"Tea For Two"

Landon put together a fun birthday tea party with some of my girlfriends today. What a treat to sit and relax kid free and share a pot of tea. I just love the whole experience of a tea party, the Victorian decorations, tea cups, selecting different teas from the menu, waiting for the tea to steep. It's all so feminine and right up my ally. Turning 30 was definitely a great excuse to try out a favorite tea room in Woodstock, Tea Leaves and Thyme. It's the cutest little tea house right in downtown Woodstock. We dined on the full tea complete with scones, tea sandwiches, chicken salad, and petite sized desserts. I think the table agreed that the "Cheeky Peach" tea was our favorite of the day. The dessert tea, "Creme Bru Le" also was a hit.
Girl Talk was the hot topic at the table. We traded mommy advice covering a wide array of topics from discipline, potty training, and funny stories about our kids all while sipping tea.
We didn't get all caught up in the complex tea etiquette rules of the past such as "pinkies up", no forks with the scone, sipping no slurping, or no spoons to stir in the creme. Tea etiquette has been lost throughout the years. We did however follow the best etiquette rule in the book, "Enjoy and have a good time!"
It was the perfect way to celebrate. Thanks Landon for spoiling me so! And, thanks girls for making my 30th so much fun! I'm so thankful for my girlfriends.

Uh-Oh, 3-0!

Thank you for all of your special birthday wishes today as I hit the 30 year mark. I can't believe it! I woke up anxiously looking in the mirror for a new wrinkle on my forehead or the beginning signs of crow's feet to commemorate this monumental age. I did notice however several new white hairs screaming for color on my temples! Today, I feel no different. Age is just a number right? I'm actually welcoming this age quite well. My twenties flew by and were such a fun stage in life...finishing college, my first job, the young single life in Atlanta, taking vacations with friends, dating Landon, getting my masters, planning a wedding and marriage, getting hitched, purchasing our first home, and the icing on the cake... welcoming Miller into the world. I sat back today and thought about just what the thirties will have in store for me and if it's half as exciting as the last decade, I'll feel so blessed.
Tonight was the family celebration ringing in 3-0. Clay arrived first to hang out with Miller after he got up from his nap. Grandmama and Poppy arrived with a roast. Mmm..one of my absolute favorites. Landon served my new favorite appetizer, blue cheese olives. Everything was perfect all the way down to the beautiful flowers on the table. I've been practicing the words to "Happy Birthday" with Miller over the last week, so he could join in with the chorus and be prepared for his big "2" celebration in a few months. All of our practicing paid off. He sang the first line to serenade the blowing out of the candles. After cake fun, I was surprised to open a Wii Fit. What a perfect gift to get this 30 year old body back in shape. Cheers to a great, distinguished sounding thirtieth year. Thanks to all, including my third grade students who made me feel so special today!

"Oh Doggy" and other Favorites

Meet "Oh Doggy" as Miller has named his most favorite lovey of the month. One of my mom's friends purchased this adorable dog blankie when Miller was born. It looked huge, like a nap mat for a newborn when we first opened the gift. And now, he carries it around the house & to Ms. Karens and asks for "Oh Doggy" when he naps or is going down for the evening. It's not the most portable little lovely, but it's oh so cozy in Miller's arms. As soon as he picks it up, he snuggles it into his neck, sucks his thumb and says "Oh Doggy"! Just when I thought our baby was a full blown boy, he gives me such a precious glimpse into his tender babyish spirit.

This morning Miller watched me take his clean white socks out of the dryer and upon putting them on his feet he said, "SO warm, SO warm momma." It about warmed over my heart.
Other favorite phrases he's been rattling off lately include.."Be careful", "Excuse you" when he sneezes and "Bless You" when he hears others sneeze. When he stands on the kitchen chair, he proclaims with great inflection, "On your bottom!" My favorite is "Ewww, gross" when he points to the trash can. At night when we're getting ready for bed, he spouts off "Comb ye hair" and "Brush ye teeth". These favorite little phrases are keeping us laughing and adding to the richness of our family. We love our little chatterbox!

No Such Luck

This morning I had the luxury of carefree shopping while Landon watched Miller. Christmas money from Landon has been burning a whole in my purse for a month. I wish I could write a post about sweet success at the mall. Is it just me..or is there a sea of ugly out there right now? I'm sorry but I just can't pull off the 80's legging flashback with ovesized tunic bubble shirt and flats. This 5'2 girl would look like I'm standing in a hole. I strolled from Macy's to Express, H&M & Forever 21. I knew for sure I'd find something in Black&White...nothing!! They make it SO hard to put outfits together when things don't coordinate and it's a great piece here and there.

I did however make the mistake of trying on a pair of Seven jeans for $175.00 in Dillards. I have 2 older pair in my closet that are getting faded. Once I had them on, I fell in love with the fit. I used to not bat an eyelash at dropping money on myself for jeans, but now that I'm a mom there's just different priorities! However,when you wear them everyday of your casual mom life it doesn't sound so bad. So, I'm going to hit the Loft and Anthropologie in hopes of the perfect outfit later.

Any tips out there of where else to go besides the mall to find cute clothes that aren't 80's Prom Queen material? I need help before "What not to Wear" hunts me down for a makeover!

All Aboard

We celebrated Caden's 2nd birthday today at the Down's train station. Miller was thrilled to party it up choo choo train style with his 2 year old buddy. When we arrived at the party, Miller got his very own conductor hat to wear. He loved playing conductor on Caden's new Thomas the Train riding toy with tracks.We played the morning away inside and outside until it was cake time. When it was all said and done, Miller downed 3 juice boxes, zillions of gold fish, raisins, grapes, cheese, crackers with artichoke dip, a hot dog, and a piece of cake smothered with icing galore. When we left the party Miller said, "Bye bye cake". The sugar induced coma should make for a fun and sleepless afternoon. That's what parties are all about with toddlers.... toys, food and as we're quickly learning it's all about the cake.
Aww...these boys, turning two and growing up. I'm just not ready for this!

Mexican Night

Katie, Chris, Griffin & baby Taylor joined us for Mexican Night at our house tonight. Griffin and Miller are about a month apart in age. It's been fun to get the boys together over the last two years to play. And, they just love their time on Sunday mornings in nursery together.
On this adventure, Griffin showed Miller how to breakdance and schooled Miller in the martial arts of karate. We were all amazed by just how mature Griffin's table manners are. Griffin proudly sits on his own at the table and uses adult sized silverware with ease. Miller wasn't quite sure what was going on when Griffin asked to go potty! Maybe peer pressure will make Miller curious about potty training. Well, we have awhile before even attempting that one! He proudly announces when he is going potty in his diaper, but I haven't brought out the plastic potty throne yet. From what I read, boys are later at mastering this skill. I digress...
The guys enjoyed wrestling with the boys and throwing pillows at eachother. Ahh..the fun of rough housing.We wrapped up the night eating brownies and playing a competitive game of Wii bowling. Our fun dinner party ended at 8:00p.m. It's amazing how your nights become so early when you have toddlers.

Meet " Santa Mingo"

Our little Christmas "Santa Mingo" as Miller affectionatley calls him, has been making its way around the neighborhood for a month. What a surprise to wake up, and see a pink feathered bird wishing our family a Merry Christmas in early December. It seems like Mingo has wandered unto various sections of our lawn 3-4 times since then. Miller's always on the look out, announcing "Santa Mingo" when he spots our pink friend. How ever did we get so lucky? For the last week, Landon and Chris have had an all out Flamingo war. This time we stuck it way up high in a shrub. We'll see how long it takes our neighbors to notice. Poor Mingo, no one wants to take him in as a stray pet.