The Ladies Turn One! {Ava & Chloe's First Birthday Bash!}

The ladies are one, and we celebrated ladybug style! This was a super fun party to plan. It just had to be ladybug theme since the expression "The Ladies Are One!" is just too dang cute for twin girls, Ava and Chloe are referred to endearingly as the ladies, and Nana & Poppi call them the ladybugs. Sold. ;)

I felt like all I did was take pictures all day, but I still didn't get nearly all of the pictures I wanted to! I am so bummed I didn't get any of my girls with Santa Barbara family who came down, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles...grrrr. But, little ladies, you had many friends and family there celebrating with you, and they love you to pieces! (Please email me any phone or camera pictures you might have snapped of you at the party, especially you with my girls! Thanks! Would be awesome for the scrapbook.)

This is going to one long picture-filled post! Don't say I didn't warn you.

The dessert table filled with all sorts of sweet treats!

Yummy Rice Krispie Treats made by Laurie, tasty chocolate-covered polka dot Oreos made by my sis Julia, and adorable ladybug sugar cookies made by Maya!

Poor cupcake fell victim to Jake's sweet tooth. That little stinker couldn't help himself!

Check out those adorable smash cakes! They were just too cute to eat. Seriously, though...I just couldn't cut into them! Too precious. I'm thinking I've got to do a styled cake smash session or something with them. A fellow twin mom makes these amazing cakes. We're trading services, and I can't wait to take pictures of her four little ladies in July! If you need custom cakes, shoot me a line and I'll get you in touch with her. ;)

Good thing Auntie Maya entertained Jake for the day prior to the party, and Auntie Laurie and Cousin Maya came over to help make those time-consuming adorable ladybug favor bags. They were all set up and ready to go for the pinata!

These were dangling above the ladybug bags.

Here is a better look at them because the pictures were hard to see with the glare.

I filled a galvanized bucket with ladybug and butterfly wings my sweet friend Anna picked up for me from the Dollar Store. I attached the "Ladies & Bugs" sign I made, and kids were able to pick up the wings, wear them at the party, and take them home!

I made the "The Ladies Are One!" banner in Photoshop, and if you want to know how I made the "ONE" letters below the scrap banner, check out this post.

This was a fun little activity that kept the kiddos entertained! I saw something similar floating around on Pinterest, so when I spotted the ladybug magnifying glasses and mini shovels at the Target dollar spot, I thought it would be fun for the kids to dig for "bug" erasers.

Best fwends laughing about something!

I love baby feet, especially little Faith's toesies.

Love this picture of Grandpa Emmet and Chloe!

The girls certainly knew what to do with their cupcakes...they gobbled them up!

I love how Ava is trying to feed Brother some cupcake in this picture!

Toward the end of the party, we gathered around the kiddos to "show them something." They watched as Presley opened the lid to a container...filled with ladybugs! This ladybug release was so much fun! The kids loved seeing ALL of the ladybugs flying and crawling out onto their fingers, hair, feet, legs, everywhere. This was definitely neat for the kids, and now we have a whole bunch of ladybugs in our backyard protecting our roses. :)

My little ladies went down for a nap while the party carried on and the kids jumped in the bounce house and played on the playhouse swingset.

As the party started to wind down, Jake got to spend some time with his Santa Barbara cousins in the bounce house. I can almost hear their little giggles as I look at these pictures!

I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate our little ladies turning ONE! Ava & Chloe, we love you to the moon and back, and cannot wait to see what this next year brings!

Meal Planning Monday

I'm bringing it back: Meal Planning Mondays! I have a few awesome new recipes to share with you guys over the next few weeks, and while chatting with my friend Dianna {hey girl!} about--of course--food, and all-things-Trader-Joe's, she unintentionally lit a fire under me to get back to MPM's. So here we are!

MONDAY: Chinese Chicken Salad {one half of the kit from Coscto--just add lettuce. Can life get ANY easier?!}

TUESDAY: Grilled Chicken, Black Bean Salad

{This is a new spin on a black bean salad I've been making for years. I changed it up to use one of Trader Joe's awesome products--their "Corn & Chile Tomato-less Salsa." Rinse & drain a can of black beans, chop up a tomato or two, dice up an avocado or two, add some chopped cilantro if you've got some growing or in your fridge, and combine with half to a whole jar of the Corn & Chile salsa. Squeeze some fresh lime juice over the top. You can eat it right away, or let the flavors meddle together in the fridge for a while. You can thank me later when it hits your plate.}

Wednesday: Trader Joe's Brown Rice Penne Pasta with Creamy Marina and Ground Turkey

THURSDAY: Happy 4th of July, everyone!

We'll be spending the day at pool parties with family and friends, celebrating the birth of our great nation!

Happy cooking!

Letters to My Daughters {The Ladies Are One!}

My tiny little 4 lbs 13 oz and 5 lbs Ava and Chloe are ONE YEAR OLD TODAY! Happy, happy birthday my sweet girls! I have many goals as a parent. One of them, though, is that I hope I remind my children enough what a blessing they are to me and Danny! Over the last week I have worked on writing a letter to each of the girls, and I had the intention of posting the letters on this (poor, neglected) blog so that they'll NEVER be lost, thanks to the wonders of cyber-land. Sorry for the length, I just have so much to say to these two itty bitty beings that call me Mama.

My dearest Ava,

                I want you to know I am almost certain there has never, ever been a baby on Earth that is as happy as you are. You smile, and laugh, giggle, chuckle, and grin…then smile some more. Mommy, Daddy, Brother, & Sissy are so blessed to have your bright face lighting up day each and every one of our days. You know what else you do besides smiling? You twirl your toes. You love to sit on the floor, legs extended—sometimes in an almost-splits position—and twirl your feet around and around in circles. In opposite directions. We just can’t get enough of that!

                Aves, thank you for being such a perfect little observer. You love to stop and play with a toy, figure out how you want to play with it, pause to watch your brother run across the room and give him a smile as he flies by you, and concentrate back on what you’re playing with. When I watch you, I always feel like you enjoy life so much, all the wonders and joy that come with simply living. I want to thank you for that, because you calm me when I watch you peacefully play. It also makes me stop and reflect, and enjoy tiny little moments in my day. What a blessing you are!

                How special is it that you are a twin, a sister, a daughter, a niece, a granddaughter. You have so many wonderful people who love you so much in life! From the beginning of my pregnancy right up to the end, you were “Baby A.” I thought this would make you a determined little being, with a be-first attitude, but I was wrong. I think you were “Baby A” because you were meant to be the big sister by one whole minute. You wanted to venture out and make sure it was safe for your little sissy to come out into the world. I call you my Little Mama because love exudes from your sweet soul, and you were born a lover and a nurturer, happy and confident that life is good!

                This past year watching you grow has been an absolute joy. I loved seeing you learn to roll over, sit up, start crawling, now scurrying across the room, and pulling yourself up to stand on anything and anyone! Recently, you have become quite the talker, saying “Dada,” “Go!” and “Uh-oh.” Always with a smile. Remember the power of your smile, Ava…give it freely in life, because if your smile warms up another person’s day even a fraction of how it does mine and your daddy’s…well, then there are some lucky people in this world.

                I love you, I love you, I love you to the moon and back.

                                              Love,

                                            Mommy

My sweet little Chloe,

                I want you to know my heart melts every single time I walk into your room to get you from your crib and you smile your HUGE four-toothed grin. Sometimes you even say “Mama” after you smile at me—and then my heart just explodes. I look forward to getting you from your crib because these moments I get to have with you everyday makes me feel like the luckiest Mama in the whole world. Sometimes Sissy wakes you up when you’re not ready to get up yet…but you still always manage a smile.

                Chlo-Bear, you are so busy. You don’t ever stop, always on the move, constantly looking for the next source of entertainment. I love that go-getter attitude about you, it’s going to get you to amazing places in life, I am certain of that. It’s been so silly to see you speed crawl around the room, then start pulling yourself up and cruising around furniture, and balancing on your own and starting to take your first steps. In this past month, you have become a walker. An amazing walker, as you wander around on your own little adventures. I have had such joy watching you become so independent, although it tugs at my heart a little. It’s silly because you’re such a peanut! You just bounce around like it’s no big deal, but you look like a tiny little baby doing such grand things! I often wonder if I’ll always feel that way about you, seeing you as my itty bitty baby performing such amazing tasks in life.

                How special is it that you are a twin, a sister, a daughter, a niece, a granddaughter. You have so many wonderful people who love you so much in life! From the beginning of my pregnancy right up to the end, you were “Baby B.” As you floated above your sissy, you spent a lot of time flipping and turning around. It seemed like you were always in a new position every time I went in for an ultrasound! Your active little personality developed in the womb and is still with you today. You are the littlest in our family by one whole minute, and your need for snuggles and comfort from me throughout the day makes it seem perfect that you are my “youngest.” 

                I have to admit that I love that you need me. If I walk by you then it’s almost certain you will demand that I hold you, or hug you, or sit down to let you climb into my lap. I wish you could promise me you’ll always want to sit in my lap…but that would be silly, I know. Daddy and I have loved watching you grow this past year. We are so blessed to have you in our little family and to call you our daughter. Your determined attitude is such a gift, Chloe…remember the strength you have when you accomplish the things you want to. You have the power to be an amazing role model to those around you who might not be as strong as you are. One thing is for certain, Daddy and I are your biggest fans.

                I love you, I love you, I love you to the moon and back.

Love,
Mommy

Let's Play Catch-Up

Prior to yesterday's swim lesson post, I hadn't posted any pictures in far too long! I update my Facebook page with lots (and lots!) of pictures, I just haven't made it over here to the blog to post them yet. I'm basically just going to dump a whole bunch of photos on ya from the last few months.

I've had a blast honing my photography skills as I have started my Harley Jay Photography business. I'm so grateful to have three little subjects at my disposal to test out all sorts of new tricks and techniques. ;)

Here are some photos from February:

Checking out the elephants at the L.A. Zoo

Cracking each other up!

Valentine's Day!

Cousins :)

Ava hanging out with the big girls!

And some March favorites:

  

Celebrating Papa Bato's 60th Birthday

Watching cousin Brandon play in a high school baseball game

Testing out my Easter mini photo shoot set

A couple of days before Easter

Sorry for overloading you with pictures! But now we're all caught up. :) Hoping to keep updating the blog often from now on. 

Jake's First Swim Lesson

Jake is getting to be such a big boy! He'll be 2 1/2 on Sunday. Taking him to swim lessons today reminded me how big he's getting and how fast it's going. Danny and I were tripping all night over the fact that he's in swim lessons, talking so much, growing taller, counting...someone make him stop growing right now.

Back to the purpose of this post: his first swim lesson was today! We signed him up at Water Safe Swim School in Seal Beach, and he'll be going once a week. We arrived a little early, and Jake sat on the bench nervously watching the kids swim in the pool. He looks a little skeptical in this picture:

There is a little sectioned off area where kids can play on the steps while they wait for the instructor to start their lesson, but Jake did not want to join them. When it was time for Jake's lesson to start, Mr. Geoff helped him into the water and that's when the wailing began! He basically cried for the next 15 minutes straight. 

His instructor was great with him, though! Would continue on with the lesson, having him dunk underwater, trying different toys to engage him, teaching Jake to hold onto the railing on the little floating platforms scattered around the pool. Jake was terrified every time Mr. Geoff let him go, he wanted him to hold him the whole time. Towards the end, the instructor just held Jake, told him to "hug" him, and Jake calmed down and rested his head on Mr. Geoff's shoulder. They floated around in the pool like that for several minutes, and soon Jake was giving him high fives and giving half smiles. When it was time for Jake to get on the floating device, he happily got on and kicked his legs as they swam towards me and the girls on the pool deck.

See? No more tears!

Jake LOVES the water, but his reaction today didn't surprise me. It takes my boy a long time to get used to new things, but I know sooner than later he'll be hopping in that pool and eager to learn.

My Little Lovebugs

Valentine's Day isn't for a couple more weeks, but I couldn't resist taking some themed pictures of the kiddos. I had way too much fun planning the girls' pictures! Those tutus were NOT as easy to make as the tutorial I found via Pinterest told me they would be. I'm thinking because it's tiring having to make two of everything. ;)