Eden's 1st Birthday Party

Your child won't remember his or her first birthday party so it's best to keep it simple, right?  Well, I agree with that, in theory, but I am a party planner by nature so I could not help but put a little bit of effort into it.  This was honestly more of a celebration that Jeff and I had survived the first year of parenthood!  I deserved a party!  With cake and ice cream and fun decorations.  I decided to try to stay grounded and not spend a ton of money.  I also did not want to try to do too much myself.  I honestly think I struck the perfect balance.  I only got stressed out and overwhelmed once about a week before the party and my friends stepped in to offer help and everything was finished on time with no problem at all, really!  And I don't think I spent an exorbitant amount of money, either.

After the compensatory Pinterest search or two (or ten), I decided upon an ice cream theme.  I knew this was slightly unconventional for a winter birthday but I didn't care.  I threw convention to the wind and settled upon this adorable theme.  Enjoy all the details in the pictures that follow.  Speaking of these pictures, most of them were taken and edited by my generous friend, Megan.  It was so nice to be able to just enjoy the party without worrying about taking any pictures.

First, the details...

I commissioned this piece by a local Mom/artist.  It was her first of this type so she allowed me just to pay for supplies if I agreed to be a prototype.  I readily agreed and I'm so glad I did.  It turned out perfectly! 

Eden's 1st Birthday outfit.  Onesie (see below) made by Little Fisher Market.  Pants from Target (Carter's brand) and tutu made by me.

Close-up of embroidered onesie by Little Fisher Market.

Smash cake by me. Adorable mini cake pedestal from Michael's.

Ice cream toppings.

Ice cream cone cupcakes!  This was my first time making these (well, I did a practice run a few days prior, if you must know) and they turned out super yummy!

"Happy Birthday Eden" and 12 months of pictures banners by me.

Instagram prints from Walgreens formed into a number one made by me (idea from Pinterest).

This cupcake cookbook sits on my kitchen counter all the time.  There just happens to be some cupcakes with ice cream decorations so I turned it to this page for Eden's party.  What can I say, I love details!

Ice cream banner by me.  There was also one hanging above Eden's birthday canvas.

My little decorations as a backdrop for Eden's high chair (picture by me, hence the crapiness).

My table setup (excuse the picture quality…this was mine, too).

I found these adorable coloring sheets online, printed a few out and had them lying on the table with some crayons for Eden's friends to color.

**Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of the adorable favors.  I bought really cute little vintage ice cream bowls & spoons from Amazon and filled them with ice cream shaped marshmallows!

UPDATE:  I found a picture of the favors!!!  Better late than never, right?  Here you go…

Our guests…

The birthday girl!

The birthday girl opening her gifts…

This doll was my and Jeff's present to Eden.  She was custom made by Hidden In My Heart Dolls.  She has an adorable little pocket on her body where I can tuck verses and notes.  I've been wanting to buy one for several years but the woman who makes them has taken quite a bit of time off to focus on being a wife and mom.  She recently started making a few and after I commented on one of her Instagram pictures about wanting one for Eden's first birthday, she contacted me to set up a custom order.  And she gave me a discount!  So blessed.  

Thanks, everyone, for the lovely gifts!

I scream! You scream!  We all scream for ice cream!

The birthday girl and her cake!

Eden Amelia is ONE YEAR OLD!!!

Eden turned ONE today!  This year has been full of hardships, growing pains, sleepless nights (and days), blood, sweat, and tears but it has also been full of rewards, smiles, laughter, joy, triumphs, milestones, happiness, growth, and love; so much love.

I can hardly wrap my mind around the fact that it's been one whole year since Eden joined our lives (outside of the womb, of course).  One year.  Twelve months.  Fifty two weeks.  Three hundred and sixty five days.  Eight thousand seven hundred and sixty hours.  You get the point.  It seems like a long time and yet so brief.  It flew by but is also filled with so many memories.  Over the past few days and weeks, I have been doing a lot of reminiscing about my pregnancy and the days leading up to Eden's birth.  I like to remember what I was doing "this time last year."  As I start writing this blog post, it is 1:25 in the morning (if I finish it in one sitting, it will be a miracle) (I didn't).  This time last year, I was trying to rest but having pretty regular contractions.  I think I had started to time them with an app on my phone.  I had no idea what the next several hours would hold and I was just taking it one contraction at a time.  I won't tell you my whole birth story again because I already wrote a very long blog post with all the details.  If you'd like to read it, you can find it here.  The point is that I had Eden naturally, without any medications or an epidural and it was the easiest part of motherhood thus far!  Haha!  We got off to a pretty rough start.  Adjusting to such an immense change was difficult for me.  Breastfeeding was probably the hardest thing I've ever succeeded at in my entire life.  But once again, I already wrote a blog post (actually two) about that.  You can read them here and here.  Working part-time and being a mom is no cake walk (my hubby definitely has it worse then me, though).  Because of her zest for life, Eden is not a big fan of sleep.  It's still quite challenging to get her to go to sleep and stay asleep. She is beginning to exert her will and throw little mini tantrums when she is told she cannot do something or is removed from playing with something off-limits (e.g. the toilet).

But all of it is so totally worth it.  It sounds kind of cliche to me because everyone always says it but it's only because it's true!  I can look back and see the positive things that have come out of these challenging situations.  Her stubborn-ness and hatred for sleep are qualities that will serve her very well as an adult.  I just pray for the patience and grace to grow and cultivate her strengths and weaknesses so that she can be the woman God has created her to be.

And the positives.  Oh, the positives.  What a joy this child is!  She never meets a stranger.  She's so friendly and outgoing (not that the opposite is bad…I just enjoy her reaction when we're around other people). I mean, you can see for yourself that she's just stinking adorable!  LOL.

I am amazed at how rapidly she is developing.  I feel like her language could explode any day now.  She clearly says "Mama" and "Dada," of course, but we also think she says "kitty."  On a few occasions, she's said other things like "bye."  She can sign "all done" but doesn't always do it at the appropriate time. Haha.  She will also sign "more" with some prompting.  She waves "bye" with some coaxing.  She has started making what we call the "scrunch face."  It is just about the cutest thing you have ever seen.  No, maybe not as cute as giving me kisses when I ask for them.  I don't know.  It's a toss up!

She's not super graceful and I don't think she'll be walking anytime real soon but she gets around just fine.  She crawls at super fast speeds and pulls up on everything.  She has acquired her fair share of "boo-boo's" already.  She loves to explore and she really enjoys playing with doors right now. She loves music and dances in the cutest little way.  She plays with the instruments we got her for Christmas quite frequently and really loves her interactive musical toys, as well.

This girl loves to eat and she can put away some grub!  She has 8 teeth now, 4 on top and 4 on bottom!  Thankfully, her favorite foods right now are meat, beans, fruits and vegetables.  She loves enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, chili, spaghetti, chicken lo mien, chicken noodle soup, etc.  She also still loves her apples and clementines.  She has a newfound love for raisins, as well.

I will have her official weight, length and head circumference when we go to the doctor for her 12 month check-up tomorrow, but I don't want to delay posting until then so I'll have to come back and edit once I have that information!  Last time I weighed her on our scales at home, she was about 22 1/2 pounds!  She's a chunk, that's for sure.

*EDIT* She weighed 22 lbs 9 oz and was 29 1/4 in long at her doctor's appointment on Tuesday.  That's the 75th and 50th percentiles respectively.  Her head is 19 1/4 in. in circumference and that's >95%, as usual.

She's still in size 3 diapers but I think I may go up to 4's after we're finished with all the 3's we have.  She's definitely in 12 month clothes and may even have to go to some 18 month stuff soon!

Her birthday party is on Saturday but we celebrated today with a few activities.  Daddy got off work for a snow day since there's still quite a bit of snow and ice on the back roads in Bedford Co.  No complaints out of us!  Nanny and Poppy came to hang out for a few hours, too!  We had birthday waffles for breakfast, took a nap, met a few friends at Chick-Fil-A for a late lunch, played at Kids' Cove, and came home and had dinner and cupcakes with some friends over.  It was a very good day!  Enjoy some pics!

Birthday waffles with whipped cream and sprinkles!

She's such a silly girl!

I'm really not sure what this face was about.  She wasn't a fan of having her picture taken, though!

Even funnier!  Poopin'???

Going down a slide for the first time ever!

Hanging out in the mouth of the whale with her new friend, Elise.

Nanny & Poppy! Yay!

Blurry scrunch face!

Praise the Lord!

Cheese!!!

Mmmmm…cupcake!!!

Sausage Soup

I got this recipe in the mail from my former real estate agent.  I'm not really sure to whom I owe credit.  I did not create this recipe.  How's that?

Hearty Sausage Soup

1 lb turkey sausage (this can be challenging to find, I used Jennie-O breakfast sausage)
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 medium carrots, diced
2-3 small red potatoes, diced
2 tsp Italian seasonings
2 cans (14 oz.) chicken stock
1 can (14 oz.) white beans, undrained
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes (recipe calls for 'Italian style' but I used regular last time and it was still yummy)

Saute onions and garlic with sausage until browned.

 Add carrots, potatoes, and seasoning and cook until carrots and potatoes are tender crisp.

 Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.

 Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

 Serve with grated Romano cheese and crusty bread (we didn't have any bread).

 Hope you enjoy!

Eden Amelia is Eleven Months Old!

Ahhh, Eden will be a year old in ONE MONTH!  I cannot express to you how quickly this year has flown by.  But if you have children, you probably understand.

My sweet girl is such a joy!  I am so overwhelmed by what a blessing she is.  It's no secret that the first several months of her life were quite challenging and being a parent will never be a cake walk but lately, it's become so very evident just how very worth it all the tears, sleepless nights (and days), and struggles are.

Eleven Months Old

Not sure of her current weight, length or head circumference.

Foot Size:  4.1 inches (we measured because it's time for her to start wearing shoes!)

Amount of Teeth:  Two with two coming in!

Activity:  Crawling, pulling up and standing holding on, playing with toys, pulling things out of boxes and putting them back in, banging toys together, playing instruments, dancing (rocking back and forth), clapping and putting her hands up in the air to "Praise the Lord."

Saying: Dada, Mama, Nana, "Digga digga" or something like that, haha and lots of other gibberish.

We are very much enjoying getting out of the house here lately.  Eden LOVES playing with other kids and their toys.  She also tends to do a lot better if we get out of the house for a change of scenery.  I'm glad we have that in common!  I've been off for the last 5 days (7 if you don't count the brief 4 hour shift I worked last Saturday evening).  We've gone out every day!

A lot of my time has been consumed with planning Eden's 1st birthday party.  I may love party planning a bit too much.  I realize that she won't remember it and it really isn't necessary to make a huge deal out of it but I can't help it.  I just love parties.  I'm trying to keep myself in check but we'll see…

Here are some cute pics from the past month or so!

Looking cute after getting down from riding on Mommy's back.

Playing with her friend, Aubrey.

Eating some yummy spaghetti!

Uncle Patchy came to visit and we gave him his Christmas presents from us and Aunt Rachel's family.

Enjoying playing with the wrapping and tissue paper.

Laughing at Uncle Patchy.

Crazy hair, don't care!

Jeff and I got to go to Norfolk on the first Saturday of the year to see one of our favorite bands, Mae, on their 10th Anniversary tour.  It was so nice.  We are so thankful my sister watched Eden for us.

Mae

Eden LOVES our cats.  Josie is too stubborn to run away when Eden tries to "pet" her sometimes.

Just looking cute in her high chair.

Eden's friend, Aubrey, turned 1 year old on January 11th and we went to her adorable party!

Aubrey getting ready to smash her cake!

 

Playing at the birthday party.

Eden's other friend, Xander! (We went to his first birthday party, too, but I didn't get any pictures that day).

Red, chapped cheeks but still happy!

Strawberry butt!

Mmmm, banana!

Trying on some sunglasses at the craft store the other day.

Happy New Year!

We're already two weeks into the new year and I'm just now getting my New Year blog post up, but hey, we still have 50 more weeks of this year, so that's really not that bad, huh?

I'm the type of person who makes resolutions every single year.  Shoot, I make resolutions every week!  I thrive off of new beginnings because I desire a clean slate and a fresh start over and over and over again.  And I see nothing wrong with this.  His mercies are new every morning and I can claim them over and over (and over and over and over) again.  Praise God!

So, what resolutions did I make this year?

• To stop drinking soda (or at least stop being addicted to it),
• To stop being addicted to sweets, desserts, sugary foods, etc.,
• To eat cleaner and healthier, and
• To blog more (most likely about food).

Do you notice a trend?  It's no secret that food is at the forefront of my thoughts and plays a huge part in my everyday life.  Of course, we need food to survive, but I have developed some seriously bad habits and attitudes when it comes to food.  I want to get back to eating for sustenance and I want to get serious about what I put into my body.  To be really honest, it all stemmed from my stance on vaccines.  As I've thought more about refusing to put harmful substances in my body, I've been more convicted about the food substances I'm putting in my body every day.  1 Corinthians 6:19 says, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?"  I really feel that I am doing my family a disservice if I don't make a commitment to eating healthier.  Being an example to my child(ren) has been the strongest motivation I've ever had!

Now, when it comes to blogging more, it sort of ties in with what I talked about above in that I want to share some of my new ideas and recipes with all of you.  But also, I thoroughly enjoy baking/cooking and I really enjoy blogging so why not blog about the things I cook and bake?  So, for my very first cooking post, I am going to tell you how I make turkey noodle soup.

The first time I made turkey noodle soup was right after Thanksgiving of 2013.  We had a lot of leftover turkey and I did not want to eat a bunch of turkey sandwiches or make turkey hash.  So, I looked on Pinterest, of course, and found a very simple recipe for turkey noodle soup.  We made it a handful of times last winter and tweaked it each time.  This was my first time making it this winter and I had to remind myself of ingredients and portions because I tend to repeatedly make the mistake of not writing down my recipes.  It's also been a collaborative effort between me and The Bean so I don't always remember his contribution.  Anyhow, let's cut to the chase.

Turkey Noodle Soup 

First, gather your ingredients.  You will need the following:

• 4 carrots
• 1 medium onion (I used yellow)
• 2 ribs celery
• Olive oil, or oil/butter of choice (not pictured)
• 5 cups turkey stock (or chicken or vegetable stock/broth)*
• 1 cup water (not pictured)
• 2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles (I use whole wheat "egg" noodles)
• 2 cups chopped, cooked turkey
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper (more or less to taste)
• thyme (not pictured) and/or any other spices you want to include (suggestions: marjoram, basil, bay leaves, parsley, poultry seasoning, etc.)

*I used bouillon cubes instead of turkey stock.  I find it easier to have them on hand.  Just follow the directions on the package.

Then, prep your veggies.  I like to chop everything pretty small.

Heat oil/butter on the stovetop in a sauté pan.  Add carrots, celery and onion and cook until slightly softened, about 4 minutes.  

Place stock, water, turkey, vegetables, pepper and spices in a large saucepan or stock pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer approximately 15 minutes until vegetables are tender.  Add noodles and continue cooking about 7 minutes until noodles are tender.  

Spoon into bowls and enjoy!  Yummy with grilled cheese (which I recommend using muenster cheese), crackers, or bread.  

*Please ignore the formatting on this post.  Blogger is being annoying and I don't have the energy to try and fix it.