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.