London's 2nd Birthday Party

This year I decided to do a dreamcatcher / feather theme for London's birthday party. I came up with the invitation and color scheme, and then started planning around it. In true "Heather" form, I made sure the important things were taken care of first: invitations, dessert & decorations. Luckily I know a great baker who makes me dreams come to life! ;)

I made a few decorations with sticks, pinecones, feathers and yarn. I found an idea for dipped pinecones on Pinterest, so I had Brandon bring home some paint from work. It was pretty easy, and I think it came out really great!

We kept the party small this time to minimize stress, and Brandon and I both commented afterwards that it was the most enjoyable party we've thrown. The weather was great, so we set up a pool in the front yard for the kids. Brandon grilled burgers (complete with roasted chiles, bacon and muenster cheese), I made my Israeli couscous, and the grandmas pitched in with potato salad and fruit. My sister, of course, handled the cake, feather cookies and oreo balls.

All in all, it was a great party. The kids (and grown-ups) had fun, and the birthday girl was happy. Can't ask for much more than that!

2 years old

Needless to say, I've done a really poor job keeping this blog updated! Who knew that working full-time, running a side business and being a mom & wife would mean no spare time?!

Our little girl just turned 2. I can't believe it... the time has flown by! London is an independent, strong-willed girl. She knows what she wants (or doesn't want!) and is not afraid to let you know. While this can make for some challenging times, we know it's a great quality that will take her far in life. She's talking up a storm and speaking in sentences (things like "What doing, mama?", "Hudson is sleeping?" and "Daddy rock you!") She has an affinity for her daddy and prefers that he puts her to bed. :)

She continues to eat a variety of foods, though she is starting to voice her preferences- "I don't like it." Like her brother, she loves all kinds of fruit and cheese, but unlike Hudson, she actually likes meat other than hot dogs and chicken nuggets!

Happy Birthday London Lorraine! We love you so much and are so blessed by you (even when you are barking orders at us).

Valentine's Day Mug Swap

This year I joined Alissa & Caroline in their Valentine's Day Mug Swap! I was paired with sweet Chrissy, and we sent each other a mug and goodies. She really hit the nail on the head by sending me all my favorites: almond joy, reese's & starbucks!! Plus, who doesn't like to get fun things in the mail?!

Thanks so much, Chrissy!

Christmas 2012

All ready for church

Christmas Eve at Dad & Yvonne's

Bryce & London

All the kids ready to open gifts!

Tough guys: Brody & Hudson

Leaving snacks for Santa & his reindeer

All the gifts, wrapped in my very own wrapping paper!

Christmas morning

Santa brought Hudson Ninjago legos!!

Hudson & Gramma Red

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Christmas seems to get more fun as the kids get older. For the last couple years, we've made a birthday cake for Jesus (German chocolate to represent the dirt and hay). This year, Hudson decided he wanted to do carrot instead. I found a recipe, we made our ingredient list, and the 2 of us went grocery shopping on Sunday night. (Hudson really wanted to go with me to the store.) The next day, the kids and I made the cake so it would be ready for Christmas Day. It's a fun tradition, and a good excuse to make a yummy cake!! :)

On Christmas Eve, we went to church at Saddleback, then headed over to my Dad & Yvonne's house to celebrate with the family. We had a meal together and opened gifts. I was amazed that London stayed awake all night and even on the drive home! She's usually in bed around 7, so we kept her up a few hours past her bedtime! Once we got home, Hudson made sure we got everything ready for Santa. We left him a brownie and milk, and left carrots for the reindeer.

On Christmas morning, we were all up around 6:30 (which is actually a little later than usual!) and ready to see what Santa left. Hudson had asked for a "big box of Ninjago Legos" and was thrilled that Santa delivered! London got the Elmo doll she wanted, although she wasn't a fan of it when it started talking and singing. Ha ha! Grandma Joan came over later in the morning and we spent the day with her, opening more gifts and eating a nice meal together. Brandon made a turkey, stuffing and sides. We finished with singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and enjoying a slice (or two!) of cake. Even Brandon had seconds, so I know it was good!

**For the best carrot cake recipe, click here. I added a small can of crushed pineapple.

Thankfulness Cards

The last 2 years I have taken part in something called Thankful on Paper, where you write notes to people, telling them you are thankful for them and why. Recently, Hudson was saying that he couldn't wait for Valentine's Day so he could give cards to his friends... so I came up with the idea to do a version of Thankful on Paper for kids!

Yesterday I designed these little feather cards with a space for Hudson to write his friends' names and his own, and then a middle area where I could help him write why each friend is special to him. We did half of the cards last night, and this morning he was already asking if we could PLEASE do more cards tonight. I think it's so important to teach kids to be thankful at a young age- to appreciate people and things!

I thought it would be great to share these cards so you could do these with your kids as well (or do it yourself!) so I am sharing a free printable on my river & bridge blog today. Click here to get the link!

Halloween

This year, instead of forcing my will upon Hudson, we let him choose his own costume. He decided to be a Power Ranger Samurai. I wanted London's costume to somewhat coordinate, and I stumbled upon the cutest sushi costumes on Etsy... with a $50 pricetag. I figured I could make it myself... which turned out to be easier than I even thought (thanks to a DIY tutorial on the Martha Stewart Show & iron-on adhesive). The kids both loved their costumes and I think they looked pretty darn cute too!

18 months

I have really been slacking on the blog updates lately. Life is pretty crazy lately with 2 active kids, a full-time job & my side business! I feel like I can never quite keep up with it all (Supermom, I am not!). This week London hits the 18-month mark. I can't believe how big she has gotten. She wants to do everything herself. And did I mention the girl eats constantly?? Nothing is safe. She will eat anything and everything. I'm hoping it lasts, but I am preparing for her to get picky like her brother. She is in the 85% for weight and the 90% for height. She's just about where Hudson was at 18 months.

-London now has all of her teeth except her 2-year molars (16 teeth total). And thank goodness! I'll take a little break from the teething.

-She is saying several words. Her latest words are Please, Shoes, Show, Diego and "Bubble Guppy"... not proud of the fact that many of her words have to do with TV, but the reality is that sometimes Mom needs a break from the madness!

-Wearing size 2t clothes & size 6 shoes

-Lately she is waking up at 5:30 am. Not cool. And she is not one of those kids that talks quietly in her room until the sun rises... once she is awake, she is yelling for us to get her! I am nervous for the time change next week because I foresee several 4:30 am wake-ups... :(

31

Since Brandon & I love to eat, I couldn't think of anything better to do to celebrate my 31st birthday!  We started at The Cellar in San Clemente for a glass of wine and a couple appetizers.  Their fig butter crostini is one of my favorite things, so that was on my list of must-haves for my birthday. After that, we walked up the street to Nick's for dinner. We enjoyed one of my favorite bottles of wine (Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir), had dinner & finished with butter cake! It was a delicious way to celebrate 31 years.

Teething

Man, this girl...  For the last couple weeks, she has been- for lack of a better term- a nightmare.  She has been crying and whining non-stop, and I can only assume it's because she's teething.  She has 3 of her 4 molars, and I can feel that the last one is just beneath the surface.  You know it's bad when you're home from work only 1 hour and you're already wondering, "Is it bedtime yet?"

Recently, Brandon and I have been asking each other, "Is this going to stop, or is this the new London?"  Luckily, today we got the old London back.  She was happy and kept her whining to a minimum.  I don't remember Hudson being this bad when he was teething, but man is it exhausting!

Beach Day

Last weekend, my mom was in town and stayed with us a couple nights, so on Friday we decided to head to Laguna Beach with the kids. We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed slightly-cooler-but-still-very-hot weather. After our sandy lunch, we put our feet in the water and Hudson got knocked over by a little wave. In his clothes. And of course, as luck would have it, I did not pack an extra set of clothes for him! So if you were in Laguna Friday and saw a little boy walking around in his Sponge Bob undies, that was my kid. 

We hung out at the beach for about an hour or two, and then headed down PCH a couple miles to the Sweet & Saucy Shop. If I am within a few mile radius of that place, I've gotta stop. Their desserts are so good! My personal favorites are the candy bar cupcake and the passion fruit panna cotta!