Baby C's Circus Birthday Bash

I debated over and over again whether or not I should have a birthday bash for my Baby C.  Things are just so BUSY lately with taking care of the 3 kids, (especially with no school in the summer), and work.  The thought of planning a party, and prepping my house, food, etc was a bit overwhelming.  But, what I kept coming back to is that I did it for the other 2, so I have to do one for him too!  And I'm glad I did.  He actually turned one today, but we decided to have the party last weekend.  Everything turned out amazingly cute.  And most importantly, he loved it and all the guests seemed to have a good time!

We did a circus theme.  This is the only picture I got of him in his shirt...he was on the go pretty much the entire party!  Can you tell I'm kind of on a chevron kick lately???

All the desserts, done by my friend Catherine, were amazingly beautiful (and delicious).

Catherine's Cakery

 I ordered these empty peanut bags and popcorn bags from an Etsy shop.  They were a HUGE hit...the kids loved grabbing their own bag and cracking open the peanuts.  This did require lots of peanut shell vacuuming after the party though :)

I also thought it'd be so cute to have little mini cotton candy sticks for the kids.  I found a couple of Etsy shops that sell cotton candy in individual bags, but the prices were astronomical.  Cute idea...but I couldn't justify spending all of that money on them.  So I was going to rule it out, but then I saw these little 1 quart tubs of cotton candy at Walmart for suuuper cheap.  I had some of these paper straws (also from an Etsy shop), and decided to stick a little puff of the cotton candy on top of them.  Aren't they cute?  They were cute while they lasted.  I did them about 2 hours before the party started, and by the time people arrived, they were melted down to almost nothing :(  But at least I have the picture! And less sugar and food dyes for the kids :)

 Animal crackers for a take-home treat:

I found these cute little "no-spill" milk cartons on Etsy too.  This seller was amazing.  She punched holes in the tops of the cartons to fit the straws, and also did these adhesive personalized labels.  She gave me a couple different options for the graphics, and her communication was great.  The product was also great! Here is the link to her shop:
3SweetMemories

 Baby C's picture progression from newborn to 12 months...such a handsome boy!

 The birthday boy, eating a potsticker, and munching on a rib.  This boy will eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING

What I thought was the coolest part of the party is we hired a balloon twister to come entertain for about an hour.  He was INCREDIBLE.  I'm not talking about swords and dog and flower balloons...this guy is a true balloon ARTIST.  He made Spider Man, an octopus, Tinker Bell, Ariel, Sponge Bob, sharks, bicycles, Nemo blowing bubbles, and many more!

 Even the adults were entertained!

 Cake time!

After a fun, entertaining party, the kids all put their jammies on and laid down to watch a movie.  How long do you think these perfect angels all laid here like this?

Rocky Mountain High

My shop was closed last week while I was away in Colorado.  My baby sister graduated from Regis University (which makes me feel super old), so the whole family went out there to celebrate her big accomplishment.  We also took a few days after the graduation to visit the mountains in Estes Park.  I thought I had seen my last snow for a while after it snowed here in Saint Louis a few weeks ago...but I was wrong!  It was COLD and we had sporadic snow showers while we were there.  However, I guess the beauty of the mountains made up for it.  Here are a few pics from the trip.

Me and my beautiful sister

My sister painted all of these paintings on unfinished wood...so beautiful...and so talented!

My parents, my siblings (minus 1 brother), and my husband and kiddos at the graduation

We took a fun and beautiful train ride in a little town called Georgetown.  Big B loved going on a real train (as opposed to the Zoo train).  The view was amazing.  Here's the Georgetown Loop train site: http://georgetownlooprr.com/

Big B checking out the amazing view from our train car

I was so nervous on this bridge!

Little A was not a huge fan of the train.

One of the highlights of our trip...Chai at this coffee shop..Ahh.mazing.
My sister's BF, my mom, aunt, uncles, brother, and me

Me and my Buddy

Chillin in our cabin...Peek-A-Boo, Baby C!

My "big" kids...sitting on top of a petrified tree trunk

Overwhelmed but Blessed...and Monogram Dress Sneak Peek

Ahh, my long lost blog!  I've been both blessed and overwhelmed with so much work these last few months!  Out of all my designs, holiday ones keep me the busiest.  And ever since Halloween last Fall, the holidays hit so fast, one after another...Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Easter (which came super early this year!).  It's been quite a challenge fulfilling the holiday orders, plus getting new designs ready for the next holiday, on top of regular birthday/new baby orders and answering e-mails.  It's crazy how much time it takes to answer e-mails!

I offer a couple of different ways to shop Amylou Baby.  People can order through my website www.amyloubaby.com, or through my Facebook page, through my Etsy shop, or even just by sending me an e-mail.  Of all those different options, Etsy has brought in the most sales for me.  I had my first Etsy sale in April of last year.  Over those first few months, I made about 25 Etsy sales, just offering tutus, hair accessories, and hand sewn appliques.  Then once I got the hang of my embroidery machine, I started listing personalized items starting in September.  From September through the rest of the year, my total number of Etsy sales shot up to 100 total for the year...which I thought was a lot!

After Christmas, I thought I'd finally have some time to breathe.  How busy could January possibly be?  People were done spending money for the next month or so, right?  Wrong.  My total sales in January were just over 60, and in February 40...already surpassing my total sales for the entire previous year.  And these were just the Etsy sales!  I know this may not seem like a lot when just looking at the numbers, but considering most of my time is spent taking care of my 3 little ones (all under 4), it was difficult finding enough time to do it all.

So, like I said, I've been overwhelmed....but blessed.  And I'm so thankful for each and every sale.  It's been such a pleasure to work with all my wonderful customers to create all of these custom items for their loved ones!  Sometimes I converse with customers so much while working on their orders, that I feel like we're friends after it all! And I just love that about this kind of work!  And the absolute BEST part of it all is hearing feedback from people who are so happy about their purchases.  I love when I can put a smile on someone's face...especially hard working mommas!

So, to say thank you to all my customers, I'm going to do a Facebook giveaway next week (I'm so excited about this...I've been wanting to do one since I started my Facebook page!).  I'm thinking either one of these new monogrammed tank top dresses I'll be offering soon.  Or maybe a personalized July 4th/Summer shirt or onesie.  Let me know if you have a preference!

Here's a look at my newest creation:

Cherish Every Minute

I recently read a blog post about a mom's frustrated response to a reminder from a complete stranger to "enjoy every minute" of her motherhood because it goes by so fast.  I laughed as I related to this mom's negative response because I know how impossible it is to "enjoy every minute" of tantrums and sibling fighting.  Sometimes being a mom is not a very rewarding job.  I have spent hours preparing beautiful and nutritious meals for my kids only to have them complain about it and refuse to eat.  I try to nicely explain to my daughter why she can't push baby brother in his Jumperoo like he's in a swing only to have her spit in my face...literally.  I continue to interrupt my own sleep night after night as my infant refuses to close his eyes and get the sleep that he needs to be healthy and happy.  No, it's not always "rewarding".  And it's natural for us moms to get annoyed and even angry with all of the constant reminders from complete strangers to "enjoy every minute".

But sometimes these reminders are good.  And instead of resenting them, I have learned to try to be GRATEFUL for them.  Because with all the craziness of this same old everyday life, sometimes I lose site of the preciousness of life and I need the reminders.

My friend lost her baby last week and had to bury him today.  He was 12 months old....just learning how to move around and talk.  I think about the excitement she and her husband shared the day they found out they were pregnant, and again the day he was born.  I think about their joy when they saw his first smile and heard his first laugh, and the laughter they shared as they watched him joyfully smother his face with icing from his first birthday cake.  And my heart aches.  I think about how her arms are longing to hold him one last time...just feel that feeling of having him in her arms.  But the only way to feel it is to close her eyes and live the memory.  And my heart is forever changed.  Life really is short and precious.

The three children who live next door to me also experienced a great loss a few weeks ago, right before Christmas.  In just the split second of their mother losing control of her vehicle on the highway, their lives were forever changed.  She is in Heaven now, watching over them.  Her husband is now faced with the challenge of raising the kids by himself.  I'm sure they all think about the last time they spoke or embraced their mother, not realizing it would be the last.

And of course, there's Sandy Hook.  That was a day that made all parents hold our children a little tighter and give them a few more kisses when tucking them in at night.  Like many of you parents out there, I have pictured those children going through their normal morning routines, and giving their parents their last hugs and kisses as they headed off to school that day.

We take so much for granted, and life is short.  So, hold your babies tight.  Tell them over and over again how much you love them.  And really try to "enjoy every minute".  When they make a mess, be grateful that they are physically and mentally healthy enough to explore and have fun.  When they are nagging you to play with them or come see something when you're in the middle of something, think about what really should take priority.   When they are fussing and screaming, be grateful that you can hold and comfort them.  We're so blessed to have this precious time with our little ones, so let's go and try to cherish every minute of it.

In Loving Memory of Oliver "Ollie" Hinkle

Facebook Page in Memory of Ollie