Happy Birthday Vivi!

It's official...Vivi is 2!!!  We had a great birthday weekend filled with family, presents, and cake!  We didn't have the big party like last year.  I decided that I want Vivi's birthdays to be family celebrations until she's older.  Not to mention that we kind of had a lot going on lately.  Not only did we just move, but we also ended up hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house since my parents were sick.  I really loved it, but it was a lot of work.  Here's a picture of Vivi with her prized possession....her baby stroller from her cousins Drew and Brady.  She is in heaven pushing this around.  That was always the first toy she headed for at her friend Josie's house.  Now she has her own!

We went to our new Reasor's, (which is amazing, by the way....I LOVE a good grocery store) the morning of her birthday party to pick up some last minute items.  We bought pink plates, striped napkins, and a balloon.  She was so happy that I had to just stop and take a picture of her in the middle of the store!  She held those pink plates the whole way home in the car.

I made the most amazing birthday cake.  My mom always made us homemade birthday cakes every year and I am going to do the same for Vivi.  This was the start of the snickerdoodle cake with brown sugar cinnamon buttercream frosting.  BUTTERcream....lots of butter.....but so, so good.

Delicious!  Want the recipe?  Click here:  Snickerdoodle Cake

I've never made a 4 layer cake before, but it really wasn't that difficult.

Vivi got some good presents this year...right up her alley.  She got a doll house that has a potty in it too....all the rage among the kiddos.  She got a radio flyer bike and stroller from her cousins, a pretty dress and purse, an alphabet puzzle, a new baby doll, counting elephants, cooking toys, bath crayons, and most importantly.....money for college.  ;)  She's one happy little girl!

Silly cousins!

Happy Birthday Vivi Grace Arnold!  We love you SOOOOOO much!

Good Bye Little House

Well....it's official.  We moved this week.  It was a very bittersweet experience.  I loved my little house. I can remember when I bought it thinking I would live there forever....and I really meant it.  I can remember having a conversation with my mom saying that I really could live in that house forever.  Her response was that most people live in their homes an average of 7 years.  Well, seven years later, almost to the month, and I moved.  We moved.  We just outgrew the house.  This is the house Frank and I lived in when we got married.  This was Vivi's first house.  We have so many good memories.  The good news is we still own this house.  It will make someone a great rent house.  I just hope they love it like we did.

I'm now sitting in my new house writing this post.  I feel like we live in a mansion even though it's 2,200 square feet.  Our two year house hunt has made us REALLY appreciate this house.  It is so spacious and roomy and nice and new and clean.....  And the kitchen....oh my gosh.  I love my gas stove, my dishwasher, my awesome faucet.  I love my pantry!  How did I live so long without a pantry?!  Vivi has even gotten lost a time or two.  It's hilarious!  We've already started a few home improvements, although it's all cosmetic.  We had a painter come in and paint Vivi's room and the master bedroom.  Good bye lime green!  We had an electrician install under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen and hopefully the tile guy can do our new subway tile backsplash next week.  I will be posting many pictures in the future, but I just can't do it today.  I have to pay homage to my old love.

Good bye little house...we'll miss you....

Super V

Monte Cassino's Trunk or Treat was tonight.  I didn't take Vivi last year, but I knew she would love it this year.  So, her costume.  Where do I begin?  She is Super V...to the rescue...a cute little superhero.  I made her cape from a t-shirt, puff paint, and zebra duct tape.  It came out pretty cute and she's been wearing it around the house for a couple of weeks now.  I found these cute tights at Target and put a onesie on top of it.  So, tonight when we actually have to wear the costume, she wanted NOTHING to do with it!  I barely got the tights and onesie on.  She wouldn't allow me to put on the zebra belt, she wouldn't wear her sunglasses, she wouldn't wear her black Chuck Taylor's, and I barely got her cape on.  Not to mention it got very cold here, so she had to wear a hoodie and a vest.  We left the house and she's wearing polka dot tights and a purple hoodie....not exactly a Halloween costume.  Instead of Super V as her costume, she chose to be a temperamental two year old for her costume.

Ahhh....and I hear the three's are even worse!!!

These Boots Are Made for Walking....

Vivi got some new books!  She rocked the Uggs last winter from Aunt Anna.  We got more compliments on those boots than you could imagine.  So, this year I investigated some new winter Uggs for the Veeves.  Once I found out they were $120, I quickly looked for an alternative.  Seriously, who would spend $120 on a pair of boots for a two year old?!?!?!

So, thank you Zulily for these $18 Ugg look-a-likes.  Vivi loves them and they're pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself.  They'll keep those tootsies warm this winter for sure!

A new home, maybe?

Source: zillow.com via Caryn on Pinterest

I hope I'm not jinxing anything by this blog post.  We have a contract on a house and if all goes well, we'll close on November 9th!  Frank and I are so nervous about this situation after the last time.  We had a contract on a house about a year and a half ago and told the world, then it fell through after the inspections because of a repair that could not be agreed upon.  So....we had to tell the world that it didn't go through. I feel good about this though.  In fact, Frank and I feel completely at peace with this decision.  Yes, we are kind of "selling out" and moving to the burbs, but it's only 15 minutes away!  And we get a practically new house (built in 2011)with everything we want (for the most part) and WAY less than we were planning to spend in mid-town.  When we looked at our pros and cons list, it couldn't be argued.

Anyway, now I'm getting excited.  I'm really into design and character in homes...well, guess what?  These new subdivisions don't have much.  So, I've been browsing pinterest and can't wait to get my hands on these builder boring choices and make them my own.  It's going to be fun.  I'm sure there will be many future blog posts about my new project!   Just crossing our fingers until November 9th!

Happy Vivi

I'm so proud of my cautious little girl.  She wanted to go in the Juniper Jump at Harper's birthday SO bad, but was scared.  She did it though and loved it!  Tantrum when we left to prove it!

Homemade Thai

This is too good not to share!  I recently made dinner for my mom's birthday....a Thai soup and the "In The Raw" salad (a local sushi restaurant).  It was a nice night and we were actually able to eat outside again.  Frank and I love Thai food.  Well, we love food in general. It's one of the things we have in common.  We have the conversation often about how we lived for years and years without trying a food item....for example, Tom Kha soup, and how it's a favorite now.  How could we have survived so long without knowing this delicacy!  I still can't believe that we never even tried Indian food until we were in our late 20's.  What a shame!  We love Indian food now!  I really do feel sorry for picky eaters.

Anyway, these two recipes were delicious and easy enough to make on a work day after a long day with a room full of 8 year olds then an evening with a toddler.  That's saying a lot....

Try them, you'll like them!

Coconut Curry Soup

ITR Salad

Happy cooking!