Lyla Grace Turns 1

A few weeks back our baby girl turned one.  I have still not quite processed the fact that we have a one year old, but it's true.  Or at least we had a party for it :).  This past year has been a blur - but an incredible one.  Exciting, anxious, wonderful and full of joy.  Lyla Grace has brought a light into our world that I never could have imagined.

For her party, we didn't have a true theme, but we mish-mashed a few things together to make it bright and vibrant - lots of colors, stars, balloons, and streamers.  We tried to keep it small so that she was comfortable, so we had family and a few close friends.  It was perfect.

This is precious Adrienne. She's one of the most wonderful people to us as she watches Lyla Grace part time during the week.  Such a blessing how she loves her.

Then we have the amazing Cashins.  They were lifesavers for her party.  Came Friday night to help setup and prep and then came early Saturday to continue to help.  There's no way we could have pulled it off without them - love them!

Someone's in love with baby Jo Hartzler!

See the grump face? It continued for quite a while.  Fortunately we got a few pictures!

She gave this to most people.  : |

Baby V. Shower! (maybe part I?)

A few weeks ago we were blessed beyond measure at our sweet baby shower.  My best friend from junior high planned it and with the help of her moms it went off without a hitch.  It was so well thought out and every detail was done with care.  Everyone at the shower told her they want her to plan a party for them.  And really, she should.  She's wonderful.  My family was all there, and almost all my closest friends were able to make it.  I basically just floated around in a bubble of blessings and overwhelmed gratefulness of how loved we and our sweet little one are.  

I don't have a ton of photos on this computer yet, but I'll share a few.  There were tons and tons of balloons floating, with up to 7 foot ribbon hanging from them. Twas pretty magical.  She also spray painted lots of things gold (like the cute little animals on the table), had lots of flowers and rented chairs and tables that matched the decor. The topper was the little (BIG) giraffe she bought us, decked out with flowers, who we have lovingly named George Henry.  

We got lots of clothes (so cute and little!) and a lot of the must haves from our registry.  We really only have a few things left to buy, all thanks to our generous friends and family.   

I didn't get a good picture of my plate with food on it, but a waffle bar was served with fresh squeezed juice, mint and fruit water, and delicious yogurt (that I'm now obsessed with... it's from Trader Joes and its full fat french vanilla yogurt. yum).  

Here she is.  Isn't her dress darling?

I didn't get a good picture of the balloons on the ceiling over the tables, but this was after many of them fell and we put them all in the room off the kitchen.  We kept all the ribbon and are hoping to make a mobile with it.

Holiday Recap: Thanksgiving, Christmas, NYE

Ahh, it's good to be back, friends.  I've missed this little internet blogland.  Our days have been filled to the brim lately, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I've had the past two weeks off of work, so I've been home and enjoying every minute of it.

I haven't shared many personal pictures lately, because, well mainly, I just haven't taken the time to upload them.  But here we are, January 2nd, and finally getting around to it!

This year for Thanksgiving, we celebrated at Brian's aunt's house.  His cousin, Rit, and her boyfriend, made an incredible meal.  I'm talking - a humongous turkey, ham, 20 sides (slight exaggeration, but not really). We had a really great time soaking up family time and just enjoying everyone's company.  This was also the last time we had the opportunity to spend quality time with Brian's grandma, who passed away Christmas day.

A few days before Christmas, Brian's family came up to our house to spend a few days and celebrate Christmas.  For the Christmas weekend, we ended up going down to Columbus to spend a few precious hours with his grandma and family. She passed Christmas day in peace and surrounded by family.  I may share more on this later - it was such a bittersweet time.  She loved Jesus, and is now in heaven, so that is the sweet part. Loss is such a hard situation, but the celebration of her life was in fact, quite beautiful. 

Ahh, we are now to NYE.. Brian and I made a fun sequin wall photobooth so that we could get pictures with friends.  I'll let the fun photos speak for themselves :-)

Thanksgiving Tablescapes

Looking for inspiration with Thanksgiving literally days away? I've got your back.  We're not hosting Thanksgiving this year, but nevertheless I rounded up some ideas to stow away for future years, or to inspire you to get your creative kick on. 

For the dreamer in me..

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Now, lets get real.. or at least realistic. 

Place cards - good idea, especially if you're serving a large number of people.  It's always fun to shift people around from who they'd normally sit by. Helps strike up more interesting conversations. 

Oh, and personally, I would spray paint these pears gold (on a gold kick right now, and I can't help it).

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Alright, now Martha's people have got the right idea with these gold pumpkin place card holders.  I found little pumpkins like these at Trader Joes for about 60 cents a pop.  (Sidenote: Does anyone else say 'punkin' instead of 'pumpkin'?)

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Charger plates: The non-useful plates that go under the actual useful plates.  They are charming in my opinion - a complete waste to many others.  (we found some gold ones at Walmart last year on sale after Christmas)

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Flowers.  Yes, please. 

 

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Candles. I would personally add in some tall candles with this mix of low, but it's still a great table :-)

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A cute idea for a kid's table.  

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Now, lastly - make sure to leave room for the food.  

 

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That was fun.  What did I miss? Do you have any Thanksgiving decorating traditions you'd like to share?