Ellie of Motunui - Ellie's 4th Birthday Party

Somehow it's already September and I just realized that I never shared Ellie's Moana Birthday party on here.  Better late than never I always say.

I had so much fun gathering inspiration and decor for this party.  It totally helped that Moana was a big deal this year so that I was able to get a lot of supplies that fit the theme.  I started my search out on Etsy for the invites and I love what I was able to find!  I was able to print them out at home which was the way to go!

Then I took my creative side to my chalkboards and went to town getting them in the theme for my big girls party.

I have a peony that has been dubbed "Ellie's Peony" because it bloomed for the very first time the year she was born, and now it blooms every year around her birthday...thankfully it finally decided to bloom the day of her party!

As for the food I kept things fairly simple and tried to serve some of Ellie's favorites.  We had rice crispy treats, sugar cookies, potato chips, fruit salad, sandwiches from Jimmy Johns, a cheese and cracker plate and my favorite: donut holes that we picked up at our local donut shop that morning. I got the napkins, plates and silverware from Amazon and then the table decor mostly came from Target and Party City.  I loved using Ellie's Moana toys for the decor...it made things so simple and then Thomas printed out signs with some key phrases from the movie.

The guest bathroom even got into the party spirit and boasted a peony bud from Ellie's Peony.

Party favors were lei's and flower tattoos.

One of the highlighted pieces of decor was the poster of Ellie with Moana at Disneyland.  She was so excited to meet Moana (somehow we managed to be first in line) and talked her up about Heihei, Pua, and was very concerned about Maui's whereabouts.  I got the poster printed at my local Walgreens and learned that they print posters on a different printer that doesn't have as vibrant of colors...now I know.

Posing with our girl before the party started!

We managed to have a beautiful day for Ellie's party complete with over 85* weather.  So we had our doors open and our guests moved around from inside to outside.  We had Moana playing on the TV to act as some sort of entertainment and then we also had a Pinata set up for all the kids to take a whack at.  I have to say that this party was the most fun so far because Ellie invited her ballet friends to attend and getting to see her partying with her friends was priceless.

Girlfriend received a ton of gifts and she loved every single one of them but the best present came from Nanny and Papa: a play cleaning set - once the presents were done she got that thing opened and cleaned up our entire deck!! (it's still a popular present)  She also got an Elena of Avalor dress that she insists on wearing at least once a week.

All of the boy cousins were able to make it out so we made sure to get a picture of us all (great Father's Day present for my dad too).

We didn't get a picture of Ellie's cake, which is so sad because it was the best.  She picked out an Ice Cream Cake that we had decorated with a beach theme and then plopped on some of her Moana figures and then she got to have a sparkler candle that everyone was so impressed with!

Overall we had a total blast celebrating our 4 year old...despite the heat and I'm looking forward to what 4 brings with this sweet girl.

♥ Ashley 

Our Weekend - the one before our Anniversary

Y'all this weekend totes rocked! We were chock full of all the things and got quite a bit accomplished as well...one can never complain about crossing things off the list ;)

My weekend actually started early on Thursday.  I worked on Thursday and Thomas took the girls over to visit with his parents for the night...I had an extremely rare evening all to myself.  It's been a while since I've slept at home alone all by myself and I have to admit that I didn't hate it!

Thursday night I finished up my "naptime project" that I've been working on...shutters for the windows on the back side of the house.  I got them all put together and then just needed to wait for Thomas to get home to hang them up.

On Friday, I got to sleep in until about 7am and then I got lots of things completed...it was so easy without little toddlers at my feet the whole time.  I finished up the laundry, washed all the bedsheets (and made all the beds), vacuumed the house, mopped the house, cleaned/organized the kitchen, watered all the plants and even made a wreath to go on Finnley's door.  I got all the supplies at Michaels and it is my new favorite thing!  I also got to catch up on some TV and then Thomas and the girls finally got home around 1:30 in the afternoon.

We went out for an early dinner to pizza and it was so good.  Totally my kind of pizza: pesto sauce, goat cheese, chicken, sun dried tomatoes and cashews!! So freakin good.  Of course Ellie wasn't a fan because there was no pepperoni or red sauce but Finnley adored the crust, so we'll call it a win.

After dinner we made the rounds at Target and ToysRUs where we scored this adorable Shimmer and Shine (Finnley's favorite) mini backpack for Finnley on clearance for just $1.98!!! and Finnley has barely let it out of her sight since.

It was finally cool enough for us to attach the shutters when we got home and y'all I can't even remember what this part of the house even used to look like...all I know is that the difference these make in giving the house a "finishing" look is unbelievable.  I love it so much that I'm hoping to build two more sets for the front of the house before the end of the summer!

On Saturday we  made a trip up North to a new Zoo to celebrate my nephews birthday!  Ellie and Finnley had so much fun checking out all the new animals (Ostrich and Hippos), while I had fun catching up with my sister.  The kids got along great and watching Ellie walk around the zoo with her little cousin hand in hand was the sweetest thing ever!!

there was a boy who had his face painted like a Gorilla and this ape was not amused , he seemed to be very angry and not pleased with a Gorilla being so close!

obviously this girl gets overjoyed at the thought of going on the carousel!

After our trip to the Zoo we decided to try out a local burger joint that routinely has a line down the road...we somehow were able to time things just right: got one of the 8 parking spots in their free lot, got the last booth inside, and were only the 3rd group in line to order our food!  Y'all our food at Red Mill Burgers was so good!  We shared a bacon burger, fried mushrooms, and fries and then we each got our own milkshakes: chocolate for him, peanut butter for me.  Totally worth the wait and I would for sure go back...as long as the stars align again for us ;)

After the Zoo and lunch we headed back home where both girls fell asleep in the car...we were able to transfer one but not the other.  So Ellie and I got ready to head to one of my former students' wedding (with Bitty in tow).  They're high school sweethearts and a solid couple in my book.  Their wedding was so much fun, totally them, and totally laid back...there were ping pong tables, a whole area for the kiddos, basketball, volleyball and a giant slip'n'slide down an incredibly steep hill.  We got to take a hay ride from the parking lot to the ceremony where another former student of mine joined us and it was so nice to catch up with her.  Ellie so enjoyed the ceremony asking me after each bridesmaid "is that the wedding girl??" finally the bride walked down the aisle and then Ellie was all wondering when it was going to be time for them to kiss.  Once the ceremony was over Ellie was interested in checking out all the games, she loved the ping pong, the kids toys and then there was the talk about the water slide and she could barely contain herself...thankfully I had some extra clothes in my car and we changed her out of her "wedding dress" and into something that could get grassy and dirty. She was super excited about the whole idea of the water slide, then it was her turn and she chickened out, then she fell to peer pressure and made her way down and I had to carry her kicking and screaming to the car when it was time for us to go home!!  So glad she loved the waterslide...maybe now she'll dunk her head in the pool?  Needless to say that all weddings from here on out are going to pale in comparison because I can pretty much guarantee that there won't be a giant water slide.

On Sunday we headed out to a playground that is right next to a golf course that they used for the PGA US Open.  The views are spectacular despite the smokey haze we've been experiencing here in the western PNW lately.  The girls loved the playground and so did we, it's definitely going on our return to list!

I have finally decided on my cruiser bike and picked it up in the afternoon then we hooked everything up and went on our very first ever Family Bike Ride!!  If you read my post a few weeks ago I didn't mention Thomas weight loss journey...he's lost around 60 pounds and a great deal is to tracking our calories but also to his dedication to running and cycling, so having all of us out enjoying one of his passions was a high point to his weekend and I loved it too...so this might become like a family thing!!  The girls did fantastic, I loved having them hooked up to my bike for a majority of our ride because I loved listening to Ellie talk and then sneaking a look back every now and then and catching them holding hands!

We ended the night with books and songs and night night kisses...then Ellie joined us in our bed around 1:00am because she's going through a "phase" right now where apparently she doesn't know "how" to go to sleep nor can she sleep by herself because she "might" get scared at some point....this is four.

Nine Years

Happy 9th Anniversary!!!

It's been 9 years already!! 

We've been through a lot and there is no one I'd rather do life with than you!!  Through all the trials and tribulations I know that you are my rock and that we were meant to be.  I'm so thankful for how you provide for our family and what a great teammate and father you are...I seriously couldn't ask for a better partner.

No Tech Tuesday

We did it! We have completed two whole months of No Tech Tuesdays.  It's been hard, it's been a challenge, and there have been a few slip ups here and there.  Ultimately it's been the best decision for our family and we are looking forward to making August another month of No Tech Tuesdays!

Today we are making the most of the beautiful weather with hitting up a local children's museum, going out for lunch, and then probably hitting up Target because...Target ;)

What are you doing on this fine Tuesday?

♥ Ashley