Father's Day Weekend.

I honestly had no plans for Father's Day (oops). I told jack that we were going to wing it and do whatever he wanted and it turned out to be a really nice weekend. It was so bittersweet as I kept scrolling down my Facebook and Instagram looking at pictures of everyone with their dads, their dads with their kids, it was sad really. This time of the year stresses and saddens me, but I couldn't let that bring the weekend down!

On Friday, I couldn't wait all the way till Sunday to give Jack his gifts and I blurted this out, like a jerk. He said okay he would open them so as a giddy little girl I went to the closet where I had hid everything already wrapped, card in hand and practically ran to the kitchen. He opened the card first, read it an cried. Just kidding, he read it, put it aside and opened up his glass. He loved it! He thought that was all I had given him and even washed it to use it and I told him that there was more. Who doesn't like the sound of that? He dug through the bag and found his second gift.

I got the pilsner from Things Remembered. I knew this is what I wanted to get him. Stuff that he would actually use and like and would last him forever. They even have ink colors now so I chose this red!



This is the second time I print Instagram pictures with Artifact Uprising and they are the absolute best. They had this wooden block that holds twelve pictures and I couldn't pass it up. I printed pics of Jack and Elliot and of Elliot alone for Jack to put in his office. We had been looking for a cool frame for him to take and just couldn't find a good one. This one is manly enough and the fact that you can put up a different pic is awesome! He loved it. He took it to work already and put it up. We plan on staining it too.

Saturday we let him sleep in of course. This boy is the silliest!!

We headed to the outlet mall to buy Jack much needed work clothes. Elliot insisted on going up and down this tiny little step. He liked this more than the actual rides. He was clearly amused by the rides. :)

I then took Jack to a spot that I've been to a couple of times where they have the best seafood, clams and oyster shots. He loved it. He wasn't so sure about the shot, he only had one and I had two. I bought some oysters and will be making my own. I'll post the recipe! They're non-alcoholic but have a whole oyster in them. They're so good I could drink ten in a row!



Elliot was the best. He ate his food, danced and talked to us. He knew it was Father's Day weekend. ;)



We headed home to rest for a while then went to Home Goods. I love that store. I've been looking for a cool centerpiece for our dining table and found the perfect items! I love these bottles and I loved the price too!



I'm not usually one to like much less buy fake plants but these look and feel real and I love the little setup! What a good man my hubby is to take me to this store on his weekend. :)



Sunday morning we woke up with Elliot like this. Now you see why we can't sleep? We put him in bed with us when he first woke up to drink his milk then fell back asleep. He is the craziest sleeper.



I made a Middle Eastern breakfast for Jack since it's his favorite. I made hummus, I'll post that recipe as well, Lebne with olive oil (thickened yogurt), cauliflower with eggs, fresh veggies and pita bread. I should have taken a picture of the aftermath. Not a crumb or leftover in sight.



Elliot ate blueberry pancakes & cauliflower and eggs.

We got a watermelon and obviously Elliot almost ate the entire thing. We spent the rest of the day hanging out, we watched a movie during Elliot's nap (which he fought for a good thirty minutes) and Jack mowed the lawn while we played with water outside. At the end of the night, Jack told me he had the best day. It wasn't much and we didn't really do much but he said it was perfect, as long as his family is with him. I agree. :)

Jack, you are the light of our lives. We are so fortunate to have you. You are an amazing father and husband and without you, we would come undone. I love seeing you and Elliot together, how he plays with you and how you make him laugh so much. I love that when Elliot says socks "toths" you think that's the cutest word you've ever heard and how you look at him and tell me he's the most beautiful boy in the world. I know you are going to teach him everything he needs to know to be successful and as good of a man as you are. We love you so much!

Elliot's Birthday!

There was a change of plans for Elliot's birthday. I had been so excited about the planning and theme and colors and everything about it that I didn't sit down and think it through. I started buying this and that thinking how perfect it was going to be and then it hit me. He's turning one. ONE. Then I started freaking out. He won't remember, it's too much for a one year old, etc. So then I started stressing out. Is it really worth it to spend all this money on catering food and drinks for all my friends and family when really, it's more of a party for us than Elliot? Jack and I talked about it and we made the decision to cancel the big party and have a small gathering with family. I still decorated and tried to make our home look nice for Elliot and for our family but I was so glad we did it this way. It was fun, I wasn't running around making sure everyone was okay and that they had a drink in their hand. It was relaxing, enjoyable and fun. It might sound selfish but I wasn't ready to deal with the stress!

So get ready for a pic overload coming at you. :)

I knew I wanted a sweets table whether it was for a small or large group. I think it's a cute way to send off the little ones with a little reminder of the party and a sweet treat for later. I used our dining table for the setup and I already had a bunch of containers from my baby shower and got a couple of extra ones whenever I found an inexpensive but cool one. I had marshmallows, chocolate, gummies, twizzlers, brownies, lollipops, and gumballs. I ended up eating quite a few since we had some leftovers. Eek!

Remember I told you about getting together with Tiny Prints? After the invitations, I really felt like the party needed an extra touch! I was so excited, so after speaking to them on the phone, sending a bunch of emails and telling them about my plans for his party, we decided that party favor labels was the way to go. I went to their website, picked a design and sent it to them. They were in the mail a few days later! They were stickers which are super handy and I peeled them off and put them on colored construction paper then cut them, punched a hole and tied them with twine to the candy bags. I absolutely love the way they turned out. How crazy that they had this design that perfectly matched the invitations AND the theme without being too much? It was a pleasure working with them! I look forward to more projects with them in the future! 

I printed a bunch of my Instagram pictures through Artifact Uprising if you haven't been to their website please go right now. It's beautiful! You can create beautiful things. This is such a bad pic and doesn't do justice to how awesome the pics came out. I can't wait to make a book!

The cake. The cake was so pretty and exactly what I wanted. Plus is tasted so good! I picked a lemon cake with vanilla butter cream under the fondant. If you live in the area please check my sister in law out at Jen's Cupcake Corner on Facebook. I made a quick and simple bunting for the top and was planning to put a couple of tiny balloons but that didn't happen. I love how it came out!

He then had a taste of his little smash cake! Which was so hard to make for me. Definitely not my thing. He

enjoyed it although it lasted about a second then he was over it.

I set up a sheet of butcher paper, party hats, stickers, markers, crayons, bubbles, glow stick bracelets and other fun little things for the kids to color, decorate hats and have fun. They also decorated a banner that I need take a million pics of and frame them. They did such a great job! 

Even Elliot helped out. He was such a good boy throughout the entire thing, he sat there and looked at everything and everyone as if enjoying and soaking it all in. My heart was content.

Ooh balloons!



My two loves.







It was such a nice day. I truly believe he enjoyed it and I know he's not going to remember but I hope one day he looks back and sees how mama and daddy tried so hard to make it a special day for him. We love you little Button, time flew and we cannot believe what a big boy you are!

Ok mama no more pics! :)

I hope you enjoyed the overload I just couldn't help myself :) Happy Wednesday!