Oh boy! We've got a picky eater...

The letter of the day: A

Today in our home we learned about the letter A. I figured each day it would be nice to go over a new letter of the alphabet. So today our letter was A :) We used flashcards, dry erase board, magnets, and books which had the letter A.

Snowy day.

Today ended up being a cold snowy day. I had plans to take my daughter to the library for story time and a craft, but we ended up staying home. Instead I did a few crafts here at home with her, and we read, and played. It’s always so fun being with her. The snow eventually went away and the roads cleared later in the afternoon. I decided it was cold enough to make some crock-pot apple cider. Days like this make me feel so lazy! (I’m not one to sit around) but on a cold snowy day it sure does make me want to!
I need to get back on track with my working out, I've missed a day,so I need to make sure I work out tonight.
My daughter went around the house today saying Mickey Mouse, penguin, and a few other new words. I love watching her grow. She amazes me.
How was the weather over where you are at? Did you get a lot of sunshine/snow/or a mixture of both. (Or maybe even some rain?)
Even though today was a cold snowy day, I am thankful that I was able to spend another beautiful day with my loves.

A lovely Monday.

Today was a beautiful day. My daughter and I made some delicious blueberry muffins this morning. We sat together and enjoyed a nice breakfast. Later in the morning I took her to story time here at our local library. Today they had what they call "stay and play." They start by reading to the children,then have songs in which the toddlers dance to, and then they end with the kids staying and playing with each other.
After story time we headed back home, and once we were home my daughter set up a little tea party with her dolls. She set up pastries, cake, and tea of course! (And of course mommy was invited) She usually hands me five cups at once and watches to make sure I’m enjoying the tea she has made. :) I love tea time with my little love.
Today was absolutely beautiful. How did you enjoy your day today?

Sunday...

It was a very quiet, relaxing day around our home. We started off with a nice family breakfast. My daughter and I enjoyed some art time, and she also had a special guest at lunch...(her teddy joined her). This evening my husband has chased my daughter around the house playing peek-a-boo.♡
I really don't like to see the weekend come to an end so soon, but I must say it was such a lovely weekend. I'm already looking forward to next weekend. ♡
Teddy joined in on lunch today. :)(Tea anyone?)

Art time! :)

Saturday love....

It's been a lovely Saturday. Breakfast, Barnes and noble for story time with our daughter, and then a nice nature walk. (It was beautiful out). Oh and let me not forget I was able to enjoy a nice cup of coffee with my husband. It’s the end of our day, and I was able to get my run and video in for tonight’s workout. I can finally relax. I hope everyone has had a wonderful Saturday.

Hello Friday!

I'm happy to see Friday has arrived. It has been such a busy week for both my daughter and I. We have attended play dates, gone to the park, and of course I can’t forget about toddler time, and story time at the local library.
Today we had a park play date after toddler time at the library; it was a little chilly out so we moved to an indoor play center. (Oh how fun) The girls really enjoyed themselves. I’m hoping this weekend won’t be so fast paced. I really enjoy having my morning cup of coffee on the weekend with my husband.
So any plans for you this weekend? I think my husband is planning on tackling a few projects around the house. We are really into home projects; we recently built our daughter a table set, which I absolutely love! I went with a very light pink color for her table, and then did a light purple for her chair. We still need to build the three other chairs.
My husband and I have been reading a book together, on communication; we do this every other night. (Even after 10 years of marriage, and almost 12 years total of being together, I love that we can still grow and learn as a couple.)
I hope all of you have a lovely weekend. -Stephanie

He had a better plan

Today I look back on everything that has happened in my life, and I can honestly say that God had a better plan. For every situation....God had it all planned out.
The moment I held our daughter in my hospital bed, I knew the years we tried over and over to have her, God had a better plan. It was all in his time. And what an amazing time it was. I’m thankful for every struggle I have had in my life.
To anyone who has ever done me wrong, God had a plan...I forgive them all, and I've taken something from each of them, and I've learned that I’m a much better person, and some people just need guidance.
Today I'm just a better person; I have allowed myself to grow. I'm proud of who I am, and where I am in my life. God has always had a better plan...all I needed was to just be patient.
-Stephanie

Lovely day!

Today it’s beautiful out! (I’m so thankful for the weather we have been having here in Colorado). This morning I ended up taking my daughter to story time. They read a few books, and then the kids all did a craft.
After we went to the park to enjoy this lovely weather, and while we were there I met someone new. Its always nice meeting another mommy. We let our daughters play together, it was really nice. I try and keep my daughter on a schedule so we played for a little at the park, and then we ended up leaving so we could have lunch and she could take her nap.
So lately my daughter is really into her flip books, her favorite is "where is spot" by Eric Hill, she loves flipping each picture open to see what’s behind it. It's really adorable. I usually do different voices for each animal in the book. Does your child enjoy flip books?
How are you enjoying your day today?

sleepless night, starbucks, and a much needed nap!

Last night was a sleepless night in our home. Our daughter decided she was not going to sleep in her room, and she cried for me "momma"......over and over, until we just figured it would be easier to bring her to our bed. Well that didn't work and she was tossing and turning. (Oh and kicking, and taking over my pillow)-The joys of parenthood :) It wasn't until around 3 in the morning when she finally called it quits and went back to sleep in her room. Today I had a dental appointment, and ouch! I had some work done, and of course I'm not a big fan of the shots they give, and cringe just thinking about them. But I got that out of the way, and after my husband and I met up at Starbucks. We enjoyed a little family time while we sipped on our coffee. Today I was in need of a nap, and took advantage of it while my daughter napped. My husband ended up cleaning the kitchen for me, which helped out so much. I really appreciate when he does those little things around the house. I’m really hoping tonight we can get some much needed sleep for all of us!

The weather this weekend has been pretty nice here in Colorado. This weekend I just enjoyed being with my family. Saturday I went past any excuses I had keeping me from working out and went for it! I missed my work out on Friday, so I made it up by running a mile, and doing my firm express video. The firm express system is great; it comes with 13 DVDs and has 4 cycles. (Cycle 1- ignite, Cycle 2-accelerate, Cycle 3-turbocharge, and Cycle4-overdrive) I purchased this set on amazon.com. It also comes with a bonus video which is 10 minutes. I completed the 30 days of this system, and now I’ve been adding it in with my regular workout schedule. What do you do to keep motivated? I find that there are times that I am just so tired, but I try and push through.

Today I finally got around to taking out some scrapbook pages, and stickers. I’ve been working on my daughter’s second scrapbook. I finished her 1st year scrapbook, and my husband came up with the idea to continue a second book for her 2nd year. She will be 2 this year, and I’ve made a page for each month filled with photos, and scrapbook stickers, and more! It’s something I enjoy doing and I want her to able to look back on it all. So I had procrastinated and put off working on her December page, and now we are almost at the end of January, so today I made a point to take out her scrapbook pages and stickers, and I printed off a few photos, and started working on her scrapbook page for December.Hopefully I can start this month’s page soon. What do you enjoy doing for your little one?

Lovely evening..

It has turned out to be such a lovely evening. We had a delicious dinner. (my husband made some homemade lasagna) It turned out great. I did some baking with our daughter, and she enjoyed helping mommy in the kitchen. We baked some sugar cookies.
Link for Sugar cookie recipe we used: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-sugar-cookies/

10 amazing years....

"There is nothing more lovely in life than the union of two people whose love for one another has grown through the years, from the small acorn of passion, into a great rooted tree." -Vita Sackville-West
Today my husband and I celebrate our 10th wedding aniversary. 10 amazing years of being married. It has been an amazing journey with him by my side. We have gone through so much together, and we have grown together. The day God blessed me with such a loving, caring, and uplifting man, my life changed. Today I look back on everything we have experienced together and how my love has grown for him...
Our life has changed so much in 10 years. In 2011, we welcomed our beautiful daughter into this world. She is truly a blessing. She is going to be 2 this year, and she has also changed our lives. After all these years, my love has grown deeper. I am completely in love with my husband, my lover, my best friend. I can’t wait to see what’s next on this wonderful journey.

My thoughts on Abc mouse.com

ABCmouse.com

We decided to give it a try! It's $8 a month,(and right now they are offering one free month) and so far we...

LOVE it :) On their site they have an area for toddlers, which we are using for our daughter.

They provide educational games, puzzles, art activities, online books and printables. Lesson plans are given to your child to complete, and when they are completed they give your child a gift for his/her avatar. Your child will learn about numbers, the alphabet, reading & much more.-(Art & music) So far we love it, and I can tell our daughter is enjoying it. The site has so much for them to explore!

Paint time!

It’s a lovely Tuesday. (It’s a bit chilly outside, but I find on days like today, my daughter and I are pretty productive) She loves to paint, and I enjoy watching her experiment with the different paints, and use her fingers, and just get messy with it. So today I decided to let her paint, and I must say she's definitely my little artist!

She loves them...

Our almost 2 year old daughter is in love with fishes! This obsession happened while we were visiting my mother in Arizona a little after my daughter turned one. Since then we have started setting up a fish tank, and also we have taken her to the aquarium. It amazes me how children can see something once and become so fascinated with it. (I guess that applies to us adults too) ;) So for now our daughter is in love with fishes, and I can't wait to see what catches her attention next.

Brrrr its cold!

Today is a cold, snowy day here in Colorado. I started thinking of summers here in Colorado, its beautiful.