**EDIT** Hi ya'll - guess what, I haven't died. I also had some partial posts. So now Andrew is almost 3....I'm mostly just gonna slap some pictures on here and forget about writing more. We are sooo behind ;)
You know, Walmart has some decent party supplies. I got a cute rainbow garland there for Henlie's second birthday, and then we found some awesome decor to go with Andrew's vintage space themed party. It makes me happy. But first, the invitation!
Okay, so Andrew's party theme was inspired by Owl City's song Alligator Sky. The video is whimsical with very vintage space influences. When I was pregnant with Henlie, I wanted this to be the theme if I had a boy. Well, she wasn't, but my hopes didn't change when Andrew came around :)
Those rocket drinks? They're actually pretty gross.
Shoutout to my aunt Koreen for making Andrew's cake!
Andrew shared his cake.
03 01 16 - Teddy bear love
03 02 16 - Andrew getting teeth!
03 02 16 - Andrew getting teeth!
03 02 16 - Piano duet. Henlie wanted to go through the songs in the Children's Songbook and sing them all. Well, all the ones with pictures anyway. :)
03 03 16 - Henlie wearing her Peru hoodie.
03 03 16 - Watching Sis play at the playground.
03 03 16 - nap time!
03 05 16 - Matt's cousin Josie was baptized. This is at the luncheon afterward.
Henlie naturally chose the pink table for us to sit at :)
03 06 16 - Me and my little Guy.
03 08 16 - Andrew got my phone and took a picture :)
03 12 16 - Andrew is also booking my social events now. lol
03 13 16 - Watching something on the computer together.
03 14 16 - Daddy found a snuggle-bug. :)
03 05 16 - Matt's cousin Josie was baptized. This is at the luncheon afterward.
Henlie naturally chose the pink table for us to sit at :)
03 06 16 - Me and my little Guy.
03 08 16 - Andrew got my phone and took a picture :)
03 12 16 - Andrew is also booking my social events now. lol
03 13 16 - Watching something on the computer together.
03 14 16 - Daddy found a snuggle-bug. :)
I used a new-to-me photographer for Andrew's 1 year photos, and I'm in LOVE! Jennifer of J.Lyn Fotos is freaking amazing, reasonably priced, laid-back, and the FASTEST turnaround time in the history of ever. (Heads-up, her business Facebook doesn't have anything from this year posted. She basically just puts teasers up on her personal page. Both are linked.) She does all sorts of photos, but I'd seen thousands of cake smashes of hers and opted to message her. She's a freaking cake smash pro, guys! Seriously, I can't sing her praises highly enough. Anyway, here are some shots from Andrew's session.
Obviously I took this during the shoot, but her setup was so fantastic that even my phone camera got some great shots with no edits at all :)
Also, at the time, she had purple hair. Awesome!
Shout-out to my aunt, Koreen, who did Andrew's cake.
Left: Pinspiration, Right: Koreen's cake.
Fabulous.
Some pre-cake cuteness.
She also gave me this in a black and white, which I totally framed for his room. LOVE it :) And I'm picky when it comes to B&Ws :)
I love that she had a little bench. Henlie had some with her Piglet on a bench at her 1 year photos, and now Andrew has some on a little bench with his Osito. Not planned, but totally cool :)
And this is the one hanging in the living room :)
Cake, pre-smash :)
"What is this?"
Jen and I were talking while we were waiting for Koreen to bring the cake and I predicted Andrew would have no issues with cake smashing. My boy proved me right. He dug in :)
I absolutely LOVE that she captured this. I was just swinging the rocket back around for better pictures, and he nommed it. Jen was awesome and got the shot :)
mmm those baby blues :)
I think the cake was definitely a "smash." ;)
Koreen opted for a smoothing buttercream. It was her first time doing it. I think she nailed it. She wanted it to be yummy and to make a bigger mess haha. Andrew was definitely a fan. The cake was a little dense for him to actually dig into, but he enjoyed his frosting all the same.
Also, you can see the progression of his tie. That frosting had a lot of fats in it. I tried hand washing it with laundry detergent, but it was still very oily. Next, dish soap. Dish soap is the answer, my friends. The tie is like new again. :)
Shout-out to Littlest Prince Couture, where I found his tie. LOVE them. I've also since bought him a long-sleeve onesie there, and it's great. (No, I'm not compensated by them, I just really appreciated their selection, quality, and everything, so go check them out! Also, join their birthday club, and your little prince can get a free tie for his b-day!)
It was a truly great experience. Henlie played with Jen's daughters while we were taking Andrew's pictures. Jennifer was amazing to work with. And seriously, the FASTEST turn around time ever! Plus, I love her editing. I can't say that about a lot of photogs these days. (Sorry, I like bright and vibrant, not the faded vintage-y look that seems super popular. Though I'm sure she'd do that for you too if you wanted!) So, big thanks to Jennifer!
02 16 16 - Henlie's coloring skills just keep improving, even in the tub!
02 16 16 - Baby bum is just so cute :)
02 17 16 - It was sort of a warm day, although there was snow on the ground. We went to play on the playground for a bit anyway :)
02 17 16 - Andrew and Mommy watching Sis play.
02 17 16 - Grandma and Andrew at Brian and Melody's house for Grandpa's wake.
02 17 16 - Henlie and Leia are silly.
02 19 16 - We went to our ward playgroup. They painted pictures and played with hula hoops.
02 19 16 - Andrew ended up with two hula hoops.
02 20 16 - Out walking the puppy with Dad and Sis.
02 20 16 - Out walking the puppy with Dad and Sis.
02 21 16 - Munchkin loves shoes.
02 26 16 - Daddy bringing Andrew inside when it started to get dark.
02 26 16 - My happy little family :)
02 27 16 - We went on our annual sibling date to Olive Garden. Mom always puts a gift card in our stockings. This year, most of us qualify for it (usually it went to the married kids, although Michelle and Braden got to join us too :) And then McKade came as well haha) We had to schedule it out two months so everyone could make it!
Here, I'm in my Peru jacket and Andrew is wearing his Peru La U bib.
02 27 16 - Then Andrew got to hang out with Aunt Kayla :)
02 26 16 - Daddy bringing Andrew inside when it started to get dark.
02 26 16 - My happy little family :)
02 27 16 - We went on our annual sibling date to Olive Garden. Mom always puts a gift card in our stockings. This year, most of us qualify for it (usually it went to the married kids, although Michelle and Braden got to join us too :) And then McKade came as well haha) We had to schedule it out two months so everyone could make it!
Here, I'm in my Peru jacket and Andrew is wearing his Peru La U bib.
02 27 16 - Then Andrew got to hang out with Aunt Kayla :)
02 27 16 - Mom graciously watched the older kids while we went out to eat.
02 28 16 - We visited Aunt Lynell and Uncle John. Henlie wanted to play the Dot game. Apparently that means Twister. (Thanks for taking the pic, Kayla!)
02 01 16 - Andrew was watching Sis at lunch and thought she was so funny :)
He really loves her :)
02 01 16 - Andrew started playing with the string....and then Munchkin thought he should play with the string.
02 01 16 - I try to work out and shower while Andrew is napping because it is so much easier. This day, while I was getting ready after my shower, I heard Andrew wake up and start fussing, but then he stopped. So I finished getting ready and then went to check on him. I found Munchkin had joined him in the crib. No wonder he stopped crying. He loves Munchkin!
02 02 16 - Andrew standing up leaning on Daddy's drum case. He loved playing with the handle.
Also, the middle and right pictures are because of Andrew's fun expressions :)
02 02 16 - Andrew standing up leaning on Daddy's drum case. He loved playing with the handle.
Also, the middle and right pictures are because of Andrew's fun expressions :)
02 05 16 - They like books.
02 06 16 - Andrew's first time sitting in the shopping cart!
Henlie wanted to push.
02 07 16 - Parallel napping. Literally.
02 07 16 - More napping. Must have been a lazy Sunday at our house :)
02 08 16 - Henlie decided she wanted ballet lessons, and I told her she had to be completely potty trained before that could happen. Turns out, that was the motivation she needed. So we started potty training (again) in earnest. Here she is showing off her first successful sticker earned :)
02 09 16 - Munchkin always must be at my head. This day, he jumped on the office chair and was snuggling me.
02 11 16 - Mommy had to vacuum, but Andrew didn't want to be put down at all. Time to break out the wrap!
02 12 16 - It was really cold and frost covered everything. I thought the shingles of the carports almost looked like they were painted on.
02 12 16 - Andrew trying to eat his roll. Never mind he had no teeth...
02 12 16 - She put on my shoes and decided they were toe-shoes. Here's an action shot.
02 13 16 - They're sitting the same way haha
02 15 16 - 11 months old!
02 15 16 - 11 months old, still! ;)
02 15 16 - So cute!
02 15 16 - Daddy napping while the kids "read" books.
