30

Today is my 30th birthday. Yikes!

I thought I would have a lot of conflicting emotions today, about getting older and feeling older. Sure, I have a lot more grey hairs today than I did last year or even last month, more wrinkles, and my body is a lot softer than it used to be. But you know what? I don't care about any of that. I mean, I care a little bit, but I know none of that is important. I know this year and this decade will be the best yet, and more than anything else, I'm grateful. For everything I've been through, everything I've been given, and everything that's yet to come.

I love my family, I love my life, and I'm happy. Today, I'm happy.

My best friend from Georgia came to visit this week with his girlfriend, so we all took a hike up A Mountain this morning first thing. It was such an awesome start to my new year!

5 Favorites

Yesterday for the first time my labs came back with less than ideal results. We aren't sure what it means yet and the doctor threw out a strange possible answer to everything that's been going on but it's too strange and too hard to think about so I am numb. We've all got a cold and I can hardly bring myself to get out of bed, so in an effort to pull myself out of this black hole and focus on the positive things in our life, I thought I would join Grace to share my current Five Favorites.

1: This kid, on the beach last week:

I plan on writing a whole post about our trip later, but memories of Emmett so happy and sandy on the beach are bright spots in my mind right now, so I wanted to share a few photos.

2: Lucia. This deserves a whole post also, but I want to give her  a little shout out here. My sister left everything behind and moved in with us in February, pretty much at the drop of a hat, to help with Emmett when our child care situation changed suddenly and we needed help. She has saved us all kinds of money, all kinds of heartache, and has blessed us so much these last 8 months. It's been wonderful knowing each day that Emmett is taken care of, and that he's with his aunt who loves him so much. Yesterday when Ci realized I was feeling really sick with a cold, she jumped into action making my mom's potato soup- my favorite when I'm sick or it's cold or just when I'm feeling homesick.

Cia leaves next week to go back home to Georgia, and my gosh, we are going to miss her. Thanks for everything you do for us Ci. We love you!

3: Ray, you dear dear man. The last few weeks have been especially hard on me, and my dear sweet husband has been such a rock. He manages to make me laugh, make me forget about what ails me, and has jumped right in to help take over Emmett duties when I just need rest. Most days that means a long day at work, then home to help with Emmett's dinner, bath, and bedtime routine, then making dinner, doing dishes, and then homework. He never complains, never balks, just tells me to go relax and takes care of everything. I'm a lucky girl, and I really don't know what I'd do without him.

Baby boy waiting for Daddy to come home.

4 & 5: I'm blanking, sinking back into numbness, but I want to hold on just long enough to wish my dad a happy belated birthday. My dad is my hero, and my direct link to God. I know his prayers get answered, and I know he's praying for me now. This is reassuring- Things may not turn out the way I want them to, but I know that whatever the outcome, my dad's prayers for me will be answered and everything will be okay, eventually.

Popsicles (Of The Homemade Variety)

Because Emmett's birthday falls in the Summer, and we live in Arizona, and we're in the middle of the world's hottest heat wave, I thought it would be fun (read: necessary) to serve popsicles at his party. And as I am super crafty and really know my way around the kitchen and everything I do is Pinterest-worthy, I decided to make my own. So you know, go ahead with the praise.

I started with Pinterest, of course. I found a few recipes that looked good, bought this adorable popsicle kit from Crate & Barrel (there are cheaper kits, but I'm a sucker for everything C&B), and filled my fridge with fruit and juice.

I made a few different kinds, starting with an easy one- lemonade layered with strawberry lemonade with tiny bits of strawberries. Pretty hard to mess up that recipe.

Then I did this awesome recipe for chili lime watermelon popsicles, minus the chili. These might have been my favorite! So yum and I'm a sucker for watermelon with sea salt. I also made these, and my mom made some really similar to these but miniature for the kiddos.

But the biggest hit were these watermelon mojito popsicles my mom made. My mom loves a good mojito, so when she got to town a few days before Emmett's party, she made a batch of mojitos with plenty extra to freeze for popsicles. So yum!

All in all the popsicles were a hit, and a great way to keep everyone cool in the 118 degree weather!

Keepin' It Real {4}

Linking up with Corinna over at Track 8 for Keepin' It Real Mondays!

I've been sort of wracking my brain for some Keepin' It Real moments from the past week, but I'm striking out! I mean, of course we've had our moments, but today my head is so full of joy and pride and love for my baby boy! The crazy and hard and just plain weird things that happen on a daily basis are escaping me because I'm just so happy.

We had an amazing weekend, full of family and friends and celebrations. We are so lucky to be surrounded by people who love us and support us, and who make our life so full. Emmett is so very loved, and I am overjoyed.

It's been a tough year, maybe even my toughest so far. Things have not been picture perfect, and although my family and my little boy are all of my wildest dreams come true, this year with them has been difficult and overwhelming. Life isn't what I imagined it would be. But you know what? I'm okay with that. I'm so much more than okay with it. Today I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Little Emmett took his first real steps today. He's been pushing furniture around the house for a while now, and taken one or two steps by accident here and there, but today, he really walked. 10 steps, all on his own, twice in a row. I cried and laughed and squealed so much he wasn't sure whether to be excited or afraid! He's such an amazing little boy.

In Keeping with the Keepin' It Real theme, here are a few choice outtakes from the weekend:

Lunch.

Baby's 1st brain freeze.

Manners. 

I'm also linking up with Mary Beth at Annapolis & Company for her Our Weekend link up!

A Year Ago..

My baby boy is a year old today! I can't believe we've had him for a whole year. He is such a huge source of joy in our lives, and I am bubbling over with love for him today!

Here are a few pictures from the day he was born:

 We had such a great weekend celebrating our sweet Emmett boy. I can't wait to share some photos from his birthday party!

DIY Painted Twine Garland

I'm not crafty y'all. Not at all.

But Emmett's first birthday party is coming up (my baby boy will be ONE in 11 days!), and I'm trying to plan a Pin-worthy party for like no money, so I decided to craft.

I've been eyeing Confetti System's gorgeous tassel garlands for years now, so when I found these babies on Pinterest the other day, I decided it was time to make my own.

Inspiration garland taken from theminimalist.com.au

I invited my friend (and super-crafter) Rachel over on Saturday to help me, and I love how they turned out! Here's how we did it:

We made the tassels out of regular (and cheap!) garden twine from Ace Hardware by cutting tons of twine into similar lengths, bunching them together, and wrapping the top bits in more twine. We left one piece of twine in a loop over the top to hang them.

I had some leftover sea blue/turqoise paint from our kitchen remodel, so we used that rather than trying to dye the twine. We painted each strand, leaving a few inches at the top just like the yellow inspiration garland. I left the tassels outside over night to dry, and then pulled them apart and reshaped them in the morning.

To hang them, I strung them on a long piece of twine, tying a knot around each tassel so they don't slide around, and hung them in the playroom/dining room/hallway/living room under our Happy Birthday banner!

Before re-shaping the twine. Ignore the mess on the floor. This room is multipurpose.

And a couple of close-ups of the finished garland:

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with them (and myself for being so creative!). I might even hang them somewhere in the house permanently after the birthday party is over. 

I still can't believe my baby boy is about to be a year old. I remember the day we brought him home from the hospital like it was just yesterday. I sure do love that little guy!

Birthday Party Pinspiration

Emmett's first birthday is coming up, and I'm really starting to get excited about planning his little birthday party! I've been thinking about his party for some time now, but I haven't done much actual planning yet. I've been dreaming of balloons for days, a Pin-worthy dessert table, and the cutest baby boy with cake on his face and all in his hair. 

Obviously, when I need a little theme-spiration, I go straight to Pinterest. So, here are of few of my ideas!

I love this little elephant cake! I'm kind of obsessed with Elephants, so we have a collection of elephant stuffed animals and little elephant prints in his room. So.. maybe jungle themed? Or vintage circus?

I'm not sure where the party will be yet, but if we have to be outside, these super cute (and easy!) hanging forts will provide a little shade for the littles!

If we stick with the elephant/jungle/circus theme, animal crackers are super cute as snacks for the kiddos. Maybe we'll give them out as favors in bags like these:

These would be pretty easy to make using burlap bags and a cute animal stamp. I'm all about easy crafts! 

I'm not this good, but I do have a certain sister who loves to bake so..... Lucia, how much do you love your nephew..? Or maybe I'll hit up the girl who made me these cookies for my bachelorette party? Rachel..?

Now that's a little "craft" that I can do! This would be so fun as a centerpiece. 

And now, balloons, for days:

So many ways to decorate with ballons. Aaaand I might use all of them..

I love the idea of a little crown for Emmett's party hat, and this one is SO CUTE. I'm trying to throw this party on the cheap, so I might try to make a little crown for him.

I've got a lot of work to do, but oh my gosh it's so much fun! Can't believe my little boy is almost one!

All photos on this post are from Pinterest. Check out my 1st Birthday board for more birthday ideas!