a first birthday party

last weekend we had penny's first birthday party. we were waiting until MLK weekend so that some of my family could fly down from NY to be here. it was a great little at home party, with just family and a couple close friends, complete with lots of homemade goodness. i was too busy just enjoying the day to remember to take a bunch of pictures, but here's a few i grabbed with my camera and phone. it was a "love" themed (all vegan) snacks and sweets party, which pretty much happened out of the blue when i fell head over heals for all the adorable valentines day decor out there (seriously target, you're killin' me!) oh, and you best believe these decorations are staying up until AT LEAST february 14th!

how i've longed for this day...

every since the day we first found out we were having a baby, i've had this image in my head of spending afternoons coloring and crafting. yesterday that image started becoming a reality! i was getting a vibe from penny that she was ready to do more then just eat crayons, so we sat down with a few sheets of paper and checked out this thing called 'coloring'. i showed her that the cute heart shaped crayons mama made weeks ago could also make some really pretty colors on a page, and she got a kick out of it! sure it only lasted about 5 minutes, and sure she also colored on the floor, but watching her proudly walk around holding her drawing was enough to make the art school graduate in me melt into a sappy puddle. people aren't kidding when they say it just keeps getting better...

penny turns one!

on january 3rd our penny turned one year old. we had our best friends over to celebrate with a perfect little party at home . penny got a few special gifts, and a yummy homemade birthday cake. it was a wonderful night!

and then the cake... she rather enjoyed herself! we'll be having her bigger party MLK weekend when some more out of town family can be here. she'll be a pro at this cupcake business in no time! happy birthday you sweet little nugget... your daddy and i love you to bits!

happy new year!

HAPPY 2013!!!

2012 was one for the record books for sure! penny was born one year ago tomorrow, and having her turned our lives upside down in the oh so very best kinda way possible. we slid quite comfortably into these rolls of "mama" and "dada", and now i can't wait to see where this next year takes us. i'm never one for resolutions, but i do have some goals in mind that i'm keeping my sights set upon...

*more travel- now that penny is getting a bit older and will soon be in her big girl car seat, i see more road trips in our future. even just a little overnight to the mountains would be a perfect mini getaway. we want her to have the travel bug and enjoy it like we do.

*work towards a new career- i don't really want to talk about it too much just yet, seeing as its only in the beginning idea stages right now. but i've got plans in mind, and i'm kinda excited about them. and not to worry, monkey and squirrel won't be going anywhere. this will be more of another side project. we shall see...

*use our cookbooks more- evan and i generally do enjoy cooking and we can make some pretty darn delicious meals when we plan it out. since having penny though it's been harder to find the time in the day to sit down and browse through books for new recipes to try. i would love to be one of those people who plans out their meals for the week, does all the grocery shopping at once, and has dinner on the table at 6. i'm not going to be unrealistic here though, so right now i'll try for one new recipe a week and see how that goes!

i love how the new year brings the feeling of a fresh start! i'm excited to kick it off with some simple goals, and some long term ones in mind. i can't wait to see what you've got in store for our little family 2013.

happy new year friends!

christmas in NY

a few days before christmas, evan, penny, and i hopped a plane to NY and spent our first day there hanging with friends in brooklyn before heading out to long island to be with family for the rest of our stay. we met with old friends, ate some amazing vegan lunch, had the sweetest baby playdate ever, and topped it all off with some vegan doughnuts. it was a great day that reminded me why i lived in NYC for 10 years. we must make a point to do it more often!

oh Brooklyn... you'll forever have a piece of my heart!