So, here's all about Ashley Lately...
-I turned twenty-THREE. ( I'm getting old, I know) I celebrated with a night out on the town, which is a rare occasion for me now-a-days. It was fun, but the hangover was killer the next day. Sure do not miss those!
-Eli & I took our first trip of the year (his first trip ever!) to Utah to visit my father and his family. It was Eli's first time flying and he did very well! Slept like a baby the whole flight, but sleeping in the hotel was another story. He's not a big fan of sleeping with mom or sharing his bed with others. (I'm hoping that changes with age, because I can't wait for him to crawl in bed with me) Overall, it was a really great visit. I had not seen my father since my high school graduation and my grandparents since I was 11, so we were well overdue. It was like catching up with old friends and I'm really grateful that they had a chance to meet Eli.
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| Eli and my old man |
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| Eli and his cousins |
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| My father and I in Park City, UT |
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| Beautiful Park City, UT |
Paint + projects have been put on hold because sadly Nick left yesterday morning for Canada. It's hard to be together with someone, every day, all day for months and then you wake up one morning and they're gone. But we've been doing it for the last four years so we're like a well-oiled machine. However, now that were a family -it's so much harder for him to leave and when he's gone. More for him, than me. I've never been away from Eli for more than a day and sometimes he can be gone for 4 to 6 weeks. We miss him a lot already but I'm grateful for the man he is and how he provides for our family. (I'll never stop mentioning that so expect to see it again from time to time.)
-Eli just recently turned ELEVEN months. That's right, ELEVEN. As in one month away from a YEAR old. I'm repeating in all caps, because I really can not believe that it has nearly been a year since he was born. It feels as though he's always been apart of my life and now I can never imagine a life without him in it. For awhile, I was looking forward to him turning one and planning his party (more on that later), but now I'm pretty emotional about it. Of course, he is still a baby in many ways but he's also grown into a little boy overnight. Ever since the reality of it hit me, all I can do it go through pictures of him as a wittle baby and I'm blown away by the miracle of life and how fast time flies. And how much someone so small can have such a huge impact on one's life. He has changed me forever and for the better.
Eli is nearly walking. He's taken a few steps here and there but hasn't taken off running yet. But I'm sure in true Eli fashion, he will in no time. He's constantly moving and exploring. He just recently discovered he can open cabinets (his favorite being the Tupperware), the existence of toilet paper and loves to pull out all the wipes out of the container. His favorite show is Olivia and Jack's Big Music Show. Pretty much anything that has to do with music. He loves to play with Nick's guitars. He eats bananas and avocados daily and with a passion. He likes to wrestle and play peek-a-boo. He always has a smile on his face and has started to laugh at himself randomly. He shares his binky with Daddy and his food with Mom. He loves playing with his cousins and his bf Kayden. He's talking up a storm and the only consistent word he says is "bu". We're still working on "Mama" & "Dada" (even though I'm pretty sure he's said "Mama" before). He has 3 teeth -two on bottom, one on top -and chews on anything he can get his hands on. His hair gets longer by the day and is starting to curl up by his ears. He's incredibly smart but can be stubborn & hard-headed (..wonder where he gets that from?..) He's just an amazing kid in every way and I feel so blessed to be his mother. And even though I'm sad to see him grow into a little boy, I'm so very excited of who he is becoming.
-Eli's birthday is less than a month away, which means his party is less than a month away!! I knew before he was six months old, I wanted a circus themed party (exhibit A) and have been living on Pinterest (exhibit B) gathering ideas and inspiration for the all-time, greatest ever, first birthday circus extravaganza. In the beginning, I wanted to do it all -clown, balloon artist, face painting, caricature artist -but after going to a few first birthday parties and reading other mommy blogs, I've discovered that it's best to keep it simple. What I've come up with is pretty simple, for me at least. I'm still doing circus themed but turned the volume way down. I'm not paying for any entertainers, except for a bouncy house and that's for the sake of my newly furnished & built house (okay, and for my sanity). The only thing left to do is pace myself with the preparations and not stress out. Easy, right? I'll be sure to update more often as things come together but I don't want to give too much away and spoil all the fun. I've already bought the invitations and am working on sending those out this week. Once they go out, I'll show you what I came up with ;)
And that's my life lately. A lot of pajama days, Pinterest obsessing and party planning. I'm hoping to update my blog more often since my evenings will be pretty free once Eli goes to bed (or so I think) but we shall see! In the meantime..Happy Presidents Day & Blog Anniversary!! (It's been a whole year since I've started blogging! Go ME!)
