Sissy Bumps

Sissy Bumps

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Hayes Baby Sprinkle!


There are few things my sister & I enjoy more than planning events! But planning a celebration for my sissy? Well, that takes the cake! When we found out that Tierra was expecting she immediately knew that she wanted to have a “gender reveal” (I say gender here, although I know “sex” is the correct term… Sex reveal sounds a bit too risqué for this kind of party though). This was the perfect opportunity for family, friends and loved ones to gather around and celebrate their newest addition in a unique way.  Plus, her three little ones were so excited to find out if they would be getting a baby sister or brother so we knew we had to do something special for them to find out! I suggested the idea of a baby sprinkle where we could also spoil them with a few things they may need to get ready for another baby 5 years after having their last. Then it was time to start planning!

If you know Tierra, you know that she LOVES children. On any given day, you can expect to find her hosting what appears to be a kindergarten class in her home or running around town with her own kids and friend’s children to as many different activities as possible. It is her absolute joy in life to have children around at all times, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when she handed me her guest list and there were more kids on the list than adults. My mother, her in-laws & I knew that we would have to find a place that would accommodate and cater to both an adult & kid crowd.

Trying to decide on a theme & location was easier than expected when we started to compile a list of the things my sister loves. What’s at the top of Tierra’s favorite things list: farms, picnics & sunflowers. We just knew we could tie all of these together to create a beautiful & fun celebration. And to tie in gender reveal, we would add a “What will it bee?” twist. It took my mom & I no more than five minutes to decide that   Johnson’s Farm was the perfect location to celebrate Baby Hayes. The farm includes barnyard animals, a park, tented event space, hayrides, crop picking, and an adorable little market filled with delicious treats. Now that we had the space, it was time to decide on details! I am a detail freak! I obsess over small details and love how a little personality can add so much to an event. Once I get started, it’s so hard for me to stop. Here are some of my favorite details from the baby sprinkle.

I chose Tiny Prints for the invitations, and was so happy to find a Baby Sprinkle design that fell into our color scheme for the day. 



This is what my house looked like for weeks! Mason jars, picnic baskets, straws, and chalkboards everywhere! 



It was time to get started on party favors! Since we were doing a picnic/farm theme I wanted to find edible treats that would work for both children and adults. For the kids, I created S'mores in a Jar, using mini marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, and teddy grahams. 



For the adults, I chose honey & jam in a jar. 


I spent several  nights filling jars, twining lids, finding milk jars and chalkboards, creating signs, finding food & dessert inspiration, and crafting non-stop. My mom literally shopped til she dropped, picking up lists full of items we created daily and finding things my sister  would love along the way. We made a great team! And we are so happy with the way it turned out. More importantly, we are thrilled that Tierra and her beautiful family thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Here are some of my favorite photos from the day! 


 The name game was an absolute hit!!! Her guests came up with some hilarious combinations, but a few of them actually got the names correct!



 The "Momosa Bar" was something I just had to incorporate! I wanted to do a spin on a regular mimosa bar, so I chose some different flavored sparkling ciders and juices, labeled them with mini chalkboards, added some fruit toppings, and these adorable "Buzzed" bee napkins. It was a hit!

One of Tierra's very dear friends is an extremely talented baker. We were thrilled when she agreed to create the "What will it bee" theme cupcakes filled with either blue or pink icing. They came out better than we could have ever imagined! 




I had so much fun with the Cravings Station! We found these YUM bags at Crate & Barrel and filled them with popcorn for the salty section, bags of potato chips were our crunchy craving, rice crispy treats worked perfectly for the chewy treat, and homemade pies (not pictured) were our sweet craving. 




The beautiful family arrived & it was time to get the party started! 










 The bottle game was the perfect game for kids and adults! The men got such a kick out of it! We filled baby bottles with orange juice and watched as everyone tried everything they could to finish their bottle first. 




Time for the gender reveal!!! This was SO much fun!!! All of the guests chanted either BLUE or PINK depending on what sex they thought the baby was. Look at my niece and nephews faces! Priceless! 


  
It's a girl!!! Sweet little Noa Lily will be joining the Hayes family this fall!! 





I wish I could relive this day again. It was absolute perfection and such a joy to see the love and happiness in my family's eyes. They are such an amazing family and Noa is going to be so blessed to be surrounded by their love everyday. Congratulations Hayes family! 

XO Krista 

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Bump Update: K's 25 & 26 Weeks!



How far along? 25 & 26 Weeks! Whoops! With all of the baby sprinkle planning for my sissy, I totally missed my 25 week update. So now you get two for one! 
Baby Is the size of: a head of lettuce 
Sleep: Baby Pete has dance parties in the middle of the night but it doesn't really affect my sleeping. Hubby is sick right now, so he is sleeping in another room to keep the germs away... I'm not enjoying that too much. Miss my hubby :( 
Miss Anything? Champagne! I created a "momosa bar" for my sister's sprinkle and all I really wanted was some bubbly instead of sparking cider.
Anything making you nauseous: Not anymore :) 
Have a bump yet? Yes! I am getting tons of questions from strangers now about when the baby is due. People should really be careful about asking if a woman is pregnant.  I don't mind since I actually am, but what if I had just gained weight, just had my baby, lost a baby or have been trying to conceive for a long time. You just never know. 
Gender : A sweet baby GIRL!  
Belly Button in or out? Half in/ Half out. 
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Very happy & blessed. 
Total weight gain/loss: 15 lbs & growing. 
Maternity clothes? I bought two maternity dresses but ended up returning them cause I found they made me feel even larger. So back to flowy dresses and tops with leggings.
Stretch marks? Some from puberty but none from pregnancy yet. 
Exercise of the week: 2+ mile walks daily. 1 mile at lunch time (if I can)  and over 1 mile at night. 
Happiest moment this week: My sissy's Baby Sprinkle!!! What a success! It was so much fun & such hard work but worth it all! I can't wait to share the details with you this week. 
Movement:Lots of karate kicks to the bladder and tumbles. Love it!    
Food cravings:  Ranch dressing. Store bought to avoid the possible raw egg issue. 
Labor Signs: No
Favorite pregnancy product: Coconut oil. 
Looking forward to: Labor Day Weekend! Hubby & I will be working hard on the nursery and spending a day out shopping for the little one. Hoping to find a cookout or two as well. 

XO Krista 

Monday, August 25, 2014

Bump Update: T's 29 Weeks!



How far along? 29 Weeks! I'm getting more and more excited each day!
Baby Is the size of: a butternut squash
Sleep: This past week little munchkin has been having 2am/3am dance parties which wakes me up and usually takes me about an hour or so to fall back asleep.Thank God for DVR. :-)
Miss Anything? SUSHI & WINE!I just made a date with my girlfriends to join me in the hospital room after delivery for a sushi and wine date night. Ha!
Anything making you nauseous: It's always been spaghetti. I haven't tried it lately out of fear of a vomit session in the bathroom. :-(
Have a bump yet? Yes and I swear it grows every week. If one more person looks at me with 5 eyes after I say I'm 7 months and not 9, I may slap them.

Gender : IT'S A.......
Belly Button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Sooooo happy!!
Total weight gain/loss: 25 pounds
Maternity clothes? Nope! Still dresses, but I cannot wait until Fall. I'm ready to dress my bump in jeans and sweaters.
Stretch marks? The same ones from my previous pregnancies.
Exercise of the week: Same workout routine. I'm kinda getting bored of it, so I'm trying to think of ways to change it up. Any suggestions?
Happiest moment this week: My 31st birthday of course and our AMAZING Baby Sprinkle. There will be a post on both soon!
Movement: Yup and those darn Braxton Hicks contractions.
Food cravings: Not really. I just love food lol
Labor Signs: just the Braxton Hicks
Favorite pregnancy product: Well, I recently got PUPPP (Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy) which is basically an annoying red rash that occurs in the stretch marks and can spread. It is very itchy! I got it it with my last pregnancy and lo and behold it decide to return this pregnancy. Can I just say thank God for aloe gel?! I constantly rubbed the gel on throughout the day and within 3 days it was gone!!! Had I known about it with my last pregnancy I wouldn't have had to suffer with that annoying itch the whole pregnancy. so my favorite product right now is ALOE GEL!
Looking forward to: Having a fun and memorable week with my kids and husband. The kids go back to school in a week and a half so we plan to soak up the last couple weeks of summer before the routines and headaches begin.

XO TIERRA!

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Bump Update: T's 28 Weeks!! Hello Third Trimester!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!! 

How far along? 28 weeks! Hello 7 months! 
Total weight gain/loss: I gained 25 pounds so far
Baby Is the size of: an eggplant!
Maternity clothes? Nope! Mostly dresses now.
Stretch marks? Just from my other pregnancies
Exercise of the week: same routine as it's been. Keeping the weights light though.
Sleep: Not so comfortable anymore
Happiest moment this week:Taking the kids to my appointment this week. They were so excited to hear the baby's heartbeat. They taped it too!
Miss Anything? sleeping straight through the night, sushi, hoagies, wine
Movement: Tons and I LOVE it!!
Food cravings: seafood
Anything making you nauseous: spaghetti
Have a bump yet? Oh yea
Gender : 5 more days and you'll find out!
Labor Signs: No, just those darn Braxton Hicks contractions
Belly Button in or out? An outtie 
Favorite pregnancy product: Coconut Oil and Vitamin E oil
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! Just so thankful for each and every day.
Looking forward to: My birthday today and Our Baby Sprinkle this weekend and finally revealing if we're having a boy or a girl!!!!
XO Tierra

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Bump Update: K's 24 Weeks!



How far along? 24 weeks! Hello SIX months!!!! And Happy V-Day to me! The 24 week mark is typically also the age of viability, which means that God forbid I had to deliver the baby today most hospitals see 24 weeks as the time when they will use intensive medical intervention to save my little girl. I know that the risk of giving birth this early is still very high, but I do find a small glimmer of hope in the fact that my little girl would hopefully have a fighting chance. I may sound crazy, but to me my little girl is already my world. 
Baby Is the size of: a cantaloupe
Sleep: Sleeping like a rock! But every now & then I I feel a little someone dancing in my belly in the middle of the night. And my hubby sleeps with his hand on her which warms my heart :) 
Miss Anything? Wine. We went to dinner with friends on Saturday and it was so hard to watch everyone devouring bottles of red wine. Boo sparkling water :( 
Anything making you nauseous: Nope! We made mexican food the other day and it was delightful.
Have a bump yet? Yes and I swear I can feel it stretching.
Gender : A sweet baby GIRL!  
Belly Button in or out? Well, it looks like my innie-outtie has decided to poke out on just the top half. It's very strange.  
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: So very happy! 
Total weight gain/loss: 15 lbs :) Little munchkin is growing!
Maternity clothes? I never thought I would say this but I am SO over dresses right now. I just want some decent jeans that fit me and some flowy tops. I don't feel like putting lotion on my legs or trying to see over my bump to shave every single day! Time to go shopping!  
Stretch marks? Some from puberty but none from pregnancy yet. 
Exercise of the week: Lots of walks and stretching. I've been spending a lot of quality time with my furbaby outside enjoying the gorgeous weather.   
Happiest moment this week: This week started rough but ended so great! If you read my post about Baby Pete's heartbeat you'll learn all about the little scare we had last week. But I've officially started nesting which has been therapeutic for me and is allowing me to relax while preparing for baby. All of that relaxing/not stressing must have paid off because our little one's heartbeat is back on track!! PRAISE GOD!!! And to top off the week, we are almost done painting! My hubby loved getting his hand dirty & grey for his little girl's nursery. 
Movement:Oh yes! Love my little ballerina girl.    
Food cravings:  PIZZA! If it was healthy,  I could seriously eat pizza & wings everyday.
Labor Signs: No
Favorite pregnancy product: Coconut oil. I've been getting itchy and this does the trick!
Looking forward to: Hopefully a weekend that is not totally devoted to baby stuff. I want to enjoy these final weekends of summer with my hubby as a family of two. We cannot wait to meet our little girl, but it's so important for us to balance parenthood and marriage.So here's to a weekend full of romance & love.  

XO Krista 

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Bump Update: T's 27 Weeks!



How far along? 27 weeks! Almost in the 3rd trimester! Time is flying!
Total weight gain/loss: I'll find out at my appt this week!
Baby Is the size of: a head of cauliflower. My munchkin is definitely growing...
Maternity clothes? Nope! Same as it's been. I'm actually looking forward to the seasons changing so I can try something new. Hello jeans and sweaters!
Stretch marks? Just from my other pregnancies
Exercise of the week: same routine as it's been. Keeping the weights light though.
Sleep: I seem to be waking up around 2am every night. Weird.
Happiest moment this week: hubby, the kids, and I drove to Ct to visit family. It was nice to see them and also spend some alone time with my hubby while the kids had a blast with my aunt and uncle.
Miss Anything? sleeping straight through the night
Movement: Tons! I also love trying to identify what body part is trying to poke out of my stomach
Food cravings: fries!! with cheese please.
Anything making you nauseous: spaghetti
Have a bump yet? Yep
Gender : We can finally reveal it in 2 weeks!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? An outtie 
Favorite pregnancy product: Coconut Oil and Vitamin E oil
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! Just so thankful for each an every day.
Looking forward to: another weekend without having tons to do. It's been a nice long season of baseball. Football and cheer leading will be taking over soon enough.

XO Tierra

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Slice of Summer : Mommies & Friends Sleepover!

This week I hosted my annual "Mommies & Friends Sleepover"! It was soooo much fun!
The kids and I invited some of our close friends over for a fun-filled weekend. We stocked up on some awesome glow in the dark balloons, s'more ingredients, flashlights, and food (of course:-).

The kids had a blast in the pool and the oh so fun blow up water slide one of our friends brought over.


The little ladies pampered themselves with makeovers, manis & pedis!







After that we ate pizza and wings and showered up to get ready for a night time stroll through the neighborhood with our flashlights.





After our walk we came in for some delicious s'mores.


I then led all the kids downstairs for some fun with these awesome led lit balloons. They LOVED it!

After that we put on Rio 2 and snacked on some popcorn and before we knew it they were knocked out.



While the kids slept, the mommies were able to enjoy some down time to laugh and chat.


The next morning I whipped up a big delicious breakfast.


The kids wasted no time to get dressed and head outside for more swimming sliding.

And of course some basketball, bikes, and just plain fun.





Whew!! What a great (and tiring) weekend with friends. I loved every minute of it! 



XO Tierra