parsley sage rosemary and thyme....



scarborough faire is one of my favorites, and i absolutely can't go without getting that song stuck in my head!

out first trip there was last year, and we loved it so much that we decided to make it an annual tradition! jia really loved it this year too, and we were able to go with some friends this time!













it's just a fun chance for grown ups to play make believe and totally escape from reality for a bit! can't wait until next year! :)

our little munchkin turns two next month, and we haven't had a vacation in a VERY long time, so we decided to take a little trip now while she still flies for free!

a couple months ago one of my very best friends was diagnosed with breast cancer. she is a friend who is more like a sister, so my heart has been with her on this awful journey. i truly wish i could take her pain...but i can't, so i threw her a party.



a green gables tea party/hair party/birthday party.




with chemo and her birthday around the corner it was time to prepare. if you look online for hair cutting chemo parties, you pretty much just find ladies drinking a lot of wine together and then shaving their heads. not exactly what i was going for. :P

my friend has gorgeous red hair and is a lover of all things avonlea, so it just made sense to throw a green gables tea party...with plenty of help from some more amazing friends!





after all, anne shirley had to lose her hair for a far less romantic reason, so this is a party she would definitely approve of!

we invited a hair stylist to cut pixies for whoever wanted to shed hair in support, and a make up artist to help my friend adjust to her new look. all this happened while we watched anne of green gables and drank tea, raspberry cordial, and ate goodies!






we wrapped things up with a birthday celebration, and giving gifts of super cute hats, head coverings, and chemo gear to make sure my friend was all prepared for the days ahead! and doesn't she look adorable in that pixie?!



but most of all i hope we helped prepare her by showering her with love! i don't think i've ever been to a party that was so filled with love and support! i guess breast cancer can bring out "bosom" friends, and definitely kindred spirits!

i don't blog nearly often enough, but pretty much the only reason i blog at all is because my mind is like a sieve these day and i want to note down all the special memories that i can before they fall right out of my head. so most things i write may not interest anyone other than me, but for me they are little things about my baby that i just want to make sure i remember.

jia is 21 months old now, and she has friends! she's just starting to sort of play with other kids, as opposed to just parallel playing.

one of her best friends at this point is a little darling named cora. cora is really almost more like a cousin, because her parents are some of our favorite people in the world and they live just around the corner from us.



so these two spend a lot of time together. they're exactly 9 months apart in age, so cora is baby enough that jia is fascinated with her, and jia is big enough, that cora thinks she's cool.



for whatever reason, jia calls cora "iya". this is a regular conversation between jia and my husband.

husband: "jia, can you say CORA?"
jia: "iya".
husband: "say CO-"
jia: "CO-"
husband: "RA"
jia: "RA"
husband: "cora".
jia" "iya".

jia and cora don't know many of the rules of proper social interaction, but jia has only hit cora over the head with a toy once, so in toddler terms i think that pretty much means they're best friends. one of jia's favorite games is stealing cora's pacifier out of her mouth so that cora will chase her. consequently this is not cora's favorite game. cora's favorite game is trying to block jia from going through a tunnel or down a slide at the playground. when your best friend is a toddler, i guess you get used to playing a little bit rough. :)



as you know, sharing can be an issue for toddlers, but jia has figured out a way to use the whole system of sharing to her benefit with cora. whenever cora has a toy that jia wants, jia simply starts bringing cora a bunch of other toys until she gets distracted and turns her attention to a new one, allowing jia to snatch away the desired toy. it's great having a best friend with a short attention span...at least when you're 1.



anyways, it's a lot of fun seeing these two cuties grow up together, and i'm so looking forward to seeing them grow together through the years! love these girls!

this is a little story i just wanted to write down so that my daughter can look back on it one day and hear about how she bought us a Valentine's dinner.

we didn't want to mess with trying to find a babysitter on a holiday and all that this year, so we decided to live dangerously and take jia out with us to a japanese hibachi grill!

we figured it would be either a big hit or a big mistake with her. i wasn't sure if all the fire and cooking show would entertain her or terrify her.

our evening started off on a rough foot with jia running around in circles around the house and throwing up all over herself just as we were trying to walk out the door for our night out. i was starting to doubt our decision right then.

after a quick wardrobe change we made it to the restaurant in time for our reservation. as we walked in i saw a few doubtful glances cast our way from couples out for valentine's dates. I was afraid all the romantics out that night would hate us.

jia was a little restless initially at the table, but that's normal for her...she tends to get "hangry". once our soup came out though she was acting more like herself...she thoroughly enjoys the challenge of feeding herself soup with a spoon at this age.

then our chef came out and did his fun cooking act in front of us. thankfully jia was more interested than scared, and our gamble paid off!



as we finished our meal we wondered where our check was since it seemed others around us had already gotten theirs, but didn't think too much of it.

an older couple who had been sitting across from us on the other side of the chef walked by on their way out and said "I hope you aren't offended, but we paid for your meal. We were just so delighted by your daughter. Really it's your daughter that bought your meal. Happy Valentine's day."

totally not what we were expecting! we were totally blown away by this random act of kindness and generosity! This was a nice restaurant and a special treat for us...our bill wasn't cheap...around $60, plus tip!



i have no idea who those strangers were, but they were such a huge blessing and inspiration to us! i just hope to one day pay forward this kindness!

ok so christmas was more than a month ago, so i need to hurry and write down the little memories we made this year before they all fall out of my head! (as things tend to do rather quickly these days!)

A) christmas is my favorite time hands down. i still feel crazy like a kid when i start hearing christmas music or see decor up. from november 1 till december 25 i'm pretty much loving life.

B) jia was at an adorable age to enjoy the holidays this year. 18 months is pretty much as cute as it gets.

for santa pics we've made it our tradition (for a whole 2 years now! :P) to go to the little santa's village in our town. it's free, and adorable. however, this year jia was a fan of the overall experience, but not so much of santa.





maybe it was just the whole 18 month separation anxiety thing...or it being past her bedtime. but oddly enough she was a fan of the police officer.



oh and of course the petting zoo was a big hit. i'm sure this kid will be a total animal lover.



we also went to see santa at willow bend mall. we didn't get pics with him (because mama's cheap!), but we did play in the fake snow (since it was free), and she was much more interested in that anyways.



a few days later this was followed by real snow/ice. and she had a ghetto-fabulous time.



and also had her first taste of hot chocolate.



christmas was partly made possible by pinterest this year. i don't know how people did the whole parenting thing before pinterest. it inspired an advent calendar filled with chocolate coins, and a felt christmas tree. both big hits for toddlers in the house.




and of course we always love a good advent candlelight service...thought jia maybe still be a little young to appreciate it.



she did however enjoy christmas lights this year...vitruvian park looked magical!



for us, the best gift on christmas morning was definitely watching her open hers! she got the hang of it this year!



it was pretty cute to see her having fun with gifts before the greed kicks in.

christmas is always a super meaningful and special time for me...but having a kid around definitely brings a little extra magic to it all...and an excuse to let my inner child loose! ;)

so my sweetheart is 18 months old today! happy half birthday!!

if this wasn't such an adorable age, i would probably just curl up in the fetal position and cry. my baby is growing up too fast! :(

we went with some friends to the new children's garden at the arboretum today, so it was a pretty good way to celebrate her little milestone. we went several months ago to a sneak preview, but at that time no photos were allowed, so this time the cameras were definitely out!









this kid loves being outdoors, and today the weather was glorious. like the kind of weather where you can just wear a tshirt, or sweats, and be comfortable either way. we've been having a cold winter so far, so it was a nice break. jia loves being outside though either way. and i love for her to get the chance to run out some of her energy...outside. :)

i've always loved cold rainy weather, and i'm still definitely a fan, but i must say that having a toddler now has given me a new appreciation for warm sunny days!

at this age jia has really started talking. a few weeks ago it was just like a light went on. for months she's been signing and saying a word here and there, but lately she is really using words to communicate regularly. with her new level of communication it's so precious to see her personality blooming!

on the other hand though the tantrums have definitely begun! good thing though that this age is so stinkin' cute. that bad part though is that sometimes even the tantrums are cute, so it's hard to nip something in the bud when all you want to do is laugh! :P

at this age she's also quickly becoming a daddy's girl.
i knew this was inevitable, but i don't know if i expected it so soon. but while it makes me slightly sad, it also makes me incredibly happy. my husband is such a good father to her, and he's absolutely head over heels. i can't blame jia, because i was definitely a daddy's girl myself. there's just something so special between fathers and daughters, and a girl her has a great daddy can count herself very blessed.



so time is flying, but i can't complain because it must mean i'm having a ton of fun!
i love this girl, she has been more of a blessing to us than i ever even imagined.