Wine-ding Down

After the past few weeks of party planning and celebrating, we spent last weekend taking it rather easy.

Mom was in Knoxville with one of her tennis teams for their state championships, so we took the babies to watch their Meme play on Friday. Sadly, we didn't bring her much luck even though they placed second overall that weekend.

But James and Mattie Rose had a blast playing outside!

{this boy is obsessed with balls}

{and she just loves to point at everything these days}

{these kiddos were tuckered out and quickly fell asleep before we even hit the highway to come home}

Thank goodness for wonderful weekend weather, because we were able to get some good pool time in on Saturday. When we moved to Crossville, I told Kyle I needed to move into a house that was in a neighborhood and in a neighborhood that was family friendly. And we did. And I am so grateful, because that's what we got! If I can't have my own pool, then a neighborhood is the next best option. The babies love it too! Once they get used to the chilly water...

{poolside snacks are the best}

{so silly}

{mattie rose is fascinated by nature. even a lowly, little earthworm}

My and Kyle's 3rd anniversary was last Wednesday, but we decided to celebrate on the weekend. One thing about moving to a small town is that there really isn't a whole lot going on socially. Cue extreme longing for Memphis here. Luckily, Cookeville (which is about 30 miles from us) has a little more to offer. The west side of the town has really cute shops and restaurants, and this past weekend hosted Wine on the Westside. "Yes, please," said this worn-out mama! It entailed a street-long worth of wine tasting from different vineyards, most of them from the Nashville area, music, and food!

{i hate selfies, but when it's just the two of us its our only option}

{because kyle made fun of me in the first one, here's another...}

{our tasting glasses}

{killing time waiting in line}

{after strolling and tasting for a while, we had a yummy dinner at crawdaddy's and reviewed our favorites}

{wonderful night with my wonderful husband}

This week I am starting the countdown to our much needed trip to Memphis!!!!

12 Months Too Old

Birthday party has come and gone. All the cake has been eaten. Thanks to this mommy. And I wonder why I am nowhere near pre-pregnancy weight a year later. Neither here nor there :)

My babies are no more. I am now the mother of two toddlers. Excuse me? I am having a hard time believing it, but that's what my weekly emails keep calling them... Ay yi yi!

Though we aren't walking yet, we are all over the place! Sitting still is something we no longer no how to do. This makes posing-for-pictures mommy crazy! Our 12 month pictures were almost non-existent due to falls off of the fireplace, ripping of the sticker, eating of the sticker, and a meltdown when Mommy tried to take ripped, half-eaten sticker away from us. What a mean mommy....

{more concerned with what brother is doing}

{beginning of the sticker ripping}

{one sticker down, one to go}

{i spy a sticker. behind the right foot. not on our shirt.}

{could absolutely not get him to look at the camera this time around}

Our stats from our 12 month check up:

James:

     Height - 28.75 inches

     Weight - 18 pounds 10 ounces

     Head Circumference - 17.75''

Mattie Rose:

     Height - 28 inches

     Weight - 17 pounds 6 ounces

     Head Circumference - 17.5''

We are still little bits, but growing just as healthy as ever! 

Both James and Mattie Rose pull to stand, cruise, and push their walkers. But no one is quite ready to brave it on their own. James has six teeth, two on bottom and four up top. Mattie Rose still only has her two on the bottom. James is now wearing 12-18 month clothes and my dainty little girl is still in 9 months, though some 12 month outfits don't swallow her too much. 

We still love to eat any and everything. But now we like to hold big pieces of food and take bites! We love to dance to any type of music, particularly Lecrae and Bruno Mars. Ha!

Our favorite times of the day are meal time, any time outside, when Daddy gets home from work, and bath time!

We are finally off of formula (cha-ching!) and doing a great job with whole milk and our sippy cups! This makes mommy super happy! No more making bottles and more importantly, no more WASHING bottles!

Monthly posts will be likely turn into 6 month posts to let you know all about our growing! So keep following!

Party People

Okay, okay...this is the last birthday post. I promise! 

James and Mattie Rose, you are two very loved babies! We had lots of family and friends come to celebrate your first year of life with us! The Lord has definitely blessed us with wonderful community in our new home!

{my little fish}

{who can't stay focused :)}

{the one decent family of four pic}

{pop and meme}

{buddies}

{some of our friends}

{chowing down}

{i spy another set of twins...}

{two of the three selecman kiddos}

{bebe and grandpa chatting with our neighbors}

{some of the boys}

{bailey and my brother, who is clearly thrilled to be having his picture taken}

{uncle micah, daddy, and james}

{cake time}

{blowing out the candle and making a wish}

{now what, mom?}

{mommy forgot to take them out of the fridge, so they were a little tough to break into}

{you think you're getting some of my cake???}

{yum!}

{not so sure}

{getting a little more comfortable}

{it looks like james is crying here, but i've never seen this boy so happy}

{sharing with sister}

{here sister, you're not dirty enough!}

{after a quick outfit change, we were ready for some loving from mamaw}

{momma mc, mattie rose, and mamaw}

{more with meme and pop}

{kisses from mamaw}

{mommy, a sleepy mattie rose, and grandpa}

{one of our favorite places}

{playing with some of our presents post-party and post-nap}

Such a fun day with fun people!!! We all slept rather well last night. Play hard, sleep hard!!!

Mattie Rose and James, you have brought Mommy and Daddy so much joy this past year, and I have no doubt it will only multiply over the years. Watching you grow and learn is so exciting and just amazes me! I thank God every day for letting me be your mommy! You make a tough job alot of fun! Love you both to the moon and back, and I can't wait for 100 more birthday parties!

Party Prep

Planning and decorating for a first birthday party is time-consuming enough in itself. Trying to do it with two little ones crawling and pushing toys all over the house just adds to the chaos! :) 

But we had a great time doing it all! With very minimal stress. Which is the best part! I thoroughly enjoyed planning every bit of this party, and enjoyed the actual party that much more. But you'll see pictures of that later. This post is intended for me to have personal picture reminders of James and Mattie Rose's one and only first birthday party. 

{luckily, i had a big helper}

{this would serve as the backdrop for the twins highchairs}

{first half of the twins' lives}

{and the second half}

{paper lantern fish hanging from the fan}

{veggies, pretzel rods, and paper goods}

{fish sticks - white chocolate covered pretzel rods}

{fin-tastic veggies - carrots, peppers, and celery with some ranch}

{main food table - those waves on the wall were a labor of love}

{cupcakes and invitation}

{james' cupcake tree}

{and one for mattie rose}

{i can't believe what i'm reading. ha!}

{and again...}

{fish skewers - fruit kabobs}

{deep blue sea juice - hi-c}

{fish bait - gummy worms}

{sea water - hawaiian punch}

{more bait - these were sour}

{fish water - printable water bottle labels}

{drink station - those are just orange crepe streamers twisted and taped}

{another shot of the food}

{the thrones}

{absolutely loved their smash cakes}

{i asked for something simple and this is what i got :) blown away...}

{love how the sides look like scales}