Wordless Wednesday: 365 Days of Angelica May 25 - May 31 {Linky}

May 25, 2011

May 26, 2011

May 27, 2011

May 28, 2011

May 29, 2011 - Angelica's Birthday

May 30, 2011

May 31, 2011

(Days you may have missed: 365 Days of Angelica project.)

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out The Life of Rylie...and Bryce Too!, The Florida Hogans, and Shibley Smiles!

Free 8x10 Canvas from The Canvas People - Great Father's Day Idea

The Canvas People has a GREAT sale going on right now. You can get an 8x10 canvas for FREE, all you have to pay for is shipping! This would make a great Father's Day gift idea...and Father's Day is just a few weeks away!

Tell Us Something Good - Angelica's Birthday

<a href="http://jellybean529.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gu5_FVUWDiU/TbOiTxKXERI/AAAAAAAADyQ/xx_xAhBhkHE/s200/somethinggood.jpg" alt="Angelica's Awesome Adventures" width="150" /></a>

It's Tuesday! Come tell us something GOOD that's going on in your life this week! The rules are easy...just make a post on your blog about something that made you smile this week, then come back and add YOUR "Tell Us Something Good" post to the linky below! If you want to share the button, you can grab it from the box at the top of this post too.


This will be the LAST post about Angelica's birthday, I swear!

In case you hadn't heard (LOL), Angelica turned three on Sunday! The day started off great. Scott got up early to run out and grab some wrapping paper, since I ran out the night before, and he quickly finished wrapping her presents. Then we went in to wake her up, and she lept up out of bed and hugged us both...we said "Happy Birthday Angelica!" and she said, "YAY, I'm THREE!"

So we headed out to the living room, and the first thing she noticed was that I had replaced the cover on her PBK Anywhere Chair...and said, "Ooh, Mommy, did you got me a new chair?" The old one had been stained, faded, colored on and torn and it broke my heart. She got it for her first birthday and it was sad to have to say goodbye to it (well, I guess we're not really saying "goodbye"... I'm saving it as a "spare"...) but she LOVES her new one!

Then she got right to opening her other presents. (Not pictured: a Disney Princess sandbox, because she wasn't too into it when she first saw it...but she played in it today and LOVED IT.) I think her favorite is her Disney Princess scooter though! Good call by Scott, who picked that out for her.

(Also not pictured, some other gifts that I ordered that HAVE NOT YET ARRIVED. Grr, I replaced her Dora bedding, got her a ladybug swimsuit, and a couple of cute handmade dresses and shirts. They're on their way though...hopefully they'll be here tomorrow!)

We took a trip to the park in the afternoon for her third birthday photos. (Click that link in case you missed that post! The pictures came out great, and as always, there's a story behind them...)

Finally, we went to a barbeque for the parents of kids 4 and under from our church. It was SO much fun! The kids were all running around, splashing in the wading pool, swinging, and generally entertaining each other so the adults could sit and chat.

We brought a cake for Angelica to the barbeque that should pretty much have wound up on Cake Wrecks. The guy at the bakery wrote what was asked him too, and then he was like..."I'm not as good as the ladies, but will this do?" At that point, we were glad for ANY cake. You see, Scott had stayed up until 2 AM trying to make her a cake. He burned the first one, so he switched to cupcakes and made a second batch. The cupcakes looked AMAZING, but when we opened them the next morning to decorate them, the inside of the container had turned into ant city. Not cool. But hey, at least we had cake!

Angelica had such a blast that by the time we got home, she was sound asleep...

She had such a wonderful birthday! I am so proud of her.

---

Link up below with me and LeeAnn from The Life of Rylie...and Bryce Too! Let's spread the joy!

*Please note: This linky is only for those participating in Tell Us Something Good. You are welcome to link up a recent post about something good in your life, we just ask that you include the Tell Us Something Good badge somewhere in your post. We hate to have "rules", but we want to be fair to those that are participating. Thank you for understanding.*

McFatty Monday: Memorial Day Edition

It's Memorial Day! I'm enjoying a day off of work today by spending time playing with my little big girl, but she's taking a "quiet break" (since she never naps at home) and I'm taking a blog break.

Today's weigh in: 256.8.

Three days ago, my first Nutrisystem order arrived. I decided, in a fit of desperation, that I needed to try SOMETHING new, since the I hit 257 again last week and it was disappointing and depressing.

So I ordered Nutrisystem's women's vegetarian plan, and so far I AM LOVING IT.

After the first day, I had already lost a pound. I, of course, cheated yesterday -- intentionally, because of Angelica's birthday. I had some birthday cake, which probably accounts for the little bit of weight that crept back on. But, today, I'm right back on the bandwagon.

I am LOVING it so far, by the way. This is, by far, the easiest "diet" plan I have ever started. You get your Nutrisystem food, pick out your extras (fruit, veggies, proteins and carbs) and your meals are pretty much planned for you. And I have had ZERO issues with being hungry...all at about 1500 calories a day. I am excited to see where things go over the next week.

And that's really all there is to this week, because I am expecting GOOD things next week!

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by Nutrisystem. I'm simply following the plan on my own, of my own choosing, and I am in no way affiliated with Nutrisystem other than as a customer. Please check with your doctor before starting a diet, exercise, or weight-loss program to make sure it's the right one for you.

Angelica's Three Year Photo Session

Today was Angelica's birthday, and to commemorate the occasion, I did a photo session! The tutu and barrette in these photos are courtesy of Sweet Lily Tutus (on Etsy) via a giveaway I won. The embroidered shirt is from on Bowdaciousbaby on Etsy. Boots are a recent win on Ebay. Not the shoes I planned for her to wear, but Angelica's got an independent streak that won't quit...and I thought it looked really cute once I saw them on her.

Funny story about the balloons. Total balloons purchased for this photo session: four. Total balloons actually making it into the photos: two. Initially, I bought three, but one flew away as soon as I walked out of the grocery store, so I ran back in and bought another. Then, as we were walking to the spot where we took the photos, a purple one spontaneously combusted. So then we were down to two.

Also, I orignally picked a different park to do the photos at...and as soon as we pulled in and parked, Angelica burst into tears and said she really wanted to go to a different park. Being her birthday and all, I scrapped my plans and we went where she wanted to go. I think it was a good thing. The lighting in the spot we took these photos was absolutely perfect.

Here are some samples from the collection of photos of my beautiful three year old girl.

How a Vegetarian Does Memorial Day

Memorial Day Sale!

---

Someone asked me the other day what I plan to do for Memorial Day, since I'm a vegetarian and all. It's a valid question. Being a holiday that's synonymous with barbeque, it's relevant to question what a veggie chick does for food while her carnivorous friends are downing gobs of animal flesh. (I'm saying that with a bit of sarcasm. I still love you, my meat-eating friends!)

I wish I had some groundbreaking answer, but the truth is, it's simple. I'll be enjoying some barbeque, veggie-burger style. Yes, friends, you can put those Boca or MorningStar Farms burgers right there on the grill, next to your friend's hamburger. (If you're a more sensitive veggie, make sure to put your burger on foil so it doesn't touch the meat juice!)

Fortunately, the barbeque we're going to is at the house of a friend who is also vegetarian, so I will not be short on company!

We'll also be wrapping up the evening with some cupcakes to celebrate Angelica's birthday. Her official party isn't until next weekend, but it'll be nice...and I know she'll be excited :)

Hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend! And keep our vets in mind...give them some gratitude, and hold in your heart the families who are missing a loved one who is no longer with them.

Three.

It's after midnight here, so I can officially wish my precious baby a happy THIRD birthday.

We celebrated her last day of the "terrible" twos in style. We spent the morning at a local indoor playground that Angelica LOVES. I pretty much made her day by buying her an adorable handmade ladybug hair clip in the shop. We went grocery shopping and I treated her to a cookie and small bag of candy. We visited with her cousins, who came to play in her splash pool.

I'll have a whole post dedicated to her third birthday  soon, but I didn't want today to go by without acknowledging that three years ago today -- the day she came into this world, showing her fiery personality and zest for life by screaming her head off before she was even fully out of the womb -- was the best day of my life. And every second of every minute of every day since then has been completely and totally worth it.  Life has not been the same at all since the day she was born, and I would not change a thing.

Happy birthday, Angelica. Mommy and Daddy love you more than words can say.

Angelica's 3 Year School Portraits

I can hardly believe how grown up she looks...

Tomorrow she'll be three. That means three years ago today...at 6:30 PM...we were headed to the hospital. She was born 25 hours, 1 minute later.

This girl makes me so proud.

(Photos copyright Nationwide Studios. I was provided with a copyright release to share. Please do not copy.)

Five Question Friday - May 27, 2011

Happy Friday! I'm hoping that most of my working mom and dad friends are gearing up for a three day weekend. This one is particularly special to us because Angelica will be turning THREE this weekend. My little girl is growing up!

As a baby, she was nicknamed "superbaby" by some of my friends and her daycare teachers because of how quickly she learned. She was crawling around four or five months, walking by nine and a half and had about 25 words at a year old. (Yes, I'm bragging. I'm a proud mama!) Well, last night she held true to her superbaby status (well, now she's probably superKID) and has offically learned to READ her first word!

Yep, last night, Scott was giving her a bath and she was playing with her foam bathtub letters. They sounded out some letters together and worked her way around to spelling C-A-T. Then she sounded it out..."Cuh--ahhh--tuh...hey Daddy! That spells CAT!"

To make sure it wasn't a fluke, this morning I wrote "CAT" a piece of paper and asked her what it says. She looked, said..."C...A...T...hey! That says CAT!"

I guess this also means she knows how to spell cat. Things are going to get tricky when she starts figuring out what I'm spelling when I spell out "P-O-P-S-I-C-L-E" and "C-A-N-D-Y" as code to Scott...

Yep. I'm a PROUD mama.

Anyway, on to Five Question Friday! (It's been awhile since I've done one of these!)



1. Do you apologize to your kids?
Absolutely I do. Even though I'm the mommy, I'm far from perfect, and there have been times where I have yelled when I shouldn't have, or said something I shouldn't have when Angelica's been acting up, and after we both calm down I will apologize if I was out of line.

2. What color are your nails right now?
I haven't painted my nails in ages, so right now they are natural color :)

3. When you were growing up, how difficult was it for you to stay home from school sick? (As in, did you have to vomit or just say "I don't feel good".)
My parents were pretty good about calling me on my BS if I had "testdayitis" or "stayeduptoolateitis". So I'd say it was pretty difficult for me to stay home from school if I just didn't feel like going. I was a good student though, graduated with honors so I didn't fake it THAT much.

4. When is the last time you bought a new comforter for your bed?
Two weeks ago! My old one was falling apart to the point where I could put my foot through a hole in it. I was wandering around Target one day about two weeks ago and I found a REALLY nice one on clearance for 75% off . I paid $12.95 for a $50 comforter!

I also just bought a new one for Angelica yesterday :) Her comforter was actually fine but our washing machine ripped her Dora fitted sheet, and since you can't buy those separately I used $30 worth of Amazon gift codes (which I got for free from using Swagbucks) to buy a new Dora toddler bedding set for her.

5. Favorite website(s)?
Facebook, Pinterest, The Life of Rylie...and Bryce Too! and of course, this blog!