Emily's 5th Birthday Party

My baby girl turned 5 last month!  I am amazed by how fast the years fly by!  How is it possible that my youngest is now 5?!

We decided to have a friends party for her this year since she is now in Kindergarten and has lots of new friends.  Her current obsession is Hello Kitty so that is what she wanted for her theme.  Easy enough, I hit up Pinterest to get fun ideas for her party. I am seriously addicted to Pinterest, anyone else have this same problem? 

Emily had 6 friends come to her party.  It was so fun to see her interact with school friends.  She has really came out of her shy shell. 

Birthday girl!

Hello Kitty goody bags.

Each girl received one and was able to put their little trinkets in them that they got for playing games so they did not get lost.

Decorated table and kitchen.

Instead of spending a ton of money on Helium, I blew up lots of balloons and hung them from the ceiling and tied them to the chairs.

Used crepe paper and balloons to make a colorful backdrop for the party.

Turned our Fridge into Hello Kitty!

Used Hello Kitty Duct Tape to make the water bottles cute!

Goody bags and Hello Kitty for Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty game!

I made all the girls a Hello Kitty Headband out of headbands, felt and ribbon.  They each received one when they arrived and wore it throughout the party. 

Emily playing Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty.

Hello Kitty after all the bows were put on by the girls.

The girls also played a game like Hot Potato, except we used a Hello Kitty Stuffed Animal.  They had a lot of fun and got really silly!

The Hello Kitty Cake I made for the party and some party decorations.

The cake is super easy to make!

Cupcakes I made.

Used Hello Kitty Rings and pics. 

Time for cake!

Emily and her BFF Audrie playing with her new dollhouse that she got from us for her birthday.

Modeling a new Hello Kitty Hat she got from one of her friends.

Emily kept saying "this is the best day ever!"  So happy that she and her friends had so much fun!  She is already planning next year's party!  She says it will be a Tangled party! 

A Cupcake Party!

The girls ended up all showing up in pink! Too cute. :)

Audrie, Emily and Kada

Filling the cupcake liners.

Of course Emily had to lick the spatula!

Working on their craft and coloring.

Hannah and her cupcakes and a beautiful smile!

Emily could not wait to eat hers!

Hannah's cupcakes

Recently, my Mom had a little Cupcake Party for a few of her younger Granddaughters at her house. It was a fun morning for all.

The girls got to help mix the cupcake batter, bake and decorate their own cupcakes to take home. They did a cute little craft and my mom also prepared a special little snacky (don't think that is even a word) lunch for the girls that were served in cupcake liners!

Great memories were created for both Grandma and Granddaughter's (and their mom's!).

Another update on Getting Healthy in 2012!

It's been a couple weeks since I updated about Getting Healthy in 2012! I have had a great, super, awesome first month! I am down 13.2 lbs! Woo Hoo.

I am feeling really great. So much more energy and less stomach issues since I started eating lots of veggies, fruits, lean meats and whole grains!

It has also been a month today since I have had a Diet Coke or any soda for that matter! I am finally past that craving a Diet Coke in the morning.

I am walking 2 to 3 miles about 5 days a week and really loving it. It feels so good during and after.

I recently went through my closet and I can wear lots of clothes that were super tight. In fact, some clothes are already to big! I can't wait to buy some fun new summer clothes and a bathing suit.

Loving my new lifestyle..... :)

Look at me Mom! No training wheels!

A couple of weeks ago Emily informed her Dad that she wanted him to take her training wheels off her bike. He did and with a little help she was riding her bike across our yard.

She is now a pro and riding it all over without any help. We took our camper up north 2 weeks ago weekend to get ready for our summer of camping and she rode her bike all over the place!

She is not quite 4 1/2 years old and is done with the training wheels! You go girl!! We are very proud parents!

Update on Getting Healthy in 2012!

Well, I weighed in on Monday evening and lost 4lbs! I am pretty happy with that! I have not found myself feeling like I am starving since changing my eating habits and actually feel a ton better, more energy, etc!

On top of all that I also quit drinking diet coke or any soda for that matter last Tuesday! Yeah! I did have the headache issue for a few days but I am on day 7 and feel great.

My goal this week is to get more activity in by walking as many evenings as I can. This has not been too hard since we are having unseasonably warm weather for Michigan right now! I am loving the walks. Totally takes away any stress I am having.

I am so excited about this new lifestyle that I am embarking on. Healthy here I come!

Working on a new healthier Me!

I have been toying with the idea of joining Weight Watchers again over the past few months. I lost 60 pounds on Weight Watchers about 10 years ago and loved the program.

So I officially joined Weight Watchers again on Monday evening. I luckily have not gained back all the weight over the past 1o years. I was actually pretty happy when I stepped on the scale for my first weight in and was about 25 pounds less than I thought I was! I have not stepped on a scale in at least a year and a half! I mean I know that I am overweight, but I felt a little better about the fact that I really have not gained much the past couple years.

I am already loving the new Weight Watchers Points Plus program. It is different from the last time I did the program. I think it is actually way better now! I have started walking every day and plan on throwing in some other activities daily too. I am taking baby steps, one day at a time so I don't get overwhelmed!

When I think about my reasons for doing this, I am not only wanting to be "skinnier" (who doesen't) and look better in my old and growing tighter clothes, but I really want to be healthy! I have a family history of diabetes and the thought of that scares me! A lot! My mom has been diabetic since I was a child and uses daily shots of insulin. Yikes, no thanks!

So, right now I am working on 10% for my goal and just really trying to add more activity into my lifestyle.

I am very excited about this new adventure and lifestyle change. I will keep everyone updated on my progress. :)

Get out of my house flu!!!

Have you ever had one of those weekends when you have tons of things to do and the weather is gorgeous out, but you end up coming down with the flu on Friday afternoon? That was my past weekend! Emily came down with the flu on Wednesday night. I was the 2nd victim on Friday and Kyle was lucky number 3 on late Saturday night. Our weekend was pretty much shot.

We all seem to be feeling better today. Let's hope all the sickness is leaving our house. We have some awesome weather on the way this week and I want to be outdoors!

Seriously, I'm back.....

Wow, can't believe how long it has been since I posted here! I am not happy with myself about it. Life got kind of busy and when that happens I tend to not be online as much. I am back and plan on posting a lot more often, which won't be hard since I have not posted in like 10 months! ;)