A Virginia Thanksgiving

We were blessed to get to go to Virginia, where my parents live, to celebrate Thanksgiving.  It was such a special trip!  Our Thanksgiving was great- my mom is such an amazing cook!  We also threw some Ice Skating in, in between eating and watching football/the parade.  I LOVE going to that place this time of year.  It was Tony and my fourth time... I love going with him because it was the first place he ever ice skated and the first place we ever ice skated together.  Come to think of it I think it's the ONLY place we've ever ice skated at all since we've been married.  I'm glad I got to be his first ice skating partner (:

When we first got to Virginia I saw that my mom had made some candy turkeys.  She got the idea from the elementary school she works at.  What a fun thing to make with kids, right?!  Then she got the idea to make them our place settings so all three of us (oh, Brody too) made some more one night but changed them up a bit... then I got the idea to make name tags to go with them to put at our seat.  I really like how I wrote out the names.  If only I could make it a font, right? :p

They are m&m's, whoppers, reeses, cut up candy corn, oreos & glued together with frosting.  Entirely edible!  I didn't exactly feel like eating that thing but Brody liked it! ha.  The original idea was using candy corn for the feathers but we thought M&M's would taste a whole lot better.

B wouldn't go by himself.  Refused to exert any kind of energy.  So we broke our backs to push him.  Eh, he's worth it (:

When we made him ditch the bucket and try to skate normally he was... um...

We got two free hot chocolates since the lady made Brody's normal temp rather than "kid temperature".  Not bad.

Now bring on Christmas!

Hyrum's Monster First Birthday Party

A couple Saturdays ago, the 12th, we threw a party to celebrate Hyrum's first birthday!  I was actually tossing with the idea to even have one... part of me was sad to think about it, to think about all our family who wouldn't be there.  I also thought, he's pretty young, he's not going to remember if we do or not.  But I think a first birthday is very special... and I wanted to celebrate it!  We had a party for Brody's first- even though our budget back then was super tight and I didn't get to do much.  So I had to have one for Hyrum, as well.  I'm so glad I did- it was a very special time.

I had planned it for months... I googled first birthday themes for ideas and was drawn to a "monster" theme.  I was initially going to put on the invite "Our little monster is one!"  Or something like that.  But I just couldn't bring myself to say that because Hyrum is far to sweet for that;)  So here's the invite we had (I moved the party time up since we didn't have dinner... lame, I know :p ...

I just wrote it out, used stamps, and drew the monster.  Good enough.  So, I ran into a party online that someone threw and got the idea to make little monsters for my guests to take home.  Those took some time.  I started making them a month ago and made a few here and there until the night before. haha.  It wasn't bad though- I just have never made anything like that before and sorta just winged it.  I didn't make a template at first to trace their shapes and my first batch were all... special... with one leg or arm longer than the other- or one fat, one skinny.  Haha.  Templates, people.  I kinda liked them weird looking though.  They're monsters, right?  My kids are in LOVE with them. (Patting myself on the back as we speak)

Everything else just sorta evolved- like the pom pom garland happened with the scraps left over from my monster fabric, I already had the crepe paper & balloons left over from Tony's birthday this year.  I also used the leftover party hats no one used from Brody's 3rd birthday earlier this year and decorated them to match my theme.  As far as food (aka "monster munchies"... as I called them...)- we had a Nacho bar, drinks, layered jello in the colors of his party (green, blue, & purple) and limeaid (had to be green), and of course vanilla MONSTER cupcakes & chocolate cupcakes.  I'm sad though- I forgot to put out my green and purple grapes!  What kind of hostess am I!?  ha ha.  (No seriously it bugs me that I forgot.  Weirdo.)

It was so fun to put together!  Took lots of man hours for the decorating, though.  I have fun doing it (:  Enjoy some pictures I got of it...

We had several left over (I over planned slightly haha) and so here are some of the leftover monsters.  Not my best ones but you get the idea:)

I thought it would be fun to do a banner of his growth month to month (not to scale though fyi;)  And I put 1 month, 2 month, etc... and then had him sit under it wearing his 12 month hat!  I actually was super proud how that turned out.  I came up with that little saying on the chalkboard & I liked it.  :)

Thank you all so much for coming! Including Laura, Kailee, Lindsey, and Corissa!  (And all your families.)  Hyrum's party wouldn't have been the same without you.
And a couple more of mom and the big one year old....

If you can't tell by the millions of kisses I give you everyday, the squeezes, and tickles... that means I love you so much.  You are truly a blessing in all of our lives, H.  I love you.