Rylee Jane's Tea Party

So this year when I asked Rylee what kind of "theme" she wanted for her birthday party, she told me that she wanted a tea party! What a wonderful, very girly idea...sweet treats and tea...I can totally handle that!!! I think I was more excited than she was...no joke. I had all these ideas in my head right away for décor and invites, and of course the treats! So what did I do right away...get pinnin' of course, lol! I found a ton of cute ideas for the party that put what was in my head in a more tangible plan, if you will! This way, by pinning tea party ideas, I could actually get to work on the party planning!
I started out with my go-to place for invite ideas, etsy...I ended up working with Amy at Freshly Squeezed Cards and together, we came up with these invites! I changed them obviously to Rylee Jane's info and changed the wording for more of a custom feel (She was great to work with...got back to me super fast...would totally work with her again!) After she emailed me the final invite, I just went to a local printing shop and they printed and cut them for me...all together I think I spent around $25 (including postage and really cute brown paper envelopes from Hobby Lobby)...I didn't think the price was too bad for custom, ADORABLE invites!

{Pics of the sweet treats, tea and party décor inside.}



After the invites were out, it was time to get to planning...I started out with the invites and then went from there...I found plastic, outdoor plates on clearance at Hobby Lobby for around a buck a piece so I bought them all and knew that I would get creative in using them for serving the sweet treats (I ended up using three of them plus two dollar store glass, candle holders...with a little water proof glue, I made a three-tiered serving piece...totally adorable!) Then came the fabric purchase for her sweet bunting and all the treats were pretty much homemade in which I used color coordinating sprinkles...this girl will eat ANYTHING as long as it has sprinkles on it, lol!

{Everyone enjoying the party!}

{Present time!!! Let's just say she has enough "bling" and princess accessories to last a lifetime!}

 {One of my favorite pics from the day...Rylee and her cousin Wyatt who came dressed to impress!}

{The little duo sharing Rylee's birthday cake!}

{Parker on top, Maysen on bottom...baby sisters enjoying the tea party!}

All in all, I probably went overboard...I mean, I even had enough real, crystal tea sets for all of our guests (borrowed from my sweet friend Jess) but it was so fun and so special seeing the look on her face when she saw her party all come together. I know she's only three and maybe won't remember the actual party but someday, she'll look back at all of the pictures and think, wow, my mommy loves me so much and threw me such a special birthday party! I love that little ladybug more than life and always want her memories to be so, so special! We had a perfect day with family and friends...Rylee had so much fun and her sisters loved watching her open all of her presents...afterwards, Rylee went around to all of her guests and individually hugged and thanked everyone for coming...she's so so sweet. I love her more than I could ever put into words! Hope you enjoyed her party as much as well did!

xoxo,

Amanda



 

 

 

 

 

 



 





Rylee Jane's 3rd Birthday

Hi friends :) It's been awhile but this mama has been busy busy this summer with my three little ladybugs! I hope you have had a super fun summer...and I hope you are all staying cool in this dreadful MN heat this week, oofta!!
We had a very special week last week and I can't wait to tell you all about it! Last Wednesday, August 21st, our Rylee Jane turned THREE!!! All I can say is...how in the world do I have a three year old already?! It literally feels like yesterday that I first laid eyes on my beautiful baby girl...she stole my heart the second I saw her and kissed her soft, warm little newborn cheeks! She was in a big hurry to get here and hasn't slowed down since! She has the kindest, most gentle little soul and she just makes our days brighter and better in every way possible! This year was so fun because she's at that age where she really "gets it" and understands what birthdays and holidays mean so she was so excited that mommy and daddy had a fun, very special day planned just for her! On her birthday, we woke up and brought her little sisters to daycare (which Rylee was so concerned about and didn't understand why Maysen and Parker weren't coming with us on our special day...see what I mean you guys, most gentle, kindest little soul!!!) Then we came back home and got ready for the day and asked her what she wanted for breakfast...the girl LOVES anything with sprinkles so off to our favorite little bakery in town, Daubes.

 Then after we finished our delicious breakfast, we headed up to the Como Zoo! Rylee was so excited to go to the "animal fair" as she calls it, lol :) Rylee had so much fun looking at all the animals and she was so patient and waited her turn to get up close to see everything...we thought that being a random Wednesday and middle of the work week that it wouldn't be busy but the place was packed with kids from all different summer camps...when we pulled in and saw bus after bus lined up we knew it was going to be packed but it was still so much fun! We haven't had a "mommy, daddy, buggy day" since the twins joined our family and I seriously can't tell you how special that day was for all of us! After we checked out all the animals (and by the way, the Polar Bear was by far the coolest!! He was outside swimming around playing with a big barrel and he was just so entertaining to watch...it's hard to believe they are such dangerous animals when they look so cute and cuddly behind the glass, lol) we headed over to the amusement park side and Rylee was in heaven checking out all the rides. She kept asking to go on rides but as we walked around, Chris and I noticed that all the rides she was tall enough for, we were too big to join her so we explained to her that we could buy tickets for her to go on the rides but that she was going to have to go by herself and she looked at us and said "it's okay mommy, I'm bigger now and I can go by myself." Talk about holding back tears!!! She went on lots of rides but the swings were by far her favorite...every time she'd swing around, she'd yell "hi mommy, hi daddy" and wave her little heart out. She literally had a perma-grin the entire time! While she was riding the swings for the 3rd time, a slow, kinda sappy song came on over the speakers and next thing I know, I'm crying...in public...and I can't make it stop!!! It just hit me that my little tiny ladybug isn't a baby anymore and although she still needs me for so much in life, she's just so independent and wants to do everything on her own. I'm so proud to be her mommy and I'm so proud of the little person she is becoming...it's just so hard to watch them grow up!!! All I could think was hell, if turning three is this hard on me...what will her first day of kindergarten be like?!!! I seriously love being her and Maysen and Parker's mommy more than life itself and my heart is so full it just feels like it could burst!

After I got it together, we headed out because we were all so hot and tired from our fun day at Como...we hit up a restaurant on the way home and buggy ordered a kiddy cocktail and we all had lunch together...it was so fun! We felt like we were on a date with our daughter and we made memories that day that will last a lifetime!

We weren't even five minutes into our ride home and she was sound asleep!

We got back into Rochester just in time to pick up our other two little ladybugs and they were so excited to see their big sister! We finished out her birthday with the five of us snuggled in and of course had to have some ice cream, her fav! She had a daycare birthday party on Thursday and we had her tea party birthday party on Sunday with family and friends...It was seriously SO FUN and I had a total blast planning and hosting her beautiful little tea party...I'll post a bunch of tea party pictures this week for sure! I can't wait to share that with you too!

xoxo,

Amanda

Happy 30th Birthday BESTIE Mama!!!

Today I just want to give a very, very special birthday shout out to my very best friend in the whole world, Bridget Marie Wheeler! On this very special day, Bridget turns the big 3-0 and what's even more special about today....it's her very first birthday as a mama!
Welcome to the world Turner Thomas Wheeler, xoxo! You are so loved already!
Dear Bridget,
Happy day of birth to you...my bestest friend in the whole wide world. I hope you have the best day ever...I can't tell you enough how much I love you and how special you are to me...I value our friendship more than words could ever tell you...you are my best friend, my "soul sista!" The one I laugh with, cry with...the one I tell everything to...the one I call when I need a good laugh or need someone to just listen with no judgements. I can trust you with anything and everything and I would honestly be lost without you. We've been through so, so much during the 17+ years that we've been besties...we've laughed a lot, cried a lot and raised a lot of hell ;) I have the most amazing, hilarious memories because of you and our friendship and I can't wait to make many, many more.

We have graduated high school together, college together, we've lived together for years, you watched me become a mommy and stood by me as I said "I do" to my other bestest best, the absolute love of my life...and then you repaid me that honor as I got to stand by you as you married your bestest best and now...just two short days ago, I got to share with you as you became a mama for the first time!

I am so proud of you Bridget and just so honored to be your best friend...I could literally go on forever but I just want you to always know, that no matter how many sad, lonely (boo hoo!) miles that seperate us, you are always in my heart as my best friend, my sister and you mean the world to me (can we just go back to the good ole' days of living two blocks away from each other...how fun would that be for us and our kiddos?!)

Thank you for always supporting me, for standing by my side, for being so loyal and honest and trustworthy...thank you for loving me and Chris and for loving our three little ladybugs as if they were your own. I promise to do the same with Turner and any future little Wheeler's that come along!!! Today...and everyday, I hope all of your wishes come true...I love you!

Happy Birthday B...you beautiful mama you!!! Xoxoxo.
Love always,
Amanda

In just 2 short weeks...

I have to go back to work after 6 months of being home with my little ladybugs *tears* It has been an amazing gift to be able to be home with our babies for 6 months versus the standard 12 weeks of maternity leave. I knew when we found out that we were having twins this time around, I not only wanted to have extra time...but I was going to NEED the extra time to adjust to taking care of two babies versus one! It has gone by so fast yet some days I felt like I wouldn't be able to last the full 6 months (with the craziness of having two little babies at home, tandem feeds, no sleep, etc...it's seriously going to be less work to be back to work, lol!) It's weird because sometimes when I think back to the very beginning of my leave and the sleepless nights...wait, what am I talking about...we're still sleepless in the Fordham household but these little beauties are worth it! But in the beginning we were on a strict feeding schedule and we literally couldn't go anywhere in fear of messing with their schedule so when I think back to that...it feels like forever ago yet also feels like it was just yesterday! I just can't even believe that our two little beauties are going to be SIX MONTHS old next week and that our little Rylee Jane will be THREE in August...to all the new mama's out there...it really is true what they say..."don't blink" because before you know it, they're all grown up *tears...AGAIN, sigh*
Anyways, I hope you all had an amazing Mother's Day weekend...I sure did. My hubby and baby girls make me feel so special every single day but even more special this past weekend...I was showered with gifts, snuggles and lots of wet, sloppy smoochies! (From the girls not my hubby, hehe!) I am truly so blessed to have such an amazing and beautiful family who I love with every inch of my being...God is so, so good!

To document this very special Mother's Day as a mom to three, we wanted to take some photos...I have realized in the last 6 months that taking photos of all the ladybugs has become a "science" if you will, because there's almost always going to be one of us that blinks, makes a silly face, isn't smiling, etc.

Take ONE:



 First attempt...thanks for cutting my head off babe ;)

Take TWO:

 Maysen and Parker...less than enthused by our photo shoot!

Take THREE:

 Rylee is now less than enthused as well!

Take FOUR:

 Mommy looks like she's high, lol!

Take FIVE:

 Babies have finally "given in" to photo shoot and are being content...mommy still looks high! *sigh*

Take SIX

 It's a keeper...seriously love these little girls with all of my heart!

Take SEVEN:

A blooper requested by daddy...hahaha! I can't even believe I'm showing you this...Still makes me giggle! Oh what you won't do for a good laugh, lol :)

Well, now I'm off to love up on my little sugar pie's who are being so silly right now! I'm not going to take a second of this next two weeks for granted...and thank GOD it's finally nice outside so I can get out and do some major walkin' with them...fresh air during the day = more peaceful nights (I hope!)

xoxo,

Amanda



Let's Try This Again!

Hi friends :) It's me again...the not-so-good-at-this-blogging-thing-but-still-really-like-it-so-plan-to-stick-with-it kinda gal, lol! I know I've said this in previous posts but my oh my has my life changed since Miss Maysen and Princess Parker joined our family! There's no way...and no one that could have ever prepared me and my hubby for how much life would change with having twins! When I look at my three little girls, my heart feels like it could literally explode because I have SO MUCH love for them and I love being their mommy more than anything in the world...but being a mom is a full-time job...and then some! I still have 7weeks left of my maternity leave and I am just now finally settling into a routine (it only took us 4.5 months, lol!) A routine in which I might add could be completely thrown off by a sickness, growth spurt, etc so I say that while knocking on wood! We finally got the girls to sleep in their cribs at night which is a HUGE victory for us...they just absolutely hated their cribs but after a week of really rough nights that included some "crying it out," I am happy to report that I think they finally understand that their cribs are safe and comforting and they don't just rely on mommy and her "milk makers" for comfort ;) Yes, I'm proud to report that nursing TWO babies is still going pretty darn good!
My heart is aching a little thinking about how fast I know the next 7weeks will go but I'm also counting my blessings that I have been lucky enough to spend the first 6months of their lives at home kissing and cuddling them! I'm also looking forward to getting back to work and having some adult interaction during the days! It's hard to even have time in the evenings with Chris because once he gets home, it's all about getting dinner done and eaten, then bath time for the girls and then bedtime routine...which usually gets us to about 8-9pm by which time we are both so exhausted we usually just zone out to the 9o'clock news and before we know it, we are sound asleep...sounds romantic, ey?! Haha!
Anyways, just when I think it's safe to sit down and pay attention to my little blog-love (you know that schedule/routine thing I mentioned above...), I hear babies crying...and they sound hungry! *sigh*
I have a lot to catch up on and so much to share so stay tuned and I promise to be better...schedule permitting, lol ;)
My bonus mom and aunts and cousin had a "Pinterest Party" this weekend...it was a blast!!! I'll post more this week on that and include all the fun projects we created. Also, I'll be busy this week planning last little touches for my bestie's baby shower...it's this Saturday and I can't FREAKIN' wait to see her and that adorable baby bump! Can't wait to shower her with an amazing party and lots of cute gifts for baby W! I can't wait to share pics of her party decor and all the sweet little baby gifts that I've made for her! (I got a sewing machine for my birthday and I'm seriously having SEW MUCH FUN (hahaha...dorky I know but it made me laugh...see, it doesn't take much for me lately!) teaching myself to sew...so many projects I'd love to do but so little time...oh well, maybe some day when life slows down a bit...yeah right, who am I kidding?! And you know what...I really wouldn't want it any other way...because I'm LOVIN' LIFE AS MOMMY AND WIFE...it's what God wanted me to do...and I'm so grateful and so blessed for my beautiful family!
I hope you all have a great week!
xoxo,
Amanda

A BIG.FAT.REALITY CHECK!

Hi friends! It's once again been forever since I've blogged about life at the Fordham Household but my oh my have I had one giant dose of reality since bringing M & P home...Here I thought that I was going to have all this time to get little projects done and really get into creating my blog but I have been sadly mistaken! For those of you that really know me, I am a bit OCD when it comes to organization and keeping our house clean and in order so to not even really be able to do those small, daily "chores" if you will, is making this mama a bit crazy...there are days that I don't even have time to shower let alone clean or get a blog entry done! I know there are so many people that would say "they are only little once and it goes so very fast so enjoy this time," and although I know that from experience (someone pinch me...my Rylee Jane is already 2.5 years old...how did that happen?!!) but I can't really relax when the house is totally out of order! So I'm really trying to let some of that go and find a balance...it's hard but we're getting there! This is what a typical day looks like at the Fordham house....
7am: wake up, nurse M & P all the while trying to multi-task getting buggy up and ready for the day. She's a bit of a bear in the morning so that's challenging to get her moving!
8am: call my neighbor Chuck (nicest neighbors everrrrrrrrrr...Chuck and Mary; they're just fabulous...like a bonus set of grandparents for our girls!) Anyways, Chuck is retired and they have twin grandkids, boy/girl, who are Rylee's age and they live in Missouri so it's nice for them to have little ones next door...they get their 'fix' that way, lol ;) He sits with the girls while I run Rylee to daycare so I don't have to bring them out in the cold!
9am: M & P are usually getting fussy around this time...they want to eat all.the.time.......I'm trying so very hard to stay committing to nursing because I nursed Rylee for the first year and it was so good for both of us! It's much.much.much different with two...did I mention it's MUCH different, lol :) I still don't feel like my body is producing enough to keep them satisfied so I usually have to top them off with a little formula a couple times a day.
10am: M & P need to be fed a little again and then they usually nap around 10ish...I have tried really hard to follow babywise with the girls too because it worked well with Rylee but not so much this time around...I'm finally at the point that I'm saying...the hell with a schedule...it's purely survival mode with two babies!! True story.
This nap I try really hard to have them in their cribs and if they fuss, I try to let them just fuss it out. Once they are resting peacefully, I try to run a quick vaccuum (I do this daily because as much as I love our pup, Bella...I cannot stand the dog hair...see, OCD kickin' in again!! Then I try to do a quick Jillian workout, I LOVE her! I got rid of my gym membership because I figured with 3 little ones, I would rarely get there which is proving to be true and I love to run outside when it's nice out so to get me through the winter months, I workout with my girl Jillian...I am feeling very out of shape because I wasn't supposed to do much physical activity being pregnant with twins this time around...it's probably a good thing buggy is at daycare during my workouts because there tends to be a lot of not so nice words coming out of my mouth! I'm really committed to being in shape...I always have and hope that I always will be and right now, I'm just so unhappy with my post-baby bod but they are only 2months old and I'll just keep working at it! Okay, sidetracked again. Anyways, after my workout, I try to get a shower in as well. It should be noted that if all of this happens during their morning nap, this is a very, VERY good day! Typically, I'm lucky if I get a workout in, let alone a shower. I did tell my hubby recently though that when he gets home from work, if I still haven't had a workout/shower, he NEEDS to take over for me so I can get those things in...otherwise I feel like I'm going to go crazy...just keepin' it real.
Noon: Girls are usually up and ready to eat again...feed them and try to feed myself. Then they usually hang out in their swings/bouncers or they are just so fussy that I have to just hold and snuggle them while watching smutty series on Netflix (remember, we don't have cable!) So far I've watched Gossip Girl (4 seasons), Pretty Little Liars (3 seasons) and Chris and I have watched Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad and were currently watching Mad Men...I know, it seams like a lot but I've logged many, many hours of feeding these two little lovies! They are fussy because they have really bad gas pains...I've tried switching many things in my diet and finally have come to the conclusion that it's not mama's milk that is giving them gas, it's just their little tummy's trying to get used to digestion. Their pediatrician said they'd just outgrow it...so while we wait for them to outgrow it, we just deal with their painful cries and try to soothe them the best we can...it's so sad to hear them in pain :( Then they pass adult size gas and feel much better!
2pm: Feed again; this feeding I usually lay down with them and nurse them belly to belly...I set up pillow all around us and we snuggle in and nap together.
4pm: wake up, feed again.
5pm: the 4pm feeding usually doesn't satisfy them...starting time of the clusster feedings/witching hours so I have to usually give them a few ounces of formula. Then daddy and buggy get home and we all have family time...eat supper, play, etc.
7pm: feed M&P again.
8pm: bedtime with Rylee...and ohhh mmm gee...lately, this has been hell. She just doesn't want to go to sleep and will cry and cry and try everything to get out of bedtime. So...we not only have two tiny babies crying, we have our sweet little Rylee Jane adding to the fun too! *sigh*
9pm: usually feed the girls again and top off with bottle if needed...Chris and I try to lay them in their cribs but that only lasts a short time before at least one of them is crying...they just have to be together...either with one another or with mommy/daddy...makes sense since they've been together since the beginning of time! So sweet but doesn't really give us any good rest. They almost always end up in bed with us or we would not get any sleep. They usually wake up once or twice to feed in the middle of the night...more at times...
So there you have it...in all it's glory! One big fat reality check for this mama. I still have until May/June until I have to be back to work so I'm hoping that I can start getting them on more of a schedule and really try to get them sleeping in their cribs so that I can get more restful sleep and start getting more things done. I have so many things I'd like to get done while I'm home...for now, I'm letting go of some of my expectations because it's just giving me anxiety...I'll still hold out for some hope that I get to some of my to-do's before I return to work but for now, it's just surviving day to day.
I still really hope to make a go of this because it's so fun and I love to write...I need an outlet during this crazy beautiful time in our lives!
xoxo,
Amanda
P.S. I had a birthday this last week and I turned the big 2-9...last year in my twenties! I hear that 30's are the new 20's anyways! I made a list of 30 things I want to do before turning 30...I'll be back soon to share that with you along with posts about the babes...I have so many pics to share with you!

Snow Day!!!

Hey Friends :) I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!! The Fordham Five had a wonderful holiday...lots of stops along the way and very busy but so worth it. It's always such a blessing to be able to spend time with friends and family during the holidays! I'm not gonna lie, I was a little worried about the babies with all the germs and flu bugs that seem to be going around but so far, so good! We took lots of pictures of all the Christmas gatherings and I will share them later this week...Santa was very good to miss Rylee and her Christmas spirit was absolutely adorable this year...it was magical to see the innocence of Christmas through a child's eyes and I look forward to many more years of Christmas magic to come!
Anyways, we got some fresh snow a couple of days ago in the Rochester area and I wanted to share some daddy and Rylee pictures from their fun snow day! They were outside for an hour or two and I heard lots of giggling coming from outside so I got a little break from the babies and snuck upstairs to check on Chris and buggy and they were SO CUTE...laughing and playing together and having so much fun so of course I had to sneak some pics of my loves!

The sound of Rylee's giggles and the smile on her face during the sledding was priceless! I'm so thankful to be home on maternity leave during this cold, snowy winter...I love being snuggled inside with my girls and I love that Chris has gotten to be home with us for the last few weeks. He goes back to work tomorrow morning...I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous to do it all on my own but I had a "test drive" the week before Christmas...it was hard at times but I just need to figure out a schedule and settle into a routine...I feel confident that I'll find a rhythm and it will all be just fine but I am nervous! Deep breaths, deep breaths! Rylee's home with me for Monday and Tuesday and will be back at daycare with her friends on Wednesday...if I don't get to more posts until Wednesday it's because I have my hands full with three little ones all by myself ;) I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and a happy holiday! Oh yeah, and I have a happy update about the twins...Maysen and Parker are finally up to 7pounds...YAY ladybugs!!!! Our pediatrician told me this last Friday that I finally get to be a 'normal mom' with 'normal babies' which means nursing them on demand and no longer having to supplement them with bottles...I'm hoping this will free up some of my time during the day because that's pretty much all I do is nurse them and then pump/bottle feed them. It was a very happy, very proud moment for Chris and me because it's hard not to second guess things with one newborn let alone two and now we know that we were doing everything right! They are healthy and happy and absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

xoxo,

Amanda