Lilly's Birthday Party at the Great Wolf Lodge!

We had the privilege of being invited to Lillian's 6th birthday party this past weekend! She is 6! Wow, I can't believe it. Her party was at the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, NC and we had a blast...I think Sebastian might have said a record number of "Whoa"s!

All bright eyed and happy first thing in the morning!

Unfortunately, our day started off at 3:00am with Jonathan throwing up the rest of the morning. Despite his pleas, he was told to stay home which meant I was on my own...it sucked! Thankfully, I had help once we got to the lodge...LOVE having family so close! 

In her suit....not sure why since she never went in the water but she looked adorable anyway.

Quick snack in the car.

And the fun begins...

Baby girl was hanging out.

The fun started in the arcade...

and got even better from there...Aunt Katy spoiled Sebastian with a candy bracelet.

Birthday girl and Emma.

Ready for some pizza...

back to the bracelet while we wait.

Paisley didn't have pizza but was happy nonetheless.

Taking a break with Mamie.

"The presents are for anyone, right mom?"

Paisley took her long afternoon nap on Pops.

His arm was a tad tired by the end of the nap.

Taking a drink break from the water park.

Home resting after an exciting day!

We had a fabulous time celebrating Lilly's special day, so happy we could be apart of it! The Great Wolf Lodge was awesome...tons to do and plenty of activities for every age! Happy Birthday, Lilly!!! I wish I had more pictures of the birthday girl but she was go, go, go!

Our new friend...

Winnie! 

Yes, we may be a tad bit crazy to add a new puppy with a 20 month old and a 3 month old BUT we have thought this through, I swear! Sebastian has made a great new friend! She is six weeks old and a pure bred English Golden Retriever...the sweetest little puppy in the world. She is very laid back and is loving her new family. Sebastian is getting used to actually playing with a dog...Dory is too old and wants nothing to do with him and all my friends and parent's dogs are too rough or not interested. She has the perfect mix of curiosity and exhaustion when it comes to interacting with Sebastian. I am hoping that they grow up together being the very best of friends!

Easy Tortilla Pizza

I found this recipe in one of my cooking magazines and fell in love with how easy and TASTY it was. Makes a great dinner or lunch, Sebastian loves them...he doesn't love much when it comes to food.  

Easy Tortilla Pizza

Ingredients per pizza made:

Olive Oil
Small Flour Tortilla

1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese

1 pinch of Minced Garlic

Cracked Pepper
Garlic Salt
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Toppings:
Pepperoni Slices
OR
Cherry Tomatoes, sliced thinly
Fresh Basil, chopped

Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Place the tortilla on a cookie sheet and brush each side with a thin layer of olive oil. Sprinkle with cracked pepper then spread mozzarella cheese evenly on tortilla. Spread a pinch of minced garlic on top of cheese. I have an obsession with cracked pepper, so I do another dusting of it after the minced garlic. 

Top with whatever ingredients you LOVE. Jonathan and Sebastian like pepperoni but I love fresh basil and tomatoes. 

Topped with fresh basil and cherry tomatoes from our garden...YUM!

Lightly dust finished pizza with garlic salt and grated parmesan cheese. Cook in over for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and slightly browning. 

Slice into four pieces with pizza cutter and ENJOY!!!

Paisley's Ear Piercing

Less than a minute after they were pierced!

We finally did it! My mama pierced my ears when I was 4 weeks old, I grew up with earrings as a part of my life, no big deal...I could always wear them and had no idea what it felt like to have them pierced until I got my second holes at age 19. I wanted to get Paisley's done early as well. Since she was 4 weeks early, we decided to wait until she was 8 weeks old or 2 months to be sure her earlobes were big enough. I know a lot of people wait until their daughters are much older and give them a "choice" but I have never met a girl who didn't have or want their ears pierced and I feel like it is much better to have them done when they are too young to remember or mess with them. I spoke with several different moms and children who had them done when they were about 6 or 7 and two out of the three wish they had been done when they were a baby. One of them said she messed with the earrings a lot when she was 6 and so they got infected and it was a lot more painful. The other said it was a HUGE ordeal when they went to the mall to have hers done and she cried the whole time (even though she wanted them and had chosen to do it) she said it was very traumatic. Even the third one, although she didn't say she regretted having them done older, she said she had a huge fear of any adult toughing her ears for many years afterwards. 

I also spoke with many moms who had their babies done when they were younger than 6 months and they all said it was a breeze and much better when mom is taking care of them. I agree, I would rather be the one who is taking care of the cleaning and care of the newly pierced ears and I know how much kids mess with things so it is much better when she is too young to know they are even there. 

It was a breeze once we found a qualified place to do it. I had to call around to quite a few places and ended up at the Piercing Pagoda in one of our malls. The two people who did it had been piercing for more than 13 yrs and had done hundreds of babies, so I felt very confident that they were qualified. 

I also got a very sweet email from a viewer of my blog who saw my last post about having them done. She gave me some very useful tips on the before and aftercare. She recommended Tylenol before the piercing and then to apply Origel on her earlobes as we left the house (never would have thought of that but makes perfect sense). 

Believe me when I say, she literally cried for about 20 seconds. She hated having her arms held most of all but as for the actual piercing, they did it and she cried one big whale and then I turned her around and comforted her on my shoulder and she was quiet. They were red for about an hour but no blood, no more crying...she was fine and looking ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE with her little heart studs. Jonathan was indifferent about the whole thing and just said he trusted me to do whatever I thought was best, but he was ooggling over her afterwards exclaiming how beautiful she looked with her earrings.

30 minutes after the piercing, sharing her beautiful smile.

The day after the piercing, not phased at all.

Our beautiful little lady!

So, thank you to all who gave feedback and offered up advice...it was very helpful! She looks beautiful!

Potato Leek Soup

This recipe is one of my ALL TIME favorite soups! My mama has been making this one since I was a wee little one and I LOVE IT! It's very light and simple and delicious!

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients:

1 stick of Butter (salted)

10 medium sized red potatoes (you can substitute brown potatoes here if you would like)

1 bunch of Leeks (clean thoroughly, they usually hold sand between the leaves)

4-5 stalks of Celery

1 large white or red Onion

1 tbsp minced Garlic

10 Chicken Bouillon Cubes

1 cup of Milk

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Boil peeled and diced potatoes in large pot. Add Bouillon Cubes to water.  

Meanwhile, chop celery, leeks (white portion only), & onion. In large saucepan, saute celery, onions, leeks, and garlic in the butter (add more butter if mixture seems too dry, should be wet). Add salt and pepper to taste, it should be slightly too salty, cook veggies until tender and golden in color. 

Use a potato masher or sharp knife to smash up (or dice) the potatoes in the water. I like my potatoes more chunky so I do not smash them up very much. Next, add onion veggie mixture to the potatoes in the chicken water. Add milk and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes on low heat.

Serve with saltine crackers and enjoy! The leftovers are fabulous too!