The Salon is Open!

Bitty Princess and I enjoyed a lazy Tuesday. We may or may not have stayed in our pajamas until 2:00. We like to get ourselves together by the time Daddy gets home so we at least give the impression that we accomplished something. heehee One thing we did get done today was a Bitty Princess pedicure! She sat in her pink, minky chair, watched a little Sophia the First, and got her pigs done. She even let me shellac them. Judge me if you must, but those suckers stay on for about a month! Soon enough, our days will be filled with homeschooling, and field trips. I will cherish our lazy days of play and enjoy every minute I get with my beautiful girl.

Bitty Princess Turns Two!

Bitty Princess turned TWO this month! I cannot believe that we have been blessed to care for and love such an amazing little girl. She was decked out in her Minnie Mouse party theme from her head (Minnie hair clips) to her toes (Minnie pedicure :P) We had the pleasure of combining her party with her cousin Q, who was turning 4. Farm Chick was such a gracious host and provided the perfect spot to get our party on! We ate pizza and gobbled up cookies in shapes of glass slippers and flowers. Bitty Princess has logged some serious play hours with the awesome gifts she received. We are so blessed to have family that loves our girl so much. I can't wait to see what this year holds for our big kid!

Bitty Princess Photoshoot

Romeo has been experimenting with his photography skills and getting better each time he picks up his camera. Check out a few shots from his latest photo session with Bitty Princess!

To Freeze This Moment

Just thought I'd share a sweet moment I had with my Bitty Princess.

My girl is a movin' and groovin' toddler these days; complete with the sassy 'tude and kiddish giggles. Tonight when I was rocking her before I put her in her bed, she fell asleep. To actually "rock her to sleep"just doesn't really happen anymore. I feed her, rock and hum a little, and put my tired, but still wide eyed baby in her bed. I place her head on her special pillow Grammy made her,  hand her Teddy and put her blankie over her. She looks up at me and I tell her I love her. I leave the room, listen to her babble for a couple of minutes on the monitor, and then hear nothing but her fan buzz as she drifts to sleep. So, to rock my baby to sleep tonight was truly a joy I didn't realized I missed so much until it happened. That's just one of those subtle changes I've been talking about; the changes that happen so seamlessly and quickly, you don't even realize a shift has occurred. I pray for my heart and eyes to be open and constantly cherishing moments like these.

To many more nights rocking my royalty.

Glamour Girl Time

My gal is definitely a girly girl. She loves to be put up on the bathroom counter while I get ready. She is fascinated with all my different makeup brushes and hair brushes. I let her play with an empty container of powder and giver her a big brush. I love watching her imitate me by swiping her cheeks with it. She is also getting pretty good at brushing my hair. We sing "brush, brush, brush your hair... brush it nice and straight... doo doo doo doo..etc.. you look really great!" She is thrilled with the great job she does that she can't help but give a huge, 4 toothed grin. These are the moments that I always told the Lord I'd be so grateful to have if he ever gave me a daughter. I'm so glad he was gracious enough to put Ellie in my story. I try so hard not to miss those moments. I hope I can remember them with such clarity forever.

Here's my beauty queen helping me get ready for a bachelorette party I went to the other night.

Ps... I was nervous about leaving Bitty Princess for a late evening of fun, especially since she still wakes up occasionally and prefers to have a quick nursing session before drifting back to sleep, but knew Romeo would take great care of her. Here's a text I got while out:

"Chick got up. Fed her a bottle. Back asleep. So so sweet. Thanks for letting me do that and trusting me to take care of her."

I love that man.

Bitty Princess Turns One!

I now know what moms are aways going on about when they say time flies and they can't believe how fast their babies grow! It seems almost unfair, the way they grow. They go to bed and wake just a pinch older and different looking. It's so subtle you don't even know it's happening. Then one day, you look over and you're tiny 8lb 1oz newborn is a big, walking, babbling one year old toddler. How does that happen?! Though I oscillate between feeling sad and happy about the changes, I know each stage is full of such joy and I don't want to miss it moping in the corner! So... here's a peek into the fun filled day we had celebrating Bitty Princess's first birthday.

How Long Can You Call Your Fat "Baby Weight?"

I'm trying my darndest to get back into shape. SIGH I hate dieting. I don't love exercising. I do, however, love chocolate. Mmmm. Anyway... I am attempting once again to get back on the bandwagon of shedding a few pounds. I feel pretty good about it this time. Romeo has convinced me to juice with him. He was inspired last year to begin juicing for his breakfast and lunch meals after we happened upon the film Fat Sick & Nearly Dead on netflix. The thought process is that by drinking the juices from the tons of fruits and veggies that go into just one cup of "juice", you get great nutrition and a much needed detox. So Romeo bought a juicer for his birthday and lost about 30lbs in 2 months his first go around. Note: He also figured out he had serious thyroid issues, which he is now on medication for... and you know, he's a dude, so he loses 50lbs every hour. Gag. I briefly attempted to juice with him a few months back and just felt hungry all the time, so I decided it wasn't for me. Desperate for some change and a kickstart to losing the chubs, I am once again giving it a try. This time has been different somehow. I suppose because I'm drinking more water in between and I'm also giving myself the freedom to eat as many fruits and veggies as I want if I feel hungry. That helps ALOT! Before I go for a workout after Romeo gets home I have also been noshing a hard boiled egg (or 2) and/or a spoonful of peanut butter. With the hangriness that runs in my family, I just can't risk getting overly famished... especially before a workout! This will be my second week of juicing. Last week I lost 3 pounds. Hurray! 
All that being said... I guess we'll see how it goes! Wish me luck and I'll keep you updated.