For Tabby’s second birthday, I made the decision to have a real birthday party. This was a departure from her first birthday, which we only got to celebrate with half of her family. I felt so guilty about that, that I conned myself into thinking I should do a major birthday party and all seven of our Christmases in 13 days.

I don’t recommend it.

But, if I isolate the event of her birthday, it was loads of fun. Here’s how it went:

• I picked out a balloon theme after pinning lots of cute rainbow-y, balloon-y stuff on my “Tabby’s 2nd Birthday” Pinterest board.
• I designed the invitation.
• I watched way too many YouTube tutorials on how to make balloon animals. (And then made some sub-par ones.)
• I made red, yellow and blue cake pops (that were supposed to look like balloons). I got Bakerella’s Cake Pop book from the Urbandale Public Library – it was inspiring.
• We made a balloon arch. (This was extremely easy and got the most “wow”s – I definitely recommend it. It was just a plastic strip that you plug the balloons into.)
• We had tons of friends and family come over to celebrate. (This was certainly the best part! Or the cake pops – they turned out pretty tasty.)
• I forgot to take any pictures.

So, here are the shots I stole from others.

Balloon arch, balloon animals and cake pops (on table, you can't see them very well), and party favors on the ground ("hot air balloons" filled with chocolate kisses)

Mom and Dad with the birthday girl

Scarfing a cake pop - YUM!

The basement was filled with loose balloons. (This was the crowd favorite.) This picture is from the day before the party.

So overall, it was a great time. And finally, here’s the invitation I made – soon to be available at {ka}BOOM, my new endeavor. More on that later.

And finally, I’ve moved Tabby’s subsequent birthdays to June. She will be a half-birthday baby forever more. (And I will never conceive a child in March again!)

Front

Back

Friends,

It’s been 6 weeks since my last post. Forgive me.

It’s not like anything has happened. I mean, my one and only daughter turned two. We had seven Christmases. And I’m trying to launch a new business.

So. What?

Oh.my.god.I.miss.blogging.so.much.

But I think the phrase blog burnout applied to me. I needed to take just enough time away to realize how much I really love thrusting my candy-coated life onto the people who virtually surround me. Because Facebook isn’t enough.

The problem with blogging is that it takes a lot of time to do it right. Taking the pictures, editing the pictures, writing the post and hitting “Publish” (saying “editing the post” would be a direct insult to any copy anywhere that has ever been edited) takes a while. And I have other stuff I like to do. Like:

• Watch “Friday Night Lights” on Netflix.
• Read the Hunger Games series.
• Watch all the shows that started up again this January, including “My Girl,” “Big Bang Theory,” “Parks & Rec,” “Vampire Diaries,” “Rock Center with Brian Williams,” “Suburbia,” “The Middle” and “Modern Family.”
• Stare sadly at the HUGE list of TV shows I watch and wonder if there’s something bigger to be addressed here?
• Work on {ka}BOOM, my new business. (Launching for real in April 2012.)
• Vacuum the hair from my two golden retrievers. Day.after.day.after.day.

On the other hand, I like having a place where I can write a first draft, push “Publish” and not have someone return it to me with minor changes.

I like being able to put up pictures of my delicious daughter that I can look at from anywhere and melt my heart.

I like knowing that my far-away friends and family look at this site and feel a connection to my life that I can’t replicate because let’s face it, I’m not good with the phone. (And feeling like they actually like it, too.)

And I like having a place that keeps track of my life. The idea that 30 years from now, I might look back at this and think, “Boy, her second birthday … That was really some tutu!”

So, friends, I’m back. I’m making it a goal to post twice a week from now on. While I launch a business. And learn to sew. And read like crazy. (And apparently sit in a stupor in front of the TV.)

Lots of pictures to come recapping Tabby’s birthday, Christmas and other fun stuff.

Octopus + June Cleaver

We like Halloween around here. More specifically, I like it, and since I like it, Brett gets dragged into Halloween festivities. You may remember 2008 (Ginger’s pig costume), 2009 (our Juno and Bleeker costume) or 2010′s Halloween, in which I asked for blog readers to vote on the best carved pumpkin. It was the third time Brett and I went head to head, but the first time we didn’t agree on the winner.

And it’s back. This year, we have three pumpkins (Tabby got her own), and I would love to get your vote. It might be a little obvious whose is whose, but please, vote nonetheless.

Lumos! Whoo ... Whoo! Go Cubs Go!

The three pumpkins (and my pumpkin)

Take Our Poll

This year, we also had the honor of two new guests, my BFF Jess and her husband, Eric, who just moved back to Iowa from Colorado – my dream come true! They really raised the level of our normal carving habits by bringing … drills.

Brett was quite enthused by this addition.

Here were their awesome pumpkins (I won’t put their marriage at risk by asking you to vote for theirs):

Jess' dotty stars and Eric's curvy ghost

Hope you’re all having a fun Halloween week! Tabby’s costume will be unveiled on Friday when we go first to my office Halloween parade and then to a Halloween party. Cute pictures to come, of course.