20 Questions with Cian

Favorite Color?                                   Blue
Favorite Toy?                                      Superhero, Batman
Favorite Fruit?                                    Strawberries
Favorite TV Show?                            Star Wars (The Clone Wars)
Favorite Thing to Eat for Lunch?       Dinner
Favorite Outfit?                                  Costumes
Favorite Game?                                  Ninja Turtles (video game)
Favorite Snack?                                  Fruit Snacks (that's my boy!)
Favorite Animal?                                Lion
Favorite Song?                                    Star Wars Song
Favorite Book?                                    God (I assume he means the bible?)
Best Friend?                                        Jesus (I did not even prompt this one, make a mama proud.)
Favorite Cereal?                                  Crunchy (yep, soggy is gross)
Favorite Thing to do Outside?            Play Baseball
Favorite Drink?                                   Lemonade
Favorite Holiday?                                Easter
What do you take to bed?                    George (the curious kind)
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast?     Fruit Snacks again (he said again)
Favorite thing to eat for your b-day?   Cupcakes
What do you want to be when you grow up?   A grown up like a big Boba.  (He means Boba Fett)

Four Months Old: Part Deux

Because she is my kid and I am a little smitten with her, I felt like four months needed another post.  It could also be because I forgot to put her details like weight and length.  Let's just say it's because she is so darn cute.  My growing bean is now:

Weight:  12lbs 9ozs
Length:   24.5in
Head:      40.5cm

She has almost doubled her size since birth and grown five inches!  I should point out that her head is about 4cms smaller than Cian's was at this point.  Looks like will miss out on the big ole' melon her brother has.

Couldn't you just eat her up??  (Ok, I will quit with the "how cute is my kid stuff", but it is a parent's right you know??)

Modern Vintage Events

A lot of you might know that a friend and I started a wedding planning company last year.  We started it in June but didn't officially launch until September.  We are both still at our full time jobs but are having fun doing this on the side.  Our company is Modern Vintage Events.  We got a lot of flack about the name at first but I really think it suits us.

We did a bridal show last September as our launch.  We booked a sweet sweet bride for New Year's Eve and had a great time doing the show. 

Our booth

Flowers from Vickie at Branching Out

 We did our second bridal show this month and hopefully it will generate some weddings!

Our booth, 2012

We gave away buttons in the booth

Flowers from Rickey Minder at Ode Floral

We are really excited about what this year will bring for us. We have three weddings booked so far and 10 is our goal.  You can check out our website here, and blog here.  Keep checking the modern vintage blog for fun parties and weddings!

Four Months Old

 My sweet baby Isla is four months old now!  She is growing so so much and I am surprised at how fast time is passing me by.

To my baby girl,

• You are such a little sweetie.  You love to be held and cuddled.  This might be because I hold you and cuddle you all the time.  Hey, this is the last time I get to do that with my own baby.
• You have really found your hands and feet.  You love to hold your hands together and when I come get you out of your crib in the morning you are usually playing with those little piggie toes.
• Speaking of crib, we moved you to your crib (finally) this month.  I waited until four months because I liked being able to just lean over the bed to your bassinet and put your pacifier back in your mouth when you started waking up.  It was my laziness (or enjoyment of sleep) that kept you in our room an extra month.
• You learned to blow bubbles with your moth and are making the motor boat sound all the time.  It is ridiculously adorable.
• You are giggling and full out laughing now.  I love to tickle you and make you laugh.  Baby laughter is actually good for the soul and I hear it can cure any bad day.
• You still hate to lay on your stomach and I can only get at good two minutes at a time before you turn into mad baby. (This is similar to Bruce Banner turning into the Hulk but without the turning green part.)
• You still love to sit up!  I think you like watching the world from the same position as everyone else. You can lean into your legs and stay sitting up for a second but that usually results in a topple over. (Don't worry, we only do this on the bed and where one of us can catch you.)
• You love to clasp your hands together and chew on your fingers.  You are drooling a lot so some little teeth must be getting themselves ready.
• Cian has started calling you baby Islie (eye-lee).  It might be the nickname that sticks.
• Your smile is amazing and I love how you smile and Steve and I when you see us.  I am so glad I am your mommy!

Love,
Mom

We had a little help with our photo session this month.  Cian really liked getting on the photos with Isla and then wanted to see them as soon as we took them.

Hugging the owl

My two babes

Which Baby is Which?

 Is there anything cuter than a baby after a bath?  Ok, maybe a baby hedgehog.  I think they are starting to look less alike so this one might be easy...

Wardrobe Wednesday

Ahh, Valentine's Day week.  A week full of overpriced roses, expensive dinners and sugar galore.  It is a week of love.  And after all, all we need is love right?

Sweater: JC Penney, Pants: NY and Company, Shirt: Old Navy (five years ago), Shoes: Target

The months following pregnancy are hard to dress. Your options are limited because you can't wear your old clothes and you don't want to go out and buy too many new ones because hopefully you won't wear them too long.  Please don't judge if you see these pants on me a lot.

This year I have three valentines!  This one is sporting her hearts:

Beatles Onesie: Target, Leg Warmer: Target 

This one is there to save me from bad guys any time I need him:

I will leave you with a little more sappy dappy love:

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make" The Beatles

Little Dream House

I spend a lot of time talking about finding a "little dream house".  I look online a lot to try to find houses that are my dream homes to live in.  Now, I am not talking Rodeo Drive or even Main Street Murfreesboro, (though Cherry Lane remains in my dreams) I am talking about an attainable (one day) sized house. Like maybe this one:

Photo from here

A craftsman house is my dream one day.  One day.

I apologize for how small my house is and sometimes find myself complaining about how we have outgrown it.  These things feel true when you have four people and three dogs, one of which is the size of a person, living in an 1100square foot house. The real truth is that I love our little house.  I love the way we have decorated most of it.  I love the hand-me-down (let's call it antique) furniture that has meant something to our families as well as us.  I have come to realize that it is really a little dream house.  Maybe not because of giant rooms or a completely renovated kitchen but it is a dream house because:

• It is my first home with my husband.  The place we grew our life together.  The place we started our family.
• It is a home where we (Steve) learned to lay laminate floors, put in surround sound, paint with the correct kind of paint, for instance, flat does not work on doors and trim and semi-gloss shows all kinds of imperfections.  It is where we learned to take down seven layers of wall paper, how to catch a mouse, how to paint stripes (Steve)
• It is a dream because we brought our first baby here and began life as we know it.  We walked through that front door a changed family.  We learned so much here about each other and how to be parents. We are still learning so much under this roof.
• It is a dream house because we watched that baby grow and learn to crawl, sit, walk and eventually talk, pretend and use the potty. (The one was big people!)  There is a blood stain on the shower curtain from Cian's head being busted open, and a food stain on the ceiling from who knows what.
• It is a dream house because we walked through those doors a second time a changed family as we brought our little girl home.  It is where she is growing and changing. Where she got her first bath, and laughed for the first time.  
• Our backyard holds memories of running and playing and barbeques with family.
• This is a dream house because Steve and I have been through tough times as a couple and have pulled through them. We have always come home to this little dream house.
• This is a dream house because there is love here.

I have to remind myself that I am blessed with the walls of this house.  I am blessed to have a roof over it and so much love inside.  Because I am blessed with our sweet little house I am going to give you a tour over the next few days/weeks.  Yes, that means I will have to clean it first.  We will start with the front since I don't have to dust it...

My Little Dream House

Cereal

This week Isla had a first.  No, no boyfriends allowed for another twenty years.  We fed her cereal for the first time. We decided to start with Lucky Charms.  Babies can digest magical deliciousness right?  Well...we really started with rice cereal.  If you haven't ever fed a baby cereal, it is nothing like the Wheaties we eat to stay strong. This stuff is flaky and if you sneeze it will spread all over your kitchen.  You mix milk with it and it can be anywhere from soupy to an oatmealy substance.  It seems kinda bland but I guess breast milk is all you have so far so it is a step up.  (Not on the days I eat cupcakes though...)

 She did really well and seemed to really like it.  She was still trying to suck like she was drinking from a bottle but she kinda got it.  Then I could not feed her fast enough!  She was mad when it took me too long to get the spoon to her mouth.

 The next day we fed her Cian had to get in on the action and help out.  He lost interest after this one spoonfull.

Well I guess our little girl had one more thing that can be added to her dinner options.  This officially means she has options.

Dear Child #1 and Child #2

Dear firstborn (aka Cian),

When you were born you showed me that there is this love that I never new existed.  It is a love that is consuming and as close to selfless as I can be.  When you were born I looked at this little face that belonged to a baby who needed me, needed me for everything.  You were this child that Steve and I had helped bring to life.  I thought that I was very blessed to be able to feel this way and that maybe I felt just a fraction of the love that God feels for all of us.

With you everything was new and I was learning so much.  Our family went from two to three and I thought how three truly is a magic number.  There were a lot of sleepless nights and I had no idea that you could even be that tired and function, but those days passed.  I loved holding you and rocking you to sleep and just spending peaceful days with you.  There were so many times that it was just you and I and I relished in them. I also got pretty dang sick of daytime tv.

You kept growing and I kept being surprised at how fast it was all happening.  Those people that I thought were crazy that said kids grow up really fast were really right.  It didn't seem fast in the middle of an all night crying/eating session or a tantrum but then one day I woke up and you were three.  I am happy but sad that one day I will wake up and you will be twenty-three.

Right now the world is your oyster.  I love watching your budding imagination as you "read" books and turn everything into a story.  There are bad guys around every corner but super Cian (or Batman, Superman, Spiderman, etc.) is there to get them every time.  I have learned more about Star Wars and Super Heroes than I ever thought I would know.  I am pretty sure I could give the geeks at Comic-Con a run for their money. Heck, I even have a Leia costume.

I love cuddling on the couch and watching movies with you and listening to the songs you make up.  I looked at you the other day at the movies with your hipster looking 3D glasses on and I was so happy I could cry.  I love reading to you and hearing you "read" your books.

I can't wait to see what God brings you and how you grow and change.  I hope you will face it all head on and never lose the zest for life you have now.  I hope you will always sing and that you will not lose your imagination.  I hope you will never be ashamed of who you are and that when you dress yourself in high water overalls and a predators jersey you can be as confident as you are at three.  I pray that I will always have the good sense to put my computer down and tickle you when you ask me to and that no matter how old you get I will always listen to you and look our for what you need.  I hope I never lose interest in what you are interested in.

Love,
Mommy

Dear second child (aka Isla),

I wondered when I was pregnant with you if there would be room in my heart for love like I felt for Cian.  I found out very quickly that the Grinch is not the only one's heart who can grow three sizes.  While I was pregnant with you there wasn't as much mystery, I knew some of what was to come, I knew how to change a diaper, I knew about the sleepless nights, I knew about the spit up stains on my work clothes.  I also knew just how much you would rock my world and how much I would cherish and love you.  You are one lucky baby, I relished in every second you were in my tummy (even those five days after my due date) and knew you were growing and God was knitting you together.

I am truly cherishing every sweet early morning with you and snuggling with you every night because you are probably my last baby.  I am trying to relish in cuddling you and calming your tears.  I love our quiet times while I feed you.  I know life is more hectic and I can't just cuddle you all night but I hold you closer, knowing that one day I won't be able to hold you for that long or give you as many kisses as I want to.  I love hearing your little noises and your laugh.  When your feet are tickled you giggle and it is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen.  Your smile truly can light up a room and make your daddy melt.  I love the way your eyes light up when you see us.

I love all the girl clothes, headbands, socks and accessories.  One day I will love buying all the girl toys (My Little Pony hear I come) but most of all I love the girl who you are and the girl you will be someday.  I pray that you will follow God and that you will not listen to what the world says you should be and look like.  I pray that I will be able to let go and let you be who you are meant to be and not who I am or who I think you should be.  Of course I pray you are smart and beautiful and I believe you will be to me no matter what. I also hope you are compassionate and determined and that when you find your dreams you don't give up on them.

I can't wait to watch you grow and see the girl and woman you will someday become.  I hope it doesn't happen too fast, but I know it will.  All too soon you will be rolling, sitting, crawling and walking. Then running and jumping.  I know there will come a day when I will not be as cool as I am now (at least in your eyes because we know I will still actually be cool) but to me you will always be my baby girl and I will always cherish you.

Love,
Mommy

And as I look at both of you I wonder, can it possibly get better than this?

Bay-Bee Sip and See

In December my dear friend Laine and her husband Jared adopted an adorable baby girl named Pierson.  They should have named her Rapunzel because this chick has a head full of hair!  She is exactly six weeks younger than Isla and I just know they will be best friends.  (We have two other friends with boys so the boyfriend department is covered as well.)

Jessie and I, along with Laine's sister Erin, threw her a Sip and See since it was happening after Pierson had come home.  We went with a bee theme because the baby room is gray and yellow and we thought we could encorporate bees well with those colors.  In Jessie and Becca fashion we went a bit overboard on decorations.  You are shocked, I can see it on your face.  I also waited until the week of the shower to start crafting which meant being up late most of the week.  Pair this with two sick kids and myself getting sick and you have one tired lady.  (You think one day I will learn not to procrastinate??)

We were excited to put together a dessert table and we tried to encorporate yellow or honey into most of the food.  We had honey baked ham sandwiches with honey mustard, honey bbq chicken tenders, and then fruit, cheese and veggies.  For dessert we had cupcakes, cookies, lemon and devil's food whoopie pies, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate dipped marshmallows, gumballs and honeycomb rice crispy treats.

Dessert Table

Honey Favors

Yumm.  Cupcakes with bee toppers

Cookies from the Signal Mountain Cookie Lady.  These are some seriously amazing cookies

Whoopie pies and marshmallows

Billy Buttons in a starbucks drink jar that was spray painted white

Yummy Goodness

We had water with lemon, lemonade mimosas and lemonade with mason jars to drink out of. I love those straws also!!

Queen Bee onesie and Worker Bee shirt

Pierson got all kids of cool stuff but these hostesses did not have the mostess because her list of gifts was misplaced. Yep, shower fail.

Ellen (Laine's mom) Laine, Pierson and Erin

Bonnie (who made the cute onesie and shirt) and Jess

Isla

Kodiak and Jill.  Jill is the next one to have a baby!!

The girls!  Jessie, Lori, Becky (with Kodiak), Bonnie, Laine (with Pierson), Erin, Becca (with Isla) and Jill (with little baby Weitz)

We had a lot of fun and it was so great to celebrate Pierson and what a blessing she is to their family.  I am so glad that I got to be a part of Laine's journey to mommyhood.

Wardrobe Wednesday

Wanna see what the George family is wearing these days?  I thought so.  So I am still in an in between stage where I am not pregnant but not into all (or most) of my old clothes.  I just gave away my maternity pants with the exception of my leggings so that I would quit hanging onto them as a crutch. It is time to ditch the elastic waist and go for something with a button fly before I find myself on a season of biggest loser.

What little girl's outfit is complete without a big ole' bow?  This dress also has matching bloomers.  I am a sucker for the matching bloomers.  The socks are shoe socks, I still can't get enough of these!  Both the dress and socks were a gift and I added a gerber onesie since the dress is sleveless.

Doesn't Cian look just a little crazy in this picture?  You should have seen the demon child one I took before this.  I promptly deleted it.  Everything he has on is thrifted, it is so nice being a kid!  You can find all kinds of cool and cute stuff for them without spending a fortune.  I love checking Once Upon a Child.  Hand-me-downs are also a nice perk.  Please notice his dingy socks.  They are that way because he wore them two days in a row.

 

This is one of my favorite transition outfits.  The leggings are maternity from Motherhood that I have been wearing since I was pregnant with Cian.  They are getting a hole in them so we may have to part ways soon.   I put a polka dot tank top under a sheer shirt from Forever 21 and wore a light cardigan from Kohl's over it.  My headband is the best part and it came from the Chattanooga Market.  Since this was a casual day I was sporting my corduroy Toms.  (I promise I have other shoes.)  I feel like this is very forgiving of what is left of the baby belly.  I really appreciated that the first few weeks after birth.

I threw in a bonus photo because it was too cute.  I am not one for matchy matchy usually but Cian wanted to dress like his dad!  We were at Wal Mart and saw the Boba Fett shirt Cian has on and he really wanted to get one just like his dads.  It just so happened they both had cords as well.

And that's what we're wearin' folks.