Asa's 2nd Birthday!

We had a blast at Asa's 2nd Birthday! I decided to go all out just because I figured as more kids came along I probably wouldn't have the time and energy to do it again. We decided on a "cars" theme...but not the movie, just a 2 year old version, cozy-coupe style! Here are the pictures from his party:

Invitation

We made a track outside with rolls of black plastic and duct tape.  I borrowed the cones and most of the cozy coupe cars.

My friend, Shannon, help me make his birthday shirt! It turned out so cute!

We decided to use the "stoplight" as his color theme for most everything- including the food!

My friend, Jordan, makes these yummy sugar cookies! She did a great job!

I used the gasoline can for our drink dispenser (yes, it was brand-new and clean.), and I splurged and ordered these traffic cone sippy cups from Birthdayexpress.com

I made Driver's Licenses for all the kids that came!

The stoplights were made from Pamper's diaper boxes that I just spray painted black.

Ellery

Sweet baby Maren, who is almost 3 weeks old!

 Porter

  Shepherd

 Stella

Reagan (her brother Westin was there, but I never got a good picture!)

The birthday boy!

Such a fun day!  I wish I had more pics of all of us, but Asa accidentally scratched my cornea two nights before the party, so I had no eye makeup on and was very sensitive to the sun.  Things can't always be perfect! :)

Thank you to all of Asa's friends/family (and mine) who made him feel so special that day and for loving him as much as we do! 

Wrapping up our Summer!

I have so much to update on, but tonight is not the night. I'm about to head to bed! We have been so busy this last month, and as we approach Asa's 2nd birhtday here in just a few weeks, I'll be updating a lot more.  I will leave you with these pictures for now.  All of which are from this summer, but I just haven't uploaded them.  We have had our family here a lot this summer and fall, and here were a few from our time together.

My awesome brother in law and my sweet niece Lilly

Oh how I adore this beautiful little girl!

My nephews and Asa (best pic I could get)

Loved having my sister in law come with my nephews!

We just walked around the corner and happen to catch Lilly and Asa in this pose.  We have NO idea what they were doing, but isn't the sweetest picture?!?  Maybe he's praying for her...

Happy Monday!

Family

I have been so spoiled this past month with how much I have been able to see my sweet niece.  I have two nieces, and both of them live far away from me, but Gabby (or Gabriella) lives in South Carolina.  So, any chance they come into town, I try to take full advantage of seeing them as much as I can.  Asa and Gabby LOVE each other.  Gabby giggles every time she sees him. It's precious!

Isn't she a doll??  She turns one August 26th.

Asa (21 months)

Cute little booties!!  

                                                                                
We also got the chance to travel down to Louisiana to see Joseph's grandfather (Pa) for the day.  This is a picture of the four (still living) Asa's in the family.  The picture on the left was obviously the most recent, and the last picture we have of all of them is the one on the right (Asa was 2 months old).  Pa has obviously changed a bit, and we were so glad to get to see him.  He will be 90 in October.

Favorite Summer Products

Haven't done one of these posts in a while...but I wanted to share some of my favorite products for the summer. Most are cosmetic and hair, but one surprise at the end. :)

First on my list, is this Semi Di Lino (by Alfaparf) Illuminating Smoothing Cream.  I did not realize how much my hair loved it until I ran out about three weeks ago.  I have fine, but semi-thick hair that likes to get pretty wavy if not kept under control.  So, I have had a few frizzy moments, and realized how much smoother and better my hair keeps throughout the day using this.  It is not thick, and I can't feel the "product" in my hair.  I LOVE this stuff!

This is a recently discovered favorite of mine that I use pretty much on all my wedding makeup applications these days.  It's Becca's Resurfacing Primer that minimizes shine, pores, and lines.  Such a good start before putting your foundation on, and perfect in this horrible heat.

This has always been one of my favorites, and I wear it every single day.  I love that it stays on all day and its easy to apply. But...what I love even more about this is the new color- teal.  Beautiful!

Ahava's Mineral Cream Body wash in Hibiscus and Fig.  YUM!  It smells awesome and keeps my skin hydrated.  I also use it to shave with since it has a creamy texture.

I love Laura Mercier's strick caviars too.  It's a combination between a cream eyeshadow and pencil eyeliner.  It is waterproof, but smudgeable if you work with it as soon as you put it on.  They are awesome!

This is my all-time favorite candle to burn daily in my house during the summer. It's huge, so it lasts forever. It's by K-Hall Designs and the scent is pomegranate.  It's clean and Fresh.

Last, but not least.  This is what me and my family call "Crack Tea".  So addicting...   I LOVE sweet tea, but I do NOT LOVE the sugar and caffeine.  This is a great and even yummier alternative.  You gotta try it!