Nina's First Birthday Photo Shoot

Around Nina's first birthday we had photos taken. I just loved how they turned out. My how she has grown! Remember her newborn photos here?

Enjoy!

All photos taken by McManigal Photography

Random Photos...

A few random photos from my iPhone... forgive the quality. I have an iPhone 5, but they still get a bit shaky in bad light! Or, perhaps it's just the user?

Mr. Evans loves bath time with Nina, and vice versa.
She could play for hours if we let her!

One of Nina's favorite things to do is stand on the baseboard and look out the window at passerby's. She loves to observe life!

My mom recently bought Nina this mini leather chair to match our living room decor.
She loves to sit on it and read... non-stop!

She also loves her xylophone. It was mine as a kid! I hope I'm instilling a musical ear in this little girl.
Piano lessons will start asap. :) P.S. Don't you get a kick out of her waterfall hairdo?  Her curls are out of control!

Now that Nina is walking like a champ, we have her in more supportive walking shoes. These Keen's from Aunt Melissa and Uncle David are great! Also, Mr. Evans, Nina and I took a trip to Mayfair last week to buy her first pair of "official" walking shoes from Stride Rite! P.S. Don't you love how she's holding Polly Dolly?

Colder Weather

Rainy. Foggy. Misty. Dark. ... my drive into work/daycare.

I'll admit it. I get Seasonal Affective Disorder. Yet, I live in and love Wisconsin. No doubt, there are aspects of cold (and fall) weather I love! I think it's just the combination of cold, gloomy and dark that gets me. Anyway, it's not that bad, but... the cold, damp weather can often make the sunny skies of my heart become gray and in a funk.

I recently read this post over at A Cup of Jo (one of my daily reads). She talks about how a sun lamp was a nice cure to her winter blues. And while it may sound "new age-y and strange" (her words not mine), I ordered one the next day! I'll give it a try. Why not? In fact, I am all for the new age-y and strange. I use a Neti pot, drink Nuwati tea when I get a cold, drink Aloe Vera juice when my stomach acts up and use Maggie's Cough Remedy (no joke, it works like a charm). A sun lamp to fix my mood... sure!

I'll keep you posted on how it goes. In case you're wondering, I purchased the exact model she recommends.

Do you get SAD? What are your tricks? I'd love to hear from you.

Ireland!

It's been a few weeks since we returned from Ireland. We had the best time!! Mr. Evans and I are always lucky to travel with my parents. We had our fill of Guinness, Jameson, warm root soups and chowders, brown bread and rainy weather. But, I think we could always stand for more of the lush green countryside, the cozy pubs, the hospitable people, the accents and more.

I finally got around to going through our photos. We traveled all around the southern half of the country, stopping at a new town each day. There was a good mix of rural, urban, oceanside and countryside in our schedule. And although we didn't do a ton of touristy things (by choice), we ate, drank and went with a more low key approach. Don't get me wrong, we saw a ton of beautiful things!! But no, I didn't kiss the Blarney stone! :)

Below I have just a few photos for a taste of our travels. Otherwise, enjoy the video I put together including music from our favorite Gaelic Storm.

Enjoy the video!



Also, if you're wondering and/or looking for a great 7-day Ireland Itinerary... here's ours. My mom and I (and Mr. Evans and my Dad) worked hard to plan everything out.

Friday - Direct red-eye flight from Milwaukee to Dublin.
Saturday - Arrived in Dublin. Dermot (Mr. Evans's friend) met us at the Dublin airport and we drove directly to Whitegate in County Galway. We spent the day and night in the beautiful countryside with his family.
Sunday - After a full Irish breakfast, drove towards Lahinch in County Clare. After a stop at the Cliffs of Moher, we had a seaside lunch watching the surfers. My parents and Mr. Evans then went to play golf at the Old Course at Lahinch and I went to the spa for a river stone massage and facial at Ennistymon. Dinner and pubs followed. We stayed at Vaughan Lodge in Lahinch.
Monday - Drove to Killarney in County Kerry. On the way, we stopped at Adare Manor for lunch and tea. We then drove to Muckross to see the castle and waterfall. In Killarney, we stayed at the Fairview.
Tuesday - Drove to Kinsale in County Cork. We stayed at the Glen Country House a bit outside of Kinsale. It was beautiful and a perfect respite. Cozy fireplace, good wine, great food!
Wednesday - Drove to Dublin, but on the way stopped in at the Rock of Cashel. Had dinner in Dublin at Chapter One restaurant. Delish! In Dublin, we stayed at The Morgan hotel in the Temple Bar district. We also did the Jameson factory before dinner.
Thursday - Spent the day in Dublin - Guinness, Trinity College, lots of walking! We met back up with Dermot and celebrated Arthur's Day.
Friday - Left Dublin mid morning. Slainte!

Of course, I didn't cover the fabulous food and drinks or stories of people we met. As anyone knows who likes to travel, those stories are better left as memories!

However, if you plan to travel to Ireland I will recommend a few things - small umbrellas, scarves, a good camera and Wellies of course!

Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet!

Nina and I recently did a Halloween craft project together. It was a rainy day and perfect for a bit of painting! What do you think? She's getting better at her penmanship! 

Energy

If you know me, you know I run my life by lists (both a good and bad thing). I have a new internal to-do list. Here's what I am working on. I already do most of these things, but need to get better! What is on your internal to-do list?

- Abide by the law of attraction (the idea that you attract into your life whatever you think about most - positive or negative)

- Act on my priorities (read here for more on what I mean) and don't apologize (out loud and in my head) for things I don't make a priority

- Pray more (like this one)

- Take more responsibility for the energy I bring into spaces - at work, at home, with family, with friends

Packer Party

The Packers season is in full swing! While I wouldn't say I am a die hard Packers fan, I do enjoy a Sunday game for reasons like a nap, good football food and a beer. :)

Not the best photo of Nina, but she LOVES her Packers cheerleader outfit from Aunt Melissa and Uncle David!

Her game face. Go pack go!

At a recent Packer Party we hosted, we drank warm Apple Cider and Jameson. Yum!

For lunch, we had sliders, homemade baked beans with bacon and a chili-cheese dip with green and gold tortilla chips. :) What is your favorite Sunday football food?

Second Annual Pumpkin Patch Trip

As you may recall, last year we went on our 1st Annual Pumpkin Patch excursion (see here). This year, for our second annual trip we celebrated with a caramel apple and the purchase of one large, fat pumpkin! We don't plan to do any pumpkin carving or seed baking, but plump pumpkins sure are cheery!

Enjoy the fall weather... Happy Weekend!

Bath Fun

This photo is from last month, but I can't help but share. When my sister-in-law was graciously watching Nina during Ironman, Nina was lucky enough to share bathtime with her cousin, Gabe. Isn't he so cute?

As a kid, I think I took a bath with just about every single one of my cousins. And, I have pictures to prove it!

I'm so glad Nina has cousins she can share fun memories with... I have so so many memories with mine.

Happy Wednesday! Sending love to my family!

Falling Down

The leaves are falling. But while I'll miss the gorgeous fall colors, I look forward to crisp mornings and the crunch of leaves underfoot. We have tried to take advantage of the beauty in our own backyard (and the last opportunities to swing with Nina)!

Apple cider, fall candles, candy corn, chili and football games, pumpkins, cozy sweaters. What do you like best about fall?

Nina's Pink & Yellow First Birthday Party

A few days after Ironman, we celebrated our little miss Nina's first birthday. Her birthday was September 13, but we officially celebrated on September 15 - it was a Saturday and gave us a few extra days to recoup after being away in Madison.

Nina has grown up into a spunky, smiley and busy little baby. I couldn't be more proud. We love her more than anything and look forward to watching her grow into a smart, beautiful and kind little toddler and little girl.

Since she brings such light to our day, I wanted her to have a birthday party that was bright and cheery. Also, I wanted to throw a party that was suitable for adults (we had about 25), but that felt like it was made for kids (we had about 6, but one was about 6 weeks old)! See below for details.

I purchased the party invitations off of Etsy from lafabriqueabricole. The listing included the invitation, tags, bunting, tented food cards and little triangle flags. You'll notice I used the paper goods throughout.

We brought a first birthday treat to daycare to start the celebrations. I made about 25 snack-size baggies full of Yogurt Cheerios, Animal Crackers and Goldfish. I also printed out some quick labels to match. Quick, no bake and a toddler crowd pleaser. 

I decided to use our backyard to set up the party. Luckily, the weather was sunny and 75.

I borrowed banquet tables, covered them with pink plastic tablecloths and purchased custom pink and yellow bouquets from our local farmer's market that morning. 

To give a little color to our backyard, I made streamer chandeliers using yellow crepe paper and embroidery hoops. 

I wanted Nina to have a special seat for her big day. I found this vintage high chair at a rummage sale earlier in the summer for $7.00. I bought a buttery yellow glossy spray paint at Home Depot and voila - good as new!

It was important to me that Nina's first birthday felt like a kids party, but was fun for adults too. I made this DIY Ring Toss game using a Dollar Store bin,  some strawberry Crush soda and canning lids.

I also made a DIY Bean Bag Toss. My mom sewed up some bean bags using leftover fabric and I made the targets using Terra Cotta saucers from Home Depot. I purchased the saucers in varying sizes, painted them white and added pink point values.

We also played Pin the Bow on the Baby. My mother-in-law printed and laminated a cute photo of Nina and we aimed to place the hair bow on her head. 

The younger guests received small favors. I simply taped together bubbles and sidewalk chalk. Easy but cute.

Since this was a first birthday party, I didn't want to go overboard on a bar. So, I kept things simple - bottles of water, white wine and a nice beer selection (Octoberfest varieties and Spotted Cow). In addition, I put together a Lemonade Bar to keep with the yellow theme. To accompany the lemonade, there was mixed berries and fresh mint leaves.

Bunting lined the buffet table.

I also made bunting using Nina's month-by-month photos.

A snapshot of the buffet table. I borrowed the chaffing dish and kept the rest of the decor simple.

In addition to cake, we had lemon tartlets and Limoncello for a celebratory toast. 

We're all wearing yellow! :)

I purchased Nina's first birthday cake from our local bakery - Hankerson's.
It was chocolate and white with raspberry filling and whipped frosting. Yum.

Nina also had her own decorated smash cake!

Nina's party dress was purchased from Adelaide's Boutique on Etsy. I worked with Heidi and she was so helpful in making the dress fit our party theme perfectly.

Present time!

Someone was a happy!

For the dinner menu I wanted something simple, but delicious. I opted for a Macaroni and Cheese Bar. Perfect for one-year olds, kids and adults! Toppings included chicken, bacon, an herb mix (green onions, basil and parsley), blue cheese and sauteed mushrooms.

I also made Watermelon and Pineapple Skewers (again to match the theme). Salad was made with a homemade poppy seed dressing, strawberries and pine nuts.

For the Macaroni and Cheese, I used this recipe and multiplied it by five.

She LOVED her cake!

Nina's birthday hat was purchased from Dainty Couture on Etsy. The shop is the cutest!
I think my little girl is pretty cute, too! :)
Happy Birthday Nina Lorraine.