Author: Melissa

Recently the nice folks at Forte Promo sent me a gorgeous Baby's First Year calendar. Look how adorable this is:
 
What they say about it:

• Its a combination baby book and non-dated calendar, truly a keepsake.
• The date pad is blank to fill in dates and months once baby is born. 
• There are monthly features and a page of stickers.
• Your organization/logo is added to the bottom.

What I say about it:
This is super cute!!! I wish I had received something like this when I had my babies! Colin just turned one this week and as I look back over this past year, I remember sooo little. Its all very blurry. (First tooth around… six months. ish. Maybe…) It would have been great to have a calendar just to write things down as he did them.
And if you're a scrapbooking flunkie, like me, this is a non-intimidating way to document and organize all those milestones that fly by that first year. The cute stickers are great too – make it even easier for a busy mom!!
You can get these personalized with your organization or business logo printed below the calendar. What a fantastic item for any organization catering to young moms!! It would certainly stand out from yet another promotional bib or something.

This weekend I'm going to a movie premiere.

I KNOW! ME!

I'm so excited!! It looks great and it was filmed right in Philly. Look:

If you're in Philly and want to see it, there is an encore screening on Sunday afternoon. You can buy tickets here.

That's what I feel like.

I was working on my spring cleaning and got so distracted that I forgot to take the kids to swimming lessons. I looked at the clock and it said 4:28. Lessons start at 4. Then I had to go tell them we missed swim lessons, which they had been looking forward to all day, and they were in tears about because they LOVE swim lessons.

I didn't bother to put Colin's jeans back on after his nap. Now he has a massive case of rug burn from crawling around on the carpets. He's been crying because his legs hurt.

I've yelled at my kids. Several times.

I forgot that I promised to do something. Now Ellie is upset with me.

I just want to crawl under a rock. Or under the covers and just start over.

Words cannot even describe the joy this little boy has brought to our lives.
He is a love. He is a sweetie. He is a gift straight from the Lord. 
   
    

Happy birthday, little man.
We love you to pieces.
And can't wait to see the man you will become.

I've made so many different chocolate chip cookie recipies. And this – by far – is our favorite!! These make a chewy version that turns crunchy after a few days (Husband's favorite!) My secret ingredient? Dark chocolate chips!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
 

1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet are okay, but dark are the best!!)

Preheat oven to 375. Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
Whisk flour and baking soda together, set aside.
Beat butter and sugars on medium speed until well blended and very fluffy. Add egg, salt and vanilla. Stir flour mixture ino butter mixture until well combined and smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop in heaping tablespoonfuls on sheets. Bake 9-10 minutes. Let the cookies sit on the sheet of a minute or two before removing to a cooling rack.

 
from Joy of Cooking

Every morning when Gracie goes to preschool, there is a board outside the classroom. The students have to find their name and put it on the correct board.
The the beginning of the year, the questions are easy: I am a boy/I am a girl, I have a brother/I do not have a brother. Now, the kids get to suggest a question for their classmates to answer. They have been hilarious. Thursday it was "I like Spiderman" or something.
This was Gracie's question:
 
I asked her why on earth she picked that question. (She had been toying with the question, "I like swimming.") But she said she "wanted to be the only one on the blue board."
Think that question would do it?

I've spent my week sorting through clothes to sell in a consignment sale this weekend. 
Its been very emotional.
Selling certain outfits that I have such clear memories of is more difficult than I imagined. Last year, I was keeping a lot of things for Colin. Now, as we move out of the baby stage, I'm selling things that I've held on to for years.  
Little outfits that Ellie wore. Then Grace. Then Colin. (We thought Ellie was a boy, so we have lots of boy clothes!)

Those adorable little dresses my girls had.
Little pajamas.
Little shoes.
And those little, teeny-teeny-tiny t-shirts.
*SOB*

I feel like I'm saying goodbye to a part of my life. A part of my life that I've loved and that I'm sad to say goodbye to.

I'm holding one box of clothes hostage. Just one, full of my baby memories, that I don't think I will ever be able to part with.