Yo Gabba Gabba & Halloween

Okay so I'm just a little behind but I definitely needed to post about our exciting trip to see Yo Gabba Gabba.  While I don't think it was Stella's favorite "concert" she's ever been to, I think she enjoyed watching the characters perform live.  If the volume was turned down just a hair she probably would have enjoyed it more. But I must say she was definitely the "Belle of the Ball" in her cool Yo Stella Stella outfit.  She loved twirling in her fun pink tutu skirt and it was a fun family outing for our family.

Next up was Halloween and boy did we have fun!  We had a costume contest at my work and I definitely wanted to participate but didn't have anything creative to wear.  Until I saw a friend of mine in her costume and I quickly "borrowed" her idea.  Carmen Miranda and I ended up coming in 3rd place and scoring $25!  Saweet!

 But the most beautiful princess of all that day was definitely Snow White.  Stella loved prancing around in her special ball gown and saying "Trick or Treat" as neighbors handed her candy.  We only took her to a few houses but she had a blast.

Fair Fun

We headed to Columbia a few weekends ago for a fun time at the fair w/ Granma and Papa.  We ate, and ate, and ATE, played lots of fun games (which mommy won ALL the prizes! ha ha) and enjoyed the scenery.  Check out our pics from our fun night at the fair.

Stella LOVED the rides.  That's the first thing she wanted to do when we got there and she asked to ride more and MORE!

Of course we had to check out the animals.  The lil ducks sliding down the slide were our favorite!

Someone is a lil spoiled and had to have a Dora balloon.  So of course Granma had to get it for her.

Papa had his hands full w/ Stella AND Dora!  lol

We had a blast and enjoyed spending the whole weekend w/ Granma and Papa!

What We've Been Up to Lately...

We've been super busy over the past couple of weeks...and we've got pics to prove it! ;)

We've been cheering on our Gamecocks!

 Enjoying Tuesdays w/ Mimi!

 Baking Halloween cookies!

 Enjoying a weekend at Cotton Hills Farm w/ Mr. Todd in town!

 Going through corn mazes with friends!

 Checking out the awesome animals on the farm...and "moo-ing" at all of them even though they're not all cows.  LOL

 Spending time w/ friends!

 And of course, doing what we do best, sucking our thumb and twirling our belly button.  LOL

 Stella has BEGGED for pony tails over the last few weeks which about shocked my socks off.  She hates having her hair done so I was surprised (and excited!!) that she let me put her hair in a pony tail!

Not sure if things will settle down in the upcoming weeks or not, but we're not complaining.  We've enjoyed our busy Fall.  We also have Halloween and Thanksgiving to look forward to.  So many wonderful things happening in the DiEduardo household!!  We are definitely blessed!

Stella's Fresh Beat Band Birthday Party

Stella eats, sleeps and breathes the Fresh Beat Band so it was only appropriate that she have a rockin', "Hip Hop & Pop", Fresh Beat Band themed birthday party.  Since there are no FBB decorations out there (and since I enjoy party planning so much!!) I had to pretty much make everything myself.  I started several months ago and enjoyed every second of it.  AND, seeing her face light up at her party when she saw everything made it ALL worth it!  The party was a huge success and fun was had by all.  Here are pics from the big day...

 Handmade banner

 FBB Party hats (these were printables from the Nick Jr. website) and tent cards (handmade)

 Hand-painted #2

 Yummy "cupcapes" (as Stella calls them) with FBB picks

Stella's awesome guitar cake made by a local lady (umm, she charged me $2 for this guitar cake - yep, you read it right, $2!!!)

 Shout's Sweet Fruit Treats

Marina's Macaroni Salad 

 Hip Hop & Pop Pretzels and Dip

 Twists Terrific Turkey Sandwiches and Kiki's Kickin' Chicken Nuggets

VIP Passes and microphones for the guests

Goodie bags for the kiddos that had candy, sunglasses, bubbles, clappers and flutes in them.

Sippy cups and punch for the kiddos

Of course we had to have a bounce house! ;)

Everyone loved the bounce house - even mommy and YaYa!  lol
 

Stella was surrounded by wonderful friends and family.  This is one loved little girl!

And of course, what Fresh Beat Band party would be complete w/out the FBB themselves!?!  We had to make sure Shout, Twist, Kiki and Marina were invited to the party too.  And boy was Stella SO excited to see them!!

WHAT A GREAT DAY!!

Stella Turns 2!

Last week our sweet baby girl turned 2 years old!  Seriously where does the time go?!  I remember like it was yesterday that she was just learning to crawl...I remember just yesterday she was learning to walk...I remember just yesterday she was saying mama for the first time.  Now our sweet little girl is running around, saying complete sentences, saying her ABC's and 123's and counting her colors.  I guess the old saying is true - time flies when you're having fun!

I saw this balloon idea on Pinterest and I wanted to try it for Stella's birthday.  She loves balloons so I knew she would enjoy waking up to lots of them tied to her bed.  Indeed she did and I'm not sure who enjoyed it more - me or her.  It was the sweetest sound hearing her through the monitor naming all of the colors she saw and then squeal w/ delight.

 We decided to get her a table and chairs set for her birthday that she can use for "Arts & Crafts Time" as well as snack time.  She loved it!

 And one last little sercie - a Fresh Beat Band activity book w/ stickers included.  This was one happy little girl!

 I purchased a Fresh Beat Band tshirt for her to wear on her bday however, they sent the wrong size.  After an email and fingers crossed they resent a new one in her size so we got to wear matching shirts on her special day! HA!

I'm not sure I can sum up into words how special this sweet little girl is or how big my love for her is.  It's indescribable.  I found a quote that comes pretty close though...
"No one else will ever know the strength of my love for you.  After all, you're the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside."

This quote also makes my heart smile...
"I am your PARENT, you are my CHILD
I am your QUIET PLACE, you are my WILD


I am your CALM FACE, you are my GIGGLE
I am your WAIT, you are my WIGGLE


I am your DINNER, you are my CHOCOLATE CAKE
I am your BEDTIME, you are my WIDE AWAKE


I am your LULLABY, you are my PEEKABOO
I am your GOODNIGHT KISS, you are my I LOVE YOU"

Another quote that comes to mind is one from my fave movie - "Steel Magnolias"..."I'd rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special."
My sweet Stella, I have been blessed w/ 2 YEARS of wonderful!  You make me laugh, smile and giggle.  You make my heart full.  I can't wait to see what this year has in store for you.  You continue to amaze us every day and we love you more than words can say.  Happy Birthday, Peanut!