He's 2!!

Just before Christmas, my baby boy turned 2 years old!  I can't believe it!  

Birth

1 year

2 years ("Chandler Smile")

2 years (real smile)

This past year has been full of ups and downs with him, but he is back on track developmentally and thriving!!  He was diagnosed with a milk protein allergy and is on a dairy-free diet, which can be frustrating, but the changes that we have seen in him make the effort worth it!

Bub doesn't like having a lot of attention placed on him.  Last year, he seemed to melt down before our eyes during gift opening time.  So we have small family affairs.  Even though his parties are small, I still want to decorate and have the party atmosphere for him to separate his birthday from Christmas.  His birthday is only 3 days before Christmas, so doing as my parents did and not decorating for the Holiday until after his birthday is not as feasible... so this is how I am giving him his day for now.  

I gave him six options for a birthday party theme and let him pick which one he wanted.  He chose Mickey Mouse!  I was so excited for this theme as I figured I could DIY most of it!

For the banner, I hung a yellow table cloth and hot glued a felt Mickey silhouette to it.  I used two different sized oatmeal containers to trace circles onto black felt and free-hand drew a "2" onto red felt.  Super easy.  Super simple.  

We wanted to keep as much as possible dairy-free when it came to the food options.  I wanted him to pretty much be able to eat anything that was offered.  It IS his party, after all!  :)  Going with the Mickey Mouse theme, we served hot dogs & mini corn dogs to allude to the "Hot Dog" song on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  To expand on that, we also had a chili bar.  There was cheese and sour cream on this bar, but that was all the dairy at the party.  :)  For dessert, we had marshmallow pops dipped in dairy-free chocolate that I found at Trader Joes (semi-sweet chocolate chips) and had my mom ship to me.  (Thanks Mom!!!)  I should note that if you are highly allergic to dairy, these "MAY CONTAIN DAIRY" because they are packaged in a plant that packages milk chocolate chips.  Bub is able to handle things that are produced in facilities that handle dairy, so this was not a concern for us.  

I also made mini-cupcakes using almond milk and vegan butter with cake mix.  To darken the frosting, I used Wilton black icing dye in classic chocolate frosting.  For ears, Mini Oreos.  

I kept to the yellow, red, and black scheme for the table and added balloons because Bub LOVES them.  And to make it easy, I hung licensed Mickey hanging decor found at Party City from the lamp over the dining table.  

Everything was super easy.  Frosting the cupcakes probably took the most time!  FYI, one box of cake mix makes a bit more than 50 mini cupcakes... I stopped at 50 and threw away the rest of the batter.  :)  There were WAY more than enough for 10 of us.  :)

Bub approved!!  He did much better this year than last!  He was still slightly overwhelmed with 9 sets of eyes being on him, but he didn't hide this year!  Progress!!!  Maybe next year he can have friends over!  

Happy birthday, Bub!!


Until next time!

~Monica

Merry Christmas!

The day has arrived. The day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and spend time loving on family. We started the festivities with the traditional Christmas Eve pajamas. Missy wanted to make sure the monkey face was showing for the camera and Bub (fighting a fever) had no clue what she was up to, but it made for a great picture showcasing their very different personalities!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have a great time with family and friends and I hope you are able to reflect and celebrate the reason for the season.

Until next time!

~Monica

'Twas a Week Before Christmas....

... And all through house, not a creature was stirring ... Except for a crab.

Flounder the Third did it again! This feisty little thing loves to give me a scare and remind me how attached to these little guys I've become. Seriously, I never, in a million years, thought I'd become so attached to hermit crabs! But I am.

Sebastian came to live with us last February and he is so easy!   Clean, docile, friendly.  Then we got Flounder to keep Sebastian company.  The first Flounder.  He had something icky from the pet store and only lasted a few days.  Flounder 2 also had something wrong with him and didn't even last 48 hours!  Luckily, the petstore has a return policy on live animals that don't last more than 2 weeks.  Third time's a charm, right?  

Flounder the Third has been with us for awhile now.  He is feisty!  He is messy.  He is sneaky.  And he gets himself into trouble!  I have found him hanging from the lid of the crabitat... unable to get himself down.   A few months ago, I came out to find his shell stuck to the sticky side of Velcro holding the climbing wall on the top of the crabitat and he was not in it!!  I frantically tore the lid off the tank and started looking for him.  I found him huddled up against Sebastian for warmth.  The poor guy!  Naked hermit crabs look weird, by the way!  I ran to my computer and looked up a solution.   Apparently, I had 6 hours to get him to go back into a shell.  His life was at stake!! 

 I boiled the shells, set up an isolation chamber, gingerly picked him up and put him inside all while successfully convincing him NOT to pinch me.  This was the first time I had held him without him being able to hide in his shell.  He normally flashes an open claw telling us to put him down.  A few hours later he was back in a shell.  The little stinker tried on every shell before deciding his old shell was the way to go.

Now fast forward to a few days ago.  I looked in on the crabs and screamed... in my head, of course... don't want to terrify the kids!   They have had enough death in recent months.  I texted the hubs: FLOUNDER IS DEAD!!!  Outside of their coconut hut was an empty shell.  Across the crabitat was Flounder. Upside down.  White.  Slightly shriveled.  My heart was racing and I was filled with dread and confusion.  Why was I reacting this way for a crab?!?!  The crazy little guy had hopped out of his shell, bathed in his bathtub and his drinking water (as per his usual routine) and had eaten food before ... I don't know... deciding to take a nap?!  I have no idea what he was thinking!  I told the Hubs that he would have to take him out because I couldn't look at him.  I couldn't bear to reach in and pick him up and dispose of him.

About an hour later, I decided that I needed to check on Sebastian to see how he was doing.  Then I saw the slightest movement from Flounder!!  WHAT?!  I quickly grabbed the mister and sprayed him.  Yup!!  He definitely moved!!  At that wonderful moment, the Hubs' key entered the lock.  I shouted for him to come over so that he could help me rescue the crab!

I went into action.  Again, I was boiling shells and setting up an isolation chamber, while Hubs gingerly grabbed the guy with his man hands.  :)

Before closing him up in the chamber, I sprayed him down and he seemed to like it and began moving more and more.   WAY more than 6 hours later, he was in a shell and more active!!

He made it!!  He survived the day!!  And as a thank you, he sat in my hand and came out to say "hi." :) So I got this "glamour shot"... His first picture in my hand!

I felt bad for Sebastian so I took a picture of him too! :) He is always happy to be held. Such a sweet thing.

I can't imagine how I will react when something bad happens to Sebastian!! :/ What about Donner?! Nope... Not even gonna think about it.


Have you ever gotten super attached to an unconventional pet?!


Until next time,

~Monica

Holiday Extravaganza

The past few weeks have been BUSY!  We had Missy's "Holiday Extravaganza" at gymnastics... kinda of like a recital, I guess... the parents got to come down to the gym floor with them and see what they could do.  It was so cute and she was so proud of herself!  As she was jumping and flying down the trampoline, she would look at me and shout, "WOOK MOM!! I DOING IT!! I DOING IT!!"  She even learned a new skill that the next level up does!

This is the beloved Ms. Jennifer.

At the end of the Extravaganza, Santa came out and Missy had her first encounter of the season with him. :) 

She was so sweet and asked only for a pencil.  And when she got one (it just happened to be included in the gift bags) she was SO excited and ran back over to him and said, "Tank you VEWY MUCH for my pencil!!  It my FAVORITE pencil in da whole world!!"  This reaction caught the "Santa" off guard and he let out a normal laugh and broke from character a little! :)

Later that night for advent, we went and saw Santa after church.  Poor Bub.  He was not having it.  He didn't actually cry... but he held back those tears with all his might!  He did manage to ask for an iPad though.  Ha ha!!  Priorities!

They also had the chance to meet Mrs. Claus and she and Missy danced and twirled while waiting for Santa to finish his time with the children in front of them.

Missy, again, was thrilled!  I think we have a believer!  Bub... not so much.  :)


I'd love to hear your Santa stories!!


Until next time!

~Monica

I've Been Nominated!!

My friend in both real life and the bloggy world, Renee at Blissful Days Ahead has nominated me for the very prestigious (not really... but I can pretend, right?!) Liebster Award!!


So here is how it works… bloggers award other bloggers who they deem as “up and coming” and have less than 200 followers. It’s a nice way to help other bloggers increase their visibility and it’s kinda like a “get to know you.” If you receive a Liebster you must tell 11 things about yourself, answer 11 questions asked by the nominating blogger, and nominate 11 new bloggers. Then you ask those bloggers 11 questions that they will answer. {Don’t forget to tell the new bloggers you have nominated them!}


11 Things About Me:

1. I'm rather neurotic... I think I hide this fact quite well... but to know me is to know that I'm crazy... :) Oh well... I can't help it!

2. I'm fiercly protective over those that I love. This includes my pets... :) Don't hurt them... not even the crabs!

3. I have Gephyrophobia. It's bad. I've had it as long as I can remember but it has gotten better... I can now drive over small bridges!

4. I love Vietnamese food! Its my favorite and my comfort. My best friend's mom is THE BEST Vietnamese cook ever!! I also love sushi and other Japanese foods. And Thai... LOVE Thai. I could eat Asian Food every day and be okay!

5. I am indecisive.

6. The Hubs and I met, started dating, got engaged, and were married all in about 1 years time.

7. I have neurocardiogenic syncope... a pretty bad case of it... but I am able, for the most part, to monitor without medication.

8. I have a passion for DIY... but I'm just learning how to do it. Thank goodness for Pinterest!!

9. Missy, in all her sassiness, strong-willed-ness, goofiness, is a carbon copy of myself. I have no one else to blame.

10. In high school I was a "jock", a "nerd", and homecoming queen.  Such an odd combination.  Now... I don't think I'm any of those.  :)

11. My 3rd grade teacher told me that I was the biggest worry-wart that she had ever met. It shocked me! But I still can't stop worrying incessantly about E V E R Y T H I N G!!



The Questions Asked of Me:

1. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

My favorite thing about blogging is the outlet. My brain never shuts off! It just goes and goes and goes. Blogging helps me get my thoughts out of my head.

2. What is your favorite thing about yourself?

ooh... hard one! I guess I like my neuroses. They make me me. I am scheduled and a stickler for certain things... but I'm also almost loyal to a fault.

3. If you could have a super power what would it be?

To be able to put all the toys away with the wiggle of my nose like Samantha in Bewitched or with the snap of a finger like Mary Poppins. (The toy clutter DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!)

4. What state do you live in?

I live in Georgia but am originally from California.

5. What is your favorite childhood memory?

Lots of memories involving my sister... we did a lot of crazy stuff... and were pretty much inseparable.

6. What is your biggest fear?

Other than bridges over water? ;) I have a fear of not leaving a legacy behind.

7. If you could go on vacation anywhere, where would it be?

I would love to go back to Prague. Or visit Norway... or Italy... or Vietnam... or Japan... or... France... or... lets just say I want to see more of the world.

8. What is your favorite color?

Yellow, teal/turquoise, white, green... I love color...

9. What is your favorite food?

Asian: Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai

10. Do you do anything crafty? Tell us about it.

I really want to learn to sew on a sewing machine. But things I already know how to do: cross-stitch (haven't done it in years), scrapbook, paint, crafty things in general, jewelry making, cooking (thats kinda crafty, right?)

11. Name the top 5 things on your bucket list.

uh... Travel to more places, learn to speak a language fluently, own a home, stay in one place with the family for more than 5 years, go on a cruise (but NOT one that goes near the Bermuda Triangle... too scared) ... I can't think of other things... I'm not an adrenaline junkie... I kinda run from those things... so traveling... and learning new things are on my bucket list...



My Nominees(Some of them I'm not sure how "up and coming" they are or if they have "already arrived"... but oh well):

Keepin Up With the Smiths

Fruitful Living

Figuring Out How the Pieces Fit

The HeART

Silly Incantations

Tickles & Tots

Tidbits from the Queen of Chaos

Reporting for Duty: Mommyhood

A Small Snippet

Adventures in the Fort

Teach Pray Love

My Questions to Them:

1. When did you start blogging?

2. What do you love about blogging?

3. What is one of your quirks?

4. Favorite coffee/tea?

5. When you get a few moments for yourself, what do you do?

6. Where do you live?

7. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

8. You has had a big influence in your life?

9. Favorite book?

10. Are you a crafty person? If so, what do you like to do?

11. What is your favorite part about this holiday season?

When you have completed your questions make sure to put a link on my Facebook page or comment back here! I would love to read your answers!

Until Next Time,

~Monica