Happy Birthday O'Malley

Happy Birthday to my "first born". Our crazy pup turns the big FIVE today. He is still crazy as ever but we sure do love him, especially Mason. Although I am not too sure he loved me after taking this picture.

Deacon decided to get in on the action and wish O'Malley a happy birthday as well. Clearly he was less than thrilled that today was his brothers day.

Tonight they will both be getting a special treat i.e. a bone. We love you O'Malley!!! And Happy 5!

Party Planning: Mason's First Birthday

Last week I blogged about Mason's first birthday party and then planning that has started for this big event. I promised to come back this week and share a little more about the party. As you know, it is a Sesame Street theme party. Having a theme is really nice as it gives you a focus and let's you work with it or around it, as you wish.

Mason's party will have Sesame Street thrown in here and there but it will mainly be incorporating all things primary colors with a side of Sesame Street. Most of the invitations have gone out so I feel like I can finally share them. I scoured the Internet for the perfect invitation and I finally found it. Shindig Parties hooked us up with this amazing invitation.

I love printables that you are able to print from our own printer and therefore can print as many or as little as you need. We were very happy with the end result. Of course, parts have been blurred out for privacy.

Over the weekend I got together with my friend Dawn and we made party hats for the kids.

This was a fairly easy and inexpensive DIY project. I can't thank Dawn enough for helping me.

You might remember this picture from last week...

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All I can say right now is that we have BIG plans for this picture! I am busting at the seams to share but alas, I won't. I can't wait until after Mason's party to share with you what we used this picture for. Any guesses?

So there you have it. You will be seeing these faces around the blog for awhile. Hopefully I don't get sick of them too soon!

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When planning a party do you decide on a theme and work from there or what's your strategy? Any party tips for first birthdays? 

July Race - Beat the Heat 5K

Sweltering heat, 836 competitors, nor lack of a baby-sitter would keep us from completing the July challenge. “Beat the Heat” is more than the local community 5K whose proceeds go to a deserving local charity, it is also the North Carolina 5K state championship. Therefore, the usual stroller friendly runners were replaced with elite level runners prancing in their featherweight shoes, high cut running shorts, and flimsy tank tops. Enter our friend Dawn. She was a challenge saver, when she agreed to go with us and watch Mason.

To ease her burden a little, Lynsey abruptly and literally pushed me to finish as quickly as possible so that Mason wouldn’t be with strangers any longer than possible. With that motivation, we blew past the majority of other runners to be re-united with our little man and in the process Lynsey set a personal best.

We should note that Mason was an angel for Dawn and didn’t even realize that we had left him for a short time. What a good boy! We cannot thank Dawn enough for helping us out. And if we were wondering what Mason's idea of "running" would be, well this is it. Silly boy!

Seven down, five to go.

Ten Months Old

Well Mason is closer to eleven months now but I still wanted to get this on the blog so I could look back on it.

Mason,
You are so close to walking on your own. You can stand for an extended period of time by yourself and you walk the furniture or by holding on to someones hand. You are also one speedy crawler. You love to clap, "sing", play with the dogs, get into the kitchen cabinets, "help" mommy with laundry and just be a happy baby. Your eyes light up when you see Daddy walk in from work and you "run" right to him. I love it. We have been dealing with a little stranger/separation anxiety but we are working on it and you are doing much better. You still love anything we put in front of your mouth and continue to drink 3 or 4 8oz bottles/day. You are also taking water and organic whole milk from a sippy cup and doing so well with both. You love to snack. Well... you love food in general. You would eat all day long if we let you. Bath time still remains one of your favorite parts of the evening. You and Daddy have an awesome bedtime routine down... bath, book, bottle, burp, bedtime prayer (mommy does this with you), bed. You are a creature of habit and do so well with your routine. You are wearing mostly 12m clothes b/c you are so tall and size 3 diapers. Teething has been a challenge as of late. You have 2 bottom teeth and 1 upper tooth with another one on the way. Your poor gums are so swollen and red. We can't wait for that fourth tooth to hurry up and come in so you won't be in so much pain. You continue to grow up right before our eyes and sometimes I wish I could just stop the clock but I love the little man you have become. Thank you for being such a happy baby and blessing our lives more than we dreamed possible. We love you!

These monthly pictures continue to get harder and harder to take since our little man is so active now. So I thought I would share some of the outtakes. I may or may not have turned on the TV so he would sit still for just a second... hence the reason he isn't looking at the camera in many of them.

And for comparison....

Happy 1st Birthday Reagan!

A year ago today, Brian and I were attending baby showers for Mason that our generous work departments were hosting. At this same time my dear friend, Jennifer, had been in labor through the night and would meet her precious girl at some point in the day.
Reagan Campbell Goodale made her debut at 7:58pm one year ago today. One year ago. Seriously, someone please stop the clock. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around this. This means Mason will be a one year in 6 weeks. WHAT?! I can’t believe it.

I have had the pleasure of watching Reagan grow into a precious toddler who has quickly stolen the hearts of all those around her. It is clear to see that she is the center of the world for her mommy and daddy. I couldn’t be more proud of Jennifer for the mother she has become. Reagan is her world. I love them both so much.

On this day Reagan, we wish for you all the love and happiness that we know you will be surrounded by. Although we aren’t related by blood, we are related by heart and I couldn’t be more happy for my niece on her first birthday!

Happy First Birthday Reagan! Dig into that cake and make us proud!

*all pictures "borrowed" from Jennifer*

Family Friday: O'Malley

When Mason is playing in his room, this is where you can find O'Malley. Hanging out under his crib.

First Birthday Party Planning

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I can not believe Mason will soon be ONE! I mean, where did the time go? With that said, I can not stop the clock so I am knee deep in party planning mode.

The one show that I can count on to hold Mason's attention for more than 2 minutes is Sesame Street. He loves it. I turn it on and he just laughs, giggles, stares at the TV and then looks at me to make sure I am watching it also. So with that said, it was a no brainer that Sesame Street would be the theme for his first birthday party.

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I can not wait to share all the details with you. For now, I will leave you with an inspiration board I found online that I thought was really cute.

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I hope to get a lot of DIY things done this weekend for the party and my hope is to share some, not all, with you next week. So check back to see how everything is coming together.

Are you like me and love party planning or would you rather leave it to someone else? Any big milestones coming up that  you will be celebrating?

Wordless Wednesday: Time to invest in cabinet locks?

Time with Friends

July is flying by and it seems as though I am always playing catch up. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I am just now getting around to blogging about the overnight guest we had at our house on July 5. 

Jessica & Sean made an east coast visit over the fourth of July holiday and stopped by our house on the 5th to see our new place and hang out for the evening. Being the kind sister that she is, Jennifer, drove Jess and Sean all over the east coast to visit friends and family. We are so happy they were able to make a pit stop to see us.

It's always nice when you get a chance to catch up with your best friends. The fabulous four weren't complete without Colleen as she was surely missed. Hopefully during Jessica's next trip, all four of us can get together at the same time. Nevertheless, it was wonderful having Jessica, Sean, Jennifer & Reagan over for the night.

We enjoyed a challenging cross-fit workout, dined on delicious pizza and watched Mason and Reagan play. It's always nice when Mason has a buddy to wear him out!

The kids even got to take a bath together and unlike last time, Mason seemed to have fun with Reagan in the tub.

But perhaps the most precious thing is that Reagan now gives kisses on demand. It is simply adorable. So when Jennifer asked Reagan to give Mason a kiss, she did just that....

The day passed too quickly.. the nights are never long enough and before we knew it, it was time for them to hit the road. Time with friends is never long enough. Thank you guys for coming to see our new place and for your many years of friendship. Spending time with friends is food for my soul.

Recipe: "Jennifer's Sandwich"

I have mentioned before one of the groups I belong to on facebook: "Biggest Loser fans who eat ice cream while watching". It's a great group that my friend, Jennifer, started to keep us accountable on our workouts and living a healthy lifestyle.

Members of the group will sometimes post recipes or meal ideas that they believe others might like to try because they taste yummy and are healthy. Jennifer recently shared a quick sandwich recipe and I decided to give it a try.

2 pieces whole wheat bread, hummus, 1 hard boiled egg, avocado or edamame. I didn't have the avocado or edamame on hand so I replaced in with baby spinach (per Jennifer's suggestion).

Quick, easy, healthy and yummy lunch sandwich. Highly recommend it. Thanks Jennifer!

Family Friday

We may not be blood related but these girls are my family, sisters and niece to be exact!

Taken July 6, 2011 at our house

The Challenge: June and July Updates

Nothing feels better than the sense of accomplishment. I knew if I challenged myself and had the support of my family and friends, I could do it. I put my mind to it and I did it. I freakin’ did it!!! In the month of June, I completed 63.6 miles! 63.6!!!!!!!!!! That’s 60.5 more than I did the previous month. I may have not lost as much weight as I had hoped but it’s all about baby steps. I can feel my body getting stronger. My legs carried me for 63.6 miles and that is amazing to me. As a award, I plan to get a new pair of running shoes. My old ones have seen better days and I noticed a small hole in the bottom. Instead of just going out and buying whatever I think is cute, I plan to go to Fleet Feet and get properly fitted for a pair of shoes for my feet. I can’t wait. The June challenge is in the books.

But don’t think I just stopped after June was done. Nope. I am continuing to clock my miles and I have challenged myself in a different area for July. Arm strength. Push ups to be more precise. I have never been good at them. I decided to participate in the 100 Push up challenge.

I love this program because there is an online guide for you to follow and you set your own pace and pick your three days. So far, I am completed Week 1 and I am currently on Week 2, Day 3. My max push ups has been 55 thus far. I can’t wait until I reach 100. I feel myself getting stronger each day and I love it!!!

There is a sense of pride and accomplishment in challenging yourself. Have you challenged yourself lately?

Wordless Wednesday: Someone loves spaghetti

Fourth of July

Tradition. I’m a sucker for traditions. Since Brian and I began dating, we always spent July 4 in Morristown, TN visiting his family. I’ve only missed this fun event one time – last year when I was 8 months pregnant with Mason.

We made the 4 hour trek this year and the trip didn’t disappoint. This was the first time that many of Brian’s family would meet Mason. We were excited to introduce our little man to everyone and he hammed it up. He loved meeting everyone. We arrived the afternoon of the 3rd and hung out for a bit before checking into the hotel and getting a nap in for Mason. Afterwards we went to Aunt Bea’s house for a delicious home cooked meal and then headed to Stevie and Sherrie’s house for a evening dip in the pool. Mason thoroughly enjoyed the pool and we hung out until late in the evening watching fireworks. Before we knew it, it was nearing 9:30 and that meant time to pack up and get back to the hotel to rest up for the fun events that awaited us on the 4th.

Mason slept like a champ in his pack-n-play and woke up a happy baby. We feasted on breakfast at the hotel and even though Mason doesn’t wear bibs anymore, I couldn’t pass up this photo opportunity.

After breakfast, we played, napped, toured Morristown and then headed to Aunt Lou’s for the family gathering. Mason was able to meet a lot of new people and did wonderfully. We enjoyed an All American cookout for the 4th, played games despite the brief rain shower and enjoyed homemade ice cream. Around 4pm, we loaded up the car and started our journey back to NC as Brian had to work the next day.

When we arrived in Winston, we were greeted with this beautiful rainbow.

What a perfect ending to a wonderful Fourth of July. Do you do the same thing every year for Independence Day? Cookout? Swim? Vacation? Do tell.