okay, so this may be a stretch but a girl can dream. So far this year we have not had a single good snow. I'm one of those crazy people that loves snow. It's like my area is encased in a bubble and the snow falls in all of the surrounding areas...I'm not kidding! They are calling for some possible accumulation this weekend...fingers crossed!



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Linking up for Oh Hey Friday! and Five on Friday