Arielle waddles into 2!! Purple Penguin Birthday

Some beautious girl went and turned 2! I'm not sure what makes her think she can just keep growing when I clearly wish to freeze her in the uber cuteness that she is right at this moment. Oh well, that's what blogging is for, right??

Lil' Miss Arielle has a penchant for penguins, so I thought I'd take remove the Christmasy vibe and go with a cute purple, black and white theme for her party. I made the invites in Photoshop and then ran from there with the color scheme.

I wanted it to be cute without looking too grown up. She is only two, you know. I was thrilled with how everything came out. We decided to make it easy on ourselves and do catered sandwiches and picnic salads instead of trying to make food. This was the best idea ever. I can't tell you how many parties we have had at our house when people are arriving and I am still not even dressed because I am still cooking or putting things together. Shut up. I am not a procrastinator. Ok, maybe a little. Anyway, it was a life saver! I made cake pops, candy dipped pretzel sticks and had fresh fruit, dark chocolate kisses and oreos. My amazing Sister-in-law owns a bakery in Boston called Treats on Washington. Her bakery made Arielle's cake and it was amazing!

Without further ado, here are the pictures from the party!

 It was an amazing 60 degrees on the day of her party, so all of the kids were running around outside...minus the time they were destroying my family room. For party favors, I got the super cute penguin boxes on Etsy and I made felt penguin masks for the kiddos and then gave them little sticker books. I made Arielle's party shirt and I'm glad I took a few pictures before she proceeded to ruin it with Oreos and all kinds of other mess! The penguin clip came from another Etsy shop. (I love supporting handmade when I can!) I made the table surround out of 2 pieces of fabric that I simply pinned together. The best part is, I can reuse the fabric...I see a purple dress in Arielle's future.

Overall, it has to be the most relaxed party I have thrown to date. We kept it small and I did as much as I could in advance. I had a couple other projects that I didn't get to, and I didn't let it bother me. This is big for me. Overachievers have a hard time admitting defeat!

 It was a bittersweet moment watching my baby turn 2. She'll be the last and I don't want the baby to fade into childhood too quickly. Happy birthday Puddin Pie!

Arielle at 2 years!

 

I have been the absolute worst at posting your monthly updates, but I will kick myself if I don't start back up again. You are saying and doing so many new things each day, i don't want these moments gone forever in the far reaches of my forgetful brain!

I took you for your 2 year appointment on your actual birthday. That was mean. I will never make you get shots and a finger stick on your birthday again. You weighed in at 29.5 pounds and 35.25 inches tall. You are finally coming down in the weight percentile a little but remain at the top for height.

You are talking up a storm, in full sentences. You sing and do a halfway decent job of getting the words right. The other day Natey was singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". After he finished you piped in, "Santa a list, checkin' a list, a find out, nice! Santa Claus es coming a town!". You were very proud of yourself after that.

You seem to think that "Christmas Songs" means one of 3 songs, the afore mentioned Santa song, "Tingle Bells" or "Frosty the Snowman". You will yell for Christmas songs in the car, but when I put on the station, you don't seem to understand that there are A LOT of different songs about Christmas.

You like to tell people that they are "Sows, sows" (so, so) pretty or handsome. Only girls can be pretty and boys are handsome. No one can tell you otherwise. You started this a couple of months ago, but I think it is so cute.

Every morning when you wake up you want "Nuggles" with mommy in our rocking chair before we can get you dressed. I will take your snuggles as long as you want to give them to me. I wish it could be forever.

When anyone is doing something you don't like you say they are teasing you. Your brother can just laugh at something and you will declare, "Natey teasin me!".

When I drop you off at daycare I started telling you, "See ya later alligator." You have turned this into "Later the gators".

You have a few funny names for things. You call the sun, "sunny day". Any group of trees is a jungle and there are "piders in dare". The stuffed animals that sleep in your bed are your "friends" and your blanky is a bank-a-let.

You are using the word "my" instead of I or me. I love it. The other day I pretended to be scared and you patted my head and said, "My a-tect (protect) you mommy". I almost died from the cuteness.

You can recognize the colors yellow, pink, purple and orange 100% of the time. We are still working on the other colors.

You count to 3 but then you just want me to do it, so you don't continue.

You continue to torture me by taking your socks and shoes off EVERY time we get in the car. This and the tornado-esk activity of upending everything can end any time now. Please. No, really. STOP!

You like to do "wimmin" (swimming) in the bath tub and insist on brushing your teeth every time we enter the bathroom.

Until next update, I love you puddin pie!

Halloween 2011

As you can see our theme was Piggies and Power Rangers. Ok, so it's not really a theme, but how about cheap or free costumes? Yes, I like that theme much better. I found Natey's costume at the consignment sale I participate in for $12.50! I tried to find it online and it is a Disney costume, which was $50+ dollars if I had purchased it new (I never would). Arielle's costume I was going to buy, but that lovely trait of procrastination bit me again. I didn't know what I wanted her to be until I saw this get up. I found it online for $24 which isn't terrible, but since it was too close to Halloween, I would have had to pay $17 for shipping. That kinda defeats the purpose. I found someone at work who had it and was able to borrow it instead! I like free much better. Too bad it gets dark here so stinkin early because I didn't get good pictures, but they looked so cute and we had a great time. I will not have a great time wrestling with my a-hole will power when it comes to resisting the candy. Luckily my hubby has hidden it from Nathan me. I will pretend I don't care and not search for it. My thighs will thank me.

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!!

Birthday Snow and Tutus

Never in my life has it snowed on my birthday. Part of this may have to do with the fact that I was a West coast girl until I was 26. The other part is, snow has no place in October. None. It is bad enough that it can exist November through March. That being said, I have no control over the weather. Surprising, I know.

I turned 33 Thursday. That's 396 months, as my lovely friend Liz pointed out. It snowed a bit on Thursday and then we got 3 inches of snow Saturday night. I still don't believe it. I am usually in the "Can't beat 'em, join 'em" camp, so this year I will stop fighting and embrace the snow...for my kids' sake only.

Nate was so excited to see the snow, so I dressed both kids up in their winter gear for the first time this year and we headed into the back yard. Nate mostly threw himself on the ground on purpose and Arielle spent her time falling after every 2 steps. Poor, uncoordinated child of mine.

As if snow wasn't bad enough to wake up to on Sunday, I had a 5k to run. Liz and I did the Monster Dash which ran through downtown Providence. It was freezing and, as you can see, we were wearing tutus. Most people dressed in costumes. It was hilarious to run up behind someone who was running in an ape costume with a fake bum hanging out. This was my 2nd 5k this month. The first one I finished in 28:44 (9 min 17 second pace) and I was thrilled for my first race. This time Liz and I ran together and in the freezing cold, with tutus on, we still finished in 30:09 (9 min 42 second pace). I am happy with that! We are going to train for a half marathon. I know I can do it, but it will be a long road to next August! 

That was my weekend in a nutshell. Next I tackle Halloween and attempt to get a 23 month post in for Arielle before the poor girl turns 2!

The Crystal Ball

I got the opportunity to attend a fundraising dinner on Saturday. My company is a co-sponsor of the Arthritis Foundation's gala, The Crystal Ball. Many of you know I am a scientist, but I don't think I have ever talked about what I work on. One of the drugs my company makes is Enbrel®, which is used to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Psoriasis and Ankylosing Spondylitis. Most of the drugs my company makes treat debilitating conditions. Basically, you don't want to need anything we make. A 20 year old girl spoke about how she is overcoming her diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis and leading a more normal life because of our drug. I often find I get caught up in the daily hustle and bustle of work and sometimes it takes hearing the story of someone who needs our drugs to remind me why my job is so important.

The gala wasn't all seriousness as we got to have a tarot card reading, a few drinks, a lovely dinner, a pretty Swarovski bracelet and of course our "prom" picture. The last time I attended this event was 2008. Same date, my friend Joelle, but we look much better this time around (see for yourself)! I am not usually a girlie girl, but I think deep down we all want to look and feel glamorous every once in a while.



Miss me?

What's that sound? Oh, nothing much, just me dusting off the blog. There was a 2 1/2 month pile on here. Geeze. I wonder how many of you are still here? I could blah blah about why I've been gone, but instead I think I'll show you the sweet faces of my kidlets. You know you've missed them more than me anyway.

The last picture kills me. Where has my baby gone?? Someone has stolen her and replaced her with this gorgeous little girl. She'll be 2 in a month. I will cry giant crocodile tears.

I'm in the middle of a blog overhaul, so in about a week (in dog years) I should have a new pretty space all set up! Maybe it will inspire me to notch out more time to write....and read. I will get back into this. I miss you guys. Winter is coming and bringing the cold with it. I'm a bigger fan of my computer than I am of any winter sports. ;)

What I learned from a weekend in NYC...with the family

Since we had not had a family vacation yet this year, we decided to get away for a few days and go visit my BIL in New York. Many of you already know the joys and perils of vacationing with small beings, but I thought I'd impart to you the things I gleaned from this little adventure.

1. When you take a road trip with 2 wee ones, no one thing will keep them both happy. While the DVD player acts like kryptonite to Nate's crazy, it does nothing for Arielle. Fortunately (unfortunately??) food works for her. I'm pretty sure she ate 11 boxes of raisins on our 4.5 hour journey.

2. When in the passenger seat, keep your FREAKING feet off of the window. The chance that traffic will come to an unexpected halt, causing your wife to slam on the brakes, is pretty high at some point in 4.5 hours. If said passenger has their foot on the window, and tenses up when said wife slams on the brakes, this can happen.....

3. If the family members you are visiting live in a studio apartment, odds are you will have to find somewhere else to stay. You could pay over $300 a night for a hotel in the city (NYC rates obviously)or you can be smart and check out VacationRentals.com. Hands down the best idea ever! I found this site a few years ago when we went to San Francisco for my other BIL's wedding. I, for one, have no desire to share one room with my kids. What am I supposed to do when they go to sleep at 7:30, just sit in the dark? The first time we used this site, we rented a house for 6 of us to share and this time we rented a 2 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn that had a full kitchen and separate living room. We stayed 3 nights in NY and the grand total was $405 bucks! You can't beat that!

4. No matter where you go on vacation, parks will always be an acceptable activity...even if it is a substitute for going to the zoo. With temps in the high 90s and humidity right up there too, I was not going to a stinky zoo with a million other tourists. The kids got to run around to expend some energy and apparently my 28 pound daughter can hold her chubby little self up on the rings. Who knew?

5. If your child is not sleeping well at home, she will not sleep well on vacation. This should have been a no-brainer but hey, a girl can hope. Also, a 4 yo sleeping in a new place will probably get scared and wake up in the night too and then all 4 of you will end up sleeping (being a relative term) in the same bed. A queen size bed.

6. I will always be included in exactly 1 picture. I will always have to ask someone to take this lone picture.

7. The stroller pictured above has been one of my best baby/toddler item purchased to date! I wanted a Phil and Ted's stroller when Arielle was born, but my husband vetoed it because it was so expensive. I fought the good fight for how much I NEEDED it, but in the end I lost. I was going to borrow my friend's stroller to go to NY and, for some random reason I decided to look on Craig's List and found one for $75!!! I snatched it up so fast and it is as awesome as I'd imagined. I now know why I saw so many women with these in NY. They are a must have if you have to do that much pushing a kid (or two) around.

8. The drawback of the stroller in NY??? Not every subway station has an elevator and we ended up having to carry the stroller up and down the stairs. While this was great for exercise sake, it would suck if you were by yourself.

9. Kids on a subway. Not fun. Do I even need to elaborate??

10. Another awesome discovery I made on this trip was Yelp! I downloaded the app to my phone and then was able to search for restaurants and things to do. Everything was rated and people gave detailed reviews. It was so helpful. We found the BEST tapas restaurant in Brooklyn by using it (El Mio Cid if you care). You can search for things surrounding your current location so it was so easy to find good stuff nearby.

11. Your husband may balk at your instructions to stop the car (so you can take a picture) when you see one of the Real Housewives of NY walking down the street with her family. No matter how loudly you yell. Or how much you pout.

12. The Ferris wheel inside the Toys'R Us in Times Square is not as  fun to ride as it looks. Trust. Just ooohh and aww about it and save the $4.50 per person it costs to ride the dang thing. If you ignore my advice and chose to ride anyway, pay attention to the fact that kids 2 and under are free and don't buy a non-refundable ticket for your 20 mo old. You're welcome.

13. When you haven't been out for adult time (read alcoholic beverages) with other adults in a long time. You may be willing to pay a large sum of money for a nanny to babysit your kids for the evening. It will be worth every penny!

14. If you drive in NY, and you are not from there, you will probably get pulled over. Just sayin. The cop may have pity on you and let you go....if you look lost enough.

15. This is what Natey does if you tell him to "look excited".

16. You can survive a road trip with small children if you have enough snacks, books, toys, DVDs, crayons, coloring books, drink filled sippy cups, and advil.

**This post was in no way sponsored by any of the sites or bands I mentioned. These are all of my own opinions***

Arielle at 20 months

Happy 20 months baby girl!

I should probably say little girl not baby, but since you still call yourself that, I'm going with it for a little longer.

I would say what have you been up to this month, but it is more like what have you NOT been up to!!!

  

You are still gross and eating things you find anywhere and everywhere and when I ask you what's in your mouth you will reply, "Nuttin" or "Idunno". You are too young to be using the I don't know excuse!

Everything is, "MINE" right now, no matter if it belongs to you or not.

Your hair is finally long enough for piggy tails. Too bad you leave them in for all of 10 minutes before you say, "Hurts" and try to rip them out. We need to toughen up your head! I think you went so long with no hair that you aren't used to accessories.

In the car you yell at Natey to hold his hand and then when he lets you you say, "Meet you, meet yooou". We assume this is nice to meet you, but have no idea where you picked it up.

I love to give you hugs and ask, "Who loves you?". You always reply, "Mommy!!"

You are a climber.  I have mentioned this before, but now you have done the ultimate no-no and are climbing out of your crib. Luckily someone is giving us a crib tent because, while you are all "Mission Impossible" and stealthily climb out, I don't want you getting hurt. Also, I am so not ready to be putting you back in bed every 5 seconds, so no real bed in your immediate future.

You are sort of getting back to normal on the sleeping problem. While you don't sleep through the night every night, you are getting better and I will keep trying until you are back to your self.

 

 

Patience is not a virtue you possess quite yet. If you want something, you want it now and no amount of trying to explain that I'm working on your request helps.

Every morning when I get you out of your crib you snuggle up to me and we rock for a couple of minutes in your room. I love these precious moments I have with you.

 

 

You love the bath and get mad if it's not a bath night. Any time we walk in the bathroom you yell "bath" or "teeth". I'm glad you are so concerned with proper hygiene.

Some of the funny things you are saying right now are, "Leg-go" when I try to hold you down to change your diaper and  "Oh God", which might be is totally my fault.

You aren't really interested in TV, which is fine with me. You will sit still for a few minutes for "Barneesh" (Barney) or Elmo, but you quickly lose interest and start looking for things to climb.

You can say Arielle but when I ask you your name you say "Baby". This is fine with me!

You are obsessed with putting things in the trash. You will pick things up and say, "Gahbich" and throw them away. I have only caught you putting one thing that wasn't trash in there, so that's good.

Until next month my sweet girl!!