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So, I have some pretty creative friends that played a part in Addyson's birthday celebration that I feel everyone should know about it and use when ever an occasion comes up.

First, Addyson's very cute cake was made by Rockstar Cakes. Jessica Kelly is the owner/creator of the cakes. I have known her since I don't even know when. We lived next door to each other for half my life. She does amazing work. Here is Addyson's cake again....




She does all kinds of cakes, not just birthdays. So, check her out next time you are in need.

Next, is not only a friend but my cousin Leslie. She owns Baby Goodness Boutique. She is a stay at home mom who needed to make some extra money. So she bought an embroidery machine and a sewing machine and taught her self some skills. She does amazing things. She sells all sorts of cute things for your little ones. I have ordered many things from her but she made Addyson two full size hooded towels for her birthday that are just precious!








Here are some pictures of Addyson enjoying her gift.






Check out her website next time their is a holiday and you need a gift or a birthday comes up. She has all kinds of fun things.


Finally, their is Natalie. Natalie owns Sweet Lemons Gifts. She does thank you cards, invitations, labels, and all kinds of cool stuff. She did not do Addyson's invitations because she cannot do die cut but I did ask! However, I did order some thank you cards and some labels and they came out great! She has these really awesome fill-in thank you cards where you just write the name of the person who gave you the gift and what it was! It saves a ton of time with thank you cards! Here are the ones I ordered for Addyson...



Lilly Kate, which is Natalie's daughter, gave Addyson these for her birthday along with matching labels.



I just love these with the ice cream cone! Next time you are need of some note cards or thank you notes. Go to Natalie's etsy store. She has some really cute things!

All three of these women are amazingly talented and are using those talents to try and support themselves and their families. So check them out!

Swimming, Sand Buckets, and Solo Cups

I love planning partys. So, I get really excited when its time for Addyson's birthday because I spend alot of time on the internet and in magazines trying to find the best and most creative ideas without spending a fortune. This is something my husband doesn't understand. All he says is "she will never remember this?" SO! She will look at pictures one day and realize I put alot of thought into her birthdays! RIGHT? Well, maybe not but its still fun and I thoroughly enjoy getting everyone together and celebrating no matter what the occasion. The fact that it is my sweet babies birthday is just a PLUS!

After last year, we decided birthday parties at our house are not a good idea! Their is just not enough room and being that her birthday is in August a party outside without a pool is just not an option. So, my sweet grandpa has an inground pool and he allowed us to have Addyson's party at his house. I mean who doesn't love to swim?

So, I started looking about two months ago for an invitation. I know I am crazy but I love cute invites. I really wanted a die cut invitation so after looking at many, many websites I came across annoucingit.com. They have a ton of cute die cut's to choose from and this was the one I chose...



Isn't it precious!

One important party planning tip I learned after last years party is that if you can pay someone else to do it then its worth the money! It is practically impossible to work everyday right up to the party and do everything yourself. We tried that last year and it was a disaster. It led to me and my best friend icing a million cupcakes until late at night, me running around like a chicken with my head cut off the day of, and my husband and I not speaking for most of the morning before the party. So, this year I decided all of those things were NOT going to happen.

I paid Rockstar cakes to do the cake and it came out amazing.




I ordered all the food from Topps BBQ and just had it picked up the morning of the party. I did make a few food items but mainly just put together a fruit/veggie tray and had some chips/dip. This saved loads of time. Last year, Chris didn't even get to enjoy the party because he spent the whole time cooking. This year all we had to do was sit everything out on some nice trays. It was wonderful!

For the party favors, my mother-in-law and I found some sand buckets for a really good price. I decorated each one with the kids names and put all sorts of goodies inside. They turned out great and everyone seemed to enjoy them.




All in all, I would say the party was a success. We had a good turn out, the weather was hot, which was great for swimming, and everyone seemed to have a great time.
















So, I did all this planning. We had food, toys, friends, and swimming pool to play in and my daughter had the most fun.......




Playing with SOLO CUPS!







Guess it really is the simple things in life!

Birthdays and Blessings

You hear people say "time flies" all the time. Well, I never use to believe this. Time never flew when I was sitting in sixth period in high school, waiting for the bell to ring so I could go home or it seem to always move at a snails pace when I was excited about going on a planned vacation. My perception of this saying changed dramatically on August 3, 2007 at 5:03 a.m. I feel like that day was yesterday. I feel like we were just teaching her how to say "dada" or getting excited because she took a few steps. It certainly doesn't seem like it has been two years and that we now are celebrating another birthday. Time has flown.





We began Addyson's birthday celebrating with a small family party at her Uncle Matt and Aunt Coco's house. Opa (Chris's dad) was going to be out of town for the big party so we decided to have a small celebration a little early.

Of course their was cake....




And presents.....




Some of her favorites were.....




Cool New Socks!




Goggles...that Daddy probably shouldn't have tried on!





And her most favorite was a new trampoline! Opa was so excited about giving her the trampoline that he gave it to her first. We barely got her to come inside for more gifts and cake!

The weekend of celebrating ended on Sunday when Addyson recieved her birthday blessing from Father Bill.






We love St. Elizabeth's children's service on Sunday mornings. They dedicate an entire 45 minute service to the children. They let them ask questions and come to the front. They want children to feel comfortable at church so they will want to come back every week. Addyson loves it! Especially "the bread."

Also, the flowers on the alter were dedicated to Addyson for her birthday.