Things I miss when my husband is in Japan...

So, my hubby has been away on a business trip to Japan since last Friday night, and gets home tomorrow night. A little less than seven days is definitely not the worst trip ever, but it is still long enough to help me appreciate him even more. This is the third time he has gone in the past six months, and I still miss him just as much and am just as excited for him to come home. I will try to spare you the gushing and mushy-ness, but here are some of the little things I miss:

-I miss his and Lorelei's little time together every morning. Every morning, when my child starts squawking (or screaming) through the monitor, sometimes I treat it like an alarm clock and hit the snooze turn it off, roll over, and beg for five more minutes (mama likes her sleep). Not my proudest moment, but I honestly am not even thinking. Allen then gets up, gets her out of bed, and fixes them a bowl of cereal. If I were to come out of the room at this point, I would find two sleepy-eyed buddies in their jammies and bed head eating cereal and watching cartoons (like Pink Panther and Jimmy Newtron, not Blues Clues or Wonderpets, or any of the other things I put on for her). They spend a good 20 minutes together while I rest and marvel at how blessed I am (well, that part normally comes when I am more awake). Then, once Allen needs to get ready for work, Lorelei stays glued to his leg until he is out the door. And let me tell you, if I try to take Miss Lorelei away from her daddy before he leaves for work, it is like removing a limb.

-I miss the convenience of being in the same time zone (or in a time zone closer than 14 hours apart), and knowing that I could pick up the phone at any time and reach him. It is nice to not have to file things in my head for our 15 minutes of conversation a day.

-On the same note, I miss how when we are together, there is not really the need to intentionally SAY so much to communicate how our days were. I can just be with him and conversationally talk about random things (or nothing) as it flows. When we are in front of Skype (God bless Skype by the way), I feel like I need to think of all these interesting topics and things to mention, and my mind draws a blank. It is normally OK because I am spending our whole Skype time trying to keep Lorelei from encrypting my computer.

-I like my cat as much as the next person, but I miss sharing my bed with the hubby. It is just so nice going to sleep and waking up next to someone.

-And on THAT note, I miss the fact that Allen normally is the one who feeds that cat and cleans out the litterbox. Poor Hailey.

-I just miss his presence. His smile, his hugs, his voice, his smell...I know I am in love with my husband, but it is amazing how much about a person one can take for granted until they are thousands of miles away.

Only 26 more hours!

And speaking of gardens, we go to this place a lot...

For Mother's day, my dear husband bought me a membership to Longwood Gardens. I have been going to this place since I was young, and to be honest, at first it did not thrill me too much. I mean, I like pretty flowers as much as the next person, but there is only so long I can look at them before I get a bit bored. I preferred to go to Longwood for their outdoor theatre or because it is a pretty romantic spot for dates. When he mentioned getting me a membership, I did not know what to think at first. Would I use it? Would I like it? Would we get our money's worth?



The answer is yes, to all the above. My perspective on this place totally changed with a child in tow. It is so perfect! Sick of walking around my local park? I just hop in the car and drive 30 minutes to the most gorgeous place for miles. There are special designated kids gardens which I never really paid attention to before, tons of places to have a picnic lunch, (clean) bathrooms all over, and discounts on lots of fun activities and concerts. I also found out that not only I have a membership now, but a great many of my friends who like to bring their littles. Apparently this is the cool place to go and I was the last to really get it!

We went on a family outing the day before mother's day, and I have since taken her twice with friends. She loves to walk down the paths, to try to swim with look at and feed the catfish, and especially to play in the fountains. I am so excited to have this special place to go all year, and am so thankful to my wonderful husband for knowing before I did how much I would love this gift!

Here are some pictures from our first trip:















(it is the perfect place to bring a fancy camera!)

Come, sweet day

Come to my garden nestled in the hills
There I'll keep you safe beside me


Come to my garden, rest there in my arms
There I'll see you safely grown and on your way


Stay there in the garden
Where love grows free and wild


Come to my garden
Come, sweet child


Lift me up and lead me to the garden where life begins anew
Where I'll find you, and I'll find you love me too


Come to my garden
Rest there in my arms
There I'll see you safely grown
And on your way


I shall see you in my garden
Where spring will come and stay
Come to my garden
Come, sweet day


photos taken at Meme and Poppop's house on 5/5/2011, song: "Come to my Garden/Lift Me Up" from The Secret Garden by Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman.

Motherhood

This is my second mother's day



Last year, I definitely felt like a "real mother." Lorelei was two months old and we went through our share of struggles. But it was still very new to me, and I felt like a "newbie" in a special club. Now, I am not saying with a 14 month old I am this expert now. By no means! In fact, every day I am more aware of how selfish and inexperienced I am. God's grace is so beautiful and so applicable to motherhood. Nothing I do wrong could make Him see anything but Jesus when He looks at me. I am that covered by His grace. And likewise, no matter how much I screw up, no matter how sub par I am at this mothering thing, Lorelei still looks at me with adoring eyes, clings to my leg, and cries out "Mama! Mama! Mama!" with a grin on her face. I know that someday, far too soon, she will look at me with a critical eye and be embarassed by things I say or how I dress, but for now, I love being her best friend.





And likewise, being a mother helps me to look at my own mother with new eyes. I don't remember any times I was angry for getting in trouble when I was little, or any of the silly things that I got annoyed at when I was a teenager, but I remember that my mother was always present, always there for me, and always giving of herself. I hope and pray that I can be so selfless with my time and talents as Lorelei grows, and that she always remembers me being there. And now, as a new facet of motherhood was bestowed on her as a grandmother, she is even more beautiful. I love how she acts like a total nut for my kid, and Lorelei adores her for it. Whenever my mom comes to see Lorelei, even if she just saw her the day before, my mom gives her the most excited greeting ever, and Lorelei lights up like the sun. We kicked off mother's day with a bang this year by trekking to the Flower Market, observing a tradition that I used to have when I was small. My mom pushed her around in the stroller, sat with her knees up to her ears in a pint-sized car ride, and bought us ice cream cones and petting zoo tickets. My mom, my daughter, and me- a complete circle, loving life.





And I couldn't write a mother's day post without honoring my incredible mother-in-law as well. Even before there was a ring on my finger, my husband's mother made me feel like a daughter. She has always been one of the most welcoming and serving people I have ever met, and always made me feel like I was one of the family. I know many other non-blood-related people who feel the same way. Her house is truly like another home to me, and I love that I can just go there with Lorelei to enjoy her delicious food, company, and gorgeous yard. I love watching her love Lorelei so much, and love how observant she is to Lorelei's needs. Not to mention the fact that my husband is the sweetest, most hard-working, most respectful person in the world is a great testimony to what an incredible mother he has. I know he learned so much who what makes him the wonderful man that I love from her. I am so so thankful that I married into a family where I can share her.




(Lorelei loving Meme's flowers)
It has been a long year since the first mother's day, and I feel like God has grown me so much. I have seen temper tantrums and first steps. I have endured a choking scare and an ER visit. I have heard real words uttered from her lips and still thrive on the sounds of her giggles. I went through times where I had to defend my wishes for her, even if it made me look like a control-freak, and times where I had to kick back and acknowledge that my kid is going to eat dirt or paper or poop and still be OK. I have want to watch her learn things like how to swim, how to dance, how to bake bread, how to color in the lines. How to read books. How to take pictures. How to bless others. How to love Jesus.



Oh, what a wonderful calling this is.

Springtime Musings

Yeah...so I let a month go by again. No excuses from me. If you (my five readers) would like any more vendor details on the party, let me know and I will give you the deets and my rave!



It is finally Spring around here. Spring brought 80 degree weather, a love of the sandbox, the end of momma's job (until school starts again), and a case of runny noses and strep throat. Lorelei loves to be outside, so much that if I open the front door (you know, to take the garbage out), and then subsequently shut it, she stands in front of it and cries, her face crumbling like I just dangled a cookie in front of her face and then snatched it away. In fact, she cries pretty much any time anyone shuts a door, for some reason. For example, if I want to keep her in (or out of) my bedroom so I can get cleaning done and I shut the door, she makes the saddest face and melts down. However if I were to open said door, I do not think it would really affect whether or not she would want to go through it. Strange girl.



Oh my little springtime girl. She is such a pixie. Still a little thing who looks too small to do all the things she can, who gets into such mischief. She is officially a toddler, walking everywhere. This whole walking business was very random for her. She took like 4 steps on her own a couple of weeks after her birthday (while momma was running errands, mind you. Little stinker.) Then nothing, save a couple of steps here and there with days in between. Then randomly, like two weeks later (again while momma was out. I am with her practically 24/7 and I STILL miss her first steps!) she walked back and forth across her Meme's living room. And she has not stopped since, and now she is so good at it that I am kicking myself for not video taping her strange hands-in-the-air-straight-legged-Frankenstine-walk.



She also talks now, here and there. She definitely says:
"Mama"
"Uh-oh"
"Bye bye"
"Dada"
I think she says:
"cat" (though it is more like "ct" without a sound)
"Hi puppy!" ("ha puh puh"...my mom insists that is what she is saying, and I am starting to believe her now that she says it to like every animal she sees)
"Cracker/Cookie" (though she says "cah cah" with a huge smile to lots of things, so that could just be the happy sound she makes when she is being fed. Girlfriend loves when you give her a treat.)



Summer is coming and I am excited for the things that we will do together. We are planning on getting a Y membership so Momma can shed some baby fat get in some healthy shape and so miss Lorelei can take swim lessons and socialize with other kiddos. I have high hopes of doing lots of DIY household projects including (but not limited to) a new headboard, curtains for the kitchen and living room, new pillow covers, and artwork for the bedrooms. We are planning on going to the mountains at least twice, and are just all together excited to relax and have family time.



Speaking of family time, this child of ours is SUCH a daddy's girl now. Lorelei and daddy spend time together every morning when she wakes up. Momma gets to sleep in a few more minutes and my loves eat cereal together. Then, she stays practically attached to his leg until he leaves the house and (of course) cries as soon as the door closes. I know she still loves her momma by the way she walks around the house going "mama mama mama," but it warms my heart to see this special bond between my husband and daughter.





Aaaanyhoo, I am just lovely and content these days. I have a new, super-comfy white comforter on my bed, a sweet little girl whose hair is just starting to go into pigtails (though I normally need to bribe distract her with something to get them in), a husband who I am so in love with (and just celebrated three wonderful years of marriage with on the 19th), and a loving God who renews my joy and suprised me with a few bright tulips in my front flower bed.



We are happy.

Lorelei's Party Part One - the Theme and Decorations

I really like birthday parties.



If you are reading this blog, chances are you have seen Lorelei's birthday party pictures. And you may think I am a tiiiny bit ridiculous for the amount of work and planning that went into a party for a kid that is not going to even remember it. But I have known for a long time now that I wanted to plan a big birthday bash with a theme, and I truly enjoyed doing it. My inspiration for a party of this nature was Kelle Hampton, who throws awesome parties for her daughters Lainey and Nella and then blogs about it. I knew I could not quite throw a party like hers since I could not have it in my own home, but I knew I wanted a theme and lots of colors and tiny details. Also, since we had to have the party at church due to space, I wanted to make sure to make it look as personal as I could. Rather than just inundating you with tons of party pictures, I want to share some of the process I went through to throw her party, as well as the many brilliant vendors I used.

The Theme and Decorations: Look Whooo's One!
Lorelei's first party theme was going to be a cupcake theme. I had tried on many themes in my mind (mermaids, Alice in Wonderland, Under the Sea), but nixed them all pretty much because they seemed to "old" for a one year old. I settled on cupcakes because it was simple, childish, and easy to decorate with (I pictured giant cupcakes as the centerpieces). However, after I chose the dress and locked myself into a color scheme and decided that I wanted to buy a template for the decorations rather than making them ALL from scratch, I found a harder time finding a pink and aqua cupcake party package than I had expected. Then, I fell in love with the Graphic Design shop Dimple Prints on Etsy, and chose their ONLY pink and aqua theme. Thankfully, it was pretty darn cute, and I fell in love with it. And anyway, "Look Whoooo's One" was a cuter phrase to me than "Our Little Cupcake is Turning One."




For $30, paid through paypal, I received a personalized PDF file that had about 170 pages worth of printables for the party. I am talking everything from the cute cupcake toppers to the banners to random things like a ring toss sign and water bottle labels. I could print and use whatever I wanted within that PDF (which is mine to keep forever!) and could just forget about the rest. The PDF also came with instructions on how to assemble the different decorations, and of materials that were useful. I loved that the cupcake toppers, signs, and tags said things like "Lorelei is One" and "Happy 1st Birthday Lorelei," and the decorations were really pretty. I also got a customized file for an invitation and thank you note included in the package, so all I had to do was sent the party details to their designer and they made me the invite.






It took me several weeks to work on the decorations, but honestly, I really enjoyed it. Crafting is cathartic for me, and it was a nice break from work or cleaning to just sit down and cut out owls. I started by figuring out what I definitely wanted to print and making a list of what tools I needed to make everything. Even though I had to invest a bit into supplies, I bought things that I will be able to re-use (like craft scissors, a portable glue gun, and a 2 inch hole punch). I also bought pink and aqua grossgrain ribbon, card stock, lollipop sticks, curling ribbon, and a myriad of other supplies. After getting all my supplies and developing my plan for what I would make and when, I humbly borrowed my parents' printer (and their ink, thanks to their generosity), and printed copies of the individual pages I wanted to use. Some pages of the PDF for printed in multiple copies (like the favor tags that said "Thanks for coming. It was a hoot - Lorelei"), and some were skipped (like the tee-shirt details and favor boxes). I broke printing up over a couple of days, and worked on mini projects in between, such as wrapping and tagging all the silverware and making the cupcake toppers and banners. I was cutting, gluing, stringing, and assembling up through the week of the party, but I never really felt overwhelmed because I probably spent a whole month working on everything. I even had leftover paper and cutouts that I used at the last minute!





Aside from the Dimple Print cutouts, I had a few other touches that I made or bought. For the tableware, I decided on plain pink and turquoise plates, cups, napkins, and tablecloths, (purchased at Fulton Paper and Walmart), which really helped the decor to stand out. The centerpieces for the tables were framed 8x10 photos of Lorelei, most taken right off my living room wall, and cute little pink and turquoise $1 tin buckets from Target which held cake pops.

And, after spending weeks going back and forth over it, I splurged on this goofy pinata (that did not even work). It was a bit ridiculous, but it was a nice accent to the dessert table, and the kids were so excited to open it.




My favorite and most difficult decorations were the three photo banners that I made for the three walls surrounding the eating area. If you know me, you know that I love to take and save pictures of Lorelei, and I thankfully had most of these photos labeled and organized. It took an hour or so one evening to choose about 175 photos of her through this first year, and then about $10 on Snapfish to print them all. I then separated the photos into three groups: just Lorelei, Lorelei and her parents, and Lorelei with other friends and family. I used old twine from Christmas gifts and about 150 clothes pins (purchased from Walmart for about $3) to string these long timelines on each wall. It took a while to get them all even (and lots of scotch tape to re-enforce them on the walls), but it was very rewarding when I saw party guests walking around and remembering her at different ages. At the end of the party, I invited guests to take the photos that they were in as a memento, and I still have tons leftover that I intend to put into a good old fashioned photo album (you know, so we have some record of Lorelei's life if Facebook ever dies). Between these and the framed photos that I scattered on the food table, dessert table, and seating tables, we had a very personal and simple touch.









Well, that is enough for now. I hope that this gives you some ideas; please feel free to ask me any questions about specific details or How To's for any of the decorations. I have to say that I couldn't recommend Dimple Prints highly enough. They were a joy to work with and so easy to use, and yielded printables that were, in my opinion, simple, cute, and not corny. I fully intend to keep using them for future parties, and friends in attendance expressed the same. Stay tuned for my upcoming entry where I will rave about my vendors who provided our dresses and the beautiful BEAUTIFUL cake and cookies!