A Butterfly Birthday Party

Hadassah had her second birthday two weeks ago,

and was it ever a fun celebration!!

She woke up from a nap to a wonderful birthday surprise; her first-ever horsie ride with Aunt Kyra!

Can you see how thrilled she is?!

I may be biased, but I think she has the coolest aunties & uncles ever!

Let's not forget the grandpas & grandmas too!!

Is this not a dream come true for most little girls?

I almost wish I could be two again...almost!

I was glad to see that we got a family photo and everyone in it looks reasonably happy.

Score!!

I decided to go with a butterfly theme, since she's been fascinated with them this summer.

To add interest, I cut out butterfly shapes from red & turquoise cardstock and glued them to fishing line,

which I hung from the chandelier I upcycled from her 1st birthday party!

Red grape kabobs were a win/win, since they are a favorite of the little lady and gave a pop of color!

We added blue kool-aid to lemonade, and it turned into a lovely shade of turquoise!! 

My sweet sister made some delicious strawberry cupcakes for us when Nicholas was born, and I knew they would be perfect for a birthday party. 

I made a buttercream icing {my favorite!} and then broke yogurt-covered pretzels in half to make the butterfly wings, with red licorice as antenna. How cute are they?!

An old red chair {that is still waiting to be recovered!} served as the perfect spot for the gifts.

And I painted a sign thanking the guests for "fluttering by"!

Hadassah had a blast opening up presents and enjoying them with her little friends!

There were plenty of hugs to go around!!

 They all had fun playing with her new kitchen!

And Grandpa got her the fun headband :)

She's two...going on 16! At least, that's what she's been saying she is.

And when she was asked what she wanted for her birthday, her response was "a car!!"

Now, she says she's "three bunny ears!"

We're slowly getting closer to the actual age;

hopefully she'll get it figured out by the time she turns 3!

She's turned our worlds upside-down

and given us so much to laugh about!

We love you, Hadassah Jo...

Happy birthday!!!

Milestones.

I had a birthday last week, a milestone, if you will:

I reached the big 3-0!!!

It's funny, really, because just a few years ago I looked at the thirty-year-olds with a sense of pity,

feeling sorry for them and how old they were!

I guess I didn't realize how quickly that would be me.

 But now that I'm here,

I can't say it's all that bad!

Being 30 is a reason to celebrate, right?! 

My husband treated me to a night out at the local Chop & Grill House.

It was exquisite,

in every sense of the word! [including the bill!!]

But I enjoyed being spoiled,

since I'll only be 30 once!

The girls took me to Charlottesville,

for a wonderful girls' night out!

The best part was just getting a evening away without the distraction of little ones.

I felt as carefree as a teenager!

But in the last few weeks, I've also done a lot of reflecting,

about where I've been...and where I'm headed.

The 20's were a whirlwind, full of adventure and change!

I traveled to 6 different countries,

fell in love and got married,

moved to a different state,

and had 2 beautiful babies!

 // Looking Back //

I've experienced so many new things,

from learning how to cook meals for a harvest crew 

to figuring out how to keep two babies happy in a shopping cart!

I've changed.

I've grown.

And I'm living the life I dreamed of; the wife of a man that loves me

and a mother to my sweet kiddos!

I'm so blessed.

It was so good to be reminded of that,

because the reality is that "living the dream" looks different in real life!

Seriously.

I pictured a blissful marriage, perfect kids and an all-around "happily-ever-after"!!

Then life happened :)

And I'm learning that it doesn't need to be perfect

to be a dream come true.

// Looking Forward //

I want to be more intentional in my relationships

and show those I love how much they mean to me!

I want to invest the best of myself 

into my husband and my children.

They are the most precious gift I've been given.

I want to slow down,

and savor each moment,

remembering that the future is now!

Because, before I know it,

the 30's will be what the 20's are...

a sweet memory.

Peach-Apricot Jam

With a newborn baby in the house, and no garden planted [aka: no weeds to pull...yay!], I didn't have high aspirations for canning this year. But since I have a kind MIL who has a great canning setup [and the help to go along with it!], my freezer is stocked with sweet corn and the shelves are full of beans, salsa and pizza sauce.
Canning, in itself, has never been my job of choice. I distinctly recall making loud statements about how I would never do canning when I grew up! My wise mother calmly responded that I didn't need to when I had my own home. Of course, that all changed when it was my home and responsibility!
Even though I don't always love the process, I appreciate the results and hope to one day teach my daughter to do it as well. I can only hope she is smarter than I was!
When I had an abundance of ripe peaches to use last week, I decided to try making some peach jam. Peaches are one of my favorite fruits and this jam didn't disappoint! The apricot flavor complimented the peaches beautifully and the recipe was easy to prepare.

Peach-Apricot Jam

6 cups crushed peaches

6 cups sugar

2 cups crushed pineapple

Combine in saucepan and cook 20 minutes.

1 (3 oz) pkg apricot jello

1 (1 3/4 oz) pkg Sure Jell

Add, and cook 2 minutes, Pour into jars and seal.

Now I need to make some homemade bread to put the jam on...yummy! What's your favorite jam?

Baby N Photo Shoot

Photo credit: Sarjha Photography

Nicholas.

He's pretty much the center of our universe right now...

besides his big sister, of course! :)

This little man is so much fun to snuggle with.

I could hold him for hours...

if I had no washing, cleaning or cooking to do!

Baby fingers.

Perfection.

Is there anything cuter?

Well, possibly baby toes!

I couldn't decide which of these was my favorite, 

so I'm posting all of the ones I loved!

Is that a hint of a smile?

He's been blessing us with a few of those on a more daily basis.

They melt my heart!

Oh, baby...

stay little for just a while longer!

These moments go by too quickly.

But, if you decide to sleep through the night when you get a little bigger, 

I won't complain either!

This man amazes me.

He loves his children passionately!

I am so thankful for him, and the wonderful papa he is.

Having two littles to take care of has stretched me.

I knew it would be more work,

and it has been.

Some days, I feel like a 10 minute job takes two hours!

Then on other days, I get so much accomplished that I feel like anything is possible. 

(Hormones, yes??!!)

And of course, it takes twice as long to get out the door as it did before.

Why can I never remember this?

There are moments I feel totally overwhelmed,

but most of the time,

I just feel incredibly blessed.

There is nothing in the world I would rather be

than a mommy!

And then there was TWO!!

Introducing

Nicholas Edward Showalter

our precious baby boy!!!

{Stats}

DOB: June 20 at 3:33 AM

Weight: 8 lbs 5 oz

Length: 19 1/2"

Disposition: contented and relaxed

Hadassah adores her baby brother, and considers it her responsibility to push him in his swing, keep his pacifier in his mouth and entertain him when Mommy is changing his diaper!

We are all in love with our little man,

and are so thankful for this precious gift from God!

Found Treasures

I heart a good bargain!

Whether I stumble across it at Goodwill or a yardsale,

there's a certain thrill I get when I find a treasure.

You know what I'm talking about, dontcha?

I've been on the look-out for a stool in the kitchen so I snatched up this little wooden one when I saw it at a yard sale! Turns out, it's perfect for Hadassah to push around the kitchen. Since she loves washing dishes so much, she stands on it beside me at the sink. She was even hoping I would let her spray it with cleaner today! :) I've tossed around the idea of painting it, but I rather like it unfinished at this point. What do you think?

I scored the antique mirror at a thrift store not so long ago with the intent to put it in Hadassah's big-girl room, but realized it completed my mantle even better! Some day, I shall buy me a starburst mirror - or something equally dramatic - but this is fine for now. I thought about painting it but decided I really like the finish.

I have a minor obsession with antique bottles and I couldn't resist picking up these two when I found them at a yard sale this weekend! I love the tomato design on the side of the bottle on the right. They're hanging out in my kitchen and make me happy!

I'm anxious to show you some of the items I've been collecting for Hadassah's big-girl room! This project is probably my favorite to date :) 

What treasures have you been finding?

7 Things My Daughter Taught Me

Celebrating another Mother's Day a week ago reminded me again of the precious gift I've been given...the gift of motherhood!!! The past 20 months as a mommy have taught me so much, but I have no doubt that I will learn far more in the next 20 years! As I thought about this journey, there are 7 things in particular that I am learning as a mother.

1. Live in the Moment.  There's always a list of things that need to be done, projects I want to complete and places I need to go, but Hadassah will only be little once! I try to remind myself of that when she wants me to read her a story or take her to see the horses. This moment will pass; be all there!!

2. Encourage Learning. My mom was an excellent teacher, and did such a good job of allowing us children to work alongside her, washing dishes and hanging up clothes on a short little line. Hadassah is such a good worker {at this stage!} and loves to "help" clean. When I wash dishes, she wants to be right beside me, and makes such a mess!! It's rather frustrating and sometimes I wish she'd just play, but she is learning in spite of the messes she makes!

3. Be Consistent. This one has honestly been so hard for me! When Hadassah is misbehaving and needs some discipline, but I'm too busy {or just don't feel like dealing with the storm that follows} it's easy to just ignore the situation. But I've been challenged that the patterns I establish now will be much harder to break in the future.  That has motivated me like nothing else!  

4. Praise frequently. Since words of affirmation are one of my love languages, this probably comes more easily for me! Regardless, I believe it is important to recognize and praise your child for their achievements. There is nothing quite like a positive word to motivate good habits.

 

5. Trust your instincts. As a newbie in this role, it's easy to second-guess myself...whether it's determining how soon to wean her from her bottle, how long to let her cry or knowing when to discipline. I so much appreciate getting advice from other moms, but sometimes you just have to trust your intuition. No one else knows your child like you do!

6. Accept help. Moment of confession: this is NOT easy for me to do! I mean, I should be able to do this on my own, right?! Yes, it's my job and most days I can and should be in charge of my child, but there are times we all need a break! If a friend or family member offers to give you one, take it. {I shall do my best to remember this when #2 joins the family! ha}

7. Pray daily. There have been so many moments when I seriously had no clue what to do next as a mom, and I just cried out to God for wisdom. And I can say that He's been faithful in giving it! I hear parents say that it will only get more difficult as they grow older, so why not get in the habit of depending on Him now?!

So there you have it: my top 7! But I know there are far more you might add: what are you learning/have you learned as a parent? I'd love to hear!!