Tea for Two

Over the weekend, we celebrated our little one's second birthday with a Tea for Two theme. When I first started thinking about what kind of party to host, I knew I wanted something sweet and pretty, but still toddler friendly, since the majority of our little guests would be two years old, and younger. I also wanted to be sure it wasn't over the top girly as we have quite a few little friends who are boys, and always want them to be there, and have fun too! Two of my sweetest girlfriends brought their cameras and photographed and took videos for us, so we didn't have to think about snapping a single thing! 

I had envisioned hosting this years party outside on our back porch and in our backyard, and fortunately the weather was our friend, even though it was predicted to rain. We filled the backyard with lots of fun toddler toys, water tables, sand pool, ball pit, roller coaster, bubble machine, chalk, and our wagon. Everette also received a little playhouse from us as a birthday gift and it proved to be a crowd favorite. 

Since little ones are up by 7, and trying to keep the party as seamless as possible, we started at 10 am, in hopes of beating the heat a bit and giving everyone a Saturday morning activity before meltdowns and nap time. We kept the food simple with peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, ham biscuits, fruit salad, quiche, and of course pink goldfish and marshmallows. 

I totally lucked out and found the cutest already made tea party place mats with stickers, and for our favors I found decorate your own paper tea cups, all from amazon! To dress them up, I just popped them in a gift bag with some pink confetti and a pink paper straw. 

I love a beautiful traditional birthday cake, but with this party being hosted outside and so many toddlers, it just didn't seem to make sense. Instead, we opted for a small cake and then lots of cupcakes to easily pass out. Everette requested strawberry cupcakes so that's exactly what we had. 

This year was so much fun to celebrate her birthday because she really understood it for the first time.  She woke up that morning saying "Happy Birthday Everette" and "I'm 2!" Leading up to her party she would babble about cupcakes, and balloons,  and her friends coming over to play, and that is exactly all I wanted for her. It was a hot, sunny, sweaty, perfectly chaotic party for our sweet girl, and I never take these moments of celebration for granted. 

Our Second Year

Tomorrow, our very first baby turns two years old. In some ways, I have no idea how. At times, it feels like yesterday, and then forever ago that we first laid eyes on you little one. It's so true what they say, the part about them growing right before your very eyes, about how the days are long but the years are short. I'm finding the years are already feeling shorter than each one before. Those first 3 months postpartum drag, and fly at the same time, and then before we knew it you were 6 months old, and then we were planning a 1st birthday party, and now another entire year has passed, and we are getting ready to celebrate again. This year flew by even quicker than the first, and I have a hunch that's just how time works for us now. 

In your second year, you've had a lot of firsts. We kicked off the year with your very first hurricane and evacuation. You went trick or treating in our neighborhood for the first time, and were the sweetest little lamb I've ever seen. Experienced your very first time being sick (grateful that it took us 15 months!) had your first visit from Santa Clause,  went on your first family vacation, took your very first steps, had your first hair cut, flew on your first flight (international at that!), hunted for Easter eggs, went strawberry picking, and took your first swimming lessons. 

We've spent countless hours sitting on the playroom floor, at story time at the library, the children's museum, the aquarium, the splash pad, and the park. You've been the best tag along with me to preschool these past two years, but this year it's your turn and you couldn't be more ready. 

At two, you can count to 15, know your ABC'S, all primary colors, and absolutely love to sing. I'm amazed how you seem to pick up on something new everyday, and we couldn't be more proud of all you've already learned. For 17 months, we wondered when you would decide to walk, and now we look forward to the next moment that you let us sit down. 

Two feels really big to me. As grateful as I am to see you develop and grow, I hoped you'd be a baby for a little while longer. You have been in full blown toddler mode for quite some time now, and I know that will only become more true over the course of this next year. As your Daddy says, whatever stage you're in, becomes your favorite, and you are so much fun right now. 

We are soaking up these diaper days, and snuggles before putting you to bed in your crib, knowing these days are numbered. These are the days of our driveway being decorated with chalk, wagon rides and blowing bubbles. Lately it seems that bedtime feels a little more like a challenge, but tonight, tonight I'll cherish it more than ever, because tonight is the last time I'll put my one year old to bed, and tomorrow when you wake up, you'll be two. 

You are the best thing that ever happened to us. Happy Birthday baby. We love you! 

Anniversary Getaway to Palmetto Bluff

Happy August friends! I can't believe it's already that time of the summer, and before we know it fall will be here. Right now though, we are still knee deep in toddler summer busyness and loving every second. 

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary at Palmetto Bluff. I have heard so much buzz over the last couple of years about this place, and every bit of it was true. For our little getaway, we wanted to go somewhere within driving distance, which for us it was about a 4.5 hour drive, and while we both absolutely love sightseeing, for this long weekend we just wanted to take off a couple of days and relax. Palmetto Bluff certainly fit the bill. 

We opted to stay in The Inn since it was a couples trip, and it was absolutely perfect. The inn houses one of the main restaurants on the property, as well as the spa, and adult pool. The property itself is amazing and also houses over 60 cottages, and large homes. We would love to return next time with Everette and stay in one of the cottages, as it is perfect for little families. 

Our first night we ate dinner at Cole's which consists of mainly southern delicacies and smoked meats. It was delish and definitely my husbands favorite meal. It was also extremely family friendly, and had a beautiful bowling alley connected to it. I didn't know bowling alley's could be beautiful, but this one was. 

The next morning we got up and ate breakfast inside the inn at their famous Octagon Porch, and the vibe was just so relaxing. After breakfast we both checked into the spa, enjoyed the relaxation pool and areas,  and I had a massage. I mean how cute are these seersucker robes? 

We spent the afternoon by the pool, ordered some light bites to our chairs, and just enjoyed sitting, which we never do with a toddler. We ate dinner that night back in the inn at the Octagon Bar, and had the best time meeting a couple and their daughter (who was just a year older than ours) from London. 

On our last full day we rented a golf cart to explore the entire property, which was so fun. Without it, we would have never been able to see everything. It was the perfect morning to ride around. We soaked up another lazy day by the pool, and then had dinner at The Canoe Club. Saturday was actually our anniversary, so we opted for the adults only restaurant and I was glad we did, because we would miss it next time if we brought our little one. The scenery was breathtaking, as it was set right on the water. 

One of my favorite parts of Palmetto Bluff is that every night they set up a gourmet smores cart, so we pretty much enjoyed popping by there every night after dinner. We met some other really sweet young families, who were also on a getaway couples trip, and of course we all talked about our babies. 

It was truly the most perfect spot to unwind and relax and the entire time we were there, we kept talking about when we could come back. The most dreamy spot indeed. We can't wait to return as a family!