Pink Zebra Themed 30th Birthday Peek!

My Big Sis turned the Big 3-0 on April 7, so of course we have to celebrate BIG too!! I jumped at the chance to plan the festivities for her since she has always done such an amazing job planning parties for me:-) Tonight is finally the night and although the destination must remain under wraps for a few more hours, I can still share with you our party theme and some fun details that are going to make the celebration extra special!

Pink and Zebra was the obvious choice for the theme. I've always been a little obsessed with this combo and it's just perfect for a 30th birthday party. (Also considering it for Scarlett's 1st, but we'll see if I'm still as obsessed come November;)

~Party Favors~

~Birthday Girl Sash~

(Aside from your Bachelorette party, milestone Birthdays might be the only other time you can get away with wearing one, so this was a MUST!)

Check out these cupcakes I slaved over♥

(I actually ordered the adorable fondant toppers from a wonderful shop on Etsy, but made the cupcakes myself!!)

 

Personalized wine bottles for the guest of honor:-)

Aged 30 years and STILL Fabulous!! And of course one to commemorate her completion of the LA Marathon♥

And last, but certainly not least, pink zebra nails to match!

 

Can't wait to get this celebration under way!!

♥, The Happy Wife

Scarlett's First Food.

Scarlett officially started solid foods at 5 months old.  She seemed to really enjoy it too:-)  Bentley took one bite at 4 months and was pretty much over it.  I didn't start him on solids again until 6 months and we skipped the whole rice cereal thing.  I'm proud of my little girl, she did so well!!..

I'm ready Mommy!!

Big brother making sure there's room in those cheeks♥

Gimme some of that!!

1st taste

And she wanted some more:-)

Yummy!!

♥, The Happy Wife

Where Did All The Mommies Go?

“Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love."-Mildred B. Vermont

Bentley has been going to Gymboree Play and Music classes since he was 5 months old.  He absolutely loves it!!

A few memorable moments♥

 This is where, along with my help of course, he was encouraged and excelled very quickly at sitting up, crawling, walking, counting, and playing nicely with others:) It is the perfect mommy and me environment for him, with amazing instructors at each level.  Once we had Scarlett we were unable to attend for a few months and today was our first day back.  Much to my surprise, this Gymboree, or at least the new level that Bentley is in, has turned into a  "Nanny and Me" of some sorts.  I found this out as I was trying to console Bentley after a fall and another woman comes over, almost in an attempt to reassure me that this child would be OK, and to help me. As I look at her questioningly, she asks if I am his mother."Yes", I reply. After all, this is a mommy and me class. She looks very surprised and begins to point out that most of the woman in here are nannies.  Now, the one thing I've always loved about Gymboree was the chance to communicate with other mom's that are going through the same child raising  joys and challenges as myself, so needless to say I am a little disappointed to see that it has sort of evolved into a nanny play date.  I also cannot believe that someone would be so surprised that a mommy is enjoying some daytime playtime with her own child.  I have nothing against nannies, and do realize everyone has different circumstances surrounding their decisions to use a nanny, but my husband and I made the decision that I would raise my own children, and wouldn't miss these wonderful precious moments where they are learning, playing and growing right before our very eyes.  I would also hate to think that the nanny is now the norm, and that it is unusual for a mommy to be at a mommy and me playgym of all places!! But that was exactly the case at this moment.
Anyways, we will still continue to attend Gymboree because this is our special time together just mother and son, and I do love it, in fact I think its amazing.   I just signed Scarlett up as well and am hoping to see more mothers in the infant class that can share with me the pure joy of being our babies' mommy's and relating to those whom have also figured out a way to be involved in their little ones' lives♥

♥, The Happy Wife

2nd Time Mommy, 1st Time Marathoner...In The Works;)

After spending the last 3 years or so of my life pregnant and caring for newborn babies, I figured it was time to do at least one small thing for myself.  Or should I say, a rather large thing.  Run my first 1/2 marathon just 6 months after having a baby and beginning training 4 months after said baby's birth. I'm also lucky enough to have a husband that pretty much shares every passion and goal that I have in my life, so he is also running his 1st 1/2 marathon with me, as well as my Dad.  My Dad has run his share of marathons so he set us up with a quick training program to complete in about 2 months, basically starting at 3 miles, increasing a mile a week until we reach 13.1 the day of the marathon.  I should also mention that I couldn't stand running before, and never worked out a single day while pregnant. Are you kidding me?? Getting my pregnant self in and out of a car was workout enough!! All joking aside though, I have actually begun to really enjoy running and the idea of forcing myself to do something that I don't exactly love, just for the end result, an astounding sense of accomplishment!  After all, why call it a goal if it's that easy to obtain?  So, in the midst of juggling a newborn, toddler, wifey-hood and homemaker-ness, I will continue on training for my very 1st San Diego Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon...wish me luck;-)

More Wine and Less Whine

"Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance." -Benjamin Franklin

In the recent months, we have taken our love of wine to a whole new level with the discovery of the "wine sipping playdate". This all started when Andy and I joined the Ponte wine club in Temecula a few years back and eventually switched over to Wilson Creek. We would soon find out what a family friendly winery this Wilson Creek truly was, where you are as likely to see a baby in a bjorn, as you are to see a bottle of wine. They even provide parents and children with a playground.  Life doesn't get much better than this for the wine loving mommy's and daddy's out there:) Now that we've moved to San Diego, we have also found that wine country is the exact halfway point for us and the friends and family we left behind.  The more often we get to meet up with Bentley's cousins and our friends, the happier we all are, therefore more wine for the parents = less whine from the children♥

I had to start with an old school pic of Andy and I on our first wine tasting date in Temecula♥ Little did we know we'd married and be bringing our little ones here in just a few short years.

A random assortment of playdate memories♥

Bentley 8 months old at Wilson Creek

He LOVES his cousin Gavie

 Bentley and his GF Olivia

This kid is a barrel of laughs!

Cousins having fun

Scarlett enjoying her surroundings

With her Auntie Marisa♥

The boys hanging out at the creek

♥

This was Scarlett's first time meeting her Auntie B, 2 weeks old, at Wilson Creek:-)

Toddler Love

An adoring cousin

Disclaimer- Our wine tasting is always done responsibly♥

♥, The Happy Wife