Ryan's Hole in "One" Birthday Par-tee

Saturday we celebrated Ryan's first birthday with family and friends and could not have asked for a better day! The weather was as nice as you could hope for an outside party in August, the kids all had a blast, and Ryan even took an hour long morning nap (which never happens anymore these days!) right before the party started. Everything just came together that morning.

And speaking of coming together, Matt and I were so thankful for our sweet family and friends who helped make the day so memorable. We had people helping with setup, decorations, food prep, pictures, offering toys and tables and chairs for us to borrow... I mean this party would have been half as fun if it weren't for all of the people who helped put it together!

I feel like this first birthday party was a chance for us to reflect on the year and to appreciate all of the people who have loved on us and on Ryan in the past year. Looking around our yard during those couple of hours and seeing all of the faces of close family and friends made us so thankful for their love and support, and thankful that we get to live close by to all of them!

So without further ado, here are the pictures from Ryan's first birthday party:

Ryan's first haircut + a WINNER!

On Monday of this week, six days after Ryan's first birthday, I took him for his first haircut. I hated to trim up his sweet curls in the back, but he was starting to look so shaggy everywhere else!

My sister-in-law recommended the cutest place called Salon Red Kids and even told us the name of the girl to get for his appointment. 

I was so impressed with the place and couldn't believe how quickly Yaya (a name I'm pretty sure Ryan could pronounce right now) cut his hair. She kept it long enough too so that it still has a "baby" look- I was not ready for a big boy cut quite yet! ...And the little train he got to sit in for the cut was just too cute. All in all a great first hair cut experience for the both of us. :)

Matt was sad that he wasn't able to join, but my sweet friend Andrea and her two kiddos came to meet us and grabbed lunch with us afterwards. I was more excited than I realized I would be to have someone else share in that sweet moment of Ryan's first haircut. Our little boy is growing up!

Sweet boo fell asleep on the way but was such a great sport when I had to wake him up!

One last picture of those curls :)

I love how little he looks in these pictures- I wish I could freeze time for just a little bit

And the winner of the book giveaway is:

Rachel Frenkil

Congratulations, Rachel! I can't wait for you to receive your copy of the book!

August Goals

It's back to school month- summer where did you go?! I'm stopping in today to share my goals for the month, but first...

...if you missed yesterday's post, I reviewed this book and am giving away a copy to one reader! If you want to enter the giveaway, you can do that here.

Before I share my goals for August, here's a look at how I did with my

1.
Sell (and have someone pay) for items on eBay
The third time was indeed a charm... I finally sold my phone and computer and had people pay for them. :) I love seeing that extra money in my PayPal account... even if it was long ago used to pay for a new computer.

2.
Read Bread & Wine
I am so glad I read this book even though it was so different than the books I typically read. You can read my full review (and enter the giveaway for a chance to win your own copy!) here.

3.
Update flower pots and plants
We have worked hard in the yard this month moving plants, adding plants, and laying some new patches of grass.

And thanks to this sweet lady (my awesome mama), we also have lots of fresh pine straw to make it all look finished. Not only did she deliver loads of pine straw to us, she insisted on laying all of it herself while I Matt was at work and I was with Ryan. That is my mom- such a servant. Love her so!

4.
Buy Patio Furniture

We love our new patio set! You can see the full post about this purchase here.

5.
Garage Goodwill Run
Have I mentioned how much I love taking things to Goodwill?! It's kind of an obsession of mine. I love cleaning things out and getting rid of items we aren't using anymore. The next area of attack will be the guest room closet and Matt's side of our closet.


And now for my

1.
Organize Ryan's pictures on Google+ into albums and months
I love the Google+ app and how it automatically backs up all of the pictures from my phone, but what I'm realizing is that I really want all of those phone pictures organized into folders and albums, and not just by their date. So this month I'm going to take some time to do that. My sister is my inspiration for this- her boys are now 10 and almost 7 and she can pull up a picture on her phone from when the boys were Ryan's exact age in seconds. This is my goal- haha- to have super organized photos that are easy to access anywhere.

2.
Read The Longest Ride

I've loved having a monthly reading goal. This month, I'm going to read Nicholas Spark's most recent book The Longest Ride. I love a good love story and have loved just about every one of his books.

3.
Watch the Movie

Another thing I love to do is watch the movie version of books that I have read. So this month, after I finish the book, I want to have a date-night-in with Matt where we watch the movie together. Thankfully he's a great sport about watching chick-flicks with me... I'll plan to make a meat and potatoes dinner to balance out the girliness on my movie choice. :)

4.
Visit Eye Doctor
I am really not a fan of going to the doctor- any doctor. If I wasn't down to my last pair of contacts, this would be pushed way back on my list of things to do. But alas, you can't get new contacts without a current prescription. Grrr. There are worse things, I'm aware.


That's it for this month! And as for the rest of this week, I'll be working hard on finishing everything for Ryan's party that's coming up this weekend. We can't wait to celebrate our sweet big boy!

Bread & Wine Book Review + a GIVEAWAY!

Bread and Wine

As I mentioned in my favorite finds post last week, I loved this book. Really loved it.

It is so different from the type of books I typically read. It reads like a series of journal entries or blog posts about various events from the author's life and the lessons she learned from those moments. At the end of most chapters, there were recipes that tied in to the story somehow- most of which I saved to make because they all sounded so delicious.

Every time I sat down to read, I felt like I was picking back up with an old friend. I connected with the author on so many levels and had a number of "take-aways" from her book.

Here is one of my favorite quotes from her book:

"I want to cultivate a deep sense of gratitude, of groundedness, of enough, even while I'm longing for something more. The longing and the gratitude, both. I' m practicing believing that God knows more than I know, that he sees what I can't, that he's weaving a future I can't even imagine from where I sit this morning."

She and I (the author that is- we're friends now in my head) share a love for food, for cooking, for entertaining and making memories with other people in our homes. 

If there was one big take away from this book, it's that I want to have people over more often. Life is busy, and it's only going to get busier, but the memories that are made and the encouragement we feel whenever we have people over is worth the time to pause from our busy schedules.

In the same way, she talked about traveling with her kids, even though staying at home is definitely the easier option, especially when kids are young. But I loved what she had to say about embracing those stages and just going:

"...we travel because it's there. Because Capri exists and Kenya exists and Tel Aviv exists, and I want my kids to learn, as I learned, that there are a million ways to live, a million ways to eat, a million ways to dress and speak and view the world. I want them to know that 'our way' isn't the right way, but just one way, that children all over the world, no matter how different they seem, are just like the children in our neighborhood- they love to play, to discover, to learn. I want my kids to learn firsthand and up close that different isn't bad, but instead that different is exciting and wonderful and worth taking the time to understand. I want them to see themselves as bit players in a huge, sweeping, beautiful play, not as the main characters in the drama of our living room."

And probably my favorite quote from her book comes from a section in which she's speaking openly of heartache and loss and the lessons she learned through those seasons in her life:

"...if the last few years have taught me anything at all, it's that the very things you think you need most desperately are the things that can transform you the most profoundly when you do finally decide to release them. The college I had my heart set on, the boyfriend I believed would be my husband, the job that defined me, the pregnancy I believed would end a season of longing and loss. Each one, pulled from my grubby fists, each one teaching me something fundamental about desire and transformation. Over and over, I learn the hard way that the thing I'm clinging to can be the thing that sets me free." (emphasis added by me because I love that line so much)

I read this book on my iPad and marked line after line of quotes that stuck with me. I could sit here and share every last one with you, but instead, I think you really just need to read the whole book for yourself. 

So I'm giving away a copy for one of you to enjoy!

Just leave a comment below telling me about a recent book you read and loved (because I'm looking for more to add to my reading list). ;)

And the book doesn't need to be a memoir- it can be any great book you've read and loved.

The winner will be announced Friday!

Have a great week, friends.