instagram love.

 a little bit of life lately...

we are checking out some estate/yard sales tomorrow so hopefully i'll find a few good treasures!
hope everyone has a great weekend!

little walker.

this video is precious.

isla likes to carry around big water bottles.
guess what someone is getting for easter!?

oh and isla's official 1 year stats:
22 pounds (80%)
30 inches (80%)
size 3 diapers
12-18 month clothes
and such a trooper with those shots!  

hope everyone has a good week!

isla's 1st birthday carnival!

isla had her 1st birthday party last weekend and it was a blast!!

so many family and friends came to help us celebrate our little lady and we couldn't be more thankful and humbled by everyone who came!  

i pretty much have been planning isla's first birthday since she was born... not liking seriously planning but thinking about cute themes are ideas that i wanted to incorporate.  i randomly came across the carnival theme.  i found the cutest little coney island carnival birthday party and decided we had to do it!  her party was way more organized and professional looking but oh well!  

 the decorations were so simple... hanging balloons (idea from pinterest) and some fabric bunting!
and a special 'oh happy day' banner!  i made it out of puffy felt letters to go along with her weekly photos.

speaking of the weekly photos... they were displayed in the kitchen for everyone to see how much isla has grown and changed!

i did a very bad job of taking pictures of everything before the party so i'll show you what i have... sorry!

for food there were hotdogs, corn dogs, frito pie, funnel cake, popcorn, cookies, cupcakes, and pink lemonade! 

we put the food in little paper tray's like you would get at a carnival!
i printed water bottle labels and used packing tape to put them on the bottles.

my friend, anna, made the most precious ruffle cake for isla and cupcakes for everyone else!  they were so delicious... she is the best baker!!  i wish i could tell you where her shop is but we are still trying to talk her into starting one!
i made the little cake banner out of yarn and card stock (easy!) and got the cute straws on pick your plum. 

don't they look amazing!

there were fun games for the kids to play!
the kids could win tickets for each of the games then trade their tickets in for prizes.

there was face painting.
i'm in no way an artist but my mother-in-law is pretty talented, so she agreed to help with some face painting!  i wish i had gotten some pictures of the kids painted faces, they were so cute!  thanks mimi!

there was a ring toss.  

i used an old coca-cola crate and old coke bottles and stuffed rings for the kids to toss.
(wish i had better pics of this game)

and go fish.

i just used a big bucket filled with water and made fish out of foam.  each fish had a magnet on it and there were magnets on the end of the fishing pole to pick up the fish.  

 pin the bow on isla.  

i had a huge 18x24 print of isla made.  it's called an engineer's blueprint and it's only like $4... isn't that amazing!  then my awesome friend at staples put the print on foam board and laminated it.  i just used tape on the back of a bow for the kids to stick it on the picture.  

here is my staples friend with isla :)

and finally the bean bag toss.  

joe made the best bean bag toss ever!!  it's a huge 4 leaf clover.  we thought it was a good choice since she was born on st. patty's day!

joe cut the clover out of plywood then drilled holes in the plywood, and put a stand on the back so we could prop the clover up in the yard. 

 then our 4 leaf clover got a coat of green paint and was ready to go!  each hole in the clover was worth a different amount of points.  it turned out so fantastic and it just might make an appearance at many of her future birthday parties!

there were plenty of prizes for the kids to choose from!  i got some from oriental trading, some from the dollar aisle at target, and some from party city.  there were whistles, sunglasses, pencils, necklaces, stickers, water guns, bracelets, fun dip, bubbles and candy.

(sorry this picture was taken after most of the prizes got picked over)

all the kids got a goodie bag to hold all their prizes.
kristen saved me with the bags.  she cut out all the names on freezer paper with her silhouette, which saved me so much time and was a huge help!  then i ironed the freezer paper, painted the names, and peeled off the paper.  they turned out super cute and hopefully the kids can use them for other things.

it was such a fun party and most importantly isla had the best time!  

she laughed, walked around everywhere,  let everyone hold her,  loved her cake, and played with all her toys.  she was the perfect little birthday girl.  and it was a perfect day.  

thanks again to all the family and friends that came!  it meant so much to joe and i to have everyone there on such a special day.
and thank you so much to my mom who was here all week to help me finish things up.  i couldn't have pulled it all together without your help.  and dad thanks for staying up until 2 am the night before the party and hanging balloons with me and mom!  i love y'all and i'm so thankful for you. 

this is isla just after she woke up from her nap and saw all the decorations and people there to play!


isles first cake!

it was a hit!

sharing cake with daddy!

lots of toys!  and friends to share with!

happy 1st birthday isla grace!
we love you always!

happy 1st birthday!

happy 1st birthday isla grace!

i absolutely cannot believe you are 1!  i find myself thinking back to a year ago and the many unknowns ahead of us.  i knew i would love you so much but i couldn't have planned for what this kind of love feels like or how quickly you would change me (in the best ways).  

i don't want to forget anything about the way you are right now.  our sweet, innocent, smart, loving, and beautiful little girl.  it's been the best year.  things aren't always perfect and easy and there have been lots of adjustments over the past year but everything about having you in our lives has been worth it.
we love you sweet isla.  happy 1st birthday!

my 1 year favorites:

you are walking!  you get better and better everyday and even try to run if we chase you!

i love when you are tired.  you want to be held and cuddled and give lots of kisses!

you are so social!  you talk to and wave to everyone we see.  

you are starting to love reading your books.  you actually sit and look at the pages now.

you need 'me' time.  i notice you go over to the bookshelf and pull off a toy or book and just play by yourself... such an older child, mama totally understands that.

you still love all kinds of food.  but you do have favorites and will eat all of them first (like your avocado, strawberries, blueberries, sweet potatoes, and chicken).

you are saying dada, dog, and bye bye.  i think you are trying to torture me by not saying mama...

you definitely love abby and will follow her around the house.  she loves hates it!

you just have the 2 bottom teeth but i can feel some about to come through on the top (or at least i think).

you love riding in your wagon.
when you want something you point at it with a cute little smile.
you have started saying "ooohhhh" when you see something you like.  almost like it's the most amazing thing you have ever seen.
you love when we chase you... we usually get some big laughs!
you like to be pushed FAST on your train.
yo gabba gabba and fresh beat band are you favorites!
you are such a cute little dancer and like to shake it when you hear music!
you like to figure things out and it's fun to watch you and try and see what your thought process is.
you still hate the car seat (thank goodness for dvd players).
you like to help daddy play the guitar.
you are the sweetest girl and full of so much love and joy!

our little saint patty's day babe!

so happy about her balloons when she woke up this morning...

such a big girl!

what a difference a year makes...

love you isla!

week 52...

oh, my last weekly post... so bitter sweet.

can't believe you will be one in 2 days.
here's to week 52!!!
((isn't she so cute sitting there with her hands in her lap like a big girl))

nay nay and pops got isla such a cute little chair for her bday.  and i think she likes it!

she especially loves to stand in it and stack her toys on the back...

and we are still working on getting out of it :)

isla climbs on her train and will sit there waiting for you to push her.  it's really cute.  then when she is done she will get off and push it around the house herself.  love her. 

look at those cute little toms!

i know these pics are so dark but isla loves her 'brown bear' book (thanks auntie kat).  if you ask her where 'brown bear is?' she will go look for her book.

playing at the park!

the cutest little lunch date ever!
girl loves her some chick-fil-a...

isla likes to be first.  she thinks it's hilarious when we push the cart like this!

and here's another video of isla walking because it's just about the most precious thing i've ever seen!

isla love's when joe plays the guitar.  it's so sweet to watch them together.  

we love you baby girl!  

i can't imagine my life without you.  it's been the best year!

xoxo