Henley is TWO!

How in the world is my sweet girl two? These past two years have gone by way too fast, but I must say, I am enjoying every single minute. I love this growing up thing! I definitely miss her being a baby, but she gets more fun every day. I am constantly telling Ben, "this stage is my favorite!" It seems like every stage is my favorite so far, so I'm just assuming it will keep getting better! 

Her real birthday was on Thursday, and I fully enjoyed the entire day with her. We started off the day with balloons in her crib. I so wish I had a video! She was so excited! I had a hard time getting her out of the crib, so that we could get dressed and start the day. It was definitely a hit! 

Check out that hair!!

Once we got out of the house, we headed to grab a donut on the way to her doctor's appointment. Thankfully, two years means no shots, but this mama opted for the flu shot, so we still ended up with one. Henley handled it like a champ! She cried for about two seconds, said "owie," and then proceeded to tell her doctor and all the nurses "Merry Christmas" on the way out the door. It totally helped that she got a candy cane on the way out! 

After the doctor's office, we were on our way to the trampoline park. She is obsessed and could not stop talking about it all morning before we got there. We had so much fun jumping on the trampolines, chasing each other up and down, dunking the basketball and jumping in the pit. She was sufficiently warn out by the time we left. 

I planned to tutor at 12:30, so we ran through Chick-fil-a and headed out to our friend's house to tutor. She totally fell asleep with a chicken nugget in her hand on the way there! She adores the family that I tutor for, so she had a blast there too! They got her some of the cutest birthday presents and she got to play with their little dog, so she was in birthday heaven. 

The rest of the day consisted of nap time and a spaghetti dinner before opening up her presents from Ben and I. She was way more excited than I would have ever predicted to get a Christmas book and then she was beyond thrilled to see a trampoline in the back of Ben's truck. We ended the day with some cake, mostly icing, and fun pictures! 

Best Day Ever!! 

On Friday, she got to celebrate her birthday at school, so it was another good day. Then, Saturday was her BIG DAY! She was so excited to have all of our family over for her Minnie Mouse birthday party! I even ordered her a Minnie costume off Amazon and she loved it! 

We didn't do anything too big. We invited my family, Ben's family and then a couple close friends over to help celebrate sweet Henley. The party was from 9:30 to 11:30, so I served breakfast. I took zero pictures of the set-up, but the food was delicious. I made homemade pigs in a blanket, grabbed some cinnamon rolls and scones from Sam's and then got yogurt, lots of fruit and granola for the meal. It was super easy and yummy! 

I bought 200 of these balls on Amazon and put them in part of the trampoline box. They have definitely kept her busy! 

I printed off a ton of Minnie and Mickey Mouse coloring sheets and put them on our kitchen table with a table cloth and lots and lots of crayons. The kids went straight to them when they got to our house and got to work! 

After the kids "ate," aka pretended to eat just so they could play, they all made their way to the trampoline. Ben was such a trooper and set it up in the dark the night before. It was the hit of the party! All of the kids literally spent the entire party out on the trampoline! My little sister got in there with them for a little while and then my dad did too. They all had so much fun! 

There was a quick break from the trampoline for present opening. Henley had so many little helpers to open her presents. It was a little chaotic, but I expect nothing less! She mostly just wanted to play with her presents, so I ended up opening the majority of them and just showing them to her. She got some awesome toys that we enjoyed playing with for the rest of the afternoon. She is definitely loved! 

I made funfetti cupcakes with pink icing and placed them in what was supposed to be the shape of Minnie Mouse for dessert. My sister also made her beyond amazing cookies that I, of course, got no pictures of, and I put those in the kid's party favors. Henley was a pro at blowing out her candles, and then got in just a few licks of her cupcake before making her way back out to the trampoline. 

I would say it was definitely a party success!! The kids were all beyond exhausted when they left, and the grown-ups were able to get in adult conversations and have fun too! 

I found Henley alone at her kiddie table eating a cupcake once the party was winding down. She was so cute and I think just needed a minute to herself. Totally her mama's girl! 

More pics from the day/picture overload! 

Henley and her Tia (Ben's sister)

Henley and one of her best friend's, Olivia

My adorable nephew Owen was more into the kid's vacuum cleaner, our storage unit and the balls in the yard than the trampoline. He is so curious! 

Two of my very best friends

Dee and my newest nephew, Will

My sweet Papaw came to the party and Henley could not have been happier! 

My parents and all their grand babies! 

Stranded: Christmas Movies

It's the last Stranded of the year and what a fun one to end on...Christmas movies! 

What three Christmas movies would you bring with you if you were stranded a deserted island?

I just LOVE this time of the year, but this topic was a bit harder for me than the others. Growing up, we watched Christmas movies like it was our job while we wrapped presents, decorated the house, etc. These days, I don't really get a chance to sit down and watch a movie the whole way through (without falling asleep), and I can't say that Ben is super into it. I'm working on pulling out his festiveness! I was able come up with three Christmas movies that I adore and for now, those would be the ones I would take with me and watch over and over and over again! 

This movie just never gets old. I can watch it over and over again when it is not the Christmas season and be just fine with it! I love all of the characters in The Holiday. I love the music. I love the love stories! I love everything about this movie! They need to make more movies like this! 

Elf just makes me happy! It is just one of those movies you HAVE to watch, and you could quote lines from it for forever. Henley isn't old enough yet to appreciate Elf, but I cannot wait until she is, because I know she will love it! 

I haven't watched It' a Wonderful Life all the way through in forever, but this movie will always be a favorite of mine. It is my dad's favorite Christmas movie, so we watched it all the time growing up. I can't remember a time when we would go into their room while they were wrapping presents and either this or Miracle on 34th St. wasn't playing in the background. I love this movie! Ben has never seen it, and I vow every year to make him watch it! Maybe this is the year! 

I would love to hear your favorite Christmas movies and what three you would take with you on a deserted island. I am always in need of more festivities to keep me busy while I do my most favorite thing in the world...wrap Christmas presents!! 

Friday Favorites: Gifts for Her

I'm linking up today for Friday Favorites and decided to make it another gift edition. I'm a "her," so why not make it all about the gifts for the women in your life. I feel like I'm kind of an expert there, so here are the favorites on my list. Hint hint: I would love to receive any of these if I don't already have them! ;)

1. Cute PJs 

Lets just say that I would never want to be on one of those shows where people come into your house and look through your drawers...my pajama drawer is a bit embarrassing! I have a handful of pretty worn pajama shorts and they are worn with an old t-shirt. Hot, right?! I would love to actually invest in some good pajamas. I mean it's important to feel cute when you go to bed too, right? Plus, there are always those days that the pjs don't come off until noon, and if I didn't look like such a slob, maybe I wouldn't feel like such a slob! I love these pjs! 

2. Pioneer Woman Bakeware

Really, I would take Pioneer Woman anything! I love love love all of her stuff, but I also NEED some good bakeware dishes. Over the years, a bunch of my bakeware dishes have been lost to taking people meals, so I could really use some new ones. A total bonus would be to get some new ones that are also beyond adorable! 

3. A Good Pair of Booties 

Booties are everywhere right now! I must confess, I was hesitant about them at first, but I have since fallen in love. They are the perfect transitional shoe, and they are great for this confusing Texas weather. I have a few pairs of booties...all of which have a pretty good heel on them. I would love a good pair of booties that are more comfortable and easy to wear all day long. I am a pretty casual girl, so I like to be able to wear something cute, but not feel like I'm trying too hard. I mean it's pretty surprising when I've showered and put mascara on for the day, so wearing a heel catches people off guard! These would be perfect for a day of shopping, plus they come in 11 (ELEVEN!!) different colors. I am really loving Lucky Brand's booties right now! 

4. Scarves, Scarves and more Scarves

I love it when it is finally scarf season! I am not one who invests in a lot of jewelry to accessorize, so, for me, throughout the colder months of the year, a scarf is the perfect accessory. I have made it my mission to have a scarf that goes with absolutely everything! These chunky, knit scarves are amazing! I would love a red one to be a little more festive during the holidays! 

5. Comfy Slippers 

These are on the top of my list this year! I would love some slippers that I just can't possibly take off! I am so cold natured, so I am constantly running to our bedroom to put some socks on throughout these winter months. I would love to be able to slip these on and wear them all day around the house! I have also heard really good things about the TOMS brand of slippers. 

6. Casual Shoes 

I think we've well-established by now that I am a pretty casual person. I am always looking for a casual shoe (not my normal tennis shoe) that will go with my cute, but casual outfits. I LOVE these Converse sneakers! I feel like the charcoal color would go with SO much! 

7. Comfy Lounge Pants 

Y'all, I legit still wear my favorite sweatpants from 2002. Yes, 2002. That means they are 14 years old, and I was in 8th grade when I got them. That's embarrassing!! I would say that means that I am in desperate need of some cute, comfy lounge pants. These kind of go along with my pajamas argument. I would still like to feel and look cute while I'm just lounging around the house, probably cheering on the Cowboys (go boys!) on a Sunday afternoon. I love me some lazy Sundays, but I'm not sure Ben loves him some lazy Sunday Natalie! I kid, I kid...I really don't think he thinks twice about it, but it would be nice not to panic when someone knocks at the door or Ben asks to go somewhere! 

8. Gift Certificate for Mani/Pedi/Massage 

Any of the above would be amazing! I do not often get relaxing time to myself, so an hour or so of doing nothing but being pampered is always welcomed. I'm pretty sure I would fall asleep at all of the above, so it would be like a two-in-one gift...the gift of pampering and the gift of extra sleep! 

9. Eye Shadow Palette 

I don't wear it often, but when I do, eyeshadow is my favorite part of putting on make-up! A new eyeshadow palette is always so exciting for me! I love trying different shades and playing with it all each time we go out. I just don't think you can go wrong with the gift of a good eyeshadow palette! 

10. Leopard Clutch 

I have been thinking about this leopard clutch since the first moment I saw it on Shay's blog! Leopard pretty much goes with everything, and I would love for this to my only accessory some nights. It would add the perfect touch to so many different outfits! Plus, I could carry it casually as well as to special events with a nice dress. I may just have purchase this myself since I've been thinking about it for so long! :) 

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you have a fabulous weekend, and get some good shopping in over the weekend!