Juliette's Princess Party

When Juju woke up this morning and asked "Am I three?" I couldn't bring myself to get technical and tell her that she is actually 2 for few more days. She is all girl, so of course she wanted a princess party and I obliged.  I will admit, I do a bit of vicarious living through my little girl. I mean really, who doesn't want to be treated like a princess?

Here are a few of the details from her party:

 Every princess there went Gaga for the Barbie cake which I had done at Dipidee.

They all threw pennies into the wishing well and one of the little girls got very concerned after she threw her penny in before she made her wish! Thankfully we had a few extra, and she tried again.

We sang happy birthday, ate cupcakes and Juliette was completely smothered by gifts. I couldn't even get a decent picture. Most of the girls just opened the gift themselves and handed them to her, but she didn't seem to mind.

I really should have taken a before and after shot of this little crew, there was no denying they had a blast in the bouncy house.

Each girls went home with a wand, crown, stick on earrings and freshly painted paws.

Girl heaven I tell you. 

Playtime

Sundays are our best chance at some real downtime with the family. After church we hit up the local playground because it was a warm 45 degrees (yes, you read that right). With the winter we've had here, anything above 40 sounds pretty delightful. I wish we had more time to just be, to just sit and enjoy each other. Alfie and Juju are growing before my eyes and I'm constantly trying to take as many pictures as possible just to remember how beautiful and perfect they are right now. Every baby I see makes my heart flutter just a bit, thinking that I get to have another and enjoy them from the start again. 

So, We played at the park and I pushed Alfie on the swing "but not too high" and Juliette bossed me around and made me go down a tiny twisty slide so many times I felt sick, and I loved every single second. Then to top off a perfect day, we stopped to pick up a couple pallets to make a bed for Juju. A project I've had pinned for a year, but now that baby is coming I've finally got the motivation. I'm sure it has nothing to do with watching too many episodes of West End Salvage on HGTV while I'm up at night not able to sleep. Have you seen that show?

Either way, I'm glad I've finally got my to do list back into play. 

The fabrics used to make Juliette's Dress, Moda's Sophie line:

On Hold

 My house is a bloody mess.  The laundry is piled up to the ceiling and my dishes could use a wash. Oh what's that, Alfie, you want a cookie for breakfast? Why not.  Juju's dressed herself and she's not wearing pants.  I should probably brush her hair or take a picture of some wonderful project I've made, but I haven't made any. Maybe next week.  Instead I'll sit in front of the fire and play house with Juliette and then maybe a game of checkers with Alfredo. This Blog and my House will just have to wait awhile longer,  I've got more important things to tend to. 

i Heart Radio

Feeling quite happy about being home with these two munchkins after a spontaneous trip to Vegas with Steve to see the i heart radio music festival.  Grandpa stayed over and we made the 6 hour journey on the hope of scoring tickets from someone down there, which was rather crazy considering this concert sold out in under 10 minutes. We did find someone to buy tickets from, but sadly he never showed. Thankfully, having a super chatty husband pays off and some of the clear channel peeps we met down there hooked us up with FREE TICKETS!!  The lineup was insane. No doubt, Taylor Swift, Usher, Rhianna, Aerosmith, Pink, Green Day, Pitbull, Miranda Lambert, Deadmau5, Bon Jovi, Enrique Iglesias, Swedish House Mafia, Lincoln Park, Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Lil Wayne, Mary J. Blige (with a special appearance by Prince) and Calvin Harris. The best part was the little to no downtime between acts. However, I did feel old when we didn't even use our after party credentials because we were too tired. 

1. Had time for a quick haircut by the fabulous Shep before we left.

2. The set up at the concert, the huge screens were pretty deluxe. 

3. The gardens at the Bellagio. That pumpkin is real and yes I'm wearing pants ;)

4.  i Heart Radio LED bracelets that lit up to the music.

5. Scoring free tickets.

6. My most favorite celebrity ever, Gwen Stefani.

7. Pink. Ugh, love her. 

8. After party credentials 

9. Us

As glamorous as it all was, I must admit, I was missing Alfie and Juju something fierce by the end of the 2nd night.

 So while my real life looks more like this ^  and can feel a tad bonkers at times. It's nice to be reminded that no celebrity, or credential or lifestyle is quite as rewarding as a family.  Glad to be home. 

What I wore: Family Pictures

Life is delicate, No? We work so hard and worry so much about making it the way we want. Yet, We have such little control over it. In a single instant our entire world can change. A child gets sick or a spouse is taken before we can prepare. People save their entire lives just to lose everything they've worked for.  Women that would make incredible Mothers struggle to become them.  The worst part is that not one of us is invincible and it's only a matter of time before we are faced with our own trials. 

 My way of coping with these thoughts is through memories.   Making them, I mean. And taking way more pictures than my family appreciates.  I never want to regret not having documented each and every stage of life. Not because I want to live in the past, but because when things get rough, we need something to remind us what makes it all worth it.

And so you see why I love having family pictures taken. Especially by someone as talented as Jennifer Fauset.  She was a gem to work with, and the photos are exactly what I was looking for. Seriously, I could spend hours on her blog looking at all her beautiful work.

What We Wore:

Me:

Top and Scarf: J. Crew

Skirt: Target

Belt: Downeast Outfitters

Shoes: Steve Madden

Jewelry: Express

Steve:

Undershirt: Target

Button down: J. Crew

Sweater: Gap

Pants: Express

Shoes: Aldo

Alfie:

Shirt: Crew Cuts

Cardigan, Jeans and Shoes: Gap Kids

Juju:

Shirt and Necklace: Crew Cuts

Cardigan: Baby Gap

Jeans: Joe Jeans

Boots: Target

Hairbow: Made by me 

Vintage Camper

Remember this project?  Yeah, I'm not sure it really deserves the name "project", hmmm...maybe it's more of a remodel. I can't believe the amount of time and energy we put into this camper.

After months of working on it, we still haven't even started on the exterior!!  Think Teal on the bottom and white on the top. I'd love to just get it done, but I guess it's smart to do it right.  We've still got to seal all the windows and potential openings before we can even think about paint.

Thankfully, we've finished the inside!!!  Don't worry, we've been using it to camp in through each stage of progress, but now it's finally complete. 

Before:

After:

Certainty

Unfortunately, Juliette is in a stage where she will only sleep in her crib, and not for lack of trying either.  I've driven home in the middle of the night on two camping trips and on our last journey to the lake she wouldn't go to bed until the sun came up. So...We left the kids home, and enjoyed some much needed adult time at Lake Powell last week. 

I remember being a child and thinking to myself, "why would grownups want to go on a vacation without any kids?!! How Boring!". hehehe.  It definitely wasn't boring, but there were moments of down time. The downtime you don't enjoy until you've grown up. 

 I took a kayak out into the lake and waited until no one was around, stopped rowing and admired the breathtaking scenery.  I couldn't help but thank God under my breath for this picture of perfection.  There have been times in my life when I have questioned his very existence, and undoubtedly I have a similar experience and realize there is no way this could all be a coincidence. It's just too beautiful. 

Peekaboo

 I don't even know what to write about these photos.

 I've been emotional lately about this new stage in our lives with Alfie starting school. I had one of those moments today when Juliette was sitting on my lap at the computer watching her Birthday Video, over and over. 

I had my arm wrapped around her soft little frame and was trying desperately to create a perfect memory of her in my mind. The weight of her body on my legs, the pony tail that sits right on the top of her head to keep the wispy hair out of her eyes and the Minnie Mouse nightgown she refuses to take off.  She tried to escape a few times, but I convinced her to stay just a little longer.

Then of course, these pictures.  I picked them up from Peekaboo Photos and marveled, just before taking Alfie to meet his Kindergarden teacher. I walked into the room and started bawling before  I could even introduce myself.  Steve reminds me every now and then, that it's "not sad" when they grow up, but he has yet to convince me.  

Alfie's "Camping" Birthday Party

I cannot say enough about my wee Alfie.  He is a tender hearted boy, always happy and willing to share with his sister. He loves school and hasn't even started yet! He does chores everyday to earn "school time".  He is the most perfect picture of innocence in my eyes and I thank god everyday for my sweet, happy little boy. Who, by the way was ecstatic about turning 5, and nearly had a break down every time his sister messed up one of his decorations (which she seemed to find especially fun).

 With the camper renovation we've been working on, it feels like Camping is the theme in our lives right now.  It seemed completely natural when Alfie wanted a camping themed birthday party. I was a bit nervous about taking eight 4 and 5 year olds up the canyon, so we made our own "Camp Alfie" right in the backyard.  

Each child sported a canteen, bandana (made with my new favorite fabric)

and a bag to collect things on our "Nature Hunt".

 Alfie still asks for Snakes and Grizzly bears instead of licorice and gummy bears :)

We snacked on Trail Mix,

and the camp fire cupcakes were a huge hit with the kids.

Of course, I made some plain chocolate cupcakes for us boring adults. 

We ate some good grub

and followed it up with a trip to the "Smore's Station", 

Where the kids loaded up their roasting sticks for yet another dessert. ;)

 But that's what parties are for, am I right?

Here's another video from the fabulous Suman Media, enjoy!