Happy 2nd Birthday Party!

My sweet little baby turned TWO today...and what a FUN day we had celebrating!!!  This year Allie's birthday fell on a Saturday so it was the perfect day to have her 2nd birthday party. 

Lately, Allie has been pretty obsessed with Elmo.  Ever since Todd and I started letting her watch little clips on youtube of Elmo singing and dancing, Allie has been hooked on anything Elmo.  Way back when the weather was warm in August, I started planning and preparing for Allie's 2nd birthday party.  YES! It WAS a lot of work...but I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!  It's fun...and soooo adorable.  And, NO!  She probably won't remember it...but I will...and so will my friends and family...and Allie, Todd and I will always have all the pictures to look back on and remember! 

 

Allie's Elmo birthday invitations

 

Allie's party today was PERFECT...except for the fact that I was running late...and I spilled the Oreo pops in the fridge just as everyone was arriving...grrr!  I started hanging birthday decorations in our house about three weeks ago (I'm a working mom and her birthday falls between holidays...I have to be prepared in advance!).  Allie loved having Elmo all over our house and knew that her big day was arriving.  "That's my birthday party!" she often told us.

Everything for the party was Elmo...but a GIRLIE ELMO!  Elmo cupcakes, fruit and veggie trays, cookies, snacks, and drinks...plates, cups, hats, and balloons.  Allie loved it ALL!  I made banners, cupcake toppers, centerpeices, hats and water bottle labels.  My mind went wild creating lots of super-dooper adorable decorations!

Allie's Sticky Bellie pictures for TWO years!

 

 

All ready to get this party started!

Allie had so much fun with her friends...after she clung to Todd and I for a while.  All of Allie's friends came to play, read, make an Elmo, and color too!  Julia, Jack, Brennan, Ainsley, Austin, Preston, Leighton, Savannah and Ethan joined in on all the fun. 

Julia and her daddy making an Elmo with Allie and her daddy

"Look at my Elmo!"

We've been practicing singing "Happy Birthday" for a few good months now.  Allie has gotten really good at it.  However, when we all sang to her, she got REALLY SHY and practically jumped in my lap.  But she had no problem eating her cupcake or wearing her hat this year. We've been practicing quite a bit by wearing our birthday hat here and there. I think Allie actually liked wearing her fun, sparkly, Elmo hat.  This year she picked up her bupcake and ate ALL the frosting off...no cake...but ALL the frosting.  We are making progress here.  Last year we wanted nothing to do with cupcakes at all.

 



Allie LOVED her frosting...but NOT as much as BRENNAN!!! 

All of Allie's friends at the birthday table.

Finally time to open gifts.  Allie did a GREAT job ripping open the wrapping paper.  She got a LOT of really cool, cute and fun toys!  Lots of ELMO themed gifts (toys, coloring books, clothes, DVD's).  Thanks everyone for all the fun stuff...Allie has more new toys than we know what to do with.

"Thanks, Papa, for the jewelry box...and MONEY!"

"Thanks, Nana, for helping with the party and all the cool ELMO goodies!"

Thanks everyone for sharing in our special day!  We love Allie so much and are thankful for every day that she shares with us. She is the cutest, funniest, smartest little girl I know and I will be forever grateful that she's a part of my life. I'm so blessed!

"I'm pooped!"

Planning Allie's party this year inspired me to make fun Elmo party decoartions for others. ..so I opened my very own ETSY shop. Check it out at...MonicaDawnDesigns.

2 Years Old

I never thought I would see the day when we would have our last Sticky Bellie photo shoot.  On the first of every month (or somewhere close to it) Allie and I got out the camera and her Sticky Bellie sticker.  Most of the time I frantically dug through Allie's dresser and closet to see what outfit I can piece together to match the month's sticker.  In the beginning Allie cooperated pretty well...she would lay or sit nicely and occasionally I'd get a smile.  Then came the sessions when Allie learned to crawl and walk.  Getting her to sit still was a chore and I'd often scramble to get her into position, then frantically grab my camera while making the most ridiculous squealing and squeaking nosies to get her to smile or turn her attention to the camera.  THEN...came the the sessions where she started noticing the sticker on her belly and enjoyed ripping it off (ripping some of her stickers into two pieces).  This did not make me a happy momma because I save all of her stickers for her baby book.  Grrr!  However, coming to the end now, Allie has started to cooperate again.  She will graciously let me put on her belly sticker...and let me pose her where I want...only if I give her an M&M (or four) in the process.  We've been having our little photo sessions once a month for TWO YEARS now...that's 24 MONTHS!!!  My how Allie has grown. 

At 2 years old (or 24 months in Sticky Bellie time) Allie loves to sing, count and dance.  She really enjoys going to day care and seeing all her friends.  Allie has a very kind heart and likes to take care of babies at day care by feeding them bottles.  Allie has continued to attend gymnastics and has gotten very good at her forward roll.  Allie can feed herself very well and enjoys eating soup, cereal, french fries, and cheese slices.  She has practiced her good behavior when we go out for meals.  She says please, thank you, may I be excused, and excuse me.  Allie loves to play with all her toys, especially her puzzles, stroller and dolls, and her cell phones and purse.  Allie can hold a pencil correctly and likes to draw and color. 




 

 

 

Days before Allie's big party, she received gifts in the mail from her cousins in California and Auntie and Uncle Joe in Florida. Allie had a ball (and it was great practice for her party) opening all the Elmo themed gifts Auntie and Uncle Joe got Allie. Elmo snacks, soap, puzzles, wipes and stickers...M&M's and even a 2 dollar bill! Thanks Auntie and Uncle Joe...I love EVERYTHING ELMO!

 

Even the wrapping paper has ELMO!

 

That little tongue always comes out when Allie's hard at work

Thanks Uncle Joe and Auntie Ellen!!!

 



Allie celebrated her birthday at day care too! She brought her favorite cookies to share with all her friends at Lynnie's...OREO's! Allie still fit into her "Birthday Girl" shirt...the same one she wore last year. Check out the one-year-old and the two-year-old Allie.



Dear Allie,

Daddy and I are so proud of you at two years old.  You are so smart, kind and loving.  You have learned so much this past year and have grown into a little girl.  You know your ABC's, how to count to 10, and how to use your good manners.  You give the best kisses and hugs and you make each and every day the brightest I've seen.  I love seeing you jump up and down in your crib with excitement and a huge smile on your face when I come to get you each morning.  I love spending time with you doing puzzles and reading books.  I love all the memories we have made on our adventures while you were one year old.  You are my little gem.  I can't wait to see what adventures we will have at TWO years old.  I love you, Allie girl!

Love, Mommy

SoThankful

We have so much to be thankful for this year.  We are celebrating Thanksgiving back here in Michigan as a whole family...grandparents and all!  Although we have A LOT going on lately (basement remodel, preparing for Allie's birthday) we managed to set aside some family time today.

 

This morning we had a special Thanksgiving breakfast...TURKEY WAFFLES!  Allie's favorite part?  The M&M's and candy corn, of course.

 

Check out Allie's turkey hat she made at day care

Time for a little Thanksgiving gift giving to get us all excited about Turkey Day.  Filled inside were some things to keep Allie busy today...playdough, a cornucopia craft, a new Elmo puzzle and a fun book about silly turkeys.  Lastly was a shirt that I made with Allie's hand prints for her wear today along with a new turkey bow.

 

 

 

We were in charge of making dessert for Thanksgiving dinner.  Allie helped make the Oreo pops...however she did way more eating than decorating.

 

Oreo face!

All ready to go.  Allie's was the cutest little thing in her Thanksgiving shirt, bow and sparkly shoes. 

Allie showed off her Thanksgiving projects at dinner.  Her turkey hat and hand print plate she made at day care, and her turkey napkin holder she made at Home Depot at the kid's workshop.  She was so proud of her napkin holder.  Nana made sure to put it on the table at dinner.

Allie and Papa Ray

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!

A Dream Coming True

Our house has been pretty BUSY lately...between planning Allie's birthday party, report card and conference time, and the holiday's coming up....we are also remodeling our basement!  I've been waiting SIX YEARS to have this project get underway.  Of course, Todd and I didn't have a need for all that extra space with just the two of us living here.  But, after Allie came around...I knew it would be a GREAT space for Allie to keep all her TOYS...and OUT OF MY LIVING ROOM!  However, with Todd in Boston, there was no way this project was even on our radar.

 

Now with everyone living under the same roof, Todd gave me the greatest gift.  Our dream of a finished space down there is coming true.  I'm so excited for this project to be complete.  We'll have a living space, a craft room for me and playroom for Allie (combined), a gym for me to workout in (so I can stop ruining the carpet in our living room and bedroom from jumping all around on it), and a bathroom.

 



 

Studs have started to go up

Allie's playroom...aka: my craft room

Soon to be bathroom

Our house has been a revolving door...contractors, workers, electricians, plumbers.  Not to mention all the SHOPPING Todd, Allie and I have had to do.  We've had to choose sinks, counter tops, tile, carpet, gym flooring, faucets...and we've started purchasing furniture as well.  Every weekend we've had to run out to multiple shops and stores and we've had to drag Allie to most of them.  She's been a trooper through this whole process.  She really enjoyed trying to flush the toilets at the plumbing shop, and walking on all the carpet at Home Depot.  Not to mention running through the granite warehouse through all the slabs of granite and eating all the candy at the tile store. 

Yesterday, I came home and walked into a FOG of DUST!  I'm not kidding!  When I walked through my front door I couldn't see to the back of the house.  The drywall had been cut and hung, which resulted in DUST EVERYWHERE!  Allie was such a big helper and got right to work dusting our furniture.  She even helped clean the floors.  Of course it was FREEZING outside when we opened up the doors and windows in an attempt to get some of the dust out.  I bundled Allie up in some layers and threw on my fleece pajama pants hoping to stay warm.  It didn't help that the furnace had been turned off all day either to prevent the dust from traveling upstairs.  Guess that didn't matter.

We walked downstairs to see the work in progress. Allie's first words as we took a look around..."That's my playroom."

Living Space

Gym

Bathroom

Allie's playroom...and my craft room

This morning when we came downstairs the next layer of dust had settled.  Uhhhhh!  Back to cleaning again.

A Little Sticker Goes a Long Way



Stickers, stickers, everywhere...stickers, stickers, in my HAIR!  Today I woke up to find not one, but TWO stickers stuck in my hair.  In an attempt to get Allie to get some sleep (and Todd and I as well) we've been giving her stickers in the morning if she stays in bed ALL night and if Todd or I do not have to go into her room in the middle of the night until her clock turns blue at 6:00 am.  She sometimes will cry out in the middle of the night, but USUALLY after I yell from our room to LAY DOWN, Allie will drop down to her matress and fall off into dream land again.  If we don't have to get up out of bed, it still counts toward a sticker.

 

Allie's been doing AWESOME!  For the past couple weeks, she's earned a sticker EVERY morning...and sometimes at day care too when she asks after getting up from a nap (thanks ladies for helping out with our little rewards).  I usually give Allie the whole sticker book and let her pick out a few.  She happily peels them off and sticks them onto her pajama shirt. 

 

Lately our house looks like the STICKER MONSTER EXPLODED in our house.  We are finding stickers EVERYWHERE!  They are sticking to my feet as I walk through the bathroom.  I find them in multiple place in Allie's room.  They are in my bed and stuck in my hair and on my clothes.  I went to work one day with a sticker stuck to my shirt.

 

I guess that is the price I pay for a little shut eye.  Keep up the good work, Allie girl!

All Was Quiet

It has been a very long time since I've had any sort of privacy with Allie around.  When she was immobile I would leave her in the Boppy or laying comfortably on her play mat while I ran to the other room to put the laundry away.  I could go to the bathroom while she sat in her bouncy seat in the kitchen. 

From the very day Allie took her first step...there has been no leaving her alone, or me for that matter.  It feels like she went from crawling to RUNNING!  Now wherever I go...she goes. She's with me in the morning playing happily with whatever she can find in our bathroom cabinets and drawers while I shower.  She follows me to the bathroom and makes sure to hand me toilet paper and flush the toilet. 

It's only been VERY recently that she'll play alone.  She'll sometimes sit in her room and read in her rocking chair, or work on her puzzles in the living room while I cook in the kitchen. 

Today, Allie was perfectly content hanging out in my closet while I rushed around the house straightening and organizing everything in my path.  She was quiet.  I was cleaning.  And cleaning.  She's was a little too quiet...

That's mascara all over her face.  WATERPROOF mascara!  Which took a LOT of scrubbing to get off.  And now on to perfume...

 

My little girlie girl loves playing with my jewelry, lotion and perfume....and now my makeup.  Gotta love that face!

 

When things are quiet...too quiet...prepare for disaster.

23 Months Old



Oh my gosh...just one more month to go until my Allie girl is TWO!!!  Can you believe it?  Almost two years ago, Allie came into our world and stole our hearts.

 

Allie is becoming one smart little girl. She knows how to count to 10.  She can say the days of the week.  She knows all of the colors.  Allie loves to pretend play, work on puzzles, and sing songs...some of her favorites are Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle, and the ABC's.  Allie took her first trip to Urgent Care this month when she pulled a door frame on top of herself.  Luckily she walked away with only a bruised finger.  All 16 of her baby teeth have come in and she enjoys brushing them every day.  Allie is doing a fabulous job staying in her bed at night...she earns a sticker almost every morning.