The Butterfly Place

Last Saturday, we spent the morning trying to figure out what to do. Christina & Michelle were over so we wanted to do something. Keith suggested the beach, but when we go, we like to leave early in the morning so we can walk around before it gets too crowded. Since it was around 11, we decided to save the beach for another day. Another suggestion was the Lowell Folk Festival, an annual event where all the streets in Downtown Lowell are closed off and there is a ton of food, activities, and entertainment. We played with that idea for a bit but finally decided on The Butterfly Place, which is an indoor butterfly garden about 10 minutes down the street from us.


On our way!


She was confused!



Pretty butterfly!


Aubrey loved the pretty butterflies! (And the pretty butterflies loved Christina!)



We had a really nice time and can't wait until she's older so we can bring her back!

Thankful Friday

I have decided to bring back "Thankful Friday". I never really wanted to "do away with it", but I wasn't posting very much so I kind of just.. fell off the wagon. But, I am posting a lot more frequently and I feel that we have so much to be thankful for and I want to share. :)

This week, I am thankful for..

Wonderful friends. I had been having a crappy week. Things just didn't want to go my way & Aubrey had been super cranky. I checked the mail yesterday and saw that my friend, Sarah, sent me a card and it totally made my day. She made me feel so appreciated. I am so lucky to have such amazing people in my life. :)


Aubrey's messes. Because really, if I didn't have her mess to clean up, what else would I do with while she was napping? ;)

I am also thankful that everything is back to normal with the family. It isn't my place to say exactly what happened, but someone in our close family had a really, really tough week and I'm glad to see him home again with a smile on his face. :)

What are you thankful for this week?
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend <3

Finally turning around..

Things have been really good lately. I got a job as a PCA (personal care assistant) for a boy with cerebral palsy and I really enjoy it. I've been working a lot the past week trying to learn everything I need to learn (there is so much!) and to get familiar with Brandon. He is such a sweetheart! Always has a smile on his face. :)

Aubrey has been going all over the place. Her walking has really improved. It's not her hanging onto the coffee table, letting go, and taking 2 steps. Now, it's sitting on the floor, pushing herself up to stand without any help, and then walking 7-8 steps at a time. It's really funny to see! I will have to try to sneak a video in, because every time she sees the camera she gets distracted and won't do anything haha

Madden seems to be adjusting better to Aubrey (it's only taken him, what, a year?)

Gotta love crappy cell phone pictures!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that we celebrated Keith, Christina & Michelle's 25th birthday last week! I made cake (lots & lots of cake!). I made each of them their own small cake, and then I made a big, 3 layer cake for everyone to have. The trouble with that is..


The heat didn't appreciate the hard work I put into it, and made the whole thing topple over. :( It was still really good, though!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend
<3

Suggestions, please!

What are your favorite Blogspot blogs to read? I would love some new ones to follow. :)

Look who's taking baby steps!!

Today, Auntie Michelle came over to come with me to a doctor's appointment. It's always a hassle when it's just me & Aubrey because she's still too little to just sit there while I'm being looked at for whatever. Today, I was meeting with a specialist to see if I need surgery to get my gallbladder removed. I went for an ultrasound last week and it came back normal, but he's sending me for another at the beginning of August. He said that, even though it came back normal, all of my symptoms (and the area of my pain), point to the gallbladder. From there, I have two options. Deal with the pain or get my gallbladder removed. I'm most likely going with the latter because I just can't deal with the pain. It's the worst when I'm by myself with Aubrey because I can't exactly just curl up in bed and cry. I have a child that needs me to take care of her.

Anyway, so after the appointment, we came back to our house and hung around and played with Aubrey. And that's when it happened..


A deep breath, and baby steps
That's how the whole things starts
It's a long, slow, beautiful dance
To the beat of a heart ♥

Happy Birthday To You... ♥

Monday (July 5th) was Aubrey's actual birthday.. so obviously we celebrated!

The day started with me dressing her up in her birthday party outfit (since I got NO pictures of her wearing it at her party! Bad mama!)


I read online that Denny's gave a free birthday breakfast, so off we went!



(She ate maybe 1/6 of her scrambled eggs & silver dollar pancakes)

After Denny's, we went across the parking lot to Kohl's to do some shopping with a gift card that she got her for her birthday. We got her two fall outfits


"Mommy's Little Sweetie"


"Daddy's Girl"

We went to Grampy's to go swimming for an hour or so before we had to go home so I could get dinner ready. We had Keith's dad & stepmother (aka Grampy & Grammy) and my mother (aka Nana) over for a birthday dinner. I made chinese food (yes, made it! Grammy didn't believe I was actually making it but I promise there were no takeout containers involved). We had orange chicken, fried rice, and egg rolls. Aubrey just had some rice but she seemed to love it! After dinner, Christina came over with a birthday cake!





We did a quick outfit change because we knew we were going to see the fireworks (because, for some reason, our neighboring cities/towns like to do it a day early or late, never on the actual 4th)





We packed everything up and went down to Grampy's for cake & fireworks, since he's about a 5 minute walk from the area.


It was so hot.

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Aubrey, Happy Birthday to you!





(Isn't her bow too cute!? I got it from Sophie's Candy! The girls that run this site are so sweet, and their stuff is adorable & very affordable! If you have a little girl I highly recommend them for your girly needs!)

After we enjoyed the yummy cake, we headed over to watch Aubrey's "birthday fireworks" (they were also the first time she has seen them, so it was really exciting!)





We ended the night with a dip in Grampy's pool since it was still in the high 80's, even at 10 at night (Aubrey is not normally up this late, but hey, it was her birthday!). As I was going to get a swim diaper and bathing suit for her, Grampy decided it was a good idea to just put her in the pool as she was, clothes and all (thanks, Grampy!). When she got out, her diaper weighed A TON. We got her all dried off and luckily, Grampy had a surprise (dry!) outfit waiting for her to go home in :)

Our little Red Sox cheerleader ♥

I almost made it the whole day without shedding a tear (hey, a first birthday is very emotional!). But when we were watching the fireworks, I couldn't help but remember that on that very same day exactly one year ago, we were watching those very same fireworks from my hospital room while we prepped for my c-section and I let a few tears go and gave my Birthday Girl an extra big hug.

♥

Polka Dot Party!

Aubrey's party was a big success! I spent the night before at my sister's house to make food (and so I wouldn't have to make the half hour drive to her house in the morning)

Keith & Aubrey got there around 11


She had a blast with the balloons! I bought a helium tank and Jeannie & I blew them up. The room was filled!


My other sister, Dawn, made the big cake that everyone ate.


I made Aubrey's "smash cake". I had fun making the adorable banner to put on it!




Pictures of Aubrey's first year decorated the yard (along with jelly beans that matched the party's theme!)


The birthday girl's high chair, complete with a '1' banner, birthday bib, and a balloon bouquet that I didn't get in the picture


Original plans were to have a banner made that said "Happy 1st Birthday, Aubrey!" but it fell through, so when Jeannie & I went to a party store to get some streamers the night before and I saw this banner hanging, I had to get it because 1) It had polka dots (though its hard to see in the picture) 2) It had all the birthday colors (blue, green, orange, pink), & 3) Hello Kitty!!!


We decorated the deck with the streamers. I think it looks pretty neat ;)

Alright, enough with the decorations! Time for some photos of the guest of honor ;)

Enjoying some lunch


Pedicure! ♥


Mmmm, cake


So many presents!


Her favorite toy of the day? A brush she's had since the day she was born.


(but this balloon came in a close second)


They complete me <3


It was a great day. We were in the company of amazing family & friends who helped make her day amazing. I fought the tears all day and I think I did a pretty good job (except for when everyone was singing "Happy Birthday" to her, then a few tears snuck their way out). I can't believe how fast this year went by. It will make me treasure the years to come that much more.

Beach baby!

Last summer (if you want to call it that), we had constant rain. It was a drag and a major summer buzzkill. Seriously, the week I was in the hospital after having Aubrey (I had to stay longer because I had a c-section), I was in a bed next to a window where the only view I got was the raindrops falling on the window. This summer doesn't look very promising, either. It's supposed to rain for 5 days straight next week. I checked accuweather & weather.com and they both said that the day of Aubrey's party is supposed to be sunny and in the low 80's. I'm praying that it stays that way, though I know that there is a lot of room for that to change. Please keep your fingers crossed!

Aubrey & I went to the beach on Tuesday with her auntie Christina and Christina's friend, Jen. It was fun. We laid out in the sand and got a little sun. I actually got some nice color instead of burning, which was nice. The water was cold so we didn't go swimming, but we did get our toes wet!

Fun in the sun shade!


All the fun wore her out!


We also went for a walk at a local park/walking grounds called Mine Falls. I was excited to use the backpack carrier I scored for $10 at a yard sale last month.

Clearly, she loved it!


"Hi Dad!"

The last few days have been spent doing crazy party planning. I got a huge dent done out of my "Party To-Do" list but there is still a lot to do. I made a list of the things I need to buy for food, decorations, and gifts for Aubrey. I already have some things for her (tote bag that I am going to sew a "sweet pea" (her nickname) patch on, a ton of summer clothes, a pair of sandals, a Little People car, and 6 "Little People" (even though they're animals..). I still want to get her another Little People car, a Little People building, a booster seat for the kitchen (because her high chair takes up so much space!), books, a few sippy cups to try to get her away from the bottle, a pool float, sandals & sneakers (because she has outgrown the ones Grampy got for her not even a month ago!), some letter magnets for the refridgerator, some snacks, and maybe some new bedding if I have some money leftover. Yes, she is spoiled!!! Now I just need to wait til Tuesday when I get paid to go nuts :)

I'm off to go watch Michael Jackson's This Is It. If you haven't seen it, I highly suggest it. I may be biased cos I was (still am) a huge MJ fan.. but ah well :)

D'oh!

Okay, so I was reading Pam's blog [theburrusfamily.blogspot] just now, and realized that she nominated me for the Beautiful Blogger award a while ago (I should really keep up with this!!). Thank you, Pam!!!

The rules for the Beautiful Blogger award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who nominated you

2. Copy and paste the award to your blog

3. Link the person who nominated you

4. List 7 interesting things about yourself

5. Nominate 7 other beautiful bloggers

Now, 7 interesting things about me... Oh man this will be tough.

1. I can't stand cold ketchup. It has to be room temperature or I will not eat it.
   
2. I spent my childhood summers at fairs with my father. He had a concession stand selling soda, cigarettes, and whatever else he had that year (he was definitely a businessman. He always had something going on.. whether it be statues, Disney movies, gumball machines..). He would stand me up on the booth and make me yell "cold soda, cigarettes!". I also learned how to and made my own fried dough when I was like 10 because he was buddy-buddy with "the fried dough people", who now have a fried dough stand up at the beach I go to every summer.. so I get free fried dough (or my new favorite, funnel cake!) whenever I go up there!
   
3. I am still afraid of the dark. I'm determined that there is someone waiting in the shadows to kill me.
   
4. I played Harriet Tubman in a 5th grade play. They put a ton of brown makeup on me. I wish I could find pictures to share.
   
5. I have a really bad shopping problem. I spend more money on Aubrey's clothes than I will ever admit. I pay more stuff for her clothing than mine (and I know I won't outgrow mine!)
   
6. I'm very crafty. I'm trying to open up a little business but I need funds before I can start.
   
7. I have an unhealthy addiction to these (clickable) frosted sugar cookies. Whenever I go shopping I need to distract myself from the aisle; especially now since I'm doing a "Biggest Loser" competition for the summer with a group of friends.
   

I nominate...

1. Bethany @ Her Little Pearl
2. Miri @ Here We Are Together
   
3. Cheryl @ The Midkiff Family Blog
4. Adriana @ A World Of My Own
5. Rachel @ Mrs Rachel Holmes
6. Tasha @ Surprising
7. Katy @ Tangerine Hearts
   

On May 19th, I promised a "huge update very soon". It is now June 11th. Yikes.

Since Aubrey has started crawling, I don't have much computer time. She hates to be confined to her high chair, even when we're feeding her dinner she keeps trying to twist & turn her way out of it. She won't even sit in her seat to watch an episode of Wonder Pets. In the words of Ming-Mind duck, "this is sewious". I have to have my eye on her at all times. I take back the part where I said that motherhood was easy. It is far from easy, but it's the best damn thing that has ever happened to me.

Can you all believe that 2 weeks from tomorrow is her first birthday party? I have been spending the past 2 months thinking of things to do to make it perfect. Yes I realize "she's only one, she won't remember it." But guess what? A camera and my Flip camcorder will help her. In years to come it will show her how excited I was that she was growing up (as much as I hate to admit it). I've got every single little detail planned. I still have a ton of stuff left to do but it's keeping me busy at night while Aubrey sleeps & Keith plays Modern Warfare 2. I've been working on a scrapbook of her first year that I will finish before her party so people can look at it. I also made a slideshow DVD of pictures and videos.. from pictures of the positive pee sticks (yeah, I'm that girl), to my ever-growing belly, to hospital pictures, to videos of her cringing at the tartness of cranberry sauce. I've got it all and have it set to play to four songs ("My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw, "My Girl" by Jackson 5 [of course I had to get some MJ in there], "Let Them Be Little" by Lonestar [I haven't made the DVD yet, so I may change this one and put a faster-paced one in there] & "Forever" by Jesse & the Rippers [yeah, I went there!])

June has been such a crazy month so far, and it's not going to get any better. Whether it be a graduation party, baby shower, Father's Day, or of course, Aubrey's birthday party, we have something to do every weekend this month. Some weekends have 2 events. It's so crazy. If I knew June was going to be so jam-packed with things, I definitely would have had Aubrey's birthday party in the middle of July after the 4th plans have all died down.. but by the time we got wind of all of the things going on, invitations were already ordered and in my hand. There were so many things that I wanted to buy for her as birthday gifts, but I'll have to wait until after because I had to buy graduation gifts, shower gifts, & a Father's Day gift for Keith.

I wish I could post pictures things that I've done so far for the party, but I know that a lot of people that read this are going to be going and it would be nice to not spoil everything.. but I will post this picture, which was one of the ones we used for her invitations.


Anybody who has me added on Facebook has already seen this, but that's okay. It will be fun to look back on :)


One last thing before I sign off, I wanted to share that I am part of a 3 month weight loss comptetion.. "Biggest Loser" style. There are 12 girls and we each put $50 in. The person who loses the biggest percentage of body weight come the beginning of September gets $500 to buy a new fall wardrobe, and the second place winner gets $100. Tomorrow is our first weigh in so I'm really excited to see how everyone is doing. I cheated and looked at the scale last night and I've already lost 4 pounds this week. :)

I promise you'll hear more from me before another month passes!