On Being 30

 

 

I originally wanted to edit my photo so I looked really old, but my photo skills do not advance past PicMonkey (yet)—so I went with this.

Seriously though. When did I get so old?

I remember my mom being in her 30s—and she was a “mom”, you know—a grown up.

And suddenly I woke up on September 23rd of 2015 and I was instantly 30 years old—which obviously means I am a grown up now. And a mom, actually.

Yesterday, I was just a girl in my 20s—a fresh college grad with the future in front of me—

but today…

well, I’m a new mom with a little bit of a history and a little more baggage and the future is still in front of me (God willing, of course).

And oh how much I have learned…

I have learned that life does not end at motherhood.

I have learned that a mother is also a woman with her own aspirations and interests.

I have learned that I’m not perfect, I’m never going to be perfect—God has grace with me and so I should have grace with myself and with others.

I have learned that no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes (including me), and because of this I need to forgive.

I have learned that there is no future in the past and that I must look ahead instead of behind me.

I have learned that people (including myself) change for the good, and so I should never give up on anyone (including myself).

I have learned that everyone is fighting a battle of some kind, and so I know to treat others with kindness so as not to add to their battles but to encourage them on to victory.

I have learned how to accept another’s infinite love without doubt, and because of this I have increased my faith.

I have learned that the important things in life cannot be purchased, and so I invest in family and humbly thank God for my provisions.

I have learned that I will never stop learning, there’s always another lesson ahead.

And also,

I have learned that I really, really, really like coffee.

Baby Girl’s First Birthday Party (Lots of Pictures!)

I can’t believe our baby girl is one year old already! The days are long but the years are short.

I had so much fun planning this birthday party. The decorations, the food, the gifts, and baby girl’s outfit—so much fun to plan! With a lot of team effort, it all turned out beautifully!

For her outfit, I bought a tutu at Party City that was sold along with the party supplies. I picked up the iron on “1” for her onesie at Hobby Lobby. I think it turned out really cute!

We started with gifts to keep things moving along and so her outfit wouldn’t be destroyed for gift opening time! Poor baby wasn’t feeling very well so she looks kind of tired in the pics.

Our little family:

Love this picture of Grandma and baby:

Playing with one of her new toys from mama and daddy:

I ordered a balloon bouquet that matched the “cupcake” theme that I got for napkins, etc. but when I picked them up they said that there was a hole in the balloon and it was the last one left. So I went with a “1” instead. For some reason I forgot to take a pic of the balloons, but here is an image I grabbed out of one of my photos. I loved the polka dot balloons.

Now onto the birthday party supper. Decorations, plates & napkins are from Party City.

The centerpiece:

I bought Frappuccino bottles and hubby and I drank them throughout the week prior to the party and then used some Goo Gone to clean off the labels. I made Crystal Light pink lemonade and served that with vintage paper straws (From Wal-mart)—so cute!

The baby girl’s throne (bib from Wal-Mart):

Her birthday hat:

For supper, hubby grilled stuffed sweet peppers & chicken.

We had a fresh fruit salad with pineapple, papaya, mango, strawberries, blueberries, & kiwi.

We also had Texas Potatoes and hubby’s parents brought homemade rolls and green bean casserole. It was so delicious!

Baby girl was ready to eat!

For the birthday cake, I picked up a dozen cupcakes in all different varieties from a local cupcakery (we had 8 adults). A few years ago, I picked up a cupcake stand on clearance for $3 and I finally got to put it to use! It went so well with the general pretty in pink & girly type theme.

Don’t you just want to grab one? They were a hit—as always!

Baby girl sure enjoyed hers too!

So much fun! Next year, I need to start planning a little further in advance and start the prep much earlier—I was feeling pretty overwhelmed the day before and day of the party. Whew! But I’m so happy for how it all turned out.

Happy 1st birthday to our sweet baby girl!