Back to School

I guess we're not really going "back to school" since this is Alana's first year, but we'll go with it! Last Wednesday was Alana's first day of her school career! She was beyond excited! Which I am incredibly relieved about. I was worried about the having to wake up at 6:00 situation. Oh and the getting myself and 3 kids ready and at the bus stop by 6:50 situation... But, I'm happy to report, so far it has been great. No major morning meltdowns and we've made it to the bus stop with plenty of time to spare!


Here are some pictures of her first day:

Getting on the bus!

Coming home! 

I don't know who she gets all her confidence from, but I love it about her. 

She had the best time. She said, " It was amazing!!". She, of course, came home knowing all the names of the little boys in her class and very few of the little girl names... She's got her daddy worried already. Especially after she said a boy in her class told her she was pretty! :-)

Sally Hansen® Miracle Gel™ -Review!

I recently sign up on this online product review site, influenster.com. I am loving it. They've already sent me a fabulous nail polish to test out!! How awesome is that?!

This is what they sent me. Don't you love that color?! Don't worry, the black is just the top coat. 

I was so excited when the mail came and I saw my goodies! Luckily, Ross was napping and the girls were contently playing outside. So, I got to it! The polish went on smooth and the brush/applicator was really nice and made it easy to get good coverage.

Two coats of polish and a top coat later...

This was my result. LOVE IT!

It seemed to dry pretty fast, too. I was outside when I painted them, so that may have been a factor in the fast dry time. 

It's only been one day, but I am so pleased with how it still looks. In the 24 hours I have washed clothes, cleaned the kitchen, did dishes and taken care of three kids. 

This is what it looks like today! 

It looks pretty much the same! 

I'm so excited to finally have a product that really works as good as a salon polish. It looks great, without making a trip to the salon, spending a fortune and no need to put your hands under those uv-lights!! 

I would call this a win. 

Thanks Sally Hansen!! I'm loving my #MiracleMani 

*I received these products complimentary, for reviewing purposes. This review is my own personal 

opinion. 

I would also like to mention that I am a terrible blogger and can't for the life of me figure out how to get the extra picture at the bottom to go away.... Sorry! I'll get the hang of this one day.

Change

Y'all, it's been forever!! Probably close to 2 years since I last blogged... Oops! A lot has happened in those two years, as you can imagine. Just off the top of my head, we bought a different house in Pittsburgh, had a baby boy!! , and moved to Alabama ! That's a ton of change. Another huge change is coming this week. My first born, Alana, is starting Kindergarten on Thursday!!

This little girl.....

Is now this big girl!! 

She is so smart and funny. She is also very strong willed... It has been a long 5 1/2 years of disciplining this crazy woman! But honestly, she is my little sidekick. She made me a Mamma and now she's making me an old grey-haired Mamma! I can't wait for her to go to school mainly because I know she is going to love every aspect of it. And I can't wait for her to come home and tell me all about it. Because, if there's one thing she can do, it's talk! And she has a perfect memory. I know she will remember every detail of her day. I can't wait to share in her excitement! 

We've been getting up early to practice for when she goes to school for real. The bus will pick her up between 6:50 and 7:00. That's early, y'all!! I have to get myself and 3 kids up and ready and out the door to walk to the bus stop by 6:45. Pray for me, will you?! 

I promise I'll be back to keep you updated on on new adventures!!

4th of July Fun!

Tomorrow is the 4th of July!! I can't even believe June is already over. Summer is going way too fast. The girls and I decided to make a little dessert to celebrate the 4th. It turned out really good and was perfect for the girls to help with. This is where I got my inspiration.

First, the ingredients:

White chocolate chips ( I used 2 bags and about half from an already opened bag I had)

Pretzels - a couple handfuls

Oreos- I used 12

M&Ms - separate red and blue from the big bag

red and blue sprinkles!

First, I put my pretzels and Oreos in their own ziploc bags. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.

Then, i let the girls go crazy hitting the pretzels and Oreos with wooden spoons.

They LOVED it!

After the are all crunched up, sprinkle them on your lined cookie sheet. I did pretzels and then Oreos. Melt white chocolate and then pour it over top the pretzel/Oreo mixture.

I forgot to take picture of the sprinkled mixture....so here is a picture of  it half-done.

After you spread the chocolate out a little sprinkle on your M&Ms and red and blue sprinkles. Try pushing the M&Ms into the chocolate a little. I didn't do that with mine, and some of my M&Ms didn't stick as well as I would have liked. After it's all covered put it in the fridge to chill until it hardens. 

YUMMM!!

Now, use a knife to break it into manageable pieces and put into a container or on a pretty tray!

I put mine in a container so I can take it to work with me tonight and tomorrow!!

I had little pieces leftover that were just too small to put in the container, so I put them in a bowl to use as ice cream topping!! I think it will be delicious!!

Hope everyone has a great/yummy 4th of July!! 

We sure have been busy! I can't even remember the last time I blogged. A lot has happened, that's for sure. 

I'm writing today to relieve a little stress and put some emotions on the table. 

On March 30th, I got the best news. After trying for 6 months, Alan and I found out we were expecting our 3rd baby! I was beyond excited and we planned to tell our families on Easter. It was perfect. However, on April 11th, I suffered a miscarriage. It honestly was one of the worst experiences of my life. I didn't really know what to think. I kind of assumed it would just never happen to me, because I have had 2 perfectly healthy pregnancies. I pushed the emotions away and tried to "move on" as much as I could because Alan and I celebrated our 5 year Wedding Anniversary. I didn't want to be sad and mopey on our Anniversary. When our Anniversary was over all of the emotions came flooding back. I am getting a little better, but I still think about it every day. It usually hits me unexpectedly. A friends sister posted her due date was the day before my "due date", I had to call and cancel my 8 week check-up, I happen to think about babies while I'm at work (I work at a children's clothing store!), I got a baby shower invitation in the mail from a dear friend, and tomorrow would have been my doctor appointment. All of these things have happened with-in the last week or so. I sometimes wish I had never even known I was pregnant. I wish I would have just thought my period was a little late or something. Anything would be better than having to feel/experience this. 

On a happier note, we sold our house in 2 days! And last week we found a new house to live in and are expected to move around mid July. So, here's to a new house, fresh start and new memories. 

We told Alana we were getting a new house and asked her if she was excited and wanted a new house and she said, "Yes, and I want a new baby in the new house!" Ugh, Mommy does to Lane, Mommy does too!

Birthday!!

So, let's just not even talk about how long it's been since I blogged last....

Let's just talk about all the fun that's been going on!! Well, and the not so fun, too.

Everyone in my house is sick! Yuck!! A couple weeks ago, Alana had pneumonia. Poor little thing was so sick. I've never seen her so sick before. Alan and I slept in the living room with her on her worst night and it was just scary. I don't think I slept at all that night. I threatened to take her to the hospital several times through the night, but then she would go back to sleep and seem a little better. By the morning she was over the bad hump and on her way to recovery. She is feeling much better, but caught a cold while she was recovering and is still sniffling from that. Brynna had a sinus infection that almost turned to pneumonia. They put her on a stronger antibiotic after the first proved to be too weak. She is still recovering from that and may need to visit the doctor again, on Monday, if she doesn't kick this cough soon. I feel like the doctor's office is probably so annoyed with me by now. I think I called just about everyday for a while....oh well, I'm sure there are crazier people than me.....right?! hehe

But through all the sickies we still managed to celebrate our little Brynna's first birthday! I can't believe it's been a year already. She still seems like such a little baby to me. I think part of it is because she is still nursing. Something I never thought would last a whole year, and still be going strong now. I am so happy it has lasted, though. It has made our bond so strong. I know I was/am connected to Alana, but with Brynna it was instant. She rarely wants anyone but me...and while that can be very annoying at times...a part of me loves that and I never want it to end. I often rock her for a little before I put her in her crib to nap and at bedtime. Lately, those times have become so emotional, for me. I want to bottle it all up and make these times last forever. I want to remember every little thing about her being a baby. Her petite little body (she's only in the 20th percentile for height and weight), her tiny little feet, chubby face, big blue eyes, the little bit of hair that is just reaching past her neck and curls when she is sweaty, her little smile.

 I love the fact that she is her own little person. I think because Alana learned to talk and communicate so early, I totally expected it from Brynna too, but she is showing me she is an individual and will learn at her own, perfect, pace. She is stubborn and pretty much laughs in my face when I try to get her to do the sign language I know she knows how to do. She makes up her own sign language and down right refuses to do the more sign I have been working on with her for several months now. I know she can do it because she has done it on rare occasions....but then refuses to do it. She just likes to tease me! The only sign she does consistently, is "milk"....go figure. She will say, "Mom Mom Mom", "Dadada" and if she doesn't want to do something or doesn't want what you are giving her, she will shake her head and say "Oh Oh Oh" (No). It's the cutest thing I've ever heard. She loves anything silky and will follow her sister around the house, just to touch her silky pajama pants! She is her own, unique, little person....and I just want to squeeze her to death and keep her my baby forever. When she was just born, Alan and i used to joke about building a special box to put her in that would keep her from getting bigger.  ( I know it sounds weird....but we're weird people! lol ) We just wanted her to stay our petite little baby girl, forever. And for the most part, she has stayed our petite little girl. I swear...we didn't put her in a box!

Enough with the mushy stuff....let's talk party!!

We had this perfect outdoors party planned for her birthday. We rented a pavilion at one of our favorite parks and had it all planned out....well, it snowed on the day of her party....  So, we quickly changed plans and moved the party to my parent's house, in Morgantown. It all turned out fine, in the end. But, it's just a bummer when you plan and plan and plan and then have to change all that planning.

Here are some pictures from her fabulous Owl themed party:

The invitation! A huge thanks to my bff, Michelle, for helping me make all of them. I wouldn't have been able to do it without her help!

Owl cupcakes, Alan and I made. And a little owl hanging out beside them. They turned out way cuter than I expected and were surprisingly easy!

Owl sugar cookies. These sugar cookies are pretty much mine and Alan's signature party dessert. They are from a recipe his grandparents gave us. We have tweaked the icing a little, but other than that, it is the same recipe. I love family traditions!

Some of the crafts for the kids. Wooden owls to color, owl coloring pages and a little owl to make out of an Easter egg!

The owl, Easter egg, craft!

The owl favors, I made. All were hand cut, stuffed and sewed together. Turns out the craft glue I used didn't really hold up as well as I thought it would. So, if you went home with one of these guys and their eyes or beak fell off, it can easily be reattached with some hot glue. Hot glue will hold for sure. Wish I would have thought of that before, but oh well. Now I know!

Brynna is a little climber. As soon as she saw the presents she immediately went to them and climbed on top! 

First half of her birthday banner. Right to left.... ultrasound, maternity picture announcing her name, just born picture, one month and 2 month pictures.

Middle of the banner. Right to left...3 months-8 months pictures

End of the banner. Right to left...7 months-1 year pictures!

Some of the owl decor. I found the owl masks at a craft store and painted them to go with the party colors. (Pink, lime green and brown)

Our Birthday Girl! I made her little owl shirt to go along with all the decor. 

So that was her birthday. It came quickly and left just as fast. I still have a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that she is 1.....maybe I'll get used to it by the time she turns 2!!

Here's a little picture of the girls on Halloween. 

Alana was soooo into Halloween this year and loved dressing up in her costume. She had lots of fun....and Brynna slept in the stroller most of Trick-or-Treating! hehe

Our little flower and bumble bee!

(Thanks for letting me use the flower costume, Michelle!)

Wedding Season!

This past weekend we traveled a couple hours north of our home, to attend the wedding of our dear friends, Sarah and Larry Boggs.








 It's really funny how life happens...and how you meet people. Alan and I met Sarah probably close to 8 years ago. At the time, she was going to college in another state, but dating one of Alan's college friends. We became friends and hung out more when Alan and her then boyfriend became roommates. We remained in contact on and off after college and the end of her relationship with Alan's friend. Fast forward a couple years....Alan and I moved to Pittsburgh for his job and Sarah was there to welcome us with open arms. She has always been such a great friend. She helped us move into our new home....I mean that's a great friend!! lol We have continued to hang out over the 3 years we have lived in Pittsburgh. She has been with us on most new years, super bowls, hockey playoff games and any other thing you can use as an excuse to get together and eat. hehe. She has been there to visit both of our little girls shortly after their births.

Here she is with Alana!

And with Brynna!

She has been a big part of our lives and our kids lives! So, when she started dating Larry, we were so happy and excited for her! He is a great guy and they are the perfect couple! Several months ago, they asked us if Alana could be the flower girl in their wedding. We were excited, but nervous. She is, after all, a very moody 2 year old. An example would be....we met Sarah to try on dresses for Alana to wear in the wedding, and Alana refused to try on the dresses....she cried, kicked and screamed. Sarah was calm and patient and even remained calm when I lost it too! lol So, after that little episode at the dress shop we were unsure if Alana should even do it. But Sarah and Larry had faith that Alana could and would do it.....and were ok with it, if she didn't make it down the aisle. 

We committed, the dress was ordered, shoes were bought and last weekend, we were off to the wedding to see how exactly this would all play out.

Alana through a giant fit when it was time to put on the dress, before the wedding. But, she got over it and soon was very excited to Sarah and Larry. Alan and I spent most of our time before the wedding taking her back and forth from a lobby and the room Sarah was getting ready in so she could see Sarah and talk to her. 

It got closer and closer to the wedding time and I got more and more anxious about how exactly she would react to all the people staring at her and having to walk down the aisle. We, of course, talked it up big time. The plan was, Alan would sit close to the front, with Brynna, and I would walk her to the end of the aisle and send her off to meet Daddy and Brynna. But the key was....Daddy would be holding a present for her. Yes, we used bribery....I'm not ashamed. This girl loves parties and presents, so we talked it up big as a big party and if she walked down the aisle she could get the present from Daddy.

Well folks, it worked like a charm!! 

There was absolutely no hesitation when she got to the end of the aisle. She looked for Alan, but didn't see him right aways, so she turned around to ask me where he was and as soon as I pointed him out, off she was to get Daddy and her present!! It was just precious. She even walked back up the aisle with the bridal party and did great for the pictures after the ceremony.

The wedding was just beautiful. Sarah was a gorgeous bride! I wish I had pictures of the actual wedding or Sarah. Alan and I were so busy trying to keep both kids happy that we didn't really have a lot of time to take pictures. 

We did manage to get these few:

She was an adorable flower girl ! ( I'm pretty bias, though)

Alan and I are attending another wedding this coming weekend. This time, we are leaving the kids at home! Can't wait to enjoy a wedding without holding and entertaining two kids. I love my kids, but Momma needs a break!!

Happy Wedding Season!