Chugga Chugga

Tonight, as a final hurrah ending my parents' time up in Park City, we did the Heber Valley Train ride on the Heber Creeper through Heber Valley & the Deer Creek Reservoir.

Complete with twinkle lights & one of the most solid oldie's mixes I've ever heard, we rode, sang, & danced our way across the mountains. Annie shares her grandpa's love for trains & talked about riding on one nonstop, all day, until the big moment finally arrived - I'm pretty sure they were both in heaven :)

As usual, we forgot our camera.

Making it my mission to just start carrying the thing around with me absolutely everywhere I go.

On the agenda for this week: clearing our closets, dressers,  cabinets, & shelves, & taking stock of unused furniture in preparation for a yard sale we'll be having this weekend.

Fun.

- e

Our Week in Pictures

Our week, according to Instagram :

Finished up celebrating Annie B's birthday! 

Spent a morning of celebration & relaxation by kidnapping this lady (one of my best Utah gals, Becky ) for a birthday treat at the spa, courtesy of her sweet husband!

We spent another fun-filled weekend in Park City with my mom & dad!

We have been SO spoiled having them visit between all of the fun activities, amazing food, & help with Annie - they even kept her for two extra days so that Blake & I could have a break & enjoy some time to ourselves :)

I love, love, love this cozy mountain town - even though it's right in our backyard it feels completely different from our desert valley.

I would move there tomorrow...so if you have any job contacts send them our way!

Annie and her best bud Makayla (Annie calls her KK) at the zoo!

A few more zoo pics!

- e



Here's to a Happy Weekend

  

Now that's the good stuff.

Spending the weekend in Park City with my parents.

Annie is completely in heaven.

Daily visits to the park, swimming (in "1...2...3 pools!" as she refers to the big pool, the hot tub, and the baby pool), lots & lots of yummy eats, walks up & down Main Street, shopping, treats at Java Cow, time outside, a visit to the Alpine Slide, carousel rides, golf for Blake, the Sunday street fair, and some much needed downtime for all .

On the downside - we forgot our camera .

Stink .

On the upside - 3 posts in a row!

When the grandparents leave you can probably expect this to cease completely.

I think I've almost killed my computer - it seems to be in overload.

Hope your weekend was incredible as well!

- e

Annie's Second Birthday Party

Last weekend we celebrated Annie's second birthday with a little Saturday morning brunch .

It was such a fun day & was made so special by the family & friends who were able to be there , though there were definitely many who were missed !

This party was basically one giant DIY project & I had such fun putting it together !

Check it out !

*sources & other info at the bottom of the page 

I made this wreath out of coffee filters! I followed this tutorial from the blog Lolly Jane.

The burlap and doily bunting was another DIY courtesy of Lolly Jane, here.

These flowers were also made from coffee filters. I sort of modified this tutorial, here . Obviously I did not dye mine - I used regular coffee filters for the white & organic coffee filters for the brown.

As favors, we gave out these recipe cards that I designed with an attached cookie cutter so you can cut your French toast into fun shapes!

And here are some pics of the B-Day Girl!

Here are some fun facts from Miss Annie now that she's TWO :

My nicknames are : Annie-Bananie, Annie B, & Ann-Bannan .

 My favorite foods are : turkey, pickles, cheese, tomatoes, berries, grapes, juice, yogurt, "mac-y" & "chicken nugs". I also like fruit snacks, chocolate chip Fiber One Bars,

M&Ms, & suckers as special treats .

My favorite shows are : Barney, Little Einsteins, Calliou, Super Why, Doodlebops, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Scout & Friends, & The "Neigh Neigh" Videos .

My favorite songs to sing & dance to are : Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,  If You're Happy & You Know It, Hokey Pokey, Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Popcorn Popping , Do As I'm Doing, Teddy Bear Teddy Bear, You Are My Sunshine, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, ABCs, Raindrops, & Five Little Monkeys .

My favorite books are : Twinkle Twinkle Little Star & Other Nursery Rhymes , Clifford Books, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Goodnight Moon, Bunny's Noisy Book, The Potty Book, Petunia, & The Annie Book . 

I've learned so much : I know all the letters of the alphabet & some of their sounds , I can count to 15, I know my colors, animals & their sounds , & I love to read books to myself . I can also put on my own shoes & buckle my car seat .

I can spell my first name & I know that my full name is

Annie Lynn Romney.

I love : trains, driving, painting, coloring, reading, chalk, cooking in my kitchen, swimming, dollies & babies,  animals - especially bunnies & doggies, bath time, dancing, holding hands, my grandparents & aunts & uncles & cousins - immediate & beyond , going to the park - the slides & swings are my favorite, kissing owies, playing on the dinosaurs with "KK", pillows & blankies, & bubbles . 

I am a little addicted to the iPad.

I call it the "IP".

I still suck my thumb .

Everyone says I look just like my daddy, but I look just like my mommy's baby pictures too .

I am an observer, memorizer, thinker, & solver.

I am very sensitive & tentative.

I love to tell stories & I think I'm very silly .

That all seems like so much and yet I know there is more!

We love you our little Annie Lynn - everything that you are

and everything that you will be .

- e  

Some other sources & FIYs :

- The "A" & "2" are both from Hobby Lobby .

- All burlap (I just purchased a yard or two) & twine used for bunting, wrapping the cupcake stand, wrapping the silverware, & for topping the mason jars were also from Hobby Lobby .

- The hearts used on the cake topper & cinnamon buns were created with glitter scrapbook paper, mini wood skewers, & hot glue - all from Hobby Lobby . I created a heart template to make hearts.

- The flags used on the quiche were made from a strip of glitter washi tape from Hobby Lobby and were wrapped around mini wood skewers, then cut on the ends .

- Organic coffee filters were purchased from Target (I had a hard time finding these!).

- Regular coffee filters were purchased from Walmart, although they also have them at the dollar store.

- The cupcake (or in this case quiche) stand, mason jars, & all doilies were purchased at Walmart .

- Straws were purchased from Pioneer Party in Lehi .

- The crate was leftover from another project & was bought at Michaels . I painted it white .

- The invitations (adding that picture soon!), labels, & recipe cards were created by me .

- Annie's dress is from Carter's (a gift from her Aunt Brittani!!)

Our Two Year Old Gal

My baby girl is two .

TWO!

This is by far my favorite age yet with my Annie girl, from about 18 months to 2 years .

She is so interactive, so curious, so silly, and so incredibly sweet . She has truly become my little buddy, and even a few hours away from her makes my heart ache .

She has also become quite opinionated and independent - there are plenty of trying moments with opportunity to learn patience .
 

Am I doing well at that ?

I hope so .

Here are some shots of Annie that we took on the fourth of July :)

 

Being a mother has been far more rewarding than I could ever have imagined .

Each day is truly such a gift .

I wish that I could record every movement, remember to write down the funny little things that she says or does, or be more mindful of slowing down and really taking the little moments in .

I can feel myself growing and changing so much lately.

This is literally happening with my ever expanding belly, but I can feel myself becoming more & more the person that I truly want to be, and I owe so much of that to Blake & Annie.

I cannot imagine where I would be in life without them, and can't wait to meet our newest addition in just a few months!

What exciting things the future has in store for us! 

Stay tuned for photos from Annie's birthday and some fun facts about our sweetest girl .

- e

Just FYI:

Annie's Dress is from Old Navy & her Jellies are from The Gap!