celebration – Page 2 – emerald city diaries

merry christmas {2015}!

Popping in to say Merry Christmas!

Holiday Card 2015 - Lower Family

{our holiday card via The Happy Film Company}

This year I really wanted professional family photos – of all of us, including Sadie! Luckily, we were able to work with The Happy Film Company & they were running this great holiday special that included a short photo shoot (short being the imperative word!) & holiday cards! So, I decided to give myself a break this year from designing & printing cards, & I am really happy with the results!

We decided to stay home this year & celebrate our first ever Christmas at home in our own house! It is fun to actually be in our decorated home this time of year since normally I put up all of the decorations & the tree just in time to head out of town… We do miss our families dearly, but at the same time it is fun to make our own Christmas memories & traditions.

Merry Christmas from the Lowers!

{see our past Christmas cards here: 2011, 2012, 2013, & 2014)

our trip to texas {san antonio & austin}.

I apologize for the slight absence this past week from the blog. we unplugged & enjoyed the past week on a family vacation to TEXAS y’all!

it was great to have some family time to explore new cities & to hang out with friends. the entire purpose of the trip was to attend Jess & Cale’s wedding (Aaron was a groomsman), but we went down early to visit my very good friend Meg & her family (we have known each other since we were 12 & have been friends ever since! i also know her husband from high school, so it was a little reunion of sorts!).

{san antonio}

{eloise loved looking at the planes from the gate while we waited. she even waved at the ground crew guys, but I am pretty sure they didn’t see her!}

{eloise was catching up on some reading during the first part of the flight.}

{after lunch, eloise napped. hooray!}

{we had an amazing lunch at Bird Bakery & I wish I could go there every day. they have amazing sandwiches & cupcakes!}

{eloise & violet (Meg’s daughter). it is hard to believe there is only 8 months between them (Vi is 6 months)! they are BFFs already.}

{we headed down to downtown san antonio to the Riverwalk we had heard so much about. Meg suggested we take a river cruise & it was awesome! we learned so much about the history of the Riverwalk & the city, & it was so gorgeous!}

{#imonaboat}

{there was beautiful architecture all along the Riverwalk.}

{a group shot! eloise’s morning nap was a no-go hence the pacifier in the middle of the day!}

{& then we ventured down to the Alamo. I had no idea it was in the middle of downtown.}

{there was a gorgeous old & huge tree right near the Alamo.}

{the obligatory family shot in front of the Alamo.}

{the girls weren’t too keen about the fur trapper hats, but they sure were cute!}

{we hit up Bakery Lorraine for lunch & I had to try the French macarons. they had an Earl Grey flavor, so it was pretty much my favorite thing ever!}

{Meg & I took the girls to the DoSeum which is the brand-new children’s museum in town. it was such a great place & even though the girls are little, there were things for them to do. there was a little town & eloise had fun exploring all around. she loved putting the mail in the mailbox!}

{we played a few games of Settlers of Catan. it was fun to play after a few years & it makes me want to play at home!}

{I had my dresses for the wedding (I had three sent – one back-up size & one back-up style which you will see below) sent to san antonio so I didn’t have to do an eight-day rental. I was a little nervous since I would have had just one day to find a dress if none of the dresses fit, but Rent the Runway did not disappoint!}

{austin}

{this little one was so good at the wedding rehearsal & so ready for lunch!}

{picking up aaron’s wedding suit. it was a formal wedding, but no tuxes. the guys looked great!}

{we watched the first half of the huskies vs. ducks game, but it was too late to stay up for the entire thing! it was a sad loss, but I am proud of UW for not letting it be a blow-out!}

{shenanigans with eloise. those are her shorts on her head!}

{this was the outside of the chapel at the venue. “A” is for Anderson!}

{after being with just mama all day while papa was celebrating pre-wedding with the groom & the wedding party, eloise was so happy to see aaron after the ceremony! she had seen him thru the window as he was waiting to walk down the aisle & was pretty disappointed when he had to walk right past. she did pretty well during the ceremony with her pacifier & a stolen set of crayons (from the little boy in the row in front of us) that she used to make really pretty artwork all over the inside of my satin clutch… but she didn’t scream or cry, so no complaints!}

{the wedding party’s table. the bride & groom sat in that little settee in the corner! the dinner menu was BBQ, so we stripped all the kiddos down to their diapers for dinner, & I tucked my napkin in like a bib!}

{this was our family photo from the guest book. I love instant photos!}

{we asked the pro photographer to take a family photo (hence the great lighting!) & then we filmed a little bit for Jess & Cale’s video photobooth! my dress was this Marchesa from RTR & I was so in love! We still aren’t sure what was going on with Aaron’s hand!}

{one of my favorite new photos!}

{I had the BEST wedding dates y’all!}

{we made sure to get a group photo with the new Mr & Mrs Anderson!}

{this is one of me, Hailey, & Carmen. yep, that’s a booster seat in my hands; we shared it between eloise & lily for dinner!}

{my back-up rental dress – which was this Monique Lhuillier – was a twin to the dress that I made for Eloise for the wedding. & we had to get some photos in our matching dresses before I had to return them!}

{you can see the back of Eloise’s dress here – a huge bow!}

{we went to Torchy’s Tacos for lunch & it did not disappoint!}

{we made our way to the “greetings from Austin” mural & Aaron set up the timer on my phone for a great family photo!}

{& there just happened to be a French patisserie right next door to the mural. So we wandered in & found ourselves with a half-dozen macaroni to-go!}

{Austin is a really young town & very hipster. I feel like this picture is a good representation somehow – a huge aloe vera plant & a silver airstream!}

{downtown Austin.}

{this was a great mural right down the street from our rental house: living the good life in Austin.}

{we learned at the Alamo about how there was a Mexican cannon in our possession & we basically said “come & take it” & then they did… this was a nod to that great act at Frank’s.}

{our cute little rental house. In a bit of an up-&-coming neighborhood, but so nice on the inside!}

{we drove out of Austin to The Salk Lick for some BBQ lunch. It did not disappoint!}

{my two lunch dates hamming’ it up!}

{posing with the BBQ pit. That thing was impressive!}

{we had a few hours in Austin before our flight so we headed to the Thinker which is a children’s museum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts, & math (STEAM). Most of the museum exhibits were too old for Eloise, but we did find a few that were perfect! It was nice to get some wiggles out before the flight.}

{a giant light-bright! I was in love.}

{Eloise loved the lights too!}

{Eloise & Aaron running round with our buddies Andy & Lily (who were also on our flight!)}

{Eloise fell asleep almost immediately on the flight – & we had the entire row again, thank goodness – but after the flight attendant announced that the fasten seatbelt sign was off & then om & then off (a billion times), she woke up… she was really pretty good the entire flight & only fussed when we tried to put her in the Ergo to sleep. She was awake the entire time we de-boarded, got our bags, & walked to our car. As soon as we got her buckled into her seat she was out!}

except for the piping hot weather (it was in the mid-80s!) we LOVED Texas. seriously, it was a really fun place to visit. luckily we had a rental car (which you absolutely need) & got to explore all over san antonio & austin. if you ever get a chance to visit, we highly recommend it!

eloise did really well traveling, & we were super (super) lucky to get the entire row on both flights! it helped tremendously to have a bit more space for her to wiggle; aaron & I sat in the aisle & window seat (respectively) & eloise bounced around between sitting on the seat, climbing up & down, & standing. the hardest part of the trip was that eloise slept terribly the first three (out of four) nights we were in san antonio. like the worst she has ever slept. I think part of it was the time change, part of it was sharing a room, part of it was teething, etc., etc. even though she wasn’t sleeping well at night, she napped fairly well (even with one nap per day on some days) & wasn’t really grumpy from lack of sleep. when we got to austin for the second part of the trip, we all slept so much better! we rented a house on AirBnB & it was perfect. we wanted a kitchen, two bedrooms, & close to downtown & freeways, & it met all of those requirements. I also set up baby gear rental which changed my life! we brought down our own car seat & stroller (both check for free on the plane) but didn’t want to worry about bringing other gear down, especially since Meg had a highchair & Pack N Play for us in san antonio. so I searched before we left & found I Love Baby Rentals in Austin & set up a rental for: a Pack N Play, audio monitors, booster seat, & activity table. it was delivered & set up at our rental house, & then picked up by the owner – so awesome! I highly recommend this if you are traveling with littles!

thanks for having us Texas!

eloise {first birthday party DIYs}

now that I have shared eloise’s first birthday party pictures, I thought I would share all of the party-planning details & the DIYs (since a lot of you have asked!).

first birthday parties have become huge events, thanks mostly in part to pinterest. (yep, I am totally blaming pinterest for this one!) I have a girlfriend who likened a child’s first birthday party to a wedding… sometimes it seems that way, right? I LOVE to decorate for parties, but had to set realistic expectations for what eloise’s party would be like because it would have been so easy to get super carried away. plus, eloise is only going to remember this party from photos. first birthday parties are for parents moms (& same with nurseries!) so I was determined not to go overboard.

of course I had a pinterest board (it was secret though!) & I honestly started pinning ideas of things around the time she was 6 months old. once we got closer to the actual event, I decided on a theme: polka dots. I knew it would be easy & simple, & it was something that eloise loved too! for me the theme was one of the trickier parts because I am not a fan of party décor that is super matchy-matchy. I think blogs & pinterest has created this idea that every single thing at a party (food, decorations, invitations, etc.) have to be perfectly on theme. but I prefer a more subtle theme, so dots were perfect.

color was the very first thing that I thought of & I pinned a few different colorways before I found the perfect one (see below). I wanted something that was fun, a little girly, & sophisticated, & this was right on! the colors I ended up with were all of my favorite colors: navy blue, mint green, grey, hot pink, teal, & gold. {& if I would have had time to make those paper party blowers, I would have! next time.}

{image via}

I started with the invitation since that would be the first thing everyone would see &, let’s be honest, I adore paper goods. just like Christmas cards, I designed the invitation (using photoshop & illustrator), had them printed at my favorite local printers (Girlie Press if you live in Seattle!), & snail-mailed them to our guests. while sites like Paperless Post & Evite are really great (especially for managing RSVPs), there is something really special about a mailed card that you can hold in your hand & hang on your fridge. plus, after perusing the Paperless Post site for a few minutes, I quickly decided I would be so much happier if I just made my own invites since nothing seemed quite perfect. the other great thing about having designed the invites is that I could later make party signs that followed the same theme.

{sorry this is so pixelated!}

& since I was doing paper invites, I also decided I wanted to line the envelopes. this is a little something extra that I think is really fun & I never get to do with our Christmas cards since it would be so time consuming! after shopping around at a few craft stores, I opted to design a stripey pink envelope liner (& then the hot pinks matched perfectly!). in order to save time, money, & paper though I made the inserts half size so that they didn’t go down inside the entire envelope. it ended up working perfectly & I could even print two liners per page! since I did the liners later, I had them printed at my local Kinko’s (the online printing service is pretty cool!).

when it came to décor, I knew I wanted to DIY a few things, but I wanted to keep it simple. garlands, balloons, party hats. that was pretty much it!

going with the polka dot theme, these paper dot garlands were perfect. I have seen a lot of different versions in my pinterest feed, but I liked the ones with the same size dots just in different colors. I chose the colors based on the paper supply at Michael’s & ended up with a glittery gold (but the glitter didn’t fall all over!), grey, hot pink, & mint green. I decided on a 3 inch circle (I traced the lens hood on our camera which was the perfect size) & traced & cut out all of the dots. it took some time (a few evenings of White Collar) & I had cramped hands afterwards, but I didn’t want to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a 3 inch paper circle cutter just for these garlands! once I had the dots all cut out, I sort of randomly arranged them in order making sure there weren’t two dots of the same color together, or too much of a pattern. then I just sewed them together using a slightly longer stitch than I normally would for fabric. I left a long thread on both ends of the garland & used a white cotton thread (my go-to) to sew the dots together right down the middle of the dot. I didn’t leave room between the dots (though I could have) & found that putting down two pieces of washi tape on my machine helped to line up the next dot. {see dot garland pictures below with the ONE balloons!}

I also wanted to make a small garland to hang on the chalkboard. I found this great cardstock with gold polka dots at Michael’s & grabbed a few sheets since it was so on-theme! I ended up using some of it to make half of the chalkboard garlands (the other half I used plain cardstock). I like the look of little flags, so I used a simple rectangle & cut out the bottom triangle to make it a flag. I cut little slits with an exacto knife & then thread each flag onto white twine (with a gold glitter thread).

I ended up deciding pretty early that I wanted to make party hats since most of the kids at the party would be around eloise’s age. while a regular-sized party hat would have fit, I like the look of a slightly smaller party hat, especially on little kids. so I found this party hat template on Oh Happy Day! & printed it at 75% (or so). then I traced & cut out seven party hats out of plain cardstock, & one out of the gold polka dot cardstock (for eloise). I originally wanted to glue paper dots onto each hat using the same paper that I had used for the big dot garlands, but once I started one hat, it looked terrible. I could have probably painted dots onto the hats & it would have looked cute, but I opted at that point to leave the party hats plain. to make the hats look a little more festive, I added a small tissue pom pom to the top. there are lots of tutorials on how to make tissue poufs on pinterest & the interwebs. I used 5 sheets of tissue paper that were like 2 or 3 inches (small) & used very thin floral wire to wrap around & keep the pom poms together. I left the wire long on each pom pom so that I had something to tape onto the inside of the hat. I used gold & teal tissue for most of the party hats & hot pink for eloise’s polka dot hat. {sidenote: though these party hats were mostly intended for kids, they really weren’t super kid friendly. we didn’t have any issues with the hats, but the elastic & floral wire made them slightly dangerous. I made sure we had supervision while wearing the party hats.}

the other theme of the party (other than polka dots) was ONE since that was the age eloise was turning… so I thought it would be fun to have big balloons that spelled out ONE after seeing this adorable set-up with letter balloons. I ordered the O and N balloons from the Oh Happy Day! Party Shop in the large size (34 inches – they were huge!) because that was what was in stock. I was able to find the exact same balloon on Amazon for the letter E. there was a bit of a fiasco though once I had the balloons filled & while things didn’t go according to plan, I was able to make it work & was really pretty happy with it in the end. so if you are thinking about using giant letter balloons, learn from my story: on thursday evening before the party (which was saturday afternoon) I decided to run out to our local party store to have the balloons filled while aaron put eloise to bed so that I didn’t have to go out on friday & try to wrangle eloise plus three giant balloons. I was able to get the balloons filled (with helium) & home with no issues. I begged aaron offered to help me hang the balloons & the dot garland once I got home so we could check that off of my to-do list. we quickly figured out that filling the balloons with helium wasn’t ideal since I wanted them to hang near the top of the window, but didn’t want strings hanging down in order to keep them floating in the right place. so we taped them from the top of the window & weighted them down at the bottom with metal nuts (actually a really genius move by my husband!). all was well until 7 am on friday morning when I heard a POP! yep, the E balloon burst right at the seams & I was left with balloons that spelled out “ON.” perfect. Amazon Prime can get stuff to us quickly, but not that quickly, so I headed back to the party store later that afternoon (& luckily my mom was in town by that time so she watched eloise). while I was assured at the party store by multiple employees that the E balloon didn’t burst due to overfilling (I still question that, but I was picking my battles at that point!) they did make sure to tell me that the balloons sold on Amazon have about a 50% failure rate. that would have been nice to know. luckily this party store sold the same gold numbers, & the number 3 backwards looks a lot like a letter E. right before I was getting the 3 filled though, I noticed that it was a slightly different gold color than the original balloons. uh oh. but do you know what? the number 0 & the letter O are identical & I figured it may look somewhat purposeful if the O & the E were a different color than the N so I went with it. I also was talking thru the weighting process with the balloon fillers & they told me all of my problems would be solved if I just had the balloons filled with air. duh! so for the same price as helium (what?) I had the 0 & 3 balloons filled with air. once I got home, we took down the letter O & hung up the 0 & backwards 3. it was perfect (well as perfect as it was ever going to be!) & you couldn’t even tell the color difference! so all of that to say, if you are going to buy letter balloons, don’t buy them off of Amazon & buy a few extra just in case!

we had two cakes at the party – one for adults & party guests, & a small smash cake for eloise. the big cake was a vanilla one from Whole Foods & while I am certain it had the highest quality ingredients, aaron & I decided early on that we didn’t want to introduce eloise to sugar (just yet!). so I made her a little smash cake that was banana & blueberry with whipped coconut milk frosting. I really wanted some kind of cake topper too & made two sets (one for each cake) using this cake topper as inspiration. it was really simple to make. I cut different widths of paper strips (using the same paper as the big dot garlands) & glued them onto a wooden BBQ skewer (which I cut down in length after the flags were on it). once all of the paper strips were glued on, I cut out the little triangles from the ends, making each flag a different length. I added the writing with a gold paint pen, & added the gold-thread twine (which is the same I used to hang the chalkboard garland).

because of the smash cake photo op, I wanted to decorate eloise’s highchair a bit. nothing too elaborate, but I did make two little garlands that hung on the front of her tray. the first one was a tiny version of the dot garland. I used a small circle cutter that I have (it is about an inch and a half) & then sewed the small dots together just like I did with the bigger garland. the other garland used the same little cardstock flags as the chalkboard garland, & I added ONE to the middle three flags.

while perusing pinterest for party ideas, I came across a few pins for a party time capsule. I instantly fell in love with the idea & knew I wanted to do some type of time capsule for eloise to open on her 18^th birthday. I found this great gold polka-dotted box at Home Goods & knew it would be perfect. the idea is that I am saving things from eloise’s first birthday party, storing the box, & giving it to eloise to open on her 18^th birthday. pretty fun, huh? so far we’ve got all of her first birthday cards, the cake toppers, eloise’s party hat, the garlands from the highchair, the 3 balloon (since it doubles as an E for eloise!). plus, I thought it would be fun for each guest (well adult) to fill out a card for eloise so she could have all of them to read in 17 years (see picture below). I am hoping to add her ONE onesie that she wore on her birthday & for her first year photoshoot (still waiting on pictures from the photographer), a string that is the same length as her at one year, & perhaps some printed photos from her party & photoshoot.

& finally, I always put a Kraft paper tablecloth out on our dining room table (where we serve food) whenever we have a big group of people over. it gives me peace of mind that the table won’t be destroyed by water or food, & it makes clean-up so easy! plus, it usually goes with the party décor since I almost always incorporate Kraft paper somehow. I keep this huge roll of Kraft paper around for occasions such as these (& use it to make table runners, signs, wrap gifts, the possibilities are endless!). for this party, I also added some confetti to the table that I picked up here (apparently it is the BEST confetti ever!).

{this is the only photo we have of the table – birthday party aftermath!}

I had SO much fun planning eloise’s party! &, if I do say so myself, think I did a pretty good job managing the décor & not going too crazy.

did you plan a first birthday party for your kiddo(s)?

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eloise {first birthday party!}

eloise turned ONE & we had such a fun time at her party! we were surrounded by family & friends to celebrate the first year of our daughter, & it meant so much to us that everyone came over. surprisingly, I wasn’t as emotional at all about eloise turning one (even on her actual birthday!) & I really thought I would be a mess. lots & lots of people have been asking for party pictures, so here you go. {warning: there are a lot of photos!}

{we had lawn flamingoes & a dot garland to welcome guests (to our very dry lawn!). I meant to get the big flamingoes, but ended up ordering miniature ones instead (no longer available)!}

{this was a time capsule that I am doing for eloise’s first birthday. I asked each guest to fill out a card to include in the box. more details to come!}

{eloise’s smash cake & other birthday cake.}

{just brushing her teeth & playing with mama’s phone at her party.}

I didn’t take the words of advice to really limit the guest list because we wanted this to be a celebration that included all of the family & friends that are important in eloise’s life. however, I did want to keep things casual & not have a strict schedule of events, so we just did two things: a fortune telling & the cake smash.

in the Korean culture, first birthday parties are a very big deal – traditionally & in the modern day. one of the birthday traditions – the Dol – is that a child is set in front of objects & picks one. the object that is chosen is supposed to be representative of that child’s future. since eloise is half-korean, we thought it would be fun to do at her party. we also incorporated a voting portion & each guest put his or her name in a cup to vote on which object eloise would pick. once she had picked an object, I drew a name from that cup & had a little prize. I tried to stick to the traditional objects & keep the number minimal so she didn’t get overwhelmed. needless to say, she was overwhelmed & got upset at the beginning! (funny thing is that another kiddo who had a Dol at her party also cried when she had to pick!) at first eloise went for the thread/yarn, but after getting some reassurance from her papa, she ended up choosing the book. big surprise! so, eloise is going to be a scholar in her future!

{we had the objects set out so guests could see them & vote for which one eloise would pick! you can also see a shot of the slideshow we had going on the TV – all of eloise’s weekly & monthly pictures.}

{she set out for the thread first, but before she grabbed it she stopped, looked up at everyone, & started to cry. aaron gave her some snuggles & then sent her back on her way. she picked the book & was pretty happy with her choice in the end!}

after the Dol we decided it was time for some cake. I got a simple vanilla cake from Whole Foods for the guests to enjoy, but aaron & I didn’t want to introduce eloise to sugar, especially in that quantity, on this occasion. {sidenote: I realize that I won’t be able to keep eloise away from sugar forever, but I might as well while she has no idea what it is!} so I made a sugar-free banana & blueberry cake (it was similar to a banana bread) with a whipped coconut milk frosting. the recipe made two 9 inch cakes which was way too much & I ended up cutting two small circle cakes out of one of them & stacking them on top of each other (& I froze the other cake). in hindsight, I should have made a whipped cream cheese frosting instead since this was the first time eloise had coconut & she didn’t seem to be a fan. she wasn’t super interested in the cake (which was a huge surprise to us all) & I think it was because of the coconut. I gave her just the plain cake later & she gobbled it up!

{these smash cake pictures are like the many faces of eloise!}

{I am not sure which one of these family photos I like the best. & I love that eloise’s feet are blurry because she was wiggling!}

& a huge THANK YOU to our friend jess & my brother-in-law ben for taking pictures at the party! I made sure to leave our camera out (thanks for getting some snaps jess!) & asking ben to bring his camera to take photos so that I didn’t have to worry about taking the photos during the party. plus, it means that aaron & I are in them which is really special!

happy happy first birthday eloise!

eloise {month twelve // one year}

{sorry this post is so late today. I was having crazy computer issues…}

{lion: jellycat via nordstrom // onesie: Lil’ Giggles Etsy Shop // skirt: DIY from this tutorial with fabric from JoAnn // moccasins: Freshly Picked}

{month twelve // one year} happy one year eloise!

eloise is still in PT for her torticollis (see the original PT post here) but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. we saw a new PT two months ago after we were referred back to PT by eloise’s pediatrician, but really didn’t jive with that particular PT (our original one had retired right after we were originally discharged). so, we found another PT & she has been great; eloise has been to see her twice & things are progressing well. we are in the final 10% & eloise’s tilt is hardly noticeable (& only if you are really looking for it). we just all really want to make sure that she is treated fully & there are no repercussions later on (vision & full muscle range are the biggest concerns). after a lot of back & forth, & the meeting of minds, we have decided to go forward with a cervical collar. it is a small wedge (basically) that will be fitted for eloise & will be placed at her neck on her left side; the point is to make it uncomfortable for eloise to tilt her head to the left & she will self-correct to the right. hopefully it will be short-lived & will be effective! (there is a chance it won’t do anything…) stay tuned for updates!

recently when I pick up eloise, she has started giving me little pats on the back. almost like she is saying “good job mama!” it is the sweetest thing! she also gives me lots of hugs throughout the day!

I just picked up this munchkin snack catcher at target because I have seen a few other mama friends with it. I wasn’t sure at first because I don’t do a lot of snacks with eloise (though she often gets hungry after her second nap since she eats lunch so early!) but I was sold immediately. eloise is still getting the hang of reaching in the cup, grabbing a few pieces, & pulling her hand out without spilling all of the snacks everywhere, but she is learning quickly. the biggest issue is that she likes to crawl & walk around with it (holding onto the handle) & the cup is upside-down… even so, best $5 I have spent in a long time! plus, sadie loves it too!

eloise is still a great eater & tries everything that we offer, even if she ends up spitting it out. it is so great to see your kid eating what you cook! she has started this new thing in the past month or so though where she waits until there is a little bit of everything on her tray before she eats anything. like she wants to know all of her options before she commits to her first bite. it is pretty funny. plus, if she sees any type of food on her plate that isn’t on her tray (since I don’t give her the entire plate), she will let you know that she wants to try that one thing she doesn’t have (usually by raising her voice & waving her hand in the air). her current favorite foods: cheese, avocados, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, mango, broccoli, tortilla. though the only food she refuses to eat is tomato. she will always try it, but then spits it out as soon as it hits her tongue. she will try it multiple times before she throws it from her tray.

books are still a big favorite around here. eloise LOVES books! we have books all over the house & she adores “reading” to herself. she will sit down with a book & turn the pages, sometimes babbling to herself or pointing or touching some of the pictures, before she gets to the end of the book. at the end, she sometimes gets sad (& will let you know!) & will turn the book over to the front & start again. she also has a particular book that plays music (it is one of two toys we have that requires batteries!) & she likes to open it & leave it open to play while she does other things. I have watched her & she often sings or hums (in her own way) when she hears the music. adorable! she also likes to dance when she hears music (she stands up & bounces up & down).

eloise adores her pacifier but has only ever gotten it when it is sleeping time (with the exception of travel – car or airplane). however, eloise, if she had her way, would suck on a pacifier all day long. if she has access to my diaper bag, she knows exactly what pocket her pacifier is in & will find it every time. if we are playing in her room after naptime, she will go over to her crib & try to get her pacifier. she will reach thru the crib rails & grab one within arm reach, or pull on her blanket or lovie thru the railings if the pacifier is on one of those things. if she sees a pacifier & can’t get to it, she usually raises her voice! she is pretty easy to distract though at this point & I can give her a book or a toy & she will forget. I can also take a pacifier away from her if it isn’t time to sleep & she doesn’t fuss or get upset.

while eloise has sported a mohawk for a lot of her little life, her hair is getting long enough that it doesn’t stand on its own (unless it is wet). I have noticed that her hair is starting to part on the right side. it is interesting because aaron & I both have left side parts! she looks so old (& sort of like a boy) when her hair is parted, but if I don’t push it a bit to the side, her bangs are in her eyes.

we celebrated eloise’s first birthday this weekend with a party at the house this past saturday (as seen here). we had the best time & were so thankful for all of our family & friends who came out to join in the celebration! I promise I will do a full recap in the coming weeks (I hope by next week!) once I get all of the photos & edit them. I had SO much fun planning & made all of the decorations. I am excited to share the fun!

{weight} 23 lbs (I will update if this is vastly different than her weight at her one year check-up tomorrow!)

{hair} dark reddish brown.

{teeth} four bottom teeth & four top teeth. (& two more on the top are about to cut!)

{eyes} dark brown. (but look dark grey sometimes!)

{clothes} 6 to 12 month, 9 month (in pants) 12 month, & some 12 to 18 month (18 is super long!).

{diapers} full-time cloth {bum genius freetime, pocket, & elemental} & honest company size 4 diapers at night with a bum genius diaper cover.

{feeding} during the day, 4 hour cycles. eloise started drinking only 2 to 4 oz at bedtime, so we split that milk feeding in half; she gets 2 oz in a cup at dinnertime & the other half at bedtime in a bottle.

{likes} books, anything she isn’t supposed to have, toys that squeak or rattle, singing & music, Sadie, standing, FaceTime, bathtime, pulling up to standing (on everything).

{dislikes} getting her face wiped off (after eating), seeing something she cannot have/chew on.

{nicknames} Bug{s}, Love Bug, Baby Bug, E, Wheezy, Kiddo, Love, Bugaboo, Ellie or Elle.

happy, happy, happy birthday to our little eloise! you are the most amazing adventure we have ever been on. there is nothing we would rather be doing than being your parents & we are so proud of the (tiny) human you have become over this past year. we are thankful for the sheer joy that you have brought into our lives & for making us happy every single day. your giggles are infectious & you have such a great sense of humor. you are light-hearted, kind, determined, & curious about the world around you. thank you for making us your mama & papa!

happy twelve months {one year} eloise!

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diy easter baskets.

just wanted to share a pretty quick & easy DIY easter basket made from a paper grocery bag before Easter weekend. I made two last week – one for eloise & one for our niece charlotte. the finished basket is pretty small (like the size of a CD case) but perfect for just a little stuffed rabbit & some eggs.

{original pin: The Elli Blog}

supplies:

paper bag
hot glue gun & glue sticks
scissors
ruler
pencil
ribbon (optional)
green construction paper (optional)

I followed the tutorial linked above (it’s a pretty good one). I always forget how hard hot glue can be to use & gave myself a blister, so be careful! I also found the handles to be tricky to attach.

I added a bit of grass to two of the sides of the basket without handles. I cut a piece of paper the same width as the basket & then randomly cut the edge of it (a few inches) to make blades of grass. then I trimmed the bottom of the paper & glued it inside the basket so the blades stuck out. repeat for the other side.

{a little white bunny for eloise}

{a little ballerina bunny for charlotte}

note: both bunnies are JellyCat.

how are you celebrating easter with your little ones?

happy four years {wedding anniversary}!

{some of my favorite engagement pics – all taken in seattle at sisko gallery, pike place market, kerry park, & gas works park}

{some of my favorites from the big day!}

four years has flown by, I am telling you. each year seems like it goes faster & faster! maybe it was because this year was a bit crazy, well with project baby & project house cruising along at full speed! this fourth year seems to have passed in the blink of an eye.

just a few words to my lovely husband: aaron – I can’t believe that I have been so lucky to be your partner for these past years. thru our ups & downs you love me unconditionally, & I will be forever grateful for the way that you support & take care of me. this year marks a huge change in our marriage & our relationship as we add a new life to ours. I know that you will be an amazing father to our child just as you are an amazing husband to me. thank you for the best four years so far! I know that together we can do anything & have the best time doing it! I love you more than words can express.

happy anniversary aaron – here’s to a lifetime more of celebrations!

xo M

see here for our anniversary posts years two & three.

my {long holiday} weekend in pictures.

{me & the bump celebrating the 4th of july.}

{the land of nod store is under construction & has a pretty fun entryway right now.}

{sadie’s new dog door at the house. pics to come later in the week of the rest of the house!}

{we attended a very patriotic party to celebrate america’s birthday.}

{the annual 4th of july parade in our neighborhood. such a treat!}

{we stopped by to see andy & hailey, & sadie loved sleeping in the grass lake-side.}

{sadie insisted on sitting right in between us during a small fireworks show. she didn’t last long before she wanted to be inside away from the noise. poor kid.}

{we went to ikea to pick up a few things for the house. #nesting}

{& amazingly it all fit in our car! sadie & I shared a seat in the back, but it worked. thank goodness we have a hatchback!}

{I finally found some time to finish up a sewing project for baby lower that I started some time ago. hope to share pics soon.}

{due to the many residual fireworks over the weekend, sadie got to sleep in bed with us. she hated it, obviously.}

what an awesome weekend. can every weekend be a three-day weekend, seriously? we got to sleep in, see lots of friends & family, & check some things off the ole’ to-do list – doesn’t get much better than that. we were a bit disappointed in the weather this weekend {rain when it wasn’t actually forecasted} but it is definitely feeling like summer here in the emerald city. I am still in shock that we are already so far into july – slow down summer!

how was your weekend?

amanda’s baby brunch.

I had the pleasure of hosting a baby brunch last weekend to celebrate my good friend amanda & her baby boy! she requested a simple affair that was focused on quality time with girlfriends. after amanda chose steelhead diner {right at pike place market!} for the venue, the rest of the brunch came together really easily. amanda’s friend kelly acted as my co-host & we came up with this simple pinboard.

{the main focus of the décor was the table: a simple kraft paper runner with a few flower arrangements & succulents}

{a simple guess-how-much-candy-in-the-bowl game // a thumbprint guestbook that will be a keepsake for baby boy’s nursery}

{the table // wishes for baby // the cutest little succulents in pots that were sent home with each guest}

{more thumbprinting! // onesies with tiny clothespins hung as a bunting-type banner}

{me & amanda & our bumps // kelly & amanda}

details:

the kraft paper runner was a simple version of this one
the low flower arrangements were a combination of a whole foods bouquet & peonies.
the “instruction cards” were handmade with faux calligraphy & washi tape buntings
the thumbprint guestbook was made in illustrator {with a little trial & error}
the succulents & ceramic pots were from fred meyer
the glass candy dish was from michael’s

also see amanda’s brunch post here!

it was so great to celebrate with you amanda & I can’t wait to meet baby boy!

xo M

erin & colt got married.

last week we were in indiana {you can see highlights of our week here if you missed it} to see aaron’s family & also to attend erin & colt’s wedding!

colt & aaron {not to be confused with erin} went to high school together, & erin & I hit it off as soon as we met. they have both been really great friends for a lot of years & we were so, so honored to be invited to celebrate their big day.

along with being able to join in the wedding festivities, we also had a few other family ties to the big event. cari, aaron’s sister, sang all of the music at the wedding ceremony – processional, recessional – as well as the first dance song & a late night rendition of bobby mcgee which is her go-to karaoke song {um, she sounds exactly like janis!}. funnily enough erin heard cari sing crazy love during our wedding ceremony & asked cari to sing at her wedding during our reception; almost four years later she did! also, all of the antlers that were used in the wedding – to line the aisle & along the centers of each reception table – were courtesy of my big brother jason. they looked fantastic!

the wedding site was at colt’s parents’ house & it was perfect. the ceremony was out in front of the house & the reception took place in a huge tent out back. erin & colt thought of everything which you could see in all of the beautiful details. there was an old mantle & windows that stood in for a traditional altar, the reception tables were lined with antlers, fresh flowers, moss, & tall candlesticks. towards the end of the night we were entertained with a huge fireworks show!

without further adieu, the pics {since that is what you are really interested in, right?}.

{all dressed up! // the bride & me at the cocktail hour pre-ceremony // the ceremony set-up}

{the ceremony aisle // first kiss! // program stand}

{the ceremony site // our seats at the reception // the lounge area in the tent}

{pie bar in lieu of cake // the gorgeous reception set-up // first dance}

{the moms & bride watching the father of the bride’s toast // colt & his mom dancing // the tent all aglow}

{cari belting out bobby mcgee // the groom // erin singing baby got back with the band}

{the tables were even more gorgeous in candlelight // mo, cari, me & aaron // the bride & the bump}

{cari & mo // colt & erin having a good time // aaron getting’ down // group pic at the end of the party}

& if you didn’t get enough you can see all of aaron’s pictures of the wedding & reception here.

we had such. a. fun. time. it was one of those weddings where everyone had a great time & danced the night away. congratulations erin & colt!

xo M