Time for the First Holiday Checklist

I have been more than absent from the blog this past week. Stella is on the mend, thank goodness and we have been pretty much laying low. Our weekend was low key- which was needed. On Monday Stella's cousins came over for a play date and a sleep over! It is so fun to sit back and watch littles play together and watch how they interact. I think it is so important for Stella to have time like that around other kiddies her age. The way they sometimes look at each other with such curiosity is so priceless. wow. another person my size!

I have also been busy searching for Stella's Thanksgiving dress/tights/shoes, getting ideas for family pictures, and trying to find the perfect holiday card for us this year. While doing all of this, I am trying not to forget that it is the holiday season! I actually sat down last night and began my list for Stella's Christmas presents! holy shit- it's Christmas shopping time! How do I break it to the hubby that little miss needs a bigger play room ;) 

Things on my present checklist are:

make or purchase an advent calendar

find a Thanksgiving side for Turkey day

find Stella an outfit for Turkey day

get family photos done

begin creating a holiday card

begin Christmas shopping- online of course- i truly believe there is no better way 

have some fun with food for the Thanksgiving day holiday- maybe some turkey shaped pancakes?!

begin a list of ideas for our elf on the shelf! super excited for this one!

I am kind of happy that the temps are chilly. I mean it is November and all! Winter coats, hats and headbands have made an appearance. 

Sometimes we just have to improvise right?! On our fall bucketlist is roasting s'mores. We have yet to get a fire pit so I had to be creative here! So....we made a s'mores chocolate chip cookies! And they are yummy and are filling the void of warm gooey s/mores. We used this recipe. I will definitely be making these again but adding more grahams!

Happy Hump Day!

A Few of Our Favorites Lately

Today I am snot suckin' and disinfecting. Stella woke up this morning with little symptoms of what seems like the beginning of a cold. poor thing. She has a booger nose and a tiny little cough. But it's not gettin' her down; she is still walking around this house like a crazy gal!

Our Halloween decor is put away and our little Thanksgiving decorations are out. Our home is full of those warm fallish colors which is another reason why I love Fall decor. We updated our chalkboard- Stella's artwork is always bottom right hand corner since that is all she can reach ;) We also gave our orange pumpkins a little makeover with some ivory paint and gold glitter and hung our DIY 'give thanks' burlap garland from last year. It's not much, but it is just a nice touch.

Along with our Fall decorations around the home, some other things that are on our 'favorites' list lately are...

Coloring. Stella loves loves loves to color. When I ask her if she wants to color she heads right to the crayon bin and lets out this squeal of excitement as she flaps her arms like a bird. Even more cute than that, she loves to write her name as we hold the crayon together. Every time we would write her name I would slowly say the letters aloud. Well now she does the same. But every letter sounds like a drawn out 'a'. Love it. 

 

Baby yoga is another favorite. I really have no words for this one. Stella breaks out some yoga anywhere and everywhere. Maybe looking at the world upside down is just that more interesting. 

Stella and I have jumped on the pomegranate band wagon and don't want it to stop. We are non stop eating machines when it comes to the kick ass pomegranate. This is just another reason why I love this time of year. They don't get much redder and juicier than now! best late night snack ever!

Time to go get the rugrat since she waking up for her nap. Heading upstairs fully loaded with the nose freida a.k.a snot sucker, booger wipes and the babyganics hand sanitizer!  ;)

Build, Knock Down and Repeat.

It is crazy how many times you will repeat something just to keep a toddler occupied. This weekend I must have built 100 towers out of blocks just to be knocked down and built again and also put together an umpteenth amount of puzzles. The only difference is when she takes apart the puzzles she manages to slide each puzzle piece as far away on the wood floor as she possibly can. I am shocked that we haven't lost any puzzle pieces yet; to under the fridge or stove or god knows where else. The chilly temps and ridiculous wind have been keeping us in the house a bit more (other than running errands and having coffee dates with friends) so we are finding things to keep us occupied. Stella has had quite the obsession with stickers lately. We like to stick them on each other, especially our noses, hands and feet. She gets a real kick out of it. I know I won't be laughing as much when I find stickers stuck to the painted walls and furniture. But, until then it is worth all the giggles and more.

Just amazed at how big she is... 

Whoooo's the cutest owl?

I am so sad to put away Stella's Halloween clothes and hair barretts. We had so much fun wearing them and being festive all of the time. But on to the next holiday?!

Before going out trick or treating we did a little caramel apple dipping. yumm...had to kick off the night right! It only took Stella one glance at the bowl of caramel to stick her entire hand in and grab an entire handful before shoving it in her mouth before Rick or I could stop her. she was thinkin' my thoughts... ;)

Halloween was great! Stella had a stinkin' blast trick or treating. She exceeded Rick and I's expectations by far! We were out for over an hour and she could of kept going, but Momma cut it short.. I had enough candy ;) I was very happy with the finished product. Stella was an owl. An adorable owl. She rocked that costume like she owned it..well she did own it ;) She kept the costume on all night with no complaints. you go girl!  I didn't get the pictures I envisioned because of little miss ants in her pants but here are a few...

On another Stella note....

She is off! 

and I can't keep up!

Why I Love Being her Mom

the unconditional love she gives me

when i look at her and just feel the absolute and forever love for her

watching her grow

waking up to her smiles

her laughter

i was part of her creation

the joy she brings me, even in my worst moments

the bond we have created

the trust she puts in me

teaching her

knowing that i have a purpose

watching her discover

i am able to comfort her

reading with her

those unexpected moments

the pride i feel when i look at her

i matter to her

absolutely everything. 

A Little Catching Up

Hot diggity damn, this girls energy level just blows my mind. Her level of fear has seemed to disappear. Saying that she is ev.er.y.where is an understatement. The playroom was the best thing Rick and I have done as far as room changes. There hasn't been one day that we haven't spent a good amount of time in it. Usually at the end of the day it looks like it had a good play...and Momma cleans it all up after she is sound asleep for the next morning. If there is an award for making messes, this girl is a real winner. 

In other news...is there a such thing as starting too early? Sure there is but we bought it now just for her to learn about it, sit on it and become familiar with it. Everytime Momma goes, her little tooshie will be on the potty too. I wasn't going to win the Minnie or plain white potty battle at babies r us. ;) So Minnie and Mickey it is! i guess it will add a nice splash of color to our bathroom.

On a Halloween note, I am still working on her costume. I am struggling with one part since I am not a sewer. Back to Michaels today for the third time for the same things! Just 3 days to get this sucker done. Third time is a charm right? Let's hope. We did make time for a little pumpkin painting...this girl loves anything soft and gooey that she can mush between her fingers. Proud to say some paint did make it onto the pumpkin and not just in her hair, mouth and on the chair. 

Stella has such an obsession with the tractor. I swear she can hear Rick start this thing up from miles away. As soon as her eyes spot the green monster she is all ear to ear smiles. She is happy just sitting on it even she isn't scoring a free ride. true country girl.

Cheers! To a Happy Halloween week!

13 Month Update

Dear Stella,
    I am having so much fun learning, playing and spending each day with you. Each day presents something new. Your age right now is indeed a fun one and our interaction is priceless. I live for our lunch dates, our baking together, our projects and so much more. You have really grown into your own person and have quite the personality. You are playful, and cuddly when you want to be. You are incredibly smart and you pick things up quickly. Momma and Daddy have to start watching our potty mouths! Stella you still seem to amaze me each and every day. You are growing so fast,..if only time could slow down a bit. I would love for you to stay this size for a bit longer. You make Daddy and I laugh all the time and we are so thankful for that. You are truly my ray of sunshine. And you are 13 months old!!  I love you so much. 

Love you to the moon and back,
Momma

Let it be known, taking pictures of you is nearly impossible..you don't sit still!

Here are a list of things about Little Miss Stella at 13 months...

-You are a great eater! Your favorites lately have been pomegranate, avocado, english muffins, baked oatmeal, wild caught salmon, Horizon organic mac n cheese (I always sneak peas in there), pickles, broccoli and spinach. You intake about 16 ounces of milk a day!

- Your words are Dada, Pop pop, Ice Pop, and A! is Ellie. "Momma" is few and far in between :)

- The list of things that you can identify is endless. Some are eyes, nose, belly, hair, piggies, bunny, duckie, kitty, Minnie and Mickey, milk, blankey, fishy...

- You are pulling yourself up on EVERYTHING, climbing the stairs, standing on your own, and taking on average 10 steps all by yourself. You get so proud of yourself when you do these things, especially walk and stand on your own.

- Sleep is good :) 10-11 hours straight through the night. Two naps (sometimes one) a day depending on what time you wake in the morning. You are without a doubt a belly sleep- but up in the air.

- Things that you love to do are color with crayons and chalk, destruct things and knock them over, go for walks, throw your balls from the ball pit, speed around in your walker, DANCE (you LOVE to dance), give kisses, swing on your swing, being baked, taking baths, jumping in your crib and being cuddled at night in your glider.

- You are wearing a few 6-12 month left overs, and mainly in 12-18 months. You are still wearing size 4 diapers and are in a size 2/3 shoe. love those tiny chubby feet.

- You now have 8!! teeth! Two molars finally broke gum! We brush those chompers twice a day- morning and night. Thank goodness for those SoBe ice pops- you love those.

- You are forever on the move and don't stop...I am not sure where all of that energy comes from ;) some sort of energizer bunny.

- Excited doesn't even describe how you feel and act when Daddy get homes from work. You love to stand in the window or door and watch for his white truck to pull up. (sometimes when you see a white vehicle drive down our street to say Dada) As soon as Daddy pulls up, he stops in the road, rolls down the window and waves to you and the smile on your face is priceless and the amount of Dada's that you yell are endless. so stinkin' cute. 

- You still love your blankey and we don't go anywhere without one. (we have three, smartest buy we ever made)

-Things that you don't care for are being told no, having your finger and toenails cut and riding in your carseat at times.

the beginnings of a braid!!!

I love you baby girl...