Ava's Pink & Gold 3rd Birthday Party

Today I'm excited to share with you Ava's 3rd Birthday Party. It was featured a couple weeks ago on Pizzazzerie, you can see the feature here, but I wanted to share it here as well with my readers. 

I start all my parties by dreaming up a theme and picking out the perfect invites. For me invites set the tone of any party. I found these great invites by Design on Paper on Etsy. We worked together to design this invite based on some of the other designs I saw from her site. 

Pink is Ava's favorite color, and the sparkly touches of silver and gold were the perfect touch to add to this party. 

I love putting together dessert tables for my parties, they are so fun and a great focal point for any party. 

I put together this dessert table made up of cupcakes {made by me}, cake pops and cookies. Along with some fun touches. I made the tissue paper tassels myself, {tutorial here}. 

These glass bottles have been such a great investment, actually they are Starbucks frap bottles that I cleaned, washed and saved for occasions such as this. Add some fun stripey straws and you have instant fun drinks for your parties. I got the straws from The TomKat Studio shop.

Simple Princess Pink Punch {equal parts pink lemonade + sprite} make a great drink for any party. Everyone loves it, and it's so simple to make. All the light pink plates and napkins are from the Dollar Tree, and the gold dot napkins are from Target.

Since we just moved a few months prior most of our guests have never been to our house, I thought it would be fun signify to our guests that "the party is here." So I bought a giant 36'' pink balloon from The TomKat Studio and placed it outside on our porch. I also made an additional strand of tassels to wrap around the balloon for something fun. 

Oh, how I love a good cake pop! Don't you?! My friend Heather is a local baker here in Phoenix and she makes the best desserts. She made these awesome cake pops and tied golden bows on them and they were a perfect addition to our dessert table. If you live in Phoenix please message me if you'd like to work with Heather.

I made the cupcakes myself, and placed them inside white & pink stripe baking cups from The TomKat Studio, and topped them with gold and silver flags from Target.

I whipped up a simple centerpiece for the table with these gold glitter jars, {tutorial here} and placed pink roses and babies breath inside. The flowers are from a local shop here in Phoenix called Blooming Mill.

{My Birthday Girl!}

I kept the food pretty simple since the party was taking place after lunch and a couple hours before dinner. I made chicken salad sandwiches, fruit salad, and a veggie tray to go along with our dessert table.

This year I wanted to do something a little different and special for the party. I love using local people to help with my parties so when I came across Melissa's work with cookies I knew I wanted her to do something for Ava's party. Melissa makes the most amazing cookies you've ever seen, they are little works of art. I almost didn't want to eat them, but I'm so glad that I did because not only are they pretty they are delish! Visit Melissa's website here, she ships all over the US.

photography + styling: worley house

ava's skirt: zulily

ava's shirt: old navy

baking cups + straws + balloon: The TomKat Studio

cookies: The Baked Equation

flags + gold dot napkins: Target

pink paper plates + pink napkins: Dollar Tree

*contains an affiliate link

Happy Mother's Day.

For some of you today is a happy and sad day all at the same time. 

Some of you are holding your babies close tonight.

Some of you are eagerly awaiting the arrival of a little one.

Some of you have lost babies.

Some of you are missing your mamas that are no longer here.

Some of you are single mothers who don't have any help, who are just trying to make it.

To all the women out there; holding your babies, waiting for your babies to arrive, missing the ones you lost, or have yet to come you matter, you are special, you are brave, you are a warrior, you are amazing! 

Today, my heart is praying for you. 

Happy Mother's Day!

These little ones, I have to really say thank you. Thank you for making me a mama. 

This year, I didn't want any gifts. All I wanted was a couple hours to myself. To run errands by myself. 

I gloriously walked around Target for an hour today. Ran some errands, and sat in my driveway in my car after coming home enjoying a coke zero. Seriously. 

The day before I enjoyed a nap, a nice long nap. Then we all went out to dinner together to celebrate. 

I had dessert, which I haven't had in a month. It was awesome. 

Then I pulled into the driveway today after my stint out today, and came through into the garage only to hear Zane screaming his head off. When I walked in the door my husband told me he'd been crying like that off and on for the 3 hours I was gone. 

Back to reality. For realz.

Happy Mother's Day to you all. 

Hope your day was beautiful.

A Day in March

3.5.13

It's been over a year since I last did a re cap of our days. I can't believe it's taken me this long to do it again, since our days look vastly different now than they did over a year ago I really wanted to make it a goal of mine this year to document our days at least once a month this year.

So here's a day in March

5:30 am I wake up get dressed before sitting down to feed the baby.

5:40 am Hubby is up getting ready.

6 am he wakes Ava up and gets her dressed.

6:10 am I grab coffee for myself and milk for Ava before heading out the door.

7 am we drop Orion off at work.

We're home by 7:30 am. I quickly fix Ava and I breakfast before sitting down to feed the baby.

I spend the next half hour while Ava plays cleaning the kitchen after breakfast. Put in a load of laundry, check my email and Facebook.



Getting ready for the day.

Sitting down to feed the baby, while Ava watches t.v.

We're off to go meet friends for lunch around 10:30 am.


From 11 am till 12:30 pm we're hanging with friends at lunch. It was such a nice day that we ended up taking the kids walking around the shopping center and playing.



By 1 pm we're back at home. Ava plays someone while I sit down to feed Zane. After that we do some playing together in the yard. Well, Zane just kinda chills while Ava and I play.

Ava also loves to sit and "read" her books to me. It's pretty cute. Today we skipped naps because we got back so late from lunch and only had a few hours before we had to again leave to get Orion from work.



By 3:30 pm we're in the car again off to get Orion from work. He gets off work at 4 pm but with traffic it takes us about an hour to get home.

By 5 pm we're home. This is probably my fave time of day. Orion is playing with the kids while I get dinner ready.


5:30 pm we sit down together as a family for dinner. Tonight it's chili and cornbread.

6 pm dinner clean up and more play time.

6:30 pm Zane and I head out to meet some of my girl friends while Orion gets Ava ready for bed.

7 pm Ava is in bed.



9:30 pm I'm home. I sit down to feed Zane again. While we watch the news together and Jimmy Kimmel.

By 11 pm we're ready to turn into bed.

Simple Paper Chain

Paper chains, they are some of the most simple things to make. I remember making these a few times in college to countdown some pretty fun moments. My sister and two nieces are coming to visit us in just a matter of days for Ava's birthday.

So after Ava's nap time one day we sat down and made two paper chains. One for her birthday coming up, and the other counting down till my Sister arrives with her littles.

These don't really need instructions, plus this was a really great way to put to use some of that left over scrapbook paper I have lying around.

I cut up a bunch of strips, as many as the days we needed to count down to.

I also didn't want to leave them plain, so I wrote on them and let Ava decorate them with stamps and stickers too.

Then we hung them up by the back door, we'll tear one off everyday till they get here. I think this is such a fun way to countdown events with kiddos. 

Do you do anything special to countdown memories for your kids? 

the spirit of influence

I posted this picture last week on Instagram with a caption that read:

"Ava asked to wear these shoes because they are the same ones Alice wears. Isn't is crazy how they can influenced at such a young age?"

I posted this picture and all day I couldn't stop thinking about the spirit of influence. How people and things influence us good or bad in the decisions we make for our lives. The choices we make.

Most of my adult life has been spent mentoring and influencing young women. Today I am reminded that maybe my most important influencing relationship is the one that I have with Ava.

I am called to influence her.

It made me think as a mother what my spirit of influence will be. I am reminded that I get to influence her in the best way.

Will she be strong and confident because I am and that's what I've taught her?

Will she know right from wrong because I've taken the time to influence her?

Will she know and love the Lord because her Dad and I have modeled it for her?

There are so many influences in our world, most importantly as her parents I want us to have a strong influential voice in her life.

Such a small and seemingly insignificant comment challenges me as a mother to make sure my influence in her life is strong.

Serves a purpose, a purpose for Christ.

Who is in your sphere of influence today? How has God called you to influence him or her? 

my new employers.

When I went back to work when Ava was just 8 months old, I thought it was only temporary. I remember that first day of work like it was yesterday.

Never did I think that over two years later that I would still be working. When I got pregnant again, I knew that in my heart that I didn't want to continue working outside the home.

It was my desire to do whatever it took to be able to stay home with both my children.

Thankfully the Lord knows that desires of our hearts. It's been a long road, lots of hard work and I'm thankful that the Lord has provided in many ways so that I could stay home with my children. 

These guys are keeping me busy & on my toes. But, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm excited that I get to now stay home with them everyday.

During that period when I was a full time working mom I learned so much about my family. I learned the kind of mother I wanted to be, the kind of home I wanted to have. 

God gave me a heart for working mothers. Very few Mothers know both sides of staying home and working full time. I do. 

I know the struggle. I know how it hurts. I know how guilt comes over you when you're working full time outside the home. 

I know how you judge yourself because you think others are judging you. I also know how God redeems all that. 

How he gives peace and comfort when you're dropping your kid off at daycare when you wish you were in your jammies with them at home. 

As we settle into new routines around here it's a little nuts. They both are so different, but they have my heart. They are mine. 

I'm so thankful for this new season. And there's no doubt that God's going to use it and teach me new things. 

Soak.

When I was a kid my Mother would often times crawl into my bed in the mornings when she came to wake me up. And sometimes we'd lay there for a bit.

She'd say "let's just sit and soak for a while."

Sometimes we'd sit there for 5-10 minutes before getting up. Sometimes It'd be even longer if it was a Saturday and I didn't have to go to school. Either way I treasured those moments with her, loved having her near brushing my hair and talking to me in those moments before we had to start the day.

I look back on those moments and realize they taught me some important lessons. Lessons like, how important it is to sit back and just be still.

Lessons like how important it is not to get caught up in things that don't matter and focus on what really does. Realizing that it's important to take in these small fleeting moments with my children who won't be little forever and who need me to be present now.

A lot of times we get so caught up (I do it too) in the things that have to get done during the day that we  miss out on moments that really make the day. Soaking it up means, realizing that it's ok if the dishes aren't done if it means I got some extra time to snuggle my babies.

give a girl a pile of paper clips and she'll sort them for a good 15 minutes.

So the reality is that my house is kinda a mess, we moved in over a month ago and we're just unpacked. Nothing is one the walls, beds are rarely made if I'm being honest. But, my kids are happy and healthy. We have cloths to wear and food in our bellies. And my family is complete. 

Things are kinda  all over the place right now, but it's ok because I've given myself grace to know that not everything has to be put together all of the time. 

Today we're soaking. 

And that's just fine with me. 

scenes from the weekend via instagram.

our weekends have been laid back, no plans, just trying to figure out life with two babies.

here's some of my fave snippets.

 

friday afternoon paiting. learning to make some better eating choices, seeing how i ate a whole lotta sweets during my pregnancy. time to get back on track.

making cookies with my girl. she's loves it, but i think she likes licking the beaters more. either way we're bonding and i love it. make my miss america predictions in my little notebook.

 

i have a son. i have two kids, still wrapping my mind around that most days. it's starting to sink in. ava likes to line things up in a row. can't say i blame her. ;)

follow me on instagram here @photosbyandrea

Scenes from the Weekend: Nov 2-4

My husband was out of town this weekend. 

It's the first time he's been gone for an extended amount of time since Ava was born. 

We made it through the weekend, I have an even deeper appreciation for him when he's here. 

Enjoy some small snippets from our weekend.

Friday I attended a friend's Favorite Things party, 

it was a lot of fun getting out of the house. 

Some of the goods I went home with that night.

Saturday Ava napped for 3 hours and I was able 

to catch up on photo books.

Sunday, Ava slept in till 7:45 am!

Almost unheard of anymore, I enjoyed making

a yummy breakfast for us before church.

My pretty girl after church. I just love her. 

She picked out her skirt at the store, she loves pink & glitter.

Fell asleep 5 minutes before pulling into the drive way.

follow me on Instagram here @photosbyandrea

It's one of my favorite ways these days to capture small moments of life.