Prepare for photo overload. I seriously CAN'T get over what a wonderful job my friend Carrie did shooting her special day. I paid her in donuts so I hope it was worth it. ;)

The day of the party started out pretty rocky...it was WINDY and if you know anything about balloons and wind it is that they do not mix. I'm sure my blood pressure was through the roof as I scrambled to and fro picking up place cards/napkins/etc. Every time a gust came up I was chasing down balloons and preparing for a hurricane. I was pretty ridiculous but when you plan something out for every last detail and it goes awry it can be frustrating! Needless to say the wind did eventually stop and we were able to get some photos without the balloon being completely horizontal.

We served (what else) donuts, bagels, and yogurt parfaits,  along with coffee, OJ and good ol' 2% milk. I'll explain in more detail how I DIYed everything later this week. But if you're curious about any one thing let me know in the comments and I'll add it to my list. :)

My brother and his wife hosted the party since they have HUGE backyard. It was perfect and I hope they are ok with me having every party there from here on forward.

caught the wind in its act

guests were able to choose their drink of choice to go with the donuts

i think this is the 4th time i've used those lace stenciled jars

i got to cuddle with my friend's sweet 2 month old baby, Harper

The day turned out so well and we were so blessed to have so many friends and family who showed up to celebrate our sweet girl. She got an overwhelming amount of clothes (yay no laundry for a month!) and some really fun toys. Plus, bonus of getting to wear PJs all day! Yes, this party was secretly for me. ;)

First off Blair had a WONDERFUL birthday party! And if you follow me on instagram (natyouraveragegirl) you got a sneak peek of the festivities! I'll be featuring her party later (hopefully this week) when my BFF/photographer is able to send the pictures she took. :)

Last Monday some blogging friends and I hosted a St. Patrick's Day recipe link up here. I was paired up with the lovely Natasha from Schue Love and had the enjoyment of re-creating her mini key lime pies recipe. At first I was like, "whaaaat key lime? no chocolate?" but after sampling one of the pies I changed my mind...they were delish and so fresh! Plus the graham cracker crust mellowed out some of the tartness of the lime. I used this recipe here. 

We often have friends over after church on Sunday nights so luckily they gobbled these right up! Come make sure you check out the rest of the St. Patrick's Day recipes below...

Erinn at Strawberry Swing and Other Things

Natasha at Schue Love 

Julie at The Girl in the Red Shoes 

Natalie at Nat Your Average Girl

Emily at Dear Owen 

Veronika at Veronika's Blushing 

Erin at Hello Erin

Colleen at Meet the Sullivans

Vanessa at Sunflower State of Mind

Megan at Hello Newlywed Life

Natasha at Hello Happiness

Sara at Running from the Law 

... and add one of your own below!

     I'm nursing my post Disneyland hangover today. Everything seems so dull now that we're not in the magical kingdom! Despite waiting an eternity for parking and tickets we had SO much fun. There were hardly any lines at all and I loved seeing the excitement of it all through Blair's eyes. We got to see EIGHT characters...and she was mesmerized every time. She got a little sad when each ride was done and kept asking for more.

We started the morning off right...

And if you missed my instagram overload...

sleeping beauty

 PS Don't judge my appearance next to the princesses. That wouldn't be fair seeing that I had mascara on and they were wearing five pounds of make up...

ariel

cinderella (my sis-in-law used to be her at DL. in my unbiased opinion this girl doesn't hold a candle to Auntie Tiff!)

tinkerbell

blowing kisses to Donald

the best reason to go to DL

not sure who's having more fun here...

spent

spying on goofy

mesmerized by the parade

It was so stinkin' cute seeing B react to everything. We couldn't believe how brave she was on all the rides...especially Pirates of the Caribbean! She sat in between us and by the end of the ride was asleep...how is that even possible?! She wanted to ride the carousel all day long and was surprisingly really good at waiting in line.

When she met Ariel she told her "pretty dress" and Ariel spun around for her. Then Blair requested "more!" Haha poor Ariel looked like a drunken mess by the time B was done with her. She couldn't stop talking about the princesses and when we were leaving M told her they all went "night night." The whole way to the car we heard, "Pincess, nigh nigh?" And when we got home she woke up in the back seat and said "Disneyland?" That girl is going to have DL on the brain for a good while I imagine.

    Sorry for the baby scare yesterday, friends! Haha I didn't even think about what #2 might mean other than potty talk. ;) No baby yet but we're workin' on it!

Today we are spending the day at Disneyland for Blair's birthday. I can't even wait to see how excited she's going to be when she sees all the characters. It's going to be a dream come true! Pun intended.

Yesterday I snapped a few cutie photos of B at church and decided they would be perfect for her 2 year update! I also thought I would include some of our favorite toddler items as of lately.

I've featured most of these items before but we're still using them all A LOT. I just ordered the booster seat for our kitchen table because Blair really likes being a big girl lately. I chose brown because I don't love it when baby items clash with my home decor. I know, I'm no fun.

{utensils} {snack cups} {booster} {bib} {devotions}

Thank you, thank you for all the sweet birthday wishes for Blair! We had a low key but fun day for her yesterday. We went to Starbucks for breakfast, then had some fun at Bible study, and later enjoyed frozen yogurt and bubbles with Dada. All of her favorite things rolled into one! The rest of the week I will be scrambling to finish last minute details for her party on Saturday. I can not wait!

opening undies from a friend...the time is coming!

Starbucks run...literally. then she fell. :(

we're working on her selfie... :/

blueberry muffin for her, latte for me!

fro-yo time!

Annnnd her day was complete. :) She was SO over me taking her picture. Lately she refuses to look at the camera. It's SO annoying! I use tickling as a last resort which seems to do the trick. ;)

sweater: baby gap 2013
balloon skirt: target
jellies: old navy

    Say WHAAAAAAT?! Blair is TWO today! Cue the Mama tears. I can not believe how blessed I am to have such a mostly sweet girl. Her personality has just exploded this year and I just love getting to know her more each day. As I write this she is currently singing "Rock-A-Bye-Baby" to her doll in her crib. Swoon. She is learning SO much, I can't even keep up! All thanks to the iPad my teaching background I'm sure. ;)

Later this week I will be detailing her skills as of lately but today I want to take a look back at then and now!!! Today we are taking her out to a local ice cream parlor for lunch with Daddy. We will celebrate with a party for her this weekend. And possibly a trip to Disneyland depending on how much crafting I accomplish between now and Thursday... I just know when she sees Mickey and the gang she is going to DIE of excitement! "Meeeee (Minnie) Mouse!" She has already been requesting "to you" all week (happy birthday to you song) and knows that she is having a party soon.

And to think she started this small and helpless...

march 4 2012

 and is now a total independent ham!

March 3 2014

     My heart is SO full of love for this little girl. She is such a blessing from God and while it seems as though I am teaching her things every day it is really her that is teaching me. To be more humble, patient, kind, flexible, imperfect, messy, silly, and to have more joy, mercy, and be more understanding. I have had to learn to be selfless (it's so hard!) and put my pride aside. I am on my knees daily asking for wisdom and guidance. Praying that God gives me the perfect balance of firmness and grace. You are my world, Blair Olivia, and I hope you have the happiest birthday yet! We can't wait to celebrate with you this weekend!

     Hey Babes! Some of my blog friends and I had so much fun with our Secret Santa and Valentine's Day blog swap, we wanted to continue the fun, but this time figure out a way to get everyone involved!

So today we bring you the Lucky Link Up!  Each one of us is sharing a St. Patrick's Day themed recipe  and we are including a link a up below for anyone who'd like to join in!  Just post your recipe to your blog and link up by next Monday, March 10th.  Entries will close and everyone will be matched up to make another blogger's recipe and we'll all share how it goes down - the good, the bad, the pinterest-worthy on St. Patrick's Day (Monday, March 17th).

We are looking forward to seeing all the yummy treats and how other bloggers make edits to fit their the dietary needs.  Perhaps you are dairy free, don't use food coloring, or have trouble finding an ingredient at your local market, still try your best to make any edits needed to make it your own and of course we'll all link back to our match ups so everyone can (blog) hop along and see all the different versions!

We hope you are as excited about this link as we are!

Erinn at Strawberry Swing and Things

Natasha at Schue Love 

Julie at The Girl in the Red Shoes

Natalie at Nat Your Average Girl

Emily at Dear Owen

Veronika at Veronika's Blushing

Erin at Hello Erin

Colleen at Meet the Sullivans

Vanessa at Sunflower State of Mind

Megan at Hello Newlywed Life

Natasha at Hello Happiness

Sara at Running from the Law 

And now for my contribution... the SHAMROCK SHAKE! I got the original recipe here
.

she didn't hate it

How to make a Copycat Shamrock Shake

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Mint Ice Cream
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• 6 Thin Mints
• Whip cream
• Sprinkles

Instructions

Step 1 – Crush up 3 thin mints
Step 2 – Place the mint ice cream, milk and crushed thin mints into your blender and blend for a minute
Step 3 – Pour the shake into a cup and top with whip cream and sprinkles.  Add a Thin Mint into the whip cream as garnish.  Enjoy!

You could really make this anytime of the year (minus the girl scout cookies). Add a festive straw and sprinkles to any shake and voila you have yourself a holiday treat any month of the year! Instead of girl scout cookies you could use Oreos. They even have a mint flavor!

What are you waiting for?! Start cookin', good lookin' and link up below!