Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday Dear Ivy!
Happy Birthday to You!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Happy Birthday to Ivy!!!
Today is Ivy's real birthday! It is so hard to believe one year ago at this very moment I was patiently awaiting my turn for a c-section. I was so anxious to get to see her and hold her in my arms. Becoming a mom has blessed my life and my marriage beyond belief. There is something incredibly special to see what you create with the person you love. Oh, God is so good! Well Ivy wanted to personally announce to you her new age :)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Thanksgiving in July
I am thankful for so much this week~ to be celebrating Ivy's first birthday just about brings me to tears to think of all the amazing things that God has taught me and blessed our family with over the last year. Just wanted to share a few of those things with you!
Top 10 Things I am Thankful For:
10. Snow Days. I know it is odd to be thankful for snow days in July but we had lots of them. Enough that I did not work a 5 day week for a very long stretch of time.... at a time when I needed it the most. Greg is laughing that this is on my list. He says he has never seen anything make me so giddy at 5 am like Jessamine floating across the bottom of the TV!
9. Sunshine. Really there is no explanation~ We have had an excellent Summer!
8. Child Care. Ivy has been so lucky :0) I remember reading up on different day cares when I was pregnant and panicking!!! The thought of it really bothered me. Mandi and Debbie were beyond perfect to us during Ivy's first year. They loved Ivy so much every single day!!!! They also tried to provide comfort to me as a working mom by capturing Ivy's smiles with pictures and even often sent me home with some good comfort food. This year I was looking for a home sitter with some other children. Now that Ivy is 1 I want her to be around other kids, especially seeing what a time she has in the nursery. I ran into Kendra, at Hobby Lobby, of all places and after just a few moments realized God had put us there at the right time!!! She will be keeping Ivy with her little boy John Hunter. It is going to be a great fit~ We played today and are so thankful for this situation.
Dear John Hunter,
Thanks for playing with me today! We are going to have a blast playing with your boy toys and hugging on each other~ (Why did we not get a picture of that???) I loved your cheddar cheerios and can't wait to meet your doggie. I am looking forward to hanging out and learning how to "bump" fists with you. See you soon :)
Love, Ivy
7. Fitness 19. I know this sounds very shallow but really, health has always been very important to Greg and I but with financial cut backs we couldn't continue our Y membership. We went a few months without and then found Fitness 19 "affordable fitness." It is worth every bit of $12 to be energized with my morning and Greg's evening work outs.
6. Health. Aside from a few ear infections, we have a healthy 1 year old girl.
5. Giggles. Seems quite simple but from the first moment I heard Ivy laugh through today when she giggled I am filled with joy.
4. Healing. We have had major emotional healing in some family situations. We know that has only been made possible through God and lots of prayer.
3. My Job Share. Last year was hands down the most difficult time of my life. I wanted so bad to have balance in my life and working full time did not provide me with balance. I was utterly exhausted and didn't feel like I could be the mom and wife I am called to be. I am so blessed to work at a place where I have the option to teach part time.
2. Family~ We are so fortunate to have family right here in Lexington. Ivy is blessed with 2 sets of grandparents who love her very much. She also has her Unc and Aunt Chels in Cinci and is so lucky to have them shed their love on her every time they get to see her.
1. The gift of life. Watching Ivy grow and change everyday is the most rewarding thing I have ever experienced. I love to see life through her new eyes.
Thank you for letting me share!!! We have so much to be thankful for :)
Top 10 Things I am Thankful For:
10. Snow Days. I know it is odd to be thankful for snow days in July but we had lots of them. Enough that I did not work a 5 day week for a very long stretch of time.... at a time when I needed it the most. Greg is laughing that this is on my list. He says he has never seen anything make me so giddy at 5 am like Jessamine floating across the bottom of the TV!
9. Sunshine. Really there is no explanation~ We have had an excellent Summer!
8. Child Care. Ivy has been so lucky :0) I remember reading up on different day cares when I was pregnant and panicking!!! The thought of it really bothered me. Mandi and Debbie were beyond perfect to us during Ivy's first year. They loved Ivy so much every single day!!!! They also tried to provide comfort to me as a working mom by capturing Ivy's smiles with pictures and even often sent me home with some good comfort food. This year I was looking for a home sitter with some other children. Now that Ivy is 1 I want her to be around other kids, especially seeing what a time she has in the nursery. I ran into Kendra, at Hobby Lobby, of all places and after just a few moments realized God had put us there at the right time!!! She will be keeping Ivy with her little boy John Hunter. It is going to be a great fit~ We played today and are so thankful for this situation.
Dear John Hunter,
Thanks for playing with me today! We are going to have a blast playing with your boy toys and hugging on each other~ (Why did we not get a picture of that???) I loved your cheddar cheerios and can't wait to meet your doggie. I am looking forward to hanging out and learning how to "bump" fists with you. See you soon :)
Love, Ivy
7. Fitness 19. I know this sounds very shallow but really, health has always been very important to Greg and I but with financial cut backs we couldn't continue our Y membership. We went a few months without and then found Fitness 19 "affordable fitness." It is worth every bit of $12 to be energized with my morning and Greg's evening work outs.
6. Health. Aside from a few ear infections, we have a healthy 1 year old girl.
5. Giggles. Seems quite simple but from the first moment I heard Ivy laugh through today when she giggled I am filled with joy.
4. Healing. We have had major emotional healing in some family situations. We know that has only been made possible through God and lots of prayer.
3. My Job Share. Last year was hands down the most difficult time of my life. I wanted so bad to have balance in my life and working full time did not provide me with balance. I was utterly exhausted and didn't feel like I could be the mom and wife I am called to be. I am so blessed to work at a place where I have the option to teach part time.
2. Family~ We are so fortunate to have family right here in Lexington. Ivy is blessed with 2 sets of grandparents who love her very much. She also has her Unc and Aunt Chels in Cinci and is so lucky to have them shed their love on her every time they get to see her.
1. The gift of life. Watching Ivy grow and change everyday is the most rewarding thing I have ever experienced. I love to see life through her new eyes.
Thank you for letting me share!!! We have so much to be thankful for :)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Cupcakes and Wagons and Tears... Oh My
Ivy enjoyed every last bit of her white cupcake with pink butter cream icing... and sprinkles of course! She dove right in and was covered from head to toe.
Courtesy of Caramanda's Bake Shoppe
It was like Christmas! Greg and I have really never seen anything like it! Ivy opened everything from a wagon, a new chair, dolls, books, blocks, and more. She was quite overwhelmed but thankfully had lots of friends to help her enjoy her presents :)
I did not take nearly enough pictures of all of our friends and family. It is really hard to focus on picture taking and still keep track of a sugar buzzed one year old. Thank you to all our family and excellent friends who came to celebrate this special day with us!
I later heard the best advice... at your child's birthday party appoint a "photographer". This helps to capture the day and you are included in the pictures!! I am already thinking of who my picture taker will be at the big 2 party! :) Will it be YOU???
How could we resist this face? Ivy was devastated when we put the birthday hat on and sang Happy Birthday to you!! At first I wasn't sure if it was the hat or the singing... but the next day when she adamantly shook her head no in the presence of the hat I decided that was the tear trigger! Therefore, there will be no hat in the 1 yr old pictures- unfortunate as it may be.
Overall we had a super day! Happy 1st Birthday, Ivy Camille!
** Thank you to Greg for once again being creative with the picture posting! **
If you want to see the images larger... just click on them and wa-lah you are up close and personal :)
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Birthday Interruption--- WALKING
Over the last week Ivy has started taking 3 or 4 steps at a time.... but tonight with the motivation of lots of new fun toys she took up to 10 or 12 steps!!! :) Our baby girl is going to take off so soon. Here is the best video we got! ENJOY
1st Birthday Bash
Yesterday afternoon family and good friends got together the celebrate Ivy's first birthday! I am very pleased with her first party. Nana, Grandma, and I worked very hard to make sure all of our bases were covered. We had a cookout with lots of good food and we finished it off with cupcakes from Caramanda's Bake Shoppe. They were delicious~ and Ivy agreed when she demolished it in a matter of seconds! :) Vada, Stella, Natalie, Layla, and Ivy all enjoyed taking rides in her new wagon. Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa! We played, ate, and opened presents until well after Ivy's bed time. She did great all the while! Thank you to all who made Ivy's first birthday so special~
It is hard to believe in just 4 short days Ivy is going to be 1!!!
(Pictures will be coming soon!)
Friday, July 25, 2008
No Such Thing as a SCHEDULE
Schedule... the word really makes me laugh!! Because truthfully I don't think kids know what the word means, therefore they do not abide to one set schedule or another. This has been especially funny (not so fun, though) since we got tubes. Greg is totally blaming the tubes but I am not sure that it isn't just Ivy being Ivy. Stubborn, that is! We have not had a morning nap since our return from vacation and I have LOVED this, however for the past two days Ivy has become a bear in the a.m. so nap it is! The worst part is that in the afternoon she is FIGHTING sleep with all of her might. So I am utterly is exhausted after finally getting her to sleep and I am bound and determined that tomorrow morning there will be no nap and Ivy will peacefully go right to sleep after lunch! This will make for a pleasant birthday party for all :)
When we for-go the nap but we desperately need one.... asleep at dinner time.
However, since we are on this crazy "schedule" we have taken advantage and had a play date with our friends Vada and Stella and Mommy Diana. This summer we have had fun together but our schedules are often very different. Diana is lucky enough that her girls sleep in so therefore the do everything quite a bit later than us! But with a late day nap for Ivy play time was a must~ Here are some pics from yesterdays play-date :)
Ivy, Vada, and Cousin Jeffrey playing by the window.
Stella observing from the sidelines with Mommy!! PRECIOUS :)
*This totally captures Stella at her happiest, curled up with Mommy*
We couldn't forget to take a Vada and Mommy shot!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Love at first sight...
"Mama, who needs crocs or boots or little white sandals? These are just right!"
Thoughts by Ivy
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