strawberry bliss

so  much has happened these last couple weeks

that I can barely even keep it straight

birthday party after party

after some much need fun with friends

and then its the 21st of the month

I was without my computer for 3-4 days

so if I haven't checked with you it's because

of many reasons such as that

and me having the flu

and planning Madison's birthday parties

two in a day

and then just the rest of life on top of everything

i've been trying to sort through these birthday pictures of Madison for days

and i'm falling asleep at the computer every night trying to get through them

i do thank all those that continue to visit me when sometimes

i just don't have the chance to return the favor

i really do love having this blog

something i don't want to give up

it's something i love

so just bare with me in being behind with you all

hugs and love to you

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Strawberry Bliss

our little butterfly

had quite the celebration a couple weekends ago

she chose Strawberry Shortcake theme party

and during the day we had her school friends party

I found a family owned pizza place in town that had a perfect {free} room

{and to keep it easy for 10+ kiddos}

i brought all the desserts and decor to their party room

and that was that

we really kept it simple with her friend pizza party
{just wanted to bring simple parties back a little if you know what i mean}

had pizza

made shortcake houses

enjoyed desserts

she opened gifts

handed out favors

and cleaned up

this is the last year all her friends are in the same class

they have been together for three years now

so it was important to celebrate with these friends

next year they will all be in different schools with kindergarten

it was such a great group of kids and parents

 after we were home

it was round two of setting up

 for our friends and family party

it was so much fun

it was truly Strawberry Bliss

homemade strawberry icing

desserts from every shortcake friend

strawberry pails and ribbon

strawberry shortcake favors and milk

strawberry scented candles

a shortcake hat and pink sequence on her shirt

strawberry lemonade

balloons

strawberry floats

fresh fruit everywhere

 we decorated strawberry shortcake houses

an idea i found under some strawberry shortcake searches

i had no idea how to make them

but then i remembered kasey's peep houses

and thought as long as she is okay with me using her idea

of how to make them

they will be perfect

and the kiddos will love to decorate them

and of course she was

i'm just thankful that madison's birthday is usually somewhere around easter

so it was so easy finding plenty of candies to decorate

for decorating the houses i made my favorite strawberry icing

{recipe to follow in another post}
but bobby constructed the houses using pre-made strawberry icing
since i was behind in making it the night before

purchased

strawberry marshmallows

mini marshmallows

skittles

jelly beans

and i had some extra edible flowers from hayley's birthday

i found strawberry stickers to place at the peak

and filled with edible colored easter grass

and found huge edible raspberries

{I used them as strawberries since they looked more like strawberries to me}

and placed those puppies inside the house

and there we had it

setting up the table for the kiddos to decorate was so much fun

of course both parties made shortcake houses

and there was waaaaay too many desserts

but i had to cover strawberry shortcake and all her friends

strawberry shortcake

plum pudding

blueberry muffin

orange blossom

lemon meringue

so here's a

weekend in pictures
{warning of a lot ahead...and it's only showing about 1/4 of what i took}

Strawberry Bliss

and dressing the part is Madison in her shortcake hat and strawberry shoes

for favors

i had pink and green pails

strawberry shortcake color book wrapped in strawberry ribbon

bug tattoos so the boys would have something not girlie

organic flavored suckers from trader joe's

organic strawberry milk

we'll start with desserts

plum pudding's chocolate cupcakes

{because I have no idea of any plum dessert}

orange blossom brownies

{recipe came from Lissa @ humble pie blog}

lemon meringue's lemon bars

{which is the only dessert i purchased...thank you trader joe's

because i can never cut my lemon bars as pretty as theirs}

blueberry's muffins

i just topped with vanilla bean icing and a cute blueberry

and strawberry shortcake's strawberry bliss cupcakes



for the drink menu for the kiddos

decorating the houses was so fun for all

i have a few left over houses so we can make a few more for easter

and of course some of the moms

seem to be in competition for creating "best house"

{smile}

three times of blowing out candles

two parties

and her actual birthday

and since i'm known to forget to take pictures of when guests are at my home

{because i get chatting...i always end up with decor and food pics}

so this time i made sure i got everyone in a couple of pics

the kiddos first...

and to me there is no setting up for a picture with that many kiddos

as long as they are all in it...i take the photo

and all of our adult friends in one pic

bobby's parents and my parents didn't want to be in the picture

they all sure were there to celebrate with us

just no photo:(

 because all six of us girls happened to be together

we have way too much fun together

and did a housewives pose

we chose lemons since i had a surplus from lemon meringue...

but i'm thinking we should have picked the plums instead

since of course oranges were out of the question since there is a housewives of orange county

lol

just too bad these pictures happened to be in my garage

{sigh}

I was dying about that fact

and my friends said "who cares?"

which is one of the reasons why i love them so much

and this birthday girl woke up to a very relaxing sunday

on her actual birthday

happy birthday sweet love

we were so appreciative of all friends and family that celebrated with us

we are so thankful to be surrounded by lots of love

five on april tenth

five years ago with an up and down not so fun delivery

we finally met our beautiful butterfly

Madison Ella

you arrived
with some of the strongest lungs they've heard
they said
but you had the longest eye lashes i had ever seen

i was completely in love with you

you had such beautiful petite features

and a full head of dark hair

that i just loved, loved!

after an hour or so after your birth
I was finally able to hold you

I didn't want to let you go

for anyone

even family

I wanted to cherish every single moment and study every single part on you

I think family had to remind me that they wanted to hold you too

there grew a special bond between both you and I
and Hayley and I...

with each pregnancy

 i had to have ultrasounds every 3-4 weeks

for various reasons

so the bond we had before you even arrived was so special

I wouldn't change our journey for you and hayley at all

it was all for a reason

but i still remember seeing you just 8 cells big

I was laying in the hospital room

just praying that this time was "the time" it was going to happen

Madison you are our miracle

you are such a blessing that we are so very thankful for

and when i woke up this past Sunday morning
~ your birthday ~

tears just welled up in my eyes

and i literally just cried

tears of happiness

joy

  thankfulness

and tears of just knowing i am always proud of you

i remember our journey for you so well

and I've tucked that back for many years

because when we were blessed with you

we just wanted to move forward

it became the past

and our present and future was with you

 the pain is just a distant memory

all thankfully behind us now

 yesterday you were five

and as daddy and I tucked you into bed last night

i remembered you were born about one hour and 20 minutes
before 8:45 pm

I cannot believe how quickly these past 5 years have gone by

I want to hold on tight and freeze time right now 

because i know it is going to fly by even faster

I'm so proud of you

for all that you are

and all that I see in you

for all that you have grown in just these past couple of months

with believing in yourself
having fun
and showing the "you" that we know well

as I'm typing right now

I'm thinking of the day when we found out
that we were pregnant

they warned us carefully that we were not out of the clear yet

but after three years

of things not working

I really knew you would and had to be okay

when my phone rang with them calling to give us the news
either way news

I was shaking

standing in our hallway

of our first home

 I had Bobby answer the phone because I couldn't...

 I may have been already crying with just the rush of feelings

daddy's eyes immediately welled up and a smile came across his face

 I immediately smiled after looking at him

Madison, we are so grateful for you

and so grateful that because of you

we were able to be blessed with Hayley twenty-three months later

five years later on April 10th

our little butterfly has grown up into a little girl

ready for kindergarten next year

{sigh}

you have always been so determined

focused

with every single thing you do

you have one of the biggest hearts i have ever known

kindness that is as sweet as can be

and a passion that radiates from your soul

you are the first to always offer me help

with anything and everything

and you do it with so much love

not too long ago...

Hayley was so tired and i was helping her brush her teeth

and I had just taken her sheets out of the dryer before her bedtime

and hadn't made her bed yet

i mentioned to hayley I would make her bed as soon as I was done helping her

I walked into hayley's bedroom

and you had already put her pillow and laid a blanket on Hayley's bed
for your sister

just because you wanted to help me
and do something nice for her

my heart just swelled with so much love and thankfulness

because Madison... you have such a joy when helping others

and helping your sister was the sweetest...

Madison

you 

inspire me to be better

every single day

your love language...

is definitely affirmation

and acts of service could be a close second

you are our butterfly that...

loves chocolate cupcakes/cake like her daddy

loves strawberries, oranges, and blackberries

fairy trees {broccoli and cauliflower}

"cacongos"
 {cacongos are coconut m &m's...but you call them "cacongos"}

 you love eating el fresco

 you love...

mahi mahi

gnocchi

{which you and Hayley call "p~nocchi"}

you love to help me decorate

and snuggle with me right before your bedtime

you love...

"Wednesday night" movie night

your family

friends

Jesus

Cadence

puzzles and games

you don't like to loose

especially when you and I race Daddy and Hayley into stores

{we usually always win...chuckle}
except when we lost "once"
you were not happy about that:)
neither was I:)

you are way too hard on yourself

very sensitive

loveable

stubborn

and super organized

you love to be a "fashionista"

{picking out/designing clothes}

you even dressed me for saturday before both of your birthday parties

you picked out my shoes and all my accessories

I think you could be my personal shopper 

you love white

your vintage chandelier in your bedroom

and vibrant colors

I always knew you would be a color girl

you love your sister

Hayley and you seem like long lost twins

as you two sometimes talk in your own language

you love, love the beach as much as we do

and you love to help me cook

 you usually have your foot stool by the counter

ready to help me

i love how silly you are in the car

and how you love to sing and dance to super fun songs with me

you are head over heals for Taylor Swift

and i cannot wait to surprise you this fall with her concert

I am so proud of you my sweet one

you are one of a kind

a little girl with such a big heart

Happy 5th Birthday

Madison Ella

we love you so much

xo

absence

it's spring weather...

finally!

these past couple of days

have just been wonderful!

i thought i would do a quick check-in with you all

i do apologize for not visiting anyone...

i've been without my computer for three days now

and it finally arrived this evening before i had to leave

so right now i'm a happy girl that i have it back

and i just wanted to send my hellos

it's really been creative for me to use my phone's internet

more difficult

so i just haven't done so...

and because my mobile blog reading doesn't work out either

because i can't view all the options on my phone

i haven't visited anyone

so i do apologize

i've just been knee deep in creatively working

and planning a couple birthday celebrations all in one day tomorrow

so i thought i'd leave you with

my crab apple tree blooming

which i am so excited about

because this is the first tree to make it in this certain spot in our yard

and it's gorgeous!

happy weekend everyone

i'll be back soon

once i can find some air

xo

a place of comfort...

this past weekend

I went to a retreat with some girlfriends

and it was one of my favorite weekends

it was full of laughs

tears

memories

 love and support

it was about

comfort

 acceptance

and growing

I am so thankful....so grateful

for an amazing weekend of acceptance

and love

their are no words

to describe

what those two days meant to me

color intervention

okay maybe this could be called

"a color and pattern intervention"

perhaps...

my good friend Julie came to stay with us during spring break

and that oh so nice to have her around all day

it's wonderful to have great friendships in my life
and I've known her since my junior year in high school
and she's a bestie!

I really think the girls wanted to trade me for her by the end of her stay

they had a blast

so we took it upon us to do some girl things

since Madison pointed out there was 5 girls in the house all at once

{including Cadence}

and that's pretty exciting to her

so Julie knew I was motivated this spring and summer to bring more

"color"

and

"patterns"

into my wardrobe...
and she's a color girl
so she happily helped

I honesty don't really buy much for myself very often

just a few things here and there

so I really did need to add a few things to my wardrobe

for work reasons

and just plain "feel good" reasons 

so I'm on a mission to buy more than gray, purple, blue, and brown

and if I do...

at least a buy it in a pattern...

not just solids

so now I'm wearing a bit more color

I found some of the best things

 at H&M

and Target

even though we didn't go to Target to buy clothes

we both ended up doing so:)

not a single thing was expensive that I purchased

which makes an anthro trip sometime this month all the more possible

according to Bobby

{ahem}

maybe 2 1/2 weeks possible I'm hoping

{wink, wink to the hubs on that one}

{hope he's actually paying attention to this post}

so anyway...

I thought I'd show you what we got

it's always more fun to shop with a girl friend anyway

especially if you are as indecisive as I am

getting yes/no responses is just so nice

compared to

thinking

"hmmm...

should I or shouldn't I?

what if I don't like it in a month?"

yada yada yada

okay so here are some things purchased

some of the colors scare me

but I am going to get back to color

and no I'm not showing them all on me

just this one:)

because if we are talking about wardrobe...

 it makes sense to actually show something worn, I guess...

which really isn't new

but anyway...

I was going to show this picture instead...

so I didn't have to show all of my face

but then I realized...

geez...

kind of shows my messy bedroom

I'm awful, awful at putting clothes away

the rest of the house is okay

it's my bedroom

{and the closet}

that is like a war zone

except for the bed

I always get the bed made

there's something about climbing into a bed

with cool sheets at night that is always nice

keeping up with laundry...

not so much

so just don't look too close to the clothes on the floor

k?

I found Miss Cadence snuggled up in her bed

she usually likes to pose for pictures

this one...

she wasn't so happy about

okay before I get sidetracked again

I'll show you what I have...

we have marigold yellow

yikes!

this dress was ordered

my heart literally raced when I clicked purchase

{not because of price but because of the color}

 I do have a pretty flower belt to go with the marigold dress

just forgot to put it around the dress for you all to see

so above we have prints, coral, vintage scarf,

and even a skirt

haven't bought a skirt in years

since I've been on the dress kick

so it's something new and fun for me

already had the belt

found the cutest shoes at H&M not pictured

so it was an easy outfit to create

it feels good to finally have some new additions to the closet

courtesy of a little intervention

{...ahem...help}

of a friend, mind you

but I'm following through with this mission

I want to do better at dressing how I feel 

which is a little bit more color

even though I love me some white and blues for my house and wardrobe

color just makes you feel good 

Madison was even so excited for me in the dressing room

she started getting into it

{because she is my color girl}

"mama...those shoes you are wearing today would match that dress"

as she brought them over to me so I could see in the mirror

I swear she could be my personal shopper!

it was a fun couple of days

we made it to the butterfly house

and absolutely loved it
had some wonderful food
enjoyed some wine together
and just plain relaxed too!

Hayley got a bick freaked out because of the amount of butterflies

especially after we told her one was on her back for quite some time

but it was beautiful inside with all the flowers and greenery

it has me looking forward to green grass, warm weather, and lots of outdoor enjoyment

thanks Julie for a great visit

I'm off tonight for a fun event tonight

and then spending the weekend with some wonderful girls at a retreat

I feel so thankful for all my great friendships

happy weekend to you all

xo