Time Capsule: Love & Honesty

To my darling, sweet, inspiring daughter:

There will be days when you think the world has collectively lost it's mind, when all you will see or hear is a bunch of lies, hurt and hate.  I wish I could protect you from these things forever, but I know that I cannot - life is all about positives and negatives. What I can do is remind you that the world can be GOOD. People are good. Hearts can be true. Good will win out over evil.  As long as you keep that hope alive, you will have a hand in making this world a better place.

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I recently came across a few videos that will help remind you (and me) of the positivity and love this world has to offer.  I am posting them here so when we are having days where all hope seems lost, we can surround ourselves with love and honesty.

You are my heart. Never lose hope; always look for the helpers. I love you.

Excessive Amounts of Easter Pictures.

I'm not kidding. There are a LOT of pictures in this post. Excessive to the point of being ridiculous? Perhaps.  You have been warned.

On Easter Eve (Saturday), we thought we'd give the whole "meet the Easter Bunny" thing a shot. It HAD to be better than her first time meeting Santa...ooouf!

I mean, NO ONE was happy - not even Santa.

And it's his job to be happy.

Evidence.

Back to the present (and happier times). OG was wearing her pre-Easter finest:
-Floral dress (Target)
-Navy cardigan (I need to buy her more cardigans...)
-Green headband

I love this picture, even if it is fuzzy. <3

 OG then decided to involve her dinosaurs in the photo shoot.

A lady and her Brachiosaurus.

So. Many. Dinosaurs. (And that's not even all of them!) Cameos by  (L to R): Dino, New Dino, Brachi, Big T, PeTeR

After that, it was time to meet The Bunny. We got in line, and OG immediately started pointing and gasping with excitement! A good sign for everyone involved, for sure. She saw The Bunny wave and started saying "hi" and waving back. Here is a snapshot of OG and I (somewhat) patiently awaiting our time with The Bunny:

40 minutes later (yes, 4-0...as soon as we made it to the front of the line, Bunny decided he needed a "carrot break") - OG MAKES CONTACT and subsequently LOSES. HER. MIND. And headband.

OG's new BFF.

Look at that cheesy smile!  She was in love.

Side note: I'm 99.9% sure OG caught a cold from The Bunny's germ-laden fur. Howwever, there is no love lost on her end.

Then, Sunday.
Oh, our snot-tastic Easter Sunday...poor snot-filled ladybaby. :(

She didn't let mucus-y sinuses get her down, though! Just pay no mind the glazed upper lip in her photos...

She loved her instruments! She also got Mickey socks and a new pony, but they clearly weren't as exciting.

We then went to Dedi's house for OG's first-ever Easter egg hunt!

Somebunny (I had to, I'm sorry) wore:
-Floral dress (from Ms. J)
-Pink shrug cardigan (not pictured because it was BEAUTIFUL outside!)
-Black cotton flats
-Bunny ears (Target)

You know it's a party when a random snot rag, miscellaneous musical instruments, candy, and a cheep beer* are involved!
*beer does not belong to OG or EG; it was consumed by Dedi.

EGGS! This lady LOVES eggs...edible eggs, plastic eggs...any egg.

Score! Teddy Grahams!

Found another one...

A-wee, OG & EG <3

Picking up sticks...a new Easter tradition?

Real talk: I have no idea what she's looking at in this picture

OG loves running

A lot.

Still running...which, good for her or else I'd probably be nibbling at her buff little babylegs! :)

And...kicking balls while running

"Hey...is this MY lamb? I like it...I think it's mine now"

OG & her Dedi playing in the yard

After all that excitement (and running), Ms. OG crashed. Dada and I were ready to crash as well. We had quite the eventful day!

Undocumented adventures of Easter: earlier in the day, we stopped by Lauren's house for a quick visit and Olive got to try her first Peep! That might have been the source of energy for all that running...

Spendover into Saturday

It's Monday.

Let's not focus on that and instead recap the weekend, shall we?

Friday, while Ms. OG was having a blast at Auntie C's (especially since A-wee and EG were home with her all day), I received a text message from Ms. A-wee:

"Are we ever going to have a birthday sleepover for me?"

It's tradition.  Every year we host a "Birthday Spendover Spectacular" for our nieces. It's usually the main part of their gift, but with A-wee getting older we didn't think she'd be interested. But she was! She still loves us! She's not too cool for her favorite aunt & uncle (yet)! After I cleaned my happy tears and melted heart off the floor I responded with a "HECK YES!"

"Ok well I'm totally free tonight"

Panic sets in.  Tonight?  It's Friday -  a weeknight. I hadn't cleaned AT ALL and normally we become elderly hermits mega hip 30somethings-with-a-toddler who consider it a successful night if we both make it to 9:30pm without passing out. Uhhh...

"Birthday Spendover is a GO! And we have a messy house, but you know..."

"Ok"

After picking up the tired Ms. OG and my niece from C's house, we headed home for a night of last-minute Birthday Spectacularness. A-wee offered to help me walk the dogs which allowed my amazing Husband to pick up a bit (the kid had to have to sleep somewhere, and while she'd probably think sleeping on a pile of clean laundry was cool, I just couldn't be THAT cool of an aunt). We got her favorite dinner, watched Labyrinth, dyed and decorated Easter eggs...but the top item on her to do list? Pick out OG's outfit for tomorrow.  (Swoon!) So we folded some ladybaby clothes and A-wee narrowed down her options. I must say, I don't believe OG has ever looked so preppy or adult! Good work, A-wee!

OG's A-wee curated outfit consisted of:

-Navy blue cardigan

-Rainbow-striped collared cap-sleeve shirt (Crazy 8)

-Dark denim jeggins

-Fuchsia faux-Wallabee boots

-A-wee's cell phone for the ultimate Valley Girl look 

Striking her best model pose - puckered lips, aloof stare into the distance...relaxed

This image was taken directly from her Kleenex & Crackers campaign, 2016

See? This outfit can go from lounge wear to business casual to outdoor recreation. SO VERSATILE!

A big THANK YOU to my loving and wonderful niece, A-wee. I'm glad you had fun with us old fart fuddyduds (and OG). We had a great time and are already looking forward to next year! xoxo  

New Shoes, Broken Noses and Everything In Between: A Week in Review

We have made it to another Friday, dear reader(s)! And this week was...action-packed. I almost made it unscathed too...almost. More on that in a moment.

NEW SHOES.

Spring has now sprung and OG has grown out of her only pair of toddler flip-flops, so we had to find an affordable, cute & comfy pair of sandals for the little lady.  Apparently Amazon doesn't believe in offering a size 3-4 for toddlers, so it was slim pickings. The Husband and I found a pair we both liked, but the only color option that came in OG's size was "Neon Orange".  If nothing else, at least the snugglebiscuit could show off her Bengals pride in the summer months, right? So we bought them.

They weren't kidding about the "Neon" part.  It's the kind of neon that makes you wonder if your eyes will ever recover. The pictures do not do them justice.

I found an outfit to help downplay the brightness of the shoes, and she ended up looking completely edible as usual. Gah, that face! Those toes!  Nom nom.

Behold, the shoe:

I think my camera automatically added a filter so as not to permanently distort someones vision, They are still cute though!

To compliment such a blinding seizure-inducing glorious shoe, we decided to go with:

-Plaid button-up shirt (Crazy 8)

-Dark denim jeggings

-Attention grabbing bird hair clip (thanks, Ms. J!)

Yes, OG's bottle does match her outfit.  Let's pretend I planned that and it wasn't just because it was the only clean one left.

"Momma...am I stepping in molten lava, or is that really the color of my shoe?"

EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.

Unluckily for our babysitting superhero, Ms. J, that day was spent running between the hospital and doctor's office with her own kids. #roughdayx10000 #stillnotthebrokennosepartofthestory 

But OG was quite the well-behaved lady and kept everyone entertained! For all of her efforts, OG was rewarded handsomely at the doctor's office when she found...AN ACTIVITY CUBE!

"Who is that fashionable little friend? She even likes the same book..."

Note: Ms. J was in no mood for having her retinas evaporated, so she changed OG's footwear.

And that was Wednesday.

On Thursday, OG wore a onesie with a screen-printed vampire cat created by a local artist.  I was going to take a picture after work (since our morning was rushed) but was unable to for 2 noteworthy reasons:

1) She pooped all over herself at Grandmas (we dodged THAT bullet!) and....

BROKEN NOSE.

2) OG ended up head-butting me in the face, which resulted in a bloody nose/possible fracture, and our speedy return home.

OG's soft noggin is fine.  I still have a splitting headache 24 hours later, but I will survive.  And #realtalk - I cannot confirm a break. All I know is that I touched  my nose after the incident (because, human nature...) and there was an audible click  I don't think normal noses do that. I'm also kind of a wuss when it comes to seeing my own blood, so I had half-assumed my nose had fallen off my face anyhow. #hypochondriac

Oh well. This is parenthood; time to woman-up and move on!

Now, let's send this week off on a high note, shall we?

DINO HOODIE! (And a hairbrush, because toddlers love those things) Cameo by:Lucy the Poochy

Have an excellent weekend! 

Throwback Thursday #5 - My Diaper's Got Jets

If you have accidentally landed on this blog after Googling "blueprints for diaper jets" or just "diapers with jets", I apologize. And while I sympathize with your disappointment (because that does seem intriguing), I will offer you something better - pictures of a cute baby wearing *SPOILERS, dedicated reader(s)! SKIP AHEAD OR BE SPOILED* Star Wars "costumes". No, it's not too good to be true - this is not a drill! Baby + Star Wars = The. Greatest.

So, let us throwback to a time when I could actually take a clear picture of my beloved OG...back to a time when she was but a tiny blob that couldn't do much outside of sitting and drooling.

You may recall that the husband and I recently had a night out on the town.  Well, we went to see a rapper named MC Chris.  If you are not familiar, but you: 1)appreciate talented rappers 2)enjoy nerdy things 3)are a fan of fun times, you should look into his music/career. He is all of the above. His most popular song is about Boba Fett, and how his backpack has got jets.

I promise, this is going somewhere. #staywithme

At the show I ended up purchasing little OG a onesie that reads "My Diaper's Got Jets" with a screen print of Boba Fett's mask.  Since this is a #TBT, you will not yet see Ms. OG in her onesie BUT it inspired me to go back into the phone photo archives and dig up these gems:

Princess OG Organa, pre Solo (wig/knit hat courtesy of my friend Sarah)

yOGda, trying out her force powers

"Meh, I got this "force: thing down...I'm taking a break."

And finally...brace yourselves...this was Ms. OG's first real Halloween costume, from this past October.
***Full credit and a massive shout-out to Dedi for making OG such a PERFECT costume.***

Screen-ready OG in her Ewok costume. (Photo credit: Kelly S.)

This Ewok is pooped. (Photo credit: Kelly S.)

YUB NUB! (Photo credit: Kelly S.)

And, for your listening pleasure, may I please introduce MC Chris (lyrics NSFKiddos):

And...because...

In a FLASH!

Happy Tuesday, dearest reader(s)! While I'm not overly envious of OG's outfit today, I do appreciate it and would like to share an image or two.  I fell in love with her pants the moment I saw them on the rack (because I have the style sense of an 80 year old), and the top IS my favorite color, after all...

However, OG had different plans this morning - plans to PARTY. So these pictures aren't very good. At all.  And I even used a flash. She was too fast.

My apologies for the following attempt to share OG's outfit with you.

The clothes you are pretending to be able to see are:
-Green & white striped onesie
-Dark washed Tommy "skinny" jeans with flower cross-stitch embroidery.  Yep, CROSS-STITCH! Swoon! Grandma Momma loves cross-stitch!

"What's that, momma?  Yeah, no...I'm going to party.  KBYE!"

You can't see the best part of the outfit, but at least she's not a complete blur. And, degree of partying: 1 sock on, 1 sock off.

My best effort to get some kind of usable shot.  Funny, huh?

So, you get the gist. I hope. :)

I may have to try my hand at adding cross-stitch patterns to other elements of her wardrobe.  How rad would a random cross-stitch pattern be on a hoodie or jacket?!

I hit up good ol' Google Image search to get some inspiration and these are amazing;

On a t-shirt? Yes, please. (Source: unknown)

Source: https://www.etsy.com/listing/269209852/floral-boogie-modern-cross-stitch?ref=market

I'm thinking back of a biker jacket...but I'd probably add the word "PLEASE". Just keepin' it real. (Source: unknown)

This, on a pocket of ANYTHING.  (Source: https://www.etsy.com/listing/195484390/tardis-sprite-dr-who-cross-stitch?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=nerd%20cross%20stitch&ref=sr_gallery_10)

And finally: I would actually cross-stitch this on the back of an over-sized sweatshirt or denim jacket for everyone in my family, but I could never make it looks this good. Whomever did this is VERY talented. Just take it all in....

They didn't forget about Dre
(Source: http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/09/the-21-rudest-cross-stitch-phrases.html)

Friday: One Fierce Lady

Happy Friday! I hope you made it safely through St. Patrick's Day/Nigtht...don't forget to drink a lot of water today. :)

OG woke up this morning with a tiny bit of an attitude*, so I decided to dress her accordingly.  A fierce lady needs a fierce outfit, right?
*Full disclosure: her "attitude" was more that she didn't feel like smiling until she saw the dog. Lucky dog!

Two words: (p)Leather. Jacket.

Three more words: Wonder. Woman. Headband.

This is one tough ladybaby. I mean, Deadpool is her sidekick!

Bada$$ OG is wearing:

-Pink cotton peplum top (a gift from Grandma)

-Pleather biker jacket (Target clearance rack strikes again!)

-Black & white striped pants

-Handmade Wonder Woman headband (thanks MB! - again made by Sassy Little Sugar's Bowtique)

I couldn't get her to stand still, so I had to sneak this close-up photo of her headband:

I mean....who doesn't want to eat that face? GAH!

And since we're on the topic of strong ladies (with or without attitude), I would also like to share an image that sums up my feelings regarding women:

AMEN!

Here's to all the strong ladies in my life!  Remember: it's YOUR body, so you should only smile when you choose to smile.
...even if that means not smiling when your momma and dada are singing the 'good morning' song to you, and have been waiting all night to snuggle you and your sweet face. You do you. xoxox

Wishing Every Day Could be Wednesday...

The husband and I decided to treat ourselves to a night out on the town this past Tuesday (which we needed after all the primary election stress/shenanigans), so it only made sense to take off of work on Wednesday to sleep in and hang with our snugglenugget.

Spoilers: I am so glad we did! It was an absolutely gorgeous day!

In the morning we met Ms. J, Aydin and OG (who had a spendover at Ms. J's) for breakfast. After we ate our fill of fruit and eggs, it was nap time. However, once awake we had fun-filled afternoon at the park.  OG even made a few friends !  Well, kind of. One kid was wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt, so she basically stalked him while gasping and pointing at his torso.  Friendship is so simple for toddlers...

For her fun afternoon in the sun, OG decided to wear:
-Elephant print long-sleeved shirt (from Ms. J)
-Jeggins!
-Fuchsia high-top faux-Wallabees

OG in her element

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

OG had so much fun, in fact, that she barely stayed awake on the way out of the parking lot.  A sure sign of impending night-night? This image pretty much sums it up:

The "Sleep Trifecta": shoes off, kitty cup is packed, and Bob Marley is playing...zzzz

Days like this make me wish I could afford to be a stay-at-home momma. It's so fun watching OG learn, play, and interact with little folks her age.  Too bad dada already called dibs on the "Mr. Mom" title if we ever win the lottery... #letsflipforit

When Irish (crazy) Eyes are Smilin'/Throwback Thursday #4

I realized I had just dismissed you (in my last post, mere moments ago) to continue your St. Pat's drinking festivities, but I needed to come clean and confess something that I can no longer hide:

I did not buy OG a festive outfit for today.

GASP. For shame, I know.

This Irish, toddler fashion blogging mom of an adorably vivacious and smart young ladybaby has failed you, dearest reader(s). I thought about skimming over OG's fashion of today all together, but that would be doing a disservice to my loyal reader (hi!) and the toddler fashion blogging community at large.

Side note: Is there an actual toddler fashion blogging community?  I should probably look into that.

However, I did NOT allow OG to leave the house without wearing green, so I didn't fail her completely,  And her onesie is pretty darn-tootin' cute.  AND she tried on a pair of flip-flops for the first time today and actually LIKED them.  Granted, they are a tad too small, but she's still making it work!

My little Leprechaun is wearing:
-"Home Grown" onesie in KELLY GREEN! (no pinching!) Purchased at Kroger, of all places...
-Navy and white polka-dot pants (gift from Grandma)
-White and purple flip-flops (Old Navy)
-White headband with small bow (thanks Ms. J!), but only temporarily (sorry, Ms. J!)

And, you might be wondering why there was the addition of "(crazy)" before the word "Eyes" in title of this post...well, wonder no further:

CRAZY (eyes) ABOUT BEING IRISH/Lady Drummer/"Here- I'll stand still so you can take a picture of my actual outfit"

Although, I will take Smilin' Eyes, crazy or not, over her picture from last St. Patrick's Day!

Welcome to:

Throwback Thursday #4: The Saddest Little Leprechaun!

Sad ladybaby OG on her first St. Patrick's Day :'(

That was also the day she first met her pal, D-man at Baby Summit 2015.  She doesn't look too thrilled here either, but I promise they are pals now.

"Hmmm...who is THIS guy? I'm not sure about this...."

Finally, no St. Patrick's Day is ever complete without a little Dropkick Murphys (may not be their best song, but had to find one that's appropriate for the kiddos)!

Happy St. Pat's! - my mug