In one week

In a week from today, our baby is one. One seems little, like a baby, until you say something to her and she looks immediately back at you and responds. She is a little human with a mind of her own, she understands, reacts, and even speaks cat. Ha - She will ramble something off and our cat will run over to her; she'll giggle, squeal and crawl away. What is happening?! How do twelve months go by when you can clearly remember your very first moments together like it was yesterday? Well, it did, just like my dad told me it would. 

When she was first teething and my dad could sense my exhaustion, he said to me "it will feel never ending, tiring, and out of your control, but try to enjoy it. I wish I could go back in time with you and your brother, it goes by too fast. So try to enjoy her, even when it's hard." Now I can confidently say I would like to go back in time, snuggle her and ease her achy teeth with mama's touch again. 

Now dad, as much as I appreciate your advice, your choice in shorts....not so much. Are you sure you want to go back? :)

Just kidding, you know I love you! 

 

Back to Pen turning one. Michael thinks I've lost my mind. I am throwing a party that some may say is a little over the top for a first birthday but I am going to try to justify it here, so hang with me. Anyone who knew my mom, knows she was an entertainer. She loved big birthdays, big holidays, and just a darn good, big dinner. She just enjoyed it and so did the neighborhood kids. Supper at our house was always different, she would out of nowhere, make a full Chinese dinner. From scratch. I have no idea how or why other than she just loved doing it. As a kid I never really appreciated it but I did notice that it was unusual from going to other friend's houses. More often than not, my friends wanted to come to my house in hopes that my mom would do a build your own pizza night or just for the delicious, over abundance of food as usual. As for me, I wanted to order takeout because we seldom got to and my mom's cooking was just the norm for me. 

Ok I kind of rambled there. Let's talk about holidays and parties. She was always the organizer, chef, decorator and really the one that just brought everyone together. She would spend hours wrapping presents which meant I would spend hours handing her tape. If it didn't turn out how she wanted it, she would rip it open and restart, no kidding. For my birthday party while in kindergarten, she invited all 3 classes of 5 & 6 year olds and turned our basement into a carnival with games, prizes and as much fun as you could have in the middle of winter. 

So although I recognize that throwing a "huge" party for a one year old is unnecessary and maybe hard to understand for most, it is simply in my blood and seems completely normal to my family. 

While I do believe this is a large factor as to why I am doing so, I also realized something else today. It is a huge distraction. If I'm busy picking a 10x30 "wedding" tent to host our guests in, I don't have to come to terms with the fact that of all the things that I can control, time is not one of them. Well here it is, I know it, I realize it and I'm even trying to be ok with it. I'm spending more and more of my day just taking in how much Penelope has grown and randomly catching her notice new things she can do. Some are naughty things! But mostly she is gaining independence, being sweet, eating all my food, and chasing her animals around one bump to the face at a time.  

Being a big girl in her pool

Digging out every cord she can find like every baby should be doing, not.

Hiding from me under the coffee table 

Pretty proud of herself, as usual :)

Showing off her ouchie from falling down

Very happily eating all my chicken

Being a sweet little lady

Or is it a crazy little lady? You decide!

I've got a lot to do for the party and at the end of the day I just want everyone to enjoy themselves and to make some memories with our baby girl. For in the end, good times and sweet memories are what truly matter.

Pen's summer shenanigans

We are kicking off summer to a good start and Penelope has been a busy bee. Here's what she's been up to. 

Taking 4 generation photos 

Wearing sun hats that were shrunk by her father

Being crazy... 

Eatin' Cheerios 

Jumping on the trampoline with her cousins

Hangin out with her very stylish dad

Tutu-in it up with her kitty

Sitting in a bucket at grandma & grandpa's

Trying to escape

Curly hair. Don't care

Crafting with finger paint

Trying on my lip gloss which she finds hilarious

Tough days at the office... Tough days wearing no pants

And still trying to escape!

Exciting update!

Since I've been pretty terrible at keeping up with my blog lately, I'm going to take advantage of P's nap time and just get to it. 

We've got some pretty exciting news to share!...................I'm......not pregnant. But we are in the process of buying a house! As most of you know we have been on this house hunt for over a year now and it has been depressing with a capital D. Thankfully we have waited it out and rather than settling for something that didn't feel right for us, we found one that does! We are scheduled to close in just a few short weeks! Yiiipppeee! Now for the details. It is such a cute cottage style house. Just about 2800sq ft (which I just found out on the appraisal report) with 5 beds and 3 baths! Yes, yes, yes! If you can't tell, I'm a little excited! On top of all this it is right across the street from the city pool and a nice park. Now it does need some updating and a little personalizing but we are thrilled. 

 

So while I have been scouring garage sales looking for dressers to refinish and other cute projects for the new house, I am also in the process of planning Penelope's first birthday. 

Did I really just type that? First birthday? I wish I could just press delete and go back to her first days with us. How and why is time going by so quickly? I guess I'll just let her keep growing, unless anyone knows how to stop it? If so, get ahold of me! Ha - so although it is a little sad that our little girl is growing like a weed it has also been such a fun year with her. Be watching your mailbox for a birthday announcement! 

For our friends attending the birthday, make sure to bring swimsuits, towels and a change of clothes for your kiddos. We will have some water activities, a jungle gym, a big trampoline, and a bounce house to keep the littles entertained! We will also be doing a BBQ dinner, so come hungry! See you there! :)

Mother's Day

The night before Mother's Day Pen thought it was only fair to remind me exactly what being a mom means. This particular night meant no sleep! I should add she had what was the beginning of a cold and the poor baby just couldn't sleep through it. Thankfully, Michael and I traded sleeping in shifts throughout the night. When the morning rolled around, the sweet guy even let me sleep in, what a Mother's Day treat! 

Needless to say the three of us were undeniably worn out on Mother's Day and after grabbing some lunch, Michael headed to work and I snuggled our sick little baby. 

Now let's talk about my gift this Mother's Day.....it was not the usual flowers and card for this mama! While strolling around downtown Nashville, I saw a neon tattoo sign and looked at Mike and he knew exactly what was in store! We had been talking about getting something little done in celebration of our new addition and it was just the right place at the right time! I told him I wanted us to both get tattoos and I'd accept it as my Mother's Day gift; he obliged. Although a very well known tattoo parlor in Nashville, the artist and I didn't exactly "click" right away. He seemed cold, intense, and frankly a little like a crack head. After exchanging words we both agreed it was just clashing personalities...and the crack. Haha--just kidding...maybe. Anyways we went through with it and Michael and I were both pleased (Mike's parent's not so much!) What a fun memory and good reminder that although Mike and I are married, parents, and typically in bed by 10 every night -- we are still fun and capable of acting like a couple kids together. 

This Mother's day was bittersweet for me because while it was my first it is also a reminder that my mom is not here to celebrate with. It has been a day I typically try to just get through every year, until now. Now I get to celebrate my baby girl and the gift she has given me of being her mom. Not a mom; her mom. She makes me giggle like I am a little girl myself and she's shown me I can love more than I ever imagined; unexplainable, really. Thank you for picking me to be your mom, P. I can't wait for the sweet Mother's Day crafts from school that will be coming my way! But mostly, I can't wait to go to sleep tonight knowing I get to wake up to your smile and open mouthed kisses in the morning. 

-Mom

Me & P

My mom & I

The Kentucky Derby

Nashville, good friends, adult beverages, and horse racing. Those are a few key words to describe our much needed vacation! 

I was pretty much an unprepared, nervous wreck, leading up to this trip. With Mike away in Kansas City and having to leave Pen for the first time I am surprised I still have any hair left. Holy smokes! Luckily I had some help. My dad came a few days before my trip to help me get all packed up and various other little jobs - changing diapers, picking up dog poo, cleaning my Tahoe. Yes, he is the best! When it was time for me to leave I was certain Penelope was in good hands but it was one of the toughest things I've done since she has been born. My dad babysat the first half of our trip and Mike's parents took on the second half. We are truly lucky to have such great grandparents to our little girl! Wow! 

First night in Nashville with the girls. (Mike came the following day) 

So I must remind everyone that I hadn't seen Michael in two weeks which is the longest we've been away from each other since we met 5 years ago! I arrived in Nashville with our group of (5) friends on Thursday and Michael met me there on Friday but only after his flight was delayed an extra hour. Yes only an hour, but that hour about put me in tears! I was so ready to have my husband back and to start vacation with him! When he got there we wasted no time and hit downtown Nashville, just the two of us, while everyone else attended a concert. After an amazing dinner and some "dancing" if that's what you want to call it (haha) we decided we needed to head back and get some sleep. Our alarm at 4 AM apparently came too quickly because as everyone else was up and ready to drive to Louisville, we were sound asleep. Yikes, a little later than anticipated but we rose to the occasion and made it to the derby! 

Mike and I left the races a little early to beat the crowd. I'd say we left at just the right time because things were getting a little funky for my taste and as a bonus we got a nap in before dinner! After freshening up, we decided to go downtown Louisville and check things out. We were pleasantly surprised! 

What an adventure! The next day we headed back to Nashville for one last night with out friends. Oh and we did this..... 

(Penelope's birthdate) 

A spontaneous decision to say the least! I will fill everyone in more on that in my Mother's Day post! 

Again, a big thanks to both of our parents who looked after our little for us. We never took an official honeymoon trip and this was just what we needed! Love you all! 

Cole, Kami, Brett, Julia, & Corey- 

So glad we took this trip! Apparently it wasn't our time to get rich but the memories will do for me :) Thanks for all the planning, Kami! 

Penelope was happy to see we had returned! 

 

Easter

Yes yes, I am running a little late on my Easter post (a whole month) but things have been busy! With the summer months rolling in, the sun is out longer but the days feel shorter than ever! I will make this Easter post short and sweet.

Penella's first Easter.

Michael left on Easter Sunday for Kansas City to attend another two weeks of school for work. He was not excited to leave us in the least bit but he had something to look forward to as I would be meeting him in Nashville, TN at the end of his two weeks! Those shenanigans will be talked about in my next post though, let's stick to Easter! 

Swimming with dad before he had to leave. 

After we (tearfully) dropped him off at the airport, P and I went to my grandparent's house for a BBQ. Little miss was dressed for the occasion! 

My grandma loved on Penelope all day long and P enjoyed every minute of it! 

Then grandpa Ross showed up with some Easter goodies! 

And finally, she got to see what the Easter bunny brought her! 

And last but not least, her daddy got her a special little gift, too! A little outfit and some baby Keens, so sweet! 

We had a wonderful Easter with family and a couple of full bellies, the only thing we were missing was Michael. I stayed in Billings for a week and spent time with my family which was such a treat for me, I won't speak for them! 

And the joke is on me

For the past couple of weeks I've been searching for the sweet little baby I once knew. P has been very irritable and had the worst time sleeping at night. They have all kind of jumbled together until last night, which stands out. Everything was fine until about 11 PM at which point Pen decided neither of us needed to sleep. I...tried....everything. But we'll just skip to about 3 AM when our dogs thought I deserved just a tad more fun. By fun, I mean one of them getting sick in the living room, and for your sake I'll spare the details. Oh, and have I mentioned Michael was on night shift? Yep, lucky me! 

Once the dogs had been dealt with I continued on with Penelope until about 4:30. Thankfully, after the 3rd time watching Shark Tale, she was finally out. I owe a lot to that movie. So I quietly carried her into my room with me and with each footstep I was almost certain she would wake up to torture me just a little longer but thankfully she slept solid for a few hours. 

This morning I was just searching for an explanation until she chomped down on my finger. A TOOTH! FINALLY! Thank goodness, I was beginning to think she just had it out for me. So the joke, is on me this April Fools Day. How fitting. 

It is safe to say, we are both worn out. 

Pen cuts first tooth at exactly 9 months old.