"Stay as Sweet as You Are" 1st Birthday Party

On my 13th birthday, my Papa Chuck gave me a birthday card in which he had simply written,

Stay as sweet as you are!

Love, Papa Chuck

It surprised and touched me at the same time.  My papa wasn't a touchy-feeling teddy bear of a man; he was a quiet, hard-working, serve-others-with-everything-you've-got kind of man.  Somehow, seeing those words, "Stay sweet," written in his block lettering gave me a new perspective about who I was.  My papa thought I was sweet.  He wanted me to stay the way I was.

I loved that.  I felt more valuable, more precious, just knowing that this man of few words felt that way about me.  Those words have always stuck with me.  Through my teenage years, through my college days, through losing my Papa to cancer two years after I got married.  I've always wished that Papa Chuck could have met Kayleigh.  I can imagine the way his blue eyes would twinkle mischievously at her, and the way his laughter would echo hers.

Jesse and I started talking about birthday party themes for Kayleigh at the end of July.  We played around with different ideas, from ladybug-themed parties to cupcake-themed ideas.  We wrote down lists of ideas to go with each theme, and had fun getting creative with it.

But as her birthday came closer and closer, I realized that a cookie-cutter party theme idea just didn't fit. I didn't want to build a party around a theme, I wanted to build a theme around my sweet girl.  My beautiful little girl who I wish I could just freeze at this sweet stage and cherish her forever.

Nat King Cole's song fits my sweet girl perfectly.  Kayleigh's birthday party was a beautiful day of celebrating the sweet little person that she is.  Jesse and I pray every day that she always stays this sweet.

Here are some ways that we decorated for her special day!

I covered an old bulletin board with batting and fabric to create this photo timeline with one picture for every month of her life clothespinned to string.

The mantle decor is string with 2" diameter circles folded over it in alternating pastels.

You guys, the party-planning craze came over me and I actually hot-glued the string to my brick fireplace!  Thankfully, it comes right off :)

Three hurricane candle votives were used to hold some of Kayleigh's special items from her first year.  Her first pair of shoes, her newborn pacifiers, and her everyday hair clips.

The lyrics to Stay as Sweet as You Are were printed out and posted near the entryway of our home

Continuing with our "Sweet" theme, we listed some of Kayleigh's favorite words on a cabinet.

And, I forgot to take a picture of it, but we had a basket full of candy on the table with a sign that said "Sweet Treats--help yourself!"

I never managed to get a picture of the dining room once it was all set for the party, but here it is halfway there.  I made more paper garlands (I added doilies to these) and strung them from the chandelier, along with lots of tissue paper flowers.

I used doilies on the table and also to decorate the three mason jars which held the utensils.  Jesse helped me punch out little circles using scrap paper and we sprinkled it across the pink tablecloth.

Flower-shaped brownie pops were Kayleigh's party favors, and we had footprint leaves with "Thank you for sharing in my special day! Love, Kayleigh Grace" printed on the back of each.

The house simply overflowed with loved ones that day, and Kayleigh was showered with love.

It was a beautiful day to celebrate our sweet girl!

Wrapping up September

I've decided that God created 1st birthday parties so that moms could get off the couch, wipe their "My baby's turning ONE!" tears from their cheeks, and realize that birthdays aren't so bad when you get to plan a party.

Kayleigh's first birthday party was a very special one, and I can't wait to share pictures with you and tell you more about it!

I also can't wait to tell you all about our special 1st birthday trip to the Aquarium.  We had a blast.  And ohmygoodness, our little girl loves fish.

And I don't have any pictures from the day, but I had a wonderful 26th birthday spending the day with my childhood friend Emily and enjoying Handsome Man's homemade fish tacos for dinner--and my faaaavorite new treat, pavlova for dessert!  It was a wonderful day :)

Sunday was also a special day for our family, as Jesse was officially called and installed as the Director of Christian Education at our new church.  It's been 4 years of praying and searching for the place God wanted us to be, and now we are happily at home in the church He called us to.  We are so thankful for His providence, and for this wonderful congregation's love and appreciation for my Handsome Man!  

September was a blessed, busy, wonderful month!

Looks like life should be settling down now, though, and I'm looking forward to catching you up this week!

Blessings!

Bethany

1:22pm

My Sweet Kayleigh,

Whenever I glance at a clock that reads 1:22, my heart swells to bursting.

1:22pm is the moment that you came into our life and filled it with such color and vibrance that it's been more beautiful ever since.

You are our sunshine, our music, our rainbow, our dance.

Twelve months, Kayleigh Girl.  You've been in our arms, in our hearts, in our thoughts and in our smiles for twelve beautiful months.

When the nurse traded Daddy you for the camera and took this picture, I smiled at him and didn't think that life could be any more beautiful.

But each day since, I've been proven wrong.   What a beautiful year it has been.  If this is the trend, and it truly only gets more wonderful every day, I'm so excited to live out life with you.

I love to watch you make others smile.  Whether you're dancing and being silly, or trying to fit one toy inside another, you bring so much joy to the people around you.  The way you laugh is so genuine and wholehearted that no one can resist laughing with you.  I pray that God uses you to bring joy to others all your life.

God created a beautiful heart in you, sweet girl.  I love watching you play with your little friends--the sweet way you play side-by-side with little Emily, the smiles you get from watching "big kids" play, the shocked injustice that spreads across your face when someone takes a toy out of your hands or accidentally knocks you over.  I love how gentle you are with your "Bee" and how you love to talk to her and watch her try to lift her little 6 week old head.

I love the way you love your daddy.  He's the first one you said "I love you" to, and it's clear that you mean it.  He loves you so much, too!  Always know that, Baby Girl.  Always trust him to protect you and give you good counsel.  He loves you with all of his big daddy heart, and he will do everything in the world to keep the treasure of your beautiful heart safe.

Thank you for making me a mommy.  Thank you for the joy of waking up to the sound of your sweet voice as you talk to yourself in your crib, and for the morning hugs that make my heart burst.  Thank you for sharing each day with me, for reminding me how beautiful flowers are, and to stop and listen to the sound leaves make as the wind blows through them.  Thank you for bringing me back to share in your awe of God's creation.  Thank you for showing me that my heart will overflow with love for my family every day until I die.

Twelve months, Kayleigh Grace.  Life will never be the same as it was.  I wouldn't want it to be.  I loved my time with just your daddy, but now I love to share him with you.

1:22pm.

When I see those numbers, I remember the joy of reaching for you, bringing you to my heart, and staring in wonder at the perfect gift in my arms.  Daddy and I knew in that moment.

Life would never be the same.

It had never been more perfect.

Happy 1st birthday, Precious Girl!

We love you!!!

The End of a Beautiful Beginning

My sweet baby girl turns one year old tomorrow.  It's unfathomable, exciting, and heartbreaking all at once.  How are we here already?  When did that tiny little heartbeat I could feel under my hand become this beautiful, hilarious, smart little cookie who comes running at me full force when she wants some momma love?  What will this next year hold?

Too many joys to count, I'm sure.  So many new experiences, new words, new accomplishments, new things to rejoice over.  The upcoming year is so exciting.

And yet closing this one today makes me so sad.

My precious girl.

It has been such a beautiful year--almost two years, really, from the beginning--that she has been in our life.

I'll share birthday party pictures later, but today, I just wanted to share with you two videos that I made for Kayleigh's birthday party.  The first one shares our pregnancy journey, beginning with how I told Jesse that I was pregnant, and ending with the week that Kayleigh was born.  The next one is pictures of her from throughout her first year.  It's amazing to watch her grow before my eyes!

(better quality youtube version here)

Today is the end of a beautiful chapter in our life, but it's only the beginning, really.  Even though I wish I could keep this preciously soft and dimpled curly girl this size forever, I'm so thankful for the opportunity I've been given to be her mom.  I know from my relationship with my mom that the mother-daughter bond grows more and more beautiful every year, and I am so looking forward to that!

Who am I?

A sweet friend and I took a CPR class together last night to keep our teaching credentials current.  We had to wait for our husbands to get home from work to take care of our girls, and then an accident on the freeway stalled us even further.  When we finally stumbled into the Red Cross classroom, we were 40 minutes late.

The teacher, a quippish man a little younger than my parents, sarcastically noted that we were 'right on time' and asked us to introduce ourselves to the rest of the class.  As I fumbled with my seat and tried to put my purse down, I was at a loss for what to say.

"Well, my name is Bethany, and I have a daughter who will be one next week...and a husband.  And I work from home as a teacher."

The attention shifted from me to my friend as she introduced herself, too, and I wanted to slap myself in the forehead.  That's all that I could muster out?  Everyone in that room must be judging me as one of "those moms" who doesn't find value in herself except for as a wife and parent.  Someone who doesn't think she's interesting in the least.  Someone who doesn't have an identity outside of her home.

But that's not who I am.

While my family is definitely at the top of my list of joys in life, they don't define me.  Concern for their well-being defines many of the choices I make, and my love for them defines where I spend most of my time, but I was still Bethany Elise before God perfectly brought them into my life.

Who am I?

I'm Bethany.  I'm a Christian.  I'm a blogger and a homemaker.  I love to bake until everyone around me is plumper and happier than they were when they walked in through my door.  I'm a harpist (though that's taken a backseat this year because of pregnancy arthritis that still hasn't left yet).  I have an obsession with lavender, pansies, and spiced chai lattes.  I have 600 hours of volunteering behind me from my candy striping days.  I've been a preschool teacher, an elementary teacher, an aide in a special ed classroom, music teacher, a Sunday School teacher, and a childcare provider for foster children and children of parents with special needs.  I am a lover of the English language, and while being a 1st grade teacher was always my dream, God has used me much more frequently as an ESL teacher.  I grade about 100 essays a week written by college students who have been speaking English for less than a year.  I work alongside my husband as a youth leader, mentor, chauffeur, summer camp leader, VBS leader, and as his children's message sounding board.  I have a degree in early childhood education, and I love finding new and fun ways to help Kayleigh explore her surroundings with all 5 senses.  I'm a friend who spends hours every week on the phone--sometimes struggling alongside my friends during their difficult times, sometimes sharing in each other's joys.  I have a passion for foster children and orphans, and I'm excited to see what God does with that someday.  I'm a big sister with a mama hen complex.  I love keeping in touch with my far-spread siblings and reminding them that there's a cute little niece at home waiting for them.  I'm a peacemaker, a prayer warrior, an if-the-glass-isn't-half-full-let's-find-a-way-to-fill-it-together kind of girl.

This is the person God created me to be.  I'm thankful for that and I love who I am.  I know that God was working in Jesse's life and mine preparing us for each other long before we ever met.  Being married to Jesse doesn't mean that my life is defined by him, it means that God took two perfect sinners and made us just right for each other.  I love him.  And I love our daughter.  My precious almost-one-year-old with her sweet dimples and crazy curls.  But aside from to her little friends, I will never "just" be Kayleigh's Mom.  I am me, and God created me the way I am to love and serve the two most beloved people in my life.

Who am I?

I'm a lot more than a frazzled mom in yoga pants who bursts into class 40 minutes late.

Who are you?

One Week Away!

If you've been thinking about joining in on  The AMAZING Busy Bag Swap, you still have time!
The swap lists are open until next Monday, and then I will be closing the lists and emailing all of the participants with the next step.  I'm so excited about this swap, and I love that so many of you are looking forward to it, too!

Curious about how it works?  Check here for the full post, but here's a quick breakdown:

• Each person can plan to make between 5-10 of the same Busy Bag
• Depending on your child's age, you can participate in the INFANT/TODDLER Group  (under 2 years old), the PRESCHOOL Group (2-3 years old), or PRE-K (4-5 years old)
• Once the groups are established and your Busy Bag sets are made, you can mail your set to me (with a few dollars for S/H so that I can mail a complete set back to you).
• I will organize the Busy Bags that I receive into complete sets for each age group and mail them back to each participant.
• Once you receive your package, you will have brand new, educational and age-appropriate activities for your child to enjoy!

It's going to be a blast!  There's one week left, so spread the word and let your friends know about it so that they can join in, too!

Starting Goodbye

I gave away my last box of milk supply-increasing tea two days ago.  It's funny how it's been affecting me ever since.  My sweet friend is at the beginning of her breastfeeding journey with her daughter, and Kayleigh and I are nearing the end of ours.

{via}

I've been a breastfeeding momma for 353 days, and it's been the most tender, beautiful bond I've ever shared.  It makes me sad to think that we are nearing Goodbye.

Every family is different, and I certainly don't judge mothers who either were not able or chose not to breastfeed their children.  I have wonderful momma friends who have formula fed, and a courageous momma friend who found milk donors so that her children could have breastmilk even when her body couldn't make it for them.  It all comes down to doing what's best for your family.

For my family, breastfeeding Kayleigh was a choice that Jesse and I made together, and I'll always be thankful for the support and care that I received from my husband.

It's been a beautiful year.  I love being Kayleigh's momma, and I love being able to feed her with my body.  It's a precious relationship unlike any other that God has created.  My little girl knows that her momma provides for all of her needs.  We both love the closeness that breastfeeding gives to us.  I love the feeling of holding her so close to my heart, and she loves the comfort of being there.

For the first 6 months of Kayleigh's life, she was an exclusively breastfed baby.  I think it was a big contribution to her delicious chubbiness :)

After that, we started adding solids.  I'm proud of my girl for what a great eater she is--she never turns anything down! {unless she thinks it's baby food}

Even though she officially snubs purees and baby cereal in favor of the good stuff {aka anything on Mom or Dad's plate}, she still really enjoys nursing.  And I'm so thankful for that.

But as precious as it is and as wonderful as it has been, it's not going to last forever.  My baby girl is growing up, and with that growth comes the budding independence that I'm so proud of.  She doesn't need me like she used to.  And while that hurts to think and even wells tears up in my eyes, it's a good thing.  Kayleigh is a loving, smart, increasingly independent girl.  Her daddy and I pray for those things every day for her.

Our children grow up.  We know that.  We treasure the pregnancy days with the little kicks and hiccups knowing that's physically the closest they will ever be to us.  And then we cherish the days of newborn snuggles and holding little ones to our hearts while we feed them.  But they keep growing.  And soon they're doing things all on their own and we're thrown into the world of "Look, Mom!"  And it just keeps tumbling and speeding forward--their independence tearing at our hearts and making them burst with love and pride at the same time.  

This momma's heart is bursting.  Love, pride, thankfulness, and joy fill my heart when I think of our breastfeeding journey.  Every time I nurse Kayleigh, I cherish each little bit of it.  The way she traces her finger across my skin, plays with one of my curls, jingles my necklace.  The way she stops and smiles at me halfway through before nuzzling back in for more.  The adorable way she signs "Milk" to me when that's all she wants.

I'm not intentionally ending our breastfeeding journey, but I know it won't last forever.  I'm producing much less than I used to, and as Kayleigh continues to enjoy other foods and experiment with new tastes, she needs me less and less.  In the past, I used the milk tea as a way to regain my supply when I hit a dry spell from stress or sickness.  I used to panic if my supply started to dwindle, irrationally fearing that my baby was going to starve or become malnourished (isn't it lovely what hormones do to you?)  I don't have to worry any more.  We breastfeed because we love it, not because we have to.   It's a beautiful journey that we've shared together, and I'm so thankful for it.  And when my little girl decides that she no longer needs to breastfeed, I probably will curl up and cry for a little bit.  But then I'll be proud of my sweet girl and the beautifully independent little person she is growing into.

I'm not big about having pics of my boobs floating around on the internet, so this is the only picture I have of Kayleigh breastfeeding.  I love it.  It's from our very first day on this beautiful journey, and I'll cherish it forever.

A mom from church gave us a lot of her children's baby things right before Kayleigh was born.  I remember her getting teary as she moved the things from her car to ours.  Now I understand.  Even though my girl is still little, chapters are closing already and it's very bittersweet.  

Giving away that last box of milk tea began the goodbye on this chapter of Kayleigh and my story. As silly and inconsequential as it may seem, it meant that I was giving away my "just in case."  Just in case my supply dwindled.  Just in case I needed to produce more to feed my growing baby.  Just in case she needed her momma more.

I don't need a "just in case" anymore.  My girl is healthy and strong, and I praise God for that.  She's growing every day and is oh-so-proud of herself.  She loves to try new foods, make up new dances, and learn new words.  Pretty soon, this little Mommy's Girl isn't going to want to breastfeed.

But right now, she still loves it.  As long as it lasts, I'm going to love it, too.