A little of this, a little of that....

Happy Birthday Jim!

Today is Jim's 41st birthday!

We started celebrating yesterday. Mom and Granny came up to spend the day with Finley while Jim and I went out on a few errands and then to an early dinner.

Having lots of fun with her Grandma and Granny...

Me and the birthday boy...

Me and the birthday boy and the little miss...

Jim and I had a nice afternoon and evening out, but honestly, it was weird not having Finley with us. 

We went to Genji's Japanese Steakhouse for an early dinner. Nothing makes a birthday happier than Yum Yum sauce! Ha ha!

This morning, I made a birthday breakfast for Jim- French Toast and bacon (his request). Then we went to Jim's parents' house for his birthday party.

Here's Jim and Finley ready to leave for the party...

I tried to get a picture of her in her pretty little dress and cute boots, but getting her to stand still is not very likely to happen these days.

Jim with his present from me and Finley (it's a Dexter t-shirt)...

And Jim with his big gift...

He got the Walking Dead graphic novels. He was very excited over these! It's like he's 41 going on 14. :)

We're now relaxing and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Finley has been cranky most of the day and we just discovered she's cutting a new tooth.

Happy Birthday Jim!

Happy 80th Birthday Granny!

Yesterday, we had a very special birthday party for a very special person! My Granny turns 80 years young today!

We had cake and punch and about 40 people came to celebrate Granny's birthday!

My cousin Bethany and her husband Gregg.

With my three cousins (boy, can you tell they're sisters!? LOL!). You can see my youngest cousin Sara's baby bump... her baby girl is due April 18th.

Can you believe we got the entire family all together at one time!? Little Averie cracks me up. She always wants to sit next to Finley. I don't think she could get any closer to her in that picture! :)

Granny with Michelle, Rick, Olivia and Averie.

Granny with Troy, Sara and sleeping Troy.

My uncle and his girlfriend Evelyn.

A 'Now and Then' photo... Granny's holding her graduation picture. I thought it was so cute!

I love my Granny so much. She's been such a special part of my life and I wouldn't be the person I am today without her love and support. She's generous, loving, hard working, fun and kind-hearted. 

Happy 80th Birthday to a wonderful, wonderful woman.

Finley's 1st Birthday Party!

We had Finley's 1st Birthday Party on Sunday, December 18th. Luckily, I finally found a place to have it- our house is too small and most places I checked were too pricey. Plus with her party being at Christmastime, I knew I had to reserve a place well in advance.

We had her party at the Community Hall, which was perfect!

I started planning her party about three months ago and worked on little details here and there up until the party. My good friend Leslie designed the invitations and other birthday printables. I thought Finley's party turned out great and everything turned out so cute! Probably 90% of her party was inspired by ideas I found on Pinterest!

The theme was 'Look Whoooo's One'!

My Mom came up early that morning to help get things ready. We got to the Hall around 10:15am to put up decorations and get the food and drinks ready. Jim stayed at home with Finley so she could take her morning nap. He got her ready for the party and brought her to the Hall around 12:45pm. Finley was ready to party!

I made six dozen Sugar Mints. I've never used so much powdered sugar at one time in my life.

Owl treat boxes for the kids.

She's goin' places!

This is my good friend Lisa holding Finley and her 9 month old daughter Ali.  Lisa was one of my OU roommates and we always joke that our girls will go to OU together and being roommates just like we were! 

We changed Finley from her party dress to her smash cake clothes!

I jazzed up her plain ol' highchair with ribbons (idea from Pinterest!).

She liked it when we were all singing Happy Birthday!

Time to bring out the cake...

She did great eating the cake, but didn't like it all over her hands. My cousin Bethany made her little smash cake and it was soooo good (I ate some of the non-smashed side later that day!).

Jim and I felt so grateful for everyone who came to the party and showed their love for Finley! 

I really can't believe Finley's one already!

Happy 1st Birthday Finley!

I can't believe it! My baby girl is one year old today! This past year has gone by so fast!

Despite having a cold and a horribly runny nose, Finley was having lots of fun opening her birthday presents!

She got a Little People Surprise Sounds Amusement Park and Ferris Wheel (and it came with THREE new Little People!; Little People are her favorite... she loves to walk/crawl around holding one in her mouth).

We got her two cards... one played the 'Hot Dog Dance' from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Reading her card (upside down)....

She got a Snow White shirt and three new books.

Time for one more present!

Ooops... she got distracted.... 

OK. Back to opening the present! 

"Hey! What's in there!?"

"OK... I think if I climb on top of this, I can tear the paper off better"....

She got a Fisher-Price Musical Table.

She's taking a nap now, worn out from the birthday celebration.

After lunch, we're switching from Birthday mode to Christmas mode!

Happy 1st Birthday little Miss! Mom and Dad love you soooo much!

Half of 74....

Despite the fact that I'm 37 now (that sounds kinda old...), my birthday was pretty great. 

I woke up to this on the table...

In case you can see the writing on the cards, the one on the left is for 'Kitten'. Jim calls me 'Kitten' and I call him 'Puppy'. (We mockingly call each other those nicknames.)

Jim got me a pair of these...

They're the Yoga Mat flip flops from Sanuk. They are by far THE MOST comfortable flip-flops I've ever worn. They are awesome. I want a pair in every. single. color. These are going to be perfect for our upcoming Vegas trip too! Do yourself a favor and get a pair of these... you won't be sorry!

I also got the latest Sara Gruen book- 'Ape House'. I can't wait to read it after I finish Books #5, #6 and #7 of Harry Potter. Finley actually got this book for me. ;)

I had to wake up extra early (I set my alarm for 6:30am, but Finley woke up at 6am ready to go for the day) and get to the BMV to get a new driver's license. I got there at 7:57am and I was still the 12th person lined up outside. Why is the BMV always so crowded!?

I got home around 8:45am and Mom and Granny got here around 9:30am. We had some Cinnamon Crunch bagels from Panera and then Mom and Granny went with me to take Finley to her Music Class. I'm glad Mom and Granny got to see Finley in action. They really liked watching her and her reactions to the music. Finley was extra talkative in class today- I think she was trying to sing to the music!

Mom and Granny had to leave shortly after we got home. Jim and I relaxed and then all three of us took an afternoon nap!

Nan and Pap came around 5:00pm to babysit so Jim could take me to my birthday dinner. He made plans to take me to my favorite restaurant- Mitchell's Steakhouse in downtown Columbus. So good! We were complete gluttons, but the dinner was sooooo tasty! We even got a bottle of Prosecco to celebrate the evening. 

 

I had a wonderful evening out. It felt nice to get all fancied up and go out on the town! I was kinda sad that Finley was already in bed by the time we got home. I still had to go in and pick her up to hug and kiss her goodnight.

This morning (Sunday), we relaxed around the house until it was time to go to Nan and Pap's for my birthday party at their house. Here's me and my girl right before we left...

It really was a great birthday weekend. I feel so lucky to have a wonderful husband, beautiful daughter, loving family and fantastic friends. What more could I ask for? (Beside less gray hair, of course).

Surprise party...

Last Saturday, Jim, Finley and I attended a surprise 50th birthday party for Michele Doran. The Dorans are like a second family to Jim, as he worked on their farm for about ten years.

Jim and Finley with Michele and her two daughters, Megan (on the left) and Renee (on the right)...

Jim and Finley with Jim Doran...

If you're looking for great produce, you can buy fresh and local from the Dorans each Wednesday afternoon at the Westerville Farmers Market!

Happy Birthday Henry! (and weekend update)

Another busy weekend!

I took Finley to her second Music Class on Friday. She really likes it. She still likes to stand for the entire class. Every other baby is sitting on their mommy's laps but Finley! 

We had another Picnic-In-The-Park on Friday evening. I packed a cooler and we had a picnic dinner at Sharon Woods Metro Park. While the picnic dinner was fantastic, the park however was not. I thought we were going to get caught in the middle of a drug deal the entire time. The parkgoers there were sketchy to say the least. I don't think we'll be going back there anytime soon.

We planned on getting all of our shrubs and flowers this weekend so we could finish our landscaping project, but we were too busy and it was just too hot. Hopefully we'll finish everything one evening this week.

Saturday was Henry's 2nd birthday party!

Leslie did a great job on his 'Toy Story' party!

Finley was busy in her own little social circle...

Happy 2nd Birthday Henry!

After the birthday party, we went to the Westerville Music & Arts Festival. It was a nice arts festival and the music was pretty good. The only problem was it was so darn hot. The festival was at Heritage Park and Everal Barn.

We took a couple of breaks in the shade. Finley was very interested in the pine tree. I think she wanted to taste-test it.

We were going to try to get out early Sunday to go shopping for our shrubs and flowers, but we all ended up sleeping in. We spent the rest of Sunday morning being lazy until we had to get ready to go to Nan & Pap's house for Debbie's birthday party. Happy Birthday Debbie!

We were going to go visit Mom and Granny today, but it's just too hot, so we're staying in where it's cool!

Happy 8th Birthday Olivia...

Sunday was Olivia's 8th birthday!

For her birthday party, Olivia requested fried chicken, mashed potatoes and noodles, and pineapple upside down cake!

Olivia and Averie (Ave turned 4 in April)...

Averie wants to hold Finley all the time! She even wants to help change her diaper. She's a good little helper!

About an hour into the party, Finley spit up all over her party outfit (the blue and white striped onesie with the red buttons and bow). Not just any spit-up too- she spit up prunes all down the front of herself! It figures- the first time she wore that little outfit, it was now splattered in prunes! (Side note: all of the prunes came out and the onesie looks as good as new! Michelle used her magic trick of a pre-treater and a toothbrush and it really worked!)

Other than the spit-up incident, Finley had a great time at the party. She's been good about letting other people hold her. Although I think she has an ulterior motive... she now likes to grabs handfuls of hair and tries to grab faces. She especially loved to grab handfuls of Averie's hair!

Our little party girl slept on the way home, tired after a big day.

Happy 8th Birthday Olivia! I can't believe you're 8 years old already! 

1/2 of a real party...

Finley was 6 months old last Friday, June 24th. Jim and I wanted to celebrate her little milestone with a family get together (her little half birthday party was at half past five).

She took a nap Friday afternoon, but was still a little tired for the party.

I made her a 1/2 birthday party hat, but everytime I tried to put it on her head, she threw a fit. I think the elastic maybe pinched her skin.  I tried to just sit it on her little head, but she still wasn't having any of it.

With her Auntie Deb...

With her cousin Kendall...

I didn't have a birthday cake for Finley, but everyone got to see how much she loved Bananas...

Kadin and Henry had some fun with Sidewalk Chalk. Kadin was testing his new "Catch-A-Toddler-In-A-Chalk-Circle" trap....

It worked!

I had every intention of getting Finley's picture with everyone, but she tuckered out before I could.

I had lots of fun planning the menu and getting everything ready (I love to entertain!).

For Finley's half birthday party, we had: half Sub Sandwiches, Chips & Dip, Baked Beans, Macaroni Salad, Smoked Salmon Dip with Everything Bagel pretzels, Greek Dip (hummus, cucumbers, feta cheese and sliced black olives) with Pita Chips. Special thanks to Felicia for serving the Smoked Salmon Dip/Everything Bagel pretzels and the Greek Dip/Pita Chips at our scrapbook weekend- I loved your snacks so much, I served them at this party!

I also served Antipasta Skewers (I got this idea from Pinterest):

 

These are super easy: cook a package of refrigerated tortellini. Once the tortellini are cooled, skewer them along with black and/or green olives, cherry tomatoes, marinated artichokes, salami, pepperoni, and fresh mozzarella balls. Then pour Italian dressing over the skewers and refrigerate until ready to serve!

I also found a way to get more use out of my cupcake stand...

 

I served the Veggie Cups with Bacon Dip and Avocado Ranch Dip (another new recipe I found on Pinterest!). I liked the Veggie Cups because you could spoon the dip right into the cup on top of the veggies!

For desserts, we enjoyed round Brownies (I cut Brownies with a circle cookie cutter), Lemon Cheesecake cheeseball with Cinnamon & Honey pretzels, and Ice Cream. We washed it all down with Mango Margaritas, Summer Shandy beer, Long Island Iced Tea and Peach White Tea. 

I wanted to take more photos of the food, but things always get hectic at a party! 

Special thanks to Finley's biggest fans for being at the party: Nonni, Pap, Auntie Lisa, Ed, Kendall, Brett, Auntie Deb, Jack, Auntie Chris, Kadin, Brandon, Grandma, Granny, Leslie and Henry.

I think the party was a success, and perfect practice for her BIG party in six more months!

Troy's 1st birthday!

On Saturday, Sara and Troy had baby Troy's 1st birthday party. Baby Troy loves Mickey Mouse, so my uncle had arranged for Mickey to show up at the party.

Finley seemed to like Mickey. She was most interested in his white gloves and even tried to taste-test them! Mickey was a little tall (OK, A LOT tall), but the kids loved him nonetheless!

Sara did a great job on the party. They had a ton of food including a 200lb. roasted pig! She also had a kiddie pool all ready for the kids. I brought Finley's swimsuit and she took a little dip before dinner. The water was about 6" deep and completely covered her legs- a little different than her baby pool that had about 2" of water. She still was a kickin' her legs and lovin' the water.   

With Granny...

With her great-Uncle Terry (doesn't she look like such a big girl?)...

 

Finley was all ready for the party!

It's time to smash some cake!

 

For the next photo..."OK, Mom... I need this hat OFF!"...

 

 

And just as I was putting Finley in the car to head home, I saw this view..

The sun rays were so pretty and perfect!

Today (Tuesday, June 7th) is Troy's actual birthday, so Happy 1st Birthday little man!