Lucy's Ice Cream Parlor

What better way to celebrate my Cherry On Top's first birthday than with her very own ice cream party?

I welcome you to Lucy's Ice Cream Parlor....and a very sweet celebration of my littlest.

Most of the following photos are self explanatory.  I will certainly add commentary as I see needed.  But, let me preface with this...oh, how sweet it was to celebrate Lucy's 1st with family and friends.  Lucy enjoyed every minute of her celebration and I enjoyed every minute of watching her.

Shall we start with the fare?  To put it lightly there were a lot of sweets.  Very fitting for an Ice Cream theme, don't you agree?

The ice cream was served out of this adorable ice cream stand.  This, along with her party, was Lucy's birthday gift from us.  I have to say the bigs have enjoyed it to the fullest post Saturday's celebration.  Since moving it into the playroom, I've had my order taken, oh at least, thirty something times.

But not all of the eating was sweet {most of it though}.  The Varsity food truck graced our driveway and served up a 1950s menu of hamburgers and hotdogs.  Yum!

And I couldn't resist going back in time to the old glass Root Beer and Coke bottles.

And what 1st birthday party of a Cibula babe is complete without the monthly banner?  Tears have filled my eyes all three times that I've delved into this project.  How can a year possibly go this fast?  And how can one little being keep getting more and more adorable?  My heart has been stolen once again.

Next up...the delicious activities.  It seems I have to add more and more activities each time one of my babies turns one.  And that is solely due to the fact that all of the siblings are growing up too.  Gotta keep those big kids entertained.

So here we go...

I found these adorable ice cream bubbles at the Dollar Store.  The colors were right on.  Not to mention they were a huge hit with my lovely Lu.

What has become the staple art activity table was filled with "make your own book marks" complete with yummy ice cream stick ons.  A Michael's find.

I also had delish coloring pages and a book of ice cream stickers.  Maggie spent most of the party right here.

I had to contain myself when I found these Ice Cream Water Squirters in the dollar section at Target.  I threw them in one of those "as seen on tv" inflatable buffets, filled it with water, and it was a go.  Good summer fun.

The Ice Cream Toss was an Oriental Trading find.  Lucy adores the bean bags that came with it.

And by far one of the most popular activities was the Ice Cream sidewalk chalk.  Who knew?  A lot of doodling around was enjoyed with these fun things compliments of Wal-Mart.

But nothing was as cute as this doodling, completed by, none other than, Lucy's loving big brother...

I know that had to make you smile.


With all those sweets, I thought the Mommy's might enjoy a practical goodie.  So I filled goody bags with toothbrushes, trial size kids' toothpaste, and ...a Cold Stone Creamery gift card.  Okay, so the latter wasn't that practical, but I had to give the kiddos something they could enjoy.

Now on to the reason for the celebration...my Cherry On Top...Lucy Lu...

I love the family picture.  Lucy steals the show, rightfully so.  And I adore Jack's sweat head after a morning of tree climbing, as he patiently waited for the guests to arrive.  That's my boy.

Isn't the birthday girl just heavenly?

August birthday gals.

This is the one other activity that I don't have a great picture of.  So in your minds's eye work with me.  We did a build your own Ice Cream relay race.  The kids grabbed one scoop of a triple dipper and ran it to the fence where individual pieces of red felt and vlecro were hanging.  The first one to finish their cone, complete with a cherry on top, was the winner.  All the pieces were housed in those red buckets on the lawn.  I was slightly worn out after my demo.

Get your "ooohs and ahhhs" ready.  This little one had her first taste of ice cream and it was absolutely divine to watch.

And then it was time for Lucy's smash cake.  Little one was not the least bit shy about digging right in.

Oh, I could eat that little one year old up.  She is as delicious as she looks.

I love you baby girl.  Happy 1st birthday!  We are looking forward to many more celebrations of wonderful, delicious, precious, and irresistible you.  xoxo birthday girl

I would be remiss if I didn't give credit where credit is due.  Although I'd like to consider myself a creative genius that would hardly be the case without the amazing help of Tracy at Sweet Peach Paperie, Sugarbenders Bakery, and the ever talented Andrea Wood behind the lens.  Thanks ladies for making Lu's day unforgettable!

Lucy's Birth Story

I write this post with a heavy heart and ironically one that is also over come with love and joy.  One year ago today, I gave birth to an extremely sweet and spirited baby girl.  And I never could have imagined the way this little one would complete our family.

If I'm being honest, Lucy's birth started well before August 23rd, 2012.  Nearly three weeks before to be exact.  I sat in Dr C's office, as I had done three years earlier, picking out my baby's birthday.  Even a second time around it seemed unnatural.  Wasn't that Lucy's choice, not mine?  I would soon find out this little gal and I were on the same page all along.

As usual, Dr C wanted an earlier date to be on the conservative side.  August 20th.  I wanted the closest I could actually get to Lucy's due date of August 26th.  And this time I was hoping for a closer date for more than one reason.  The first, and most important, was I wanted little one to have as much time as needed to grow and flourish.  And the second, which might be viewed as slightly selfish {or mental}, I wanted a Virgo baby.

Now, I'm not one to believe in all that stars stuff, but when I read {totally by accident} about a Leo baby vs a Virgo baby, I knew the latter was what our family needed...and could handle.  Anything from August 23rd gave us a Virgo.  Not to mention, the obvious fact, that Lucy was meant to be a Virgo with an August 26th due date.

So as I had three years earlier, I pleaded my case with Dr C {leaving out the zodiac sign detail}, and we compromised on August 23rd, 2012.

The next few weeks were tough.  Lucy was a mover and unbeknownst to me, she was huge.  And as you can gather I was hot and tired in the late summer months.  I toughed it through though in hopes of giving little Lu all the time she needed.

Two days before my scheduled C-section, I was suffering.  I had terrible pain and was beyond uncomfortable.  What I thought was an over active baby, I would soon found out were actual labor pains.  It might seem that I should be able to decipher labor pains from a moving baby considering she was my third and all.  But, with Jack my water broke well before the contractions began and with Maggie we never made it there at all with her scheduled C-section arrival.  So, believe it or not this was all new to me.

On the eve of August 22nd, the night before we were to head to the hospital, I tried to sleep. This time it wasn't the anxiety that kept me up all night.  I laid on my bedroom floor in the fetal position begging Lucy to "stop moving like that".  It was so uncomfortable.  All right, it was painful.  There were moments that I thought she was going to push herself right out.  Again, I had no clue that these were serious contractions.

My C-section was scheduled for 7:30 am.  We were to arrive at the hospital at 5:30 am.  I was so miserable by the time we loaded the car and headed down that I didn't have a chance to ponder how our lives were about to change so significantly {or complain about being up before the sun}.  I just wanted Lu to stop the "kicking".

Once we arrived at the hospital, Clay and I got signed in and settled in the pre-op room.  The nurse came to check my vitals, do the paper work, robe me, etc.  As I winced through the uncomfort I explained to her that the baby was very active and it was extremely uncomfortable.  She hooked my swollen belly up to monitors and I will never forget when she looked at me and said, "honey that's not the baby, those are contractions".  How foolish did I feel?  But...


My first thought was...Lucy picked the same birthday I did!  Kindred souls.

As Clay sat next to me {checking sports scores on his iphone...God love him}, I griped the hospital bed rail and tried to breathe through one painful contraction after another.  When it got too much to bear, I sent Clay to get the nusrse.

And that is when the rush started.

My contractions had gotten so close that we couldn't chance it any longer.  Dr C was called and I was transported to the operating table.  Immediately upon sitting on the table, my water broke.  Ready or not, my cherry on top was coming.

After a quick epidural, the operation started.  And within minutes I heard my little Lu belt out for the first time.  I will never forget how loud she was.  An ear piercing cry.  {"oh no", is seriously all I could think}  I heard Dr C and her assistants say, "that's a big baby" and "look at all that hair".  I'm still a bit confused abut the latter.  I don't consider  Lucy to have any more hair than Maggie did at birth and honestly, it wan't anything to exclaim over.  I thought they were about to hand over a little monkey to me.  It was hardly the case.

So for the next step, as with all C-sections, they took my baby to a nearby table and checked her vitals and weight.  She screamed through it all.  Somehow over her exaggerated tears I heard, "she's 9lbs 1oz".  Woah.

I could hardly wait to hold that giant bundle of pink.  Lucille Elizabeth Cibula had arrived.

Before swooshing Lucy off, yet again, to the recovery room this time, they brought my baby girl cheek to cheek with me.  {I still wasn't able to hold her}.  But the most amazing thing happened.  My littlest instantly stopped her wailing as soon as our skin touched.  And instantly I began to sob.  Tears of pure joy and undeniable love.  I loved her more than I could have EVER imagined.  How is that love possible three times?  Absolutely incredible.

After Dr C and the gang finished up my surgery, I was then wheeled into the recovery room where I could fianlly love all over my baby.  From outside the door I could hear Lu.  She was that loud.  I looked up at Clay and said, "please tell me that is not our baby".  But it was.  I can't deny I was scared to death.  I had ordered an easy baby.  This couldn't be happening.

And luckily, it wasn't happening {as I thought anyway}.  No, once Lucy and I were reunited, she calmed down, nursed like a champ, and has been an angel baby ever since.

However, it still brings a smile to my face when I think of her first few loud moments, somethings never change.  She is still my most vocal baby of the three.  Thankfully, minus the screaming.

From there on, Lucy and I fell in love.  I spent five long days in the hospital holding and doting over just her.  She was absolute perfection.  I was in complete awe that our family had been given this gift.  She nursed amazingly, she snuggled perfectly, and the staff always complimented her calm demeanor.

I couldn't wait to take her home and introduce her to the family that she had completed.  But, at the same time, I relished every quiet moment I had with just her.  I studied everything about her, from her  her heart shaped lips to her tiny toes.  She was beautiful.

And one year later, my baby girl is just as lovely as she was then. The only thing that has changed is how much more I love her today.  I didn't think it was possible.

I adore you Lucy and I thank God for August 23rd, 2012 when we were blessed with little you.  And never forget...great minds think alike.

What I would do to have this one moment back.  They truly grow up way too fast.

Happy 1st Birthday Lulu!  You will always be my Cherry On Top.

Celebrating Grandma

We celebrated Grandma's birthday this weekend.  When our plans to go to the lake were crushed by rain and cool weather {what?!?!}, we opted for a plan B birthday celebration.  

The kids and I spent  Saturday morning baking cupcakes for the birthday lady.    

It's a shame that Maggie has to  reveal my secret recipe.  But I can assure you, even with the little short cut, they were baked and most definitely decorated with love.

And yes, you are seeing right.  Two lost front teeth.  The tooth fairy is pretty much broke after this week.  But, those missing teeth didn't stop Jack from sneaking licks of icing and raking up spilled sprinkles.

With all of their creative genius, this is what Jack and Maggie's final product looked like.  Strawberry cupcakes with pink icing, green accents {because that is Grandma's fave color}, sprinkles, and fresh strawberries.  I promise you they tasted even better than look.  Thankfully, huh?

After we all found a way to incorporate green {again, Grandma's favorite color} into our attire, we headed out for a birthday dinner.  As expected, we chose to forgo the dessert menu and come straight home for those delish cupcakes and the much anticipated presents.

Lucy got a preview of what next Saturday will look like. {hopefully without the rain}

After Jack downed his cupcake and then any remaining crumbs he could find, Maggie helped Grandma open her birthday presents.  But, not before she told her what they both were.  We are trying to teach Mags about the element of surprise.

From there it only went down hill.  Jack found himself fighting a terrible case of the sillies {also known as a sugar rush} and the girls were longing for bedtime.

I'm confident in the fact that Grandma won't hold it against us.  She loves my trio way too much...as only a Grandma could.

Happy Birthday Grandma!  We are looking forward to celebrating many many more with you! All our love!

Celebrating Lucy next...

Because I Just Have To Brag

Only the 3rd day of school and Jack came home with this...

My cup runneth over with pride...as did his.

And She's Off

Just like that I had to let another one go this morning.

Letting go of Maggie is the teeniest bit easier.  And not because of my lack of total obsession with her.  No, we all know this one stole my heart the day she arrived into this world.

It's only easier because it's Pre-School.  Which means three half days for my three year old starting in the 3's room. {wow,that's a lot of 3's}  Which happily also means two full week days of my ever adorable Magpie and a lot of afternoons.

Maggie has been anxiously awaiting her first day of school.  The part that has most excited her...the school bag.  I'm not exactly sure why, except for the possibility that it's an accessory, and if you know my Mags, you know she loves her accessories.  I was waiting for her to ask me to bedazzle it up... because that would be so Maggie. Instead she focused on picking out her first day outfit.  I find her choice to be absolutely adorable.  And I find her wearing it to be even more adorable.

As, I was taking her annual "Back to School" pictures that precious little one in the background showed up.  Instantly I was reminded that if it weren't for little Lu, this Momma would be awfully lonely on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

Once we arrived at school all went exceptionally well.  Maggie walked right into her classroom without so much as a wince.  She hung her bag, gave me a lovely kiss, delivered her teacher's gifts, and sat down to paint.  {I must note the dog in the purse did not go to school with her.  It was a car accessory.  I told you she likes accessories.  Yes, everyone gets to take a ride, I just never know who the special guest will be.  But, trust me, there is always a guest.}

Three "missing Maggie" hours later, Lucy and I returned to pick her up.  Lu could hardly contain her excitement.

Maggie must have had a wonderful day.  I know that because when I picked her up she said with a scowl and gruffy voice, "that school {insert finger point to her classroom} made me so tired".

My my, how I love this little gal and all her drama.

Three cheers for the 3's room and a new school year!

Back To Kindergarten

I sent my first and oldest one off today.  Jack started his Kindergarten 2013 year.  To say he was excited would be an understatement.

However, I did get him to tame his wild horses to get one legitimate "first day" picture.

That 6:30 am alarm went off way to early this morning.  When I went to get Jack he was still snoozing, rightfully so.  But when I woke him with "it's the first day of K" he  popped right up, got dressed, and was ready to get this party started.  It took us both a bit of trial and error to remember exactly how school mornings run.  But together we were able to work through the kinks as the flow started coming back to us.  Saying goodbye to summer is harder than I thought. 

Nothing like saying goodbye to that sweet little face though.  After some convincing, Jack let me walk him into school.  I'm pretty sure he was expecting the carpool line, but I just couldn't do it.  Not today anyway.  And whether he admits it or not, I know he liked it.  He even held my hand.  I made a mental note to never forget the way his little fingers felt in the palm of my hand at that exact moment.

Jack walked right into his new room.  Confidence in check {that was the best part}, put his things away as directed by Ms. S, delivered goodies to his teachers, and grabbed his seat.  I gave him a bittersweet farewell with lots of love and headed out his Kindergarten door.

Then I got to my car and fanned the tears away.  I decided that may be a challenge I live with for the rest of his school years {along with the girls}.

2:30 could not come soon enough.  I anxiously waited for him at the bus stop hoping for a full report.  Who am I kidding?  This is Jack we are talking about.  Details are scarce.  But, I did get that Ms. S is the "nicest Kindergarten teacher" and "G told him his garage code" and "he sat with J at lunch".  Sounds like a pretty good day.

Luckily I got the full report from Ms. S in her first day email.

Letting go again tomorrow.  Maggie's first day is up next.