Hey Girl

Ummmm, I wasn't going to post about this here.....but now I've decided that I must. 

I'm not usually one for celebrity crushes and such, but I've been open with Scott and I don't think he'll mind if I just go ahead and do you all a little favor......

My obsession with Ryan Gosling started with pinterest. 

I know that you've all seen the "Hey Girl" photos, right? 

Right?!

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Because they're amazing. They make me swoon, and then giggle.

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The other day, I stumbled across the motherload, and I tell you, I almost lost it, y'all.

I was having a crappy, crappy day. But when I found this site here, I kept going back to it. Wouldn't you know it, my day started to turn right around! I would read these over and over, and it he quickly turned my frown upside down. The ones on this particular blog are centered around crafty/nerdy/etsy stuff and I felt like there are actually other people out there who really, truly get me......one of those being Ryan Gosling, obviously.

I actually laughed so hard my stomach hurt that night. I kept showing them to Scott from my phone and making him read them. He'd give a little smirk while I busted out the snort-laugh. Poor guy. 

He knew I was having a rough day. I'm sure he was happy just to see me laughing. But, his night was about to get a little worse......

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My mood lightened and I shrugged off my bad day. Scott asked if I would like him to bathe the toddler or go fill up my car with gas. Let me stop right there because this man? Knows how to make me weak in the knees. Both of his ideas were super sweet and thoughtful, and would save me time and it was just a nice gesture all around. Instead of picking one of his generous options, I showed him this:

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and asked, "what would Ryan say?"

I only kept a straight face for about .5 second, and then I lost it. Scott didn't even crack a smile.

Poor guy. I should probably promise never to say that again.......

Then I was thinking, I wonder if Ryan Gosling knows not only how much the ladies of America love him, but that we also love how caring and sensitive he is......I mean, it's not the images that win us over, but the sentiments that go with them, am I right?!

The original site (I suppose, there's lots of them out there) for these temptingly funny pictures is linked here. The name is inappropriate, so I normally wouldn't share it with you all, but I want to give credit where credit is due. There are some pretty hilarious ones on there, too.

And in case you were also wondering if Ryan knows about how much we love him, then there's this too:

Sorry hubs. I love you!

Birthday P-inspiration

If you know me, then you know that I've been planning Ellie's birthday party since the day after her birthday last year. I had a cute little theme picked out immediately after her 1st birthday. 

I like classic, general themes for parties so all year long I had little thoughts and ideas for the perfect polka dot party. There are lots of fun ideas for polka dot birthday parties, especially for two year old girls. 

But when your daughter suddenly develops a love for horses, and you buy her a horse-on-a-stick as a Christmas present and she freaks her freak out over it.........you might just have a light-bulb moment and ditch the polka dot party idea faster than you can say "Yee-haw!!!" 

Needless to say, we've switched gears. And I couldn't be more excited!! 

Here's a little inspiration from good ol' Pinterest that got my creative juices flowing:

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I've pretty much stocked up on horses-on-a-stick and red and white accessories. Oh and the cow print balloons?! Might be my most favorite part of this party.

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I love how simple and fun this party is! We are going with lots of horses and red bandannas.....but I'm adding some girly touches ;)

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I love this party for all the fun themed games and activities. I'm excited about some little crafts we've got planned and of course we'll be having a cowboy photo booth!

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And this party is way cuter than any party I plan could ever be.......but I'll give it my best shot ;) 

I'm rounding up my mason jars and cow-pie cookies and we'll see what we end up with!

Top 11 of '11

I'm not usually one to make New Year's Resolutions. Although, I do take the week between Christmas and New Year's and think about the direction I want my life to be going in the coming year. The first few days of each new year I try to spend reflecting, and then setting loose goals and standards, if that makes sense. There's no "I will lose 20 pounds by the end of 2012" (although that would be a good one.....lol!)
Instead, I try and determine what is really important to me, and find ways that I can make those things the center of my attention, time, and devotion. As with almost every year, family is my top priority. My husband and my daughter mean everything to me, and they deserve my very best. I often give and give to others, and my devoted husband and loving daughter get what's left over. Obviously this is my top "goal" for this year......to give my very best of me to my family! Next, I'd like to focus on photography. This one is two-fold (okay may three- or four-fold, even): 1) My dad and I started a photography business this year, and I need to hold up my end of the bargain in learning the skills and putting them into practice2) I want to learn how to take inspiring photos of my family so that I have beautiful, priceless pieces to look back on. I took a beginner SLR class this last year, and I loved every minute of it! So, I know that this hobby also brings me joy.
To really get me in the spirit of family, photography, and combining all of the things that I love, I chose to participate in the Top 11 Photos of '11.......it's simple. Choose your favorite 11 pictures of your child(ren) from 2011 and post 'em! Then link up your post over at Naptimemomtog.com and check out other people's posts. I think of it as a way to reflect on the past year, and also a way to inspire me to spend more quality time with my family and brush up on my photography skills in the coming year.
Here's my top 11 of '11:

I can't wait to see what memories 2012 will bring!

Reminiscing

At this time last year, we were celebrating a lot of Elliott's firsts.

This year is different because we've done it all before. Yes, every holiday is still just as fun and exciting, and E is still at an age where we don't quite know what to anticipate because we don't know how she'll respond to being dressed in odd clothing and plopped in a pile of leaves or put in a fancy dress to be sat on an a strange old man's lap.

Yes there's still some unpredictability to it all.

But last year was special. A first for everything.

We had a tradition of putting a "Baby's First......" bib on Ellie for every occasion last year (most of the bibs were bought by my friend Christie, and I'm so glad that she started that tradition for us!)

This year will be fun, but there are no bibs, no toting around a defenseless baby who can't tell us that she doesn't want to be a cow for Halloween. This year the holidays will be different because someone has a voice, an opinion, a will of her own. Those are the things that will also make this year's festivities fun! I cannot wait to share special moments and traditions with Ellie once again, because for her, it will be like the first time!

And just because I'm reminiscing, here's a look back at Elliott last year at this time. Poor girl! Haha!

I've posted a few pictures of Ellie in this year's costume on Instagram and Facebook, but you'll have to wait to see it all put together! She actually wore all the pieces of her costume, as well as shoes and makeup, and I have pictures to prove it!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and a safe Halloween!

Better Late Than Never

A few weeks ago, a couple of my favorite bloggers shared their Summer Bucket Lists (specifically Melissa and Mandy, although there were others, too).

I really wanted to make my own list, but I just didn't have the time or the motivation then.

Well this week, with Summer finally arriving in Seattle, I decided it was time.

I knew that if I didn't write all of these ideas down, half of them won't ever be accomplished! My list is a little short, and I may add to it in the coming weeks. I might not.

Scott will be gone for 2-3 weeks this summer, which takes a big hit to our summer schedule. But, during the times he is home, we will make the best of it! And, Ellie and I will be crossing a couple things off that list while Scott is away, too.

There's nothing like keeping busy to pass the time while a loved one is away, so that's what E and I will do!

Anyways, here's our list:

Most of these things are cheap or free, since we are on a tight budget right now. And some of these items? Well, they're so fun that we'll get to cross them off two or three times :)

Do you have a Summer Bucket List? If so, I'd love to see it!

And yes, "cook with a barbecue" is on my list....we have never used a barbecue, but we will be getting one shortly and joining the rest of the world :)

A Day at the Races

For my birthday last weekend, we headed to Emerald Downs to see some horse races!

If you know me, then you know my love for horses!

 I would absolutely love to own a horse some day.

For now, I'll have to settle for taking pictures of other people's horses, eh?

It was a gorgeous, warm, breezy day....perfect for hanging out at the track!

We took our time familiarizing ourselves with our surroundings.

We picked a picnic table where we could enjoy some lunch, while still being right there in the action.

We'd stand at the fence during the races and watch in awe as the horses raced past.

We would head down to the stable between races to check out the next round of horses, and then head up to the grandstands to place $2 bids on our favorites.

We had good company, good food, and great scenery!

Ellie, Me, and Katie

Elliott checkin' out the stats

Elliott only embarassed me once (when she put on a serious show for an entire section of the grandstands......she danced, they clapped and cheered, etc, etc. I was mortified.....in a good way, of course), and I only dropped her once (seriously, worst moment of my life! She was sitting next to me on a bench, when she suddenly fell off....face first into the pavement! I tried grabbing her, but I wasn't able to break her fall. She was fine, just a few scrapes and bruises.)

Go, horses, go!!

Scott was too warm in his sweatshirt, and unfortunately this was all that was left at the gift shop......

Looks like he wasn't too shy about showing it off, huh?

There were a few scary/sad moments at the races, and if you live in the pacific northwest then I'm sure I read about them in the news. A couple horses got spooked while they were getting onto the track (about 10 feet away from us), and ran away. A few people got injured, and the scenes from those tense moments will never be erased from my mind. I was terrified for a few seconds, and I remember covering Ellie's face because I didn't want her to see what I was seeing. It made me think twice about this sport and how it affects the horses.......

We got to feed this kind horse a peppermint!

The first (and certainly not the last) horse that Elliott has petted!

All in all, it was a great day!

 I mean, what better way to spend a sunny day than with your friends and family, making memories?!