My PB + J

goodbye 2010. . .hello 2011

I am more than thankful for what 2010 has brought to my family, however, I have never been so ready to start a fresh year like I am now. I guess with only a few hours remaining it isn’t a lot to ask. We hope that all of you have a safe, healthy and happy new year.

Jim and I have been discussing all of things that we would like to change in 2011, here are a few:

* Get back to working on our house. We would love to start our bathroom project and remodel our garage into being Jim’s workout area. We also have the plan of purchasing one window a month and our first window project will be removing our back windows/patio door and making that into a slider.

* Get back into my workout routine. I have lost 85% of my baby weight but have those last stubborn pounds that I had gained prior to getting preggers that have not left my hips, thighs or ass. I am switching from LA fitness to 24-hour fitness to accommodate my crazy work schedule.

* With that being said, we have promised ourselves that not everything in our lives has to revolve around the baby. We made it a year, a year where we stopped everything for her and forgot who we were. We’re not selfish people whatsoever but we cannot let ourselves “go”any longer.

* Rebuild friendships and keep reminding the ones in our lives how much they mean to us.

* Cupcakes Business. Focus and get a business plan down on paper. Research SBA loans. Website needs to built so I am not just paying for a domain name that has sat empty for two years.

* Practice photography. Maybe if there is time I will take a refresher course over the Summer.

* Tell my sister, mother, and father that I love them everyday.

*  Focus on my mental health.

* Get organized.

* Research MBA programs for Jim.

What are your “resolutions” for 2011?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I am off to make our NYE meal of:

Pork Tenderloin with cippolini onions and apricots
Oven Roasted Red Potatoes 
Artichokes 
Homemade Molten Chocolate Cake 
Wilson Creek Almond Champagne 

Payton’s Winter ONEderland

 All of the stress and party planning that consumed my life for nearly six months has come and gone. Payton’s first birthday on the eighteenth was more than we could have ever asked for. Jim and I are more than thankful for everyone that made her day even more magical than expected. Going into the days before her birthday I was emotional; I was in a juxtaposition of being overjoyed and sad that my baby was no longer a “baby”. My nerves, emotions, or, how I put it, adrenaline had set in on her birthday. At every minute from 4:30 pm on the seventeenth I recalled every emotion as if it were last year all over again. At 9 pm, I recalled Carla, my admitting RN, and our conversations. We joked how my only fear of child birth was getting my IV. Or, how at 12:10 am I was 7 cm and just got my epidural and an hour later I was fully dilated. I was ready to meet my baby and just as my adrenaline had set in then while I pushed for three hours I never gave up even when they told me I was going to have an emergency c-section. My life from December 18, 2009 at 9:46 am has left me obsessing about my perfect angel. Her every move, sound, milestone and smile has kept me going. The adrenaline has never stopped. It has gotten me through sleepless nights, not from a baby that does not sleep through the night, but for the days where I have worked so hard to make her days better. I have balanced being a: first time mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter, a full-time working woman and an entrepreneur. I never thought that a year later I would sit back and say out loud that this past year has been easy. I will never look back and say it was hard, because everyday has been a miracle, a miracle from God that he and the ones around me have given me the strength to make it. My angel has given me more in the short amount of time she has been here than I could have ever imagined and for her first birthday I could not do anything short of perfection. Many may say she will not remember it, but I will, her Daddy will. We celebrated the day our lives changed for the good and like I stated one year ago, I have fallen in love all over again. 
Dearest Payton Rylee, Happy 1st Birthday! 
Picture Overload Begins. . . 

One-Year photography captured by the amazingly talented Tessa, of Grin & Share It Photo

Her party was a Winter ONEderland theme with red, aqua and polka dots everywhere.  The day of the party it was raining so it forced all sixty guests inside. It was a little crazy since almost all of my friends have children, most of which are infants. It was intimate and very memorable! I cannot thank everyone enough that attended! You are all more than generous and now we must build a room addition to house all of her new goodies! Payton had started off the party by sneaking a mini red velvet cupcake off of her dessert table and then ran red-handed into the kitchen where we caught her with frosting all over her. I guess she couldn’t wait to get the party started!

All paper goods (except invites) were custom made by: Sweet Tea & Pickles

Custom sugar cookies baked with love from: Two Southern Girls

 

Her prior to the party starting. 

Invites made with love by none other than me. 
Of course I had some help from my elves (Jim, Jinger & Geoff)

Special Touches Made possible by:

Payton’s Onesie Custom Made from: Head Over Heels
Headbands: Dolce Vita Mia
Custom sugar cookies baked with love from: Two Southern Girls
Cupcakes: Me
One-Year photography captured by the amazingly talented Tessa, of Grin & Share It Photo
All paper goods (except invites) were custom made by: Sweet Tea & Pickles
Thank you Cards: Tiny Prints

cuteness alert

Here is a sneak peek of Miss Payton’s First Birthday shoot by none other than, Tessa, of Grin & Share It Photo. 



I am swooning over my sneak peeks, there are more of course, so if your my friend on FB go take a gander of my gorgeous baby.

More to come over the next few days, even her first year video!

Birthday T-Minus 3 days!



Here Comes Santa Claus, Here Comes Santa Claus. . .

Right to scare Payton away. . . Yep! That’s right. My little social butterfly was spooked by the holly jolly Mister himself. I sat her down on his padded knee and the waterworks were a flowin’. I had a feeling this is how it would go this year, so much worse than last year when my little baby girl was four-days new and now here she is eleven days away from being one. After I took her off of Santa’s knee I tried sitting with her and it was still a no-go. I love the picture though. As sad as it is it makes me smile, it’s a funny moment where this iconic figure brought so much fear into this little being yet a few years from now she’ll be asking when he’ll return. So happy I went on a whim today. 
    
After Santa she hugged me so tightly and would not let go, that was until we shopped for baby Uggs and  a pair of Tom’s. We settled for a pair of black Tom’s. Too bad we have to special order them. They were too cute to resist, as were the Uggs but I knew Jim would divorce me for spending that kind of money on a pair of boots for her ever growing feet. 
Here she was finally resting after screaming through Macy’s and a quick trip through Bath & Body Works. She fought closing her beautiful blue’s until Elmo in Grouchland was rolling it’s credits. Ahh! Lovin’ the life of an almost toddler. 
It was too hard to resist posting last year’s picture once again.