Five on Friday!

Happy Friday!! This morning I'm linking up with other bloggers for a fun "Five on Friday" post!


1-Goodbye October, Hello holidays!
Can you believe that October is about to be over??? Halloween to Christmas is my favorite time of year by far and I am so excited that we are actually able to enjoy it this year. Last Halloween was one of Gabriella's worst NICU days and now here we are, getting ready to dress her up as a lion and push her around the neighborhood on her little bike. So much can change in just a year!! We didn't put out any sort of fall, Thanksgiving, or Christmas decorations last year so this year we are going all out. I am pretty certain (slightly scared??) that Gianni will pull a Clark Griswold with the Christmas lights. Stay tuned :)

2-New Etsy shop items!
This week I made some new bandana style bibs for our etsy shop and I love them! Gabriella is getting some more teeth so they are great for collecting the constant stream of drool. I've really enjoyed sewing again and making a little extra coffee money isn't bad either :)

3-This bike
Mom and Dad gave Gabriella a bike for her birthday and she is obsessed. We go for walks around the neighborhood, the neighbors get such a kick out of seeing her "ride" her bike and she is so happy! I think she loves that she can look around unlike being stuck in the stroller. It is a convertible bike so right now, she is fully strapped in and doesn't have steering control (much to her dismay I'm sure) and we push her just like a stroller. She was a little fussy this morning and a ride outside cured that quickly!

4-Toddler meals
Gabriella is moving towards eating more and more table food and less "baby" food. I use pinterest a lot for toddler meal ideas and try and make our meals fairly easy to turn into Gabriella-friendly ones. Her favorites so far are shepard's pie, chicken pot pie, chicken noodle soup, and pasta. She loves trying to feed herself so little pieces of fruits and veggies, breads, and pancakes have gone well too. We've been lucky that she loves eating and will try anything. We've only had one or two incidents (thus far!) of locked-lips, head shaking, refusing to eat. I'm sure toddler-hood will bring more of those :)


5-Wedding fun/ weekend away
Next week we are heading up to Maine to celebrate my uncle and soon-to-be aunt's wedding! We are really looking forward to a weekend away and spending time with our family. We will see lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins that we haven't seen in awhile. Gabriella and Ben will be so cute in their coordinating outfits that my mom made. And her dress will go perfectly with the over-the-top faux fur wrap that Sandy and Thierry gave to her for Christmas last year... because every 1 year old needs a faux fur :)

Have a wonderful and safe Halloween weekend!!!
xo,
Mary

More October Fun

Ever since Gabriella's birthday, October has just flown by. Life has been busy but fun; we started a new music class at one of the area private schools and Gabriella seems to like it.
Although I think she probably likes going anywhere with music and other babies! We also discovered a free play group at an area farm. This one is for kids of all ages so it's nice to be able to get out and meet up with some other moms. For local friends, both activities are free(!!!)- the music class is at the Master's School on Mondays (downside is that it starts at 8:45am which is hard for moms with older kids) and the play group is at Holcomb Farm in Granby on Wednesdays at 9:30am. The Holcomb Farm program is great for the 2-5 year olds... they have free snacks, arts and crafts, and TONS of toys. They are well organized and have different areas set up with everything from dress up clothes to trucks to puzzles. Gabriella had a blast crawling and trying to grab the younger babies and then moved on to stealing toys from the older kids. Needless to say that didn't leave her the most popular kid in class but I came home with a tired, happy baby so it was a success in my books :)

Discovered her shadow and was entertained for a long time!

Hurricane Gabriella.... turn your back for a second and look what happens

Turns out being pulled around the house in a diaper box is the BEST.THING.EVER. when you are 1.

Loving her new bike!

We are really looking forward to Halloween on Saturday. It's not Gabriella's first Halloween but last year doesn't count so we are excited to dress her up and bring her around to our family and friends. If you are around, expect a cute and cuddly lion to show up on your doorstep!!

xo,
Mary

Little Pumpkin Party

Our little pumpkin turned one so what better way to celebrate than with a little pumpkin themed party! The weather was chilly but sunny and the kids were able to paint pumpkins and go for tractor rides around the yard. It was so adorable and we had a great time celebrating the past year with family and friends.

My mother in law made 2 adorable cakes, the main cake was a teddy bear that all of Gabriella's cousins have also had for their 1st birthdays and the little smash cake was a pumpkin!

We weren't sure what she would do with the smash cake and after studying it and poking it for a few minutes, she didn't disappoint and made a huge, orange, sticky mess!

We put out tons of photos from this past year as well as some NICU memorabilia. Seeing how far she has come and how much she has grown is wild. Since the beginning of the summer, she has developed a huge personality and can be so silly.

We had a wonderful time and are so thankful for everyone who celebrated with us!!
xo,
Mary