happy happy mimi

 this month is our mimi's "joining the family" birthday!

she got dropped off to us last year in march as a lost puppy...and after a few failed attempts to find her a home we bought her a bed and a collar and called her our own!

max and i celebrate her today over puppy treats and cupcakes and might have depressed her a little bit by making her wear a party hat.

 what a year it's been...

mimi has been such a good and funny addition to our family!

and my oh my does she love our boys as much as i do...

she is the most eager gal for attention and love and can be the life of the party! she has an affinity to eating my shoes and the dust piles i sweep up in the kitchen. she enjoys hiding under max's bed, hopping the fence and going for afternoon strolls, and plotting to take down our hamster, spongey.

 

but above all of it...she is loved and loved. 

 

 happy 1st birthday, sweet girl! 

thirteen shmirteen

my sweetest (and 1st) nephew is turning 13 this week! i told him he wasn't allowed to but he seems to be doing it anyhow. 

i can't believe how quickly the time goes! our guy at 13 is quick as a whip and the funniest kid on the block... i'm a forever proud aunt!

 amy and nate are throwing austin a party tonight! i made him weird masks, like party nosferatu, party lemonhead from adventure time, party sloth in a suit, and party mr. meowgi (austin's cat), so all his favorite friends could come along. 

i've always wanted to try making a surprise ball for someone after seeing it on heidi's blog a few years ago...this seemed like the perfect occasion! lots of sweets and funny odds and ends and some money rolled up into a crate paper ball.

oh to be 13 again! 

ugh...or maybe not. haha. 

hoping your weekend is going real swell! 

xoxo

sequins and tulle

thank you all a million times over for the birthday lovin yesterday! it was a wonderful wonderful day, made even better by having you along!

 

max gave me the sweetest gifts of baby goodies...sleepers and little socks, blankets and bibs....all picked out by him at the mall. baby and i are the luckiest...and oh what i would give to have been there when he was consulting with the sales gal!

the boys spoiled me with alone time and a nap, lunch out and fondue with birthday candles for dinner. i shamelessly wore sequins and tulle and heels all day...making 5 year old katie very proud and secretly hoping that 80 year old katie will return the favor on her day. life is too short to not celebrate yourself a bit!

max took over photography duties for me last night...all of the pictures are by him!

i blow kisses and kisses to all of you for making my day so special...

thank you again!

twenty.nine.

today is my birthday! my last year in my twenties. oh dear.
baby and i are going to celebrate with lots of sweets and dancing to pata pata and kisses with my guys.
the two of them have got something low key cooking for tonight...max has tried to tell me the surprise at least a dozen times now. he bursts easily, that max.
as long as i can wear my party hat i'm up for anything!

so far, 29 isn't half bad.

xoxo

little ditty

 i just sent my little guy off for the weekend. it's a bad sign when i miss him before he even steps off the porch. but the sun is shining, not a rain cloud in sight, and laundry is begging to be hung out on a lonely clothesline....matt asked me out on a date tonight during lunch and i said yes, sir! this gal is in the mood to go dancing...fingers crossed.

i hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. here's a little bit of music that's been keeping me company today...something to curl up and fade away to.

happy friday, friends!

sweet sue

 

bing crosby- sweet sue, just you

 

Saturday we celebrated my beautiful mama's 60th birthday.

friends and family...husband and daughters and grandbabies got together to love and dote on one of the most spectacular ladies ever known to be.

it was a wonderful party.

we showered her with lots of love, some "old age" teasing, and a tower of glazed donuts.

all of these summer birthdays around here have kept a steady stream of sweets and cake in my life!

but you'll hear no complaints from this gal.

happy birthday, my girl.

you are loved and loved and loved some more.
and i tell you, i feel absolutely spoiled for having such a mother and friend. 

 hoping all of your weekends were good ones!
have a lovely monday, dears!

35

today is my matt's birthday.

i woke up this morning feeling like the luckiest gal on the block for getting to be the one to spend it with him...and to spend as many more birthdays with him as he'll have me.

our story is an unconventional one...it still is i suppose.

it's a story full of terrible timing and fate...lots of healing and patience and faith. but above all, it's a love story.

this guy has restored more in me than i can ever try to explain. he is unrestrained and completely free in his own skin...he allows everyone around him to feel the same. he knows no stranger...no bounds to his giving. my guy is selfless and strong and confident...he's humble and hilarious, always without trying.

he loves, my goodness does he love. 

his talents and thoughts inspire me on a daily.

he can free-style rap and break dance like none other. he does the absolute worst impersonation of harry caray you'll ever care to hear.

when he was 8 he permed his hair and entered a michael jackson look-a-like contest. while he and his twin brother were being born, baby matt pulled his brother back up into the womb so he could go first! i get so lost i could float away into those tiny details of his amazing life so far.

he is really something, that matt.

he has lived a thousand lives compared to mine, and has the wisdom to match...but i'll be forever and ever thankful that he has chosen to spend this one with me, me and my max.

happy birthday, dear.

i love you always and ever.

for your gift, i've decided to perm my hair and learn the moves from billie jean.

xoxo

birthday suit

max's baseball birthday party was a real hit!

(ugh. no pun intended..haha)

it was a perfect summer night with good food (hot dogs and shish kabobs grilled by matt and his dad//bags of popcorn and caramel corn//and a table full of sweets), funny music (thank you andrews sisters...i'll never get tired of seeing little ones run around to old music), and amazing friends and family.
we sat around and watched the kids scoot about, playing backyard baseball, and dodging stray balls until the sun went down.

did you see jackie robinson hit that ball?- buddy johnson

i love planning max's birthday parties.

and this one was my most favorite!

{here are a few details for those of you who are into this sort of stuff:}
we made a little concession stand awning out of ikea fabric and tent poles that we had laying around // a photo cut out board from this image //cherry vanilla, peanut butter, and dark chocolate old timey mustaches on a stick// felt pennants on dowel rods and white paper pennant banners (ran through my sewing machine with red thread) to hang outside// i found vintage baseball card images online that i printed off on a thick cardstock for max's friends...and made little canvas drawstring bags for them to stuff with a baseball and sweets to take home.

it was a perfect party for our baseball-loving little guy.

thank you all so much for such sweet birthday loving for him on friday! i can't wait for when he's grown and able to go back to this blog and see how many wonderful people were apart of his childhood.

i have a few more party pictures on my facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1947474284177.2102360.1162141043&l=5941c26aaf

(p.s. a few credits from my shopping list: cupcake liners, popcorn bags and paper straws are from hey yo yo //birthday invitations by spaceships and laser beams // bullseye ball toss game from hobby lobby// mason jar juice box idea from pinterest via a little sussy // cake pops from sweets by jenny edwards )