Move over Martha

I made Ava her own heart-shaped crayons! I'm not going to lie-- I totally stole the idea from someone's pin on Pinterest. I'm flattered, really... but I'm not THAT creative!

Anywho.... I found some cute silicone, heart-shaped ice cube trays from IKEA that were so cheap that I had to laugh. So I bought two.

I put the broken (and unwrapped) crayons inside the hearts and baked them on low heat until melted. About 10 minutes later I took them out to cool-- and VOILA! Super cute crayons!

The only advice I have... try to group the broken crayons into same-ish color piles. I didn't do this and now she has a ton of rainbow crayons, which is fine unless you (or your "overly-particular daughter") are trying to make something a certain color, at which point it's impossible with our multicolored hearts.

Eat your heart out Martha.

Oh TWOooooodles

If you read Monday's article on Patch, then chances are you know all about Miss Ava's 2nd Birthday Party! It was a good time and all went well-- she had a friggin blast and no disasters occurred, which means it was a huge success by my standards. Here's the article: We Survived (Our Second Year As Parents) in case you missed it.

I made all of the favors & decorations... a huge pain but worth it in the end

My Mom made the awesome topiary centerpiece!

El Bounce House de Mouse

Ava's Grandmas

I made those little menu cards, too!

The Birthday Girl

My Mom, Sis & I

The cake was outta control!

One of her super cool presents from our friends

Her absolute favorite gift- a neighing, tail wagging rocking horse from her Grandma Carol

Taking a test ride

Opening some of her loot

Lunch break

Too much partying= 1 exhausted little girl (and Momma!)

All in all, it went great. Her actual birthday isn't until this weekend, so Ken and I will have our own little birthday party for her... something along the lines of a yummy breakfast, trip to the pool and whatever else her little heart desires.

Have your people call my people

I ordered more Mommy Calling Cards! Not to say that I've used the ones I already have--PUH-LEASE!!! I've handed out like 3 in the past 4 months!!! -- I just couldn't pass up the deal at Minted (25 free cards-- all you pay is shipping). The designs are super cute so I bit the bullet and went for it.

Here's the preview of what is to be delivered:

I find them to be equally as darling as the ones I already have:

2 in Two Days

Two more days and we'll be celebrating Ava's 2nd Birthday! Her actual birthday isn't until Labor Day weekend, but since I didn't want to steal the weekend away from friends and family, I decided to have the party a week early, that way we would (a) get a better turnout and (b) people could still enjoy their 3-day-weekend. I know... I'm so thoughtful. ;-)

In preparation for the par-tay, I've been hard at work making all sorts of things to make it a wee bit more personal for little Ava. Not that she'll remember an ounce of it, but that's just how I am. I like to go the extra mile for things like this. I get it from my Momma.

In order not to ruin any surprises I'll save the details/ pictures of the stuff I've created until after the party. I do think everything has turned out super cute though. I've been channeling my nesting instinct and have been working on my little creations after Ava goes down for the night. Ken thinks I'm certifiably crazy.

Ken: "Why are you going to all that trouble? She's not going to remember any of it."
Kristi: "Well, chances are you won't either because you'll be drunk."
Ken: ::shrugs and looks at me like, "eh... that's probably true"::
Kristi: "Besides, that's what cameras are for. Which reminds me... I need to charge my 3 cameras."

I know, I know. I'm a bit obsessed-- but your kid only turns two once (yes, I'll use this reasoning EVERY year).

With that said, we've been working like crazy, getting the house/ yard in shape to entertain the 40+ people who will be coming on Saturday-- most of which have not seen our new digs. One guy who won't be invited..??? This guy!

We're going to have our fun sprinklers going, a Mickey Bounce House, Bags, Lifesize Jenga, etc... It should be a good time for all. Even yours truly ("Hor-Mona Lisa") will be throwing back a few O'Douls and gettin jiggy wit it.

I pick up my side of the family tomorrow from the Amtrak station in Naperville. Little do they know, I'll be putting them to work on food prep and tidying up the house. What?! They have to earn their keep, right?! :)

Mark your calendars!

November 4, 2011 is the day we have tentatively scheduled Baby Boy Gilbert's arrival. I requested to be induced on that date because (A) I will be over 39 weeks pregnant and (B) the 4th is the same day Miss Ava was born (of September). So the Dr put the request in my chart and unless something changes, we'll have ourselves a family of four on 11/4/11.

I am being induced because I'm afraid of experiencing a labor like Ava's. She came so fast that the epidural wasn't administered in time to alleviate the horrific pain; by the time I was numb, I was already pushing.

Ideally, I would like to avoid that this time around. Entirely.

Instead, I would like to roll into the hospital (without tires squealing this time), relaxed (not clawing Ken's face off), well rested (not at 1 AM-- when I had taken a Tylenol PM just two hours prior)-- and be induced-- and then immediately given the epidural. I don't want to feel a thing.

If it's anything like last time, I should have our boy in a few short hours, only this time I'll be number than numb-- and that sounds WAY better than the ordeal I went through with Ava.

I have already made reservations at Capital Grille for the night before since that is where we had our date night on the night prior to Ava's arrival.

Who knows if things will go according to plan-- but it's fun to have a plan, nonetheless!

28 Weeks

1 to 10

... never sounded so cute.

Obsessed.

McDonald's: My new home away from home

People constantly ask me about my pregnancy cravings. Oddly, there isn't anything too off the wall that sends me drooling like a rabid dog.

Nope-- Instead, it's just your everyday, run-of-the-mill junk that has me literally dreaming of feast after glorious feast of the following foods. And no, NONE of them are healthy. Not a single one.

This baby boy wants nothing but the bad stuff and I'm happy to oblige. Afterall, I don't want to neglect the poor kid... so really, there is no choice in the matter. I simply must eat this stuff.

Without further ado... Here goes! ::Let the shame begin::

Dean's French Onion: Especially good with Doritos!

L&F Pizza: Pepperoni, Mushroom & Pineapple (the delivery guy laughs every time)

These are so addictive. I eat a bag in a sitting. :-/

Natural Oven Brainy Bagels 
(smothered in veggie cream cheese
and sliced tomatoes)

Kraft Garden Veg Cream Cheese: It's my new Ranch Dressing: It goes on EVERYTHING!

Chicken Flavored Ramen Noodles- Not sure why I EVER stopped eating this after college..?

Starbucks Cake Pops

T Bell's Cheesy Gordita Crunch. Bring on the mystery meat! 

Snickers Ice Cream Bars 
(I love the bite size ones-
makes me feel a wee less guilty)

 

Chipotle Burrito Bowl 
(with Chips & Guac of course!)

Yep, these are the culprits for the baby weight that I've gained thus far. Sure there are some other "naughty nellies" but I'll stick with the ones I devour most. All this talk of grub has got me hungry now. I'm thinking I may have to swing by TCBY for some White Chocolate Mousse after my 28 week Dr appt (provided I pass my glucose test!). Wish me luck... because now my brain is completely stuck on TCBY! Yum!!

Pregnant & Painting

I decided that the bathroom in our entryway needed a facelift. Afterall, it was the PERFECT excuse to get the color "Bay Laurel" (from Restoration Hardware) on our walls! Rather than hire someone to paint it, I channeled my nesting instinct, grabbed the kid and headed to Home Depot (Yes... I am still VERY pissed at them-- read HERE for the story-- but I didn't have a choice).

I had a sales associate walk me through the paint aisle, guiding me to the right tools for the job. Ten minutes later, I was the new owner of a few paint brushes, a roller brush, a tray and a snickers bar. What?! I needed a snack.

That day, while Ava napped, I got started. I managed to complete the trim in 2 hours... which was WAY more time than I had anticipated; maneuvering around a pedestal sink and toilet, with a 26-week-pregnant-belly isn't as easy as I had anticipated. By the next day, the bathroom was done (and I even finished repainting the mirror). I think it looks WAY better. And I love looking in there, each time I walk in the door, knowing I did it! I need to add some decor & artistic touches so don't look too closely. 

BEFORE:

And... AFTER!

After this little project, I feel totally inspired to tackle our 2 spare bedrooms in the basement! First though, maybe I'll paint my baby belly...?

 On second thought- maybe not.

She's Crafty!

Ava will be 2 years old in less than a month! How crazy is that?! I feel like she was JUST born. Time really does fly. I look at her newborn pictures and I don't even recognize her.

To celebrate the big occasion, we are going to have a Mickey Mouse Themed party, complete with a bounce house and sprinklers for the little ones to run and play, while the adults enjoy an all day barbecue at the new house (ok, it's not new anymore but 90% of the people that are coming haven't seen our new digs-- so there!).

Here are the invitations I made for the party. I probably would have saved a fortune had I just bought them online or ordered some from Etsy. I like doing things like this though-- And maybe someday, Ava will look back and appreciate the little extra bits of love I added to these birthday parties of hers. Maybe. :)

 

Next up, I have to work on things like her birthday banner, welcome signs, and other fun little decorations to put around for the par-tay. I thought it would be fun to dress up like Minnie for the party so I Googled "adult minnie mouse costume". Here are my options:

Yeah. Um. I think I'll pass. 

Can you imagine opening the front door to your kid's party wearing one of these outfits? I'm sure Ken would love it. Can't say the same for the rest of the party goers. Maybe if I were part of The Real Housewives of Hoochville I could get away with it.

So, my next thought was "Perhaps I'll just wear some Mickey ears"... and this is what I found:

WTF?!

Looks like I'll be making my own ears, too.  :-/