TUTUS & TIES -2- Party

The big -2- party was last Saturday – the 28th. It was at Children’s Dance Foundation in Homewood. The Foundation comes to the daycare every Monday and dances with Jules’ class. The teachers have been telling me that it is her favorite thing and that she just has the best time every class. We thought it would be perfect considering that we had decided last year that we would NEVER have another party at our house (this was while we were at the hotel decorating a cake the night before the party because our transformer blew up). Add to that other baby, family coming in from out of town, and the decision is made for you…

 

 

To set the tone, we sent out these cute invitations:

It took a little while to figure out how to get those to work but they turned out really cute! Only thing was that we couldn’t mail them so most of them got passed out over the Christmas holiday.

I made a couple of things the night before the party:

Yummm....That picture makes me want one!  She had 5 that night and chocolate everywhere!

Fortunately, I have a great friend who just happens to be really talented and who also just happens to now own her own bakery. Shout out to Louise's Cakes N Things and my friend Emily Forsythe for pretty much everything you see in these pictures!

Unfortunately, the Foundation only gives you 30 minutes to set up which is really like 15 minutes once you wait on the party before you to clean up and since guests typically arrive a little early. My mom and I were shaking it trying to get everything set up which left me very little time to take pictures of all the great stuff we had done.  This is pretty much all I could get.

That cake was so beautiful and exactly what I asked for.  Supposedly it would feed 25-30 people but I'm pretty sure we could have fed 100 people - and all for about $50!  I mean, you cannot beat that!  AND, it was delicious!

Also, thankfully my mom can deal with me when I'm a little on edge....coupled with not having slept very much this past week (thank you teething babies!), being super stressed at work all week, people being at the house all day and little time to set up, I was not the most reasonable person at this point.  Only mothers know how to deal with this---years of practice, I guess!

I only took this picture so you could see the Happy Birthday banner I made but you can't even see that very well.  Balloons make me so mad!  Those things are so expensive - $10 for the number 2 - and another $10 for 10 regular balloons.  First of all, give me a break and second, at least 4 of the balloons had died from 9 am to 3 pm (you can tell because they are still hanging in the picture).  What gives?  I would go with no more balloons at parties but kids LOVE balloons - Jules is still talking about her balloons!  Oh well, fact of life, I guess. 

Each girl got a purple tutu to get the party started and we took off with some dancing.  (We probably should have started out with the chocolate because most of the kids just stared at the teacher for a good 10 minutes - including Jules - who had been asleep in the car with Granny while mom and I sat up.)

Birthday Girl!

Tay Tay was there!

James was there too!

"Me-ma!"

Kathryn!

Hailey (and Mikala..who I unfortunately didn't get a picture of.)

Jules, who was really more interested in the forks, cups and M&Ms

And, my baby boy got a bow-tie! (The guy at the front desk said he was the cutest thing at the party.)

We sang Happy Birthday and blew out the candles.

The kids played the piano and hung on the bars.  We had bowling pins and a hacky sack game but I don't remember seeing too many play with that.

This is Winter...Jules' friend from Daddy's work
We also had Grayson there...one of Mommy's friends kids from Memphis

Honey and Granny kept Little Man busy.  Look at my Granny, she is 92 and Lookin' Good!

Both my kids hair looks so red when they are next to Honey

I really think everyone had a good time, at least I hope so.  I did!

Afterward, the family (DeeDee, Daddy Deck, Honey, Granny, Uncle Pat, Uncle Matt, Aunt Lisa, Hailey and Mikala) all came over for Bar-B-Que and a little fashion show!

Keep in mind that this girl loves clothes and shoes.  On Sunday, mom and I took her to Belk and mom wanted to look at the kids shoes.  All in all, not a bad idea but ended in a shear tantrum with Jules screaming "I like shoes, I like shoes".  Needless to say, we would have bought some shoes at that point if they had any in her size...DIVA...

We rode our new horsey - Mr. Ed. (It's hard to get a picture of a horse in motion!)

The girls wanted to see themselves dance.  Jules has now watched this video at least 5 times!

Thanks to family and friends to making this day extra special! 

Shook is a ROCK STAR!

Yes, he is 8 months old. 

No, he still cannot crawl, walk, hold his own bottle (The doctor says it's fine.  He's just smarter than other babies because he has already determined that even if he doesn't hold it, he will still get fed.  And, yes, I've had other people try.  My mom flat out said, "He ain't going to hold that bottle.  You might as well start trying to give him a sippy cup."  Yeah, well, he'll hold Jules' sippy cup but not one with his milk in it.  Different subject for a different post that could go on forever.), talk (well, he did say "Bye" and wave his hand the other day!!! and he does say "Baaa, Baaa, Daaa, Daaa" all the way to work and back which starts a sort of singing in the car which is really fun! or he squeals in a really high pitched voice and waits for Jules to squeal back which he thinks is hilarious), feed himself (although he is eating table food already and he did get a few things in his mouth by himself this weekend --- luck I think).  You get the point....

BUT, this little dude is a LEGEND.  In any typical day, I hear at least one of these things (some of which are also references to my sweet Jules):

1) Every kid in Jules' class at drop off and pick up...."Shoooook, BABY Shooook, Where Baby Shook?"

2) Kathryn's mom....."Kathryn named her baby she got for Christmas Baby Shook.  We tried to explain to her that her baby is a girl but she still calls her Baby Shook." or "Kathryn looked around on the playground for Jules and Baby Shook today."  Too cute!!

3) Teachers in Jules' class (they do seem rather annoyed by this some days)  ...."Every babydoll in this room is named Baby Shook. All we hear is Baby Shook all day long.  Jules will come up to us and say (randomly like when they are on the playground - and, of course, looking all cute with her head cocked to the side), 'You want to go see Baby Shook?, Jules while she is pushing other kids around on their buggy rides 'Stop, stop...(Jules goes around to front of buggie)...no, no Baby Shook'...(Jules goes back around to continue pushing buggy).  I'm sure you can see where this would probably get on your nerves too.  I, on the other hand, love it because that means Jules is always thinking about her sweet baby brother.  One day, I know he'll be looking out for her too.

4) Jules anytime I pick her up before I pick up Shook, in the mornings, before bedtime, or if we go for 'rides' without Shook...."Shoooook, wanna see Baby Shooook".  If it is at school, I do not even get a mom acknowledgement, kiss or hug anymore.  It is sad.

---  One thing I do know...at lot of people suggested that Shook would be made fun of for his name later in life, which is like suggesting that every kid doesn't get made fun of for something in life. I acknowledged that this could be true but it did not sway my opinion about the name.  What I did not think about was how country Shook could sound when it is spoken in toddler language! Go back and read the above for Shoooook in your best country voice and this is how it sounds with every kid! ----

5) Other teachers at school..."So, this is Shook.  Everyone has been saying that I need to come see him!" This can be a little strange if you have not ever even seen the person before.

6) A floater in Jules and Shooks class..."So, I've been telling my sister that she HAS to come see Shook.  I've been going on and on about how cute he is.  I also have been telling everyone that I want to have kids just like Jules and Shook - who look and act just like me and just like each other."  (I'm going to take this as she thinks they look and act like me instead of Michael, which is great, for me!)  All the teachers used to ask, "Where do you think Jules gets her personality?"  And now, they always ask, "Where do Jules and Shook get their personality?  Shook does seem a little more laid back but they are always so happy."  I never know how to answer this.  It is one of those questions where you are like, do they think they get it from me or not from me?...You know?  It's weird.  Then, Michael was really mad when he picked them up one day recently and now I think they know their personalities come from me!!! BAHAHAHA!!!

7) Other random people..."You should be so grateful for your two kids, they are so beautiful, sweet, happy and healthy."  This is SUCH a true statement!  And everyday I thank God for such sweet blessings!

My rock star!

Fun Times and Not so Fun Times

As I was saying in my last post, we had some fun times on Jules' birthday.  We went to Jim N Nicks, Treetop, ate cookie cake and opened presents and then had a art bathtime.

We played some putt-putt golf, rode go-carts, and played some basketball and skeeball. 

This is my favorite part --- I wish I could eat cookie cake everyday.  From the looks of it, so does the rest of my family!

As you saw earlier, Jules got a kitchen!  She also got skates (yes, I may be crazy!), books and flash cards, Mr. Potato Head and a Doodlepad.  All presents she has loved!

And here is our great bathtime....

So, during the 5 seconds I had at work today where I wasn't working, I read this article and loved it.  I got the chance to experience almost all of these this afternoon.

Here's Why We Love Them

Despite having what I consider expertise in the area (and being prepared for the worst), I still marvel at the way toddlers are equipped, at such a young age, to develop a mind completely of their own. So I do the only thing I can do: Try to maintain my sense of humor -- and my sanity -- by seeing her behavior in a new light. For instance:

· When she takes a running leap and lands on top of me, she is questioning whether she will always be able to lean on me. And because I always want her to know the answer is yes, I tolerate it.

· When she yells "No!" and points her finger, returning the glare she undoubtedly learned from me, she is asserting herself. I couldn't be more relieved. I hope she will maintain that perseverance right into her teen years, when she can use it on any boy who dares to try to get fresh with her. And into her adult years, when her stubbornness will be called "determination."

· When she attempts to stick a bobby pin she's found into the light socket, she is exploring her world and trying to discover how things work. Perhaps she'll be an engineer one day.

· When she draws on the walls with a purple crayon, she is expressing her creativity. I try to think of her as an artist in training. And even more important, she is learning the value of leaving her mark on the world.

· When she breaks my favorite lamp and flashes her award-winning smile just as I am coming toward her, she is practicing her people skills. Perhaps she'll be a great politician (though I hope she'd be the rare kind who maintains integrity).

· When she tries to stuff the kitten into her brother's lunchbox, she is experimenting with spatial concepts.

· When she wrestles with her brother over a toy, calling "Mine!" loud enough to be heard down the street, she is being bold and going for what she wants. I just hope that in the future, if she doesn't get her way, her solution won't be to bite in retaliation.

· When she climbs our chain-link fence with bare feet, she is proving that no challenge is too difficult for her to meet. And when I discover her playing in the yard of the neighbors who live behind us, she is reaching beyond her own little world, refusing to be provincial.

· When she lies on top of her 7-month-old sister, crushing the baby with enthusiastic hugs and kisses, she is unabashedly wearing her heart on her sleeve.

· When she insists I read The Little Engine That Could to her again, for the seventh time in a row, she is teaching me patience.

· When she dumps macaroni all over the kitchen floor, stops to acknowledge my "No!" by turning briefly to look at me, and then goes right back to what she was doing, she is showing her ability to follow through with a task.

· When she gets tickled over something I take for granted -- the toast popping up from the toaster when it's browned, for instance -- she is blessing me unaware. How many times have I longed to see the world through the eyes of a child once again? Thanks to her, I can.

· When I catch her trying to eat the cat's food, she is proving that she will not be a picky eater -- and that she has survival skills, which may come in handy later in life (especially if she ends up on some reality TV show).

· When she gleefully rips off her dry diaper, throws it in the sink, and races for the toilet, then refuses to sit on it, she is exercising her prerogative to change her mind.

· When I call her name and she immediately breaks into a sprint in the other direction, she is listening to her own inner voice and refusing to be a conformist.

· When she suddenly decides to throw a tantrum in the middle of a restaurant, she is teaching me humility. And that leftovers reheated later at home usually taste just as good as food served fresh.

· When she steps into my enormous shoes, which swallow her tiny feet, and clumsily tries to walk in them, she makes me reflect upon my great responsibility to provide a good role model for her to follow.

· And when she stands on the kitchen table with no pants on, refusing to even put on a diaper, and dances... well, I can only think the worst about that. So I try not to read too much into it, because I am choosing to remain positive.

So, today was our 2-year well baby visit.  It appeared that all would go well and I had been talking about the doctor with her.  WRONG...Worst doctor experience EVER.  I don't know if she remembered the nurse from the last shots she got or what but it was not good from the VERY beginning.  Jules screamed about lieing down to get her measurements so we went to the scale.  She screamed about getting on the scale.  The nurse left and walked around but everytime I turned around she was back and Jules was screaming again.  We finally got it all done - it was just rough, real rough.  She is 34.5 inches (75%) and 31 lbs 15 oz (95%).  BIG GIRL! 

Look for another post soon on all the great things Jules is doing now!