Ilyana Turns Three at Chuck E Cheese's!

Better late than never!

I had been warned about doing the whole birthday at Chuck E's thing by others in the past... About how they rush you off your table, and it costs an arm and a leg, and the kids get overwhelmed, yadda yadda yadda. The thing is, growing up, my Mom used to take my brother and I to Chuck E Cheese almost every Friday, so for me, it's a place of happy memories, of fun and games and food and laughter. Sure, it's loud, and obnoxious, and LOUD, and I know that by the end of the visit, we'll all feel like zombies... But that's all part and partial to the experience, right?! Right. So we figured that while Ilyana is at the age that she truly enjoys the experience, and gets SUPERTHRILLED over it, and actually BELIEVES that Chuck E is a for-real, life-size giant mouse who only wants to party and get down and celebrate with you, we'd take advantage of that bit of innocence and let her have her Chuck E party. So we did. And overall, it didn't disappoint. 

There was dancing (this was in front of a screen that projects you onto some TV's above your head for everyone in the place to watch you)

And eating...

Owen, Dru and Jack enjoying some pizza!

 

Mitch, Bobby and Lizzie having lunch!

There were lots of rides, games and a jungle gym:

The boys (Bobby, Jack, Mitch, Owen) all lined up playing skee-ball together! Love this pic!

Jack and Dru in the crazy jungle gym tube cage thing! Jack doesn't look happy or anything, does he?! lol!

And okay, one ride in particular that was VERY popular with the birthday girl. I'm pretty sure everyone at the party took her on this Merry-Go-Round at LEAST once ;)

FYI: the "Mare-Go-Round" as Illy calls it, is a great spot for candid shots :D

And of course, we had cake! The recipe came out pretty good, which I was nervous about since it was my first time making it... But she loved it, and I got compliments from others too. Gotta love Allrecipes! It's my go-to and it never disappoints with new yumalicious-ness. ;)

 Birthday girl and her cake!! 

Birthday girl, Mama Rugg (me), purty party cake... and annoying balloon string which ruined a perfectly awesome picture! GRR!!

Me and Will singing **HAPPY BIRTHDAY** to our little princess, barely believing she's already THREE!!

There were presents galore...

And Zhu-Zhus up the wazoo! We have a whole Zhu Zhu empire now. Great marketing on those things, the way they sell kids on this glorified cat toy and then have you buy all the parts separately. lol. I knew we'd be getting into those fadd-ish multi-part toys eventually, but who knew it would come so fast?! It seems like it's only been overnight since she was just my little widgeon... *sigh* And yes, I do call her my widgeon. I make no apologies. ;)

Ilyana was bowled over in anticipation waiting to see the Chuckster himself... He came out, and they hugged, and it was incredible to see the awe in her eyes and the happiness thinking that he cared about her lil' ol' birthday! 

Waiting in anticipation with her puffy *birthday girl* token hat on... Here he comes! I can see him Mommy!!

Oh, Chuck! Where have you been all my life?!

Now do you see why we had to do the party here this year? Her face says it all. Pure elation.

But the one thing that we had most of at the party this year, as with any birthday with our incredible family, was... 

Love.

Lots of it.

Owen and the Illmaster.

Nana, enjoying watching the kids play and have fun! :)

The guys! L to R: Will, Mitch, Bobby, and Matt. Another good pic!

While it wouldn't be my first choice for a party in the future, for all the reasons I was originally warned about (the bill does add up, and they definitely don't give you enough table time), I'm so glad we gave her the chance to enjoy the Chuck E birthday experience this year. She really had a blast, and everyone else seemed to have fun, too. For me, that's what it was all about... My heart and soul was turning three... Three?! THREE!!!  And I wanted her to truly enjoy every minute of it. I know she did. My only regret is not getting more pictures, but then again, when ISN'T that a regret of mine?! ;) 

Happy Birthday Widgeon. You light up my life.

Easter Hunt Rewind

As promised, here I am again with some new(ish) photos from Easter... Go me! They mostly feature the infamous egg-toy-candy-junk hunt since this was only the second time (the other was last year's Easter) that I've hosted a holiday at my house, and I spent most of the weekend in the kitchen prepping, cooking, and creating a meal for the fam rather than taking pics. Last year was smaller, too, so I was a little worried about my ability to pull this off at all... but thankfully, everything went well, everyone had fun (or else they're lying to me... hehe) and none of the food was undercooked, overcooked, or burnt! YAY! Also, nobody got sick. woot woot! I had this weird fear that people would get sick after, and if they did, they would be afraid to eat my food forevermore. lol. Here's what was on our delectable menu:

APPETIZERS

* Chips/ dip
* Crudite/ dip
* Deviled eggs (of course!)
* Bacon wrapped jalepeno poppers (soooo good! These were a hit with everyone, and the guys were pretty much fighting over them. I admit, we made them for dinner one night after this... tee hee)
* Veggie pizza deal-io... Not sure what it's called, but it's good! You roll out some crescent dough, bake it, spread with a mixture of cream cheese and dressing, and top with assorted veggies. Yum.

MEAL

* Ham with citrus honey glaze. Nom nom nom...
* Lasagna
* Rosemary buttered dinner rolls
* Green bean casserole
* Roasted cauliflower
* Loaded mashed potatoes (with bacon, chives, sour cream...)

DESSERT

--notation: this was the one area I was bummed about... I just never got around to making the other dessert I had planned, which would have involved fresh fruit deliciousness... But, alas, the main meal comes first I'm afraid! :) So instead I only made...

* These adorable easter chick and lamb cupcakes!!!! Found from Betty Crocker (please excuse the photo, it's a cell phone one and I didn't take it, but I wanted to keep it real and show the actual cupcakes we- my Mom and I- made, mistakes and all... not the purty presentation cupcake pictures from the recipes)

Aren't they cute?! And really, not all that hard, either. Although after hours of cooking and hiding and wrapping and visiting and fun, I wouldn't say they were thrilling to make. But they did add a touch of whimsy and fun to the meal... which is sort of what I was going for :)

Here's a recap of what else I captured from that morning. Which wasn't a whole lot. I didn't really get ANY photos of our lovely guests, aside from the one at the end with Illy and her cousin Alli... but what can I say, it was a busy day for me! Enjoy! :D

The beginning of the hunt! It starts at the top of our stairs and winds down into the living room...

Where lots of goodies left by that big ol' bunny are to be found. Here, Illy poses with a new My Little Pony. On the head. Yes, typical pose.

Owen looks less than fully awake and entirely THRILLED to be hunting, don't you think?

But it didn't take him long to locate his basket o' goodies and start digging through. Chips, candy, gifts, and THIS cool new tee shirt, perfect for the occasion:

You can't see it fully here, but it says "Hanging with my Peeps" and has a picture of that infamous easter marshmallow candy ;)

It wasn't long before the hunt moved outside... Being that is was a nice, warm morning, we really couldn't have expected that Bunny to keep all the eggs cooped in the house, could we?!

He hid them in all sorts of funny places... By the bushes in the mulch:


In the corners of the deck:

and ALL over the yard... Here's Illy running around to make sure she hasn't missed any!

We finished up the hunt with a nice little soak in the sun...

Side note- I love this picture of my brother, the lighting is great and he looks so OLD. When the heck did he get to be so grown up?!

And a quick count of candy-booty acquired.

Look at all those eggs! She's been sneaking candy ever since this very day... lol.

And then it was off to the kitchen for me for pretty much the rest of the day, although I did get a few nice breaks to chat with everyone and enjoy their company. It was really a great time, and as much work as it is, I'm looking forward to hosting again next year (hopefully!). We are truly blessed to have a wonderful, fun family that we love spending time with. And I won't get all sappy and say much more, other than, thank you all who came. It was a blast :)

And two more quick snapshots for the road!

Illy and Alli, hamming it up!


Candy overload?

Spring Is Finally Here!

For some reason, this winter seemed to drag on, even though we didn't have that much horrible weather... I think maybe it had to do with the bad economy, it was just too much, too overwhelming to think about combined with the dreary, cold, gray weather. We're thanking our lucky stars the sun is BACK and enjoying it as much as we can right now! Here are some new photos from the end of winter/ early springtime~

March- Starting her own fashion trend?

All the COOL kids are doing it...

Well, I guess if it makes you happy! And yes, we went out in public like this. Don't judge ;)


I love this next set of pictures but I figure I should give credit where credit is due... I had no part in the taking of these adorable photos, it was one of those (blessed!) nights when hubby offers to cook the meat on the grill, saving me time and energy... So they were outside playing and grilling, and I was inside doing sides and washing dishes, but he stuck his head into the window and told me to hand him out the camera because she was having such a good time... All of these ones were taken on 5/4/10.


Peek a boo!


In deep concentration...


Those croc boots are her absolute favorite shoes lately. I know a lot of people aren't big fans of the Croc brand, but I love them because she can put them on herself, they are easy to clean, and they have all different styles now! It doesn't hurt that I always find super deals on them, either ;) I believe I paid $7.99 for those boots, with shipping? Pretty awesome. I just got her a pair of Croc maryjanes for the spring and summer- I figured her feet would get pretty sweaty running around in rainboots once it gets up into the 80's and 90's, but you have to admit, they look pretty adorable even with shorts :)

I do have a few more posts in mind that are coming up. And yes, I know I haven't been keeping to my 2-posts-a-week goal since I posted it... I also know excuses are just that and aren't worth anything, but I am working on it! Between planning her party, having her party, Mother's Day, visiting, and then me feeling like crap-ola these past two days (horrible cold!! ugh!) and barely being able to think straight, I haven't gotten to it. But I will! Easter pics and Ilyana's 3rd Birthday post coming up soon... <3 ~Mama Rugg

Rainy Days...

Good Morning, my Ruggle!

Today is just one of those days. One of those gray, rainy, gloomy, drab, boring days. When I woke up this morning I first noticed that the sun was not glaring into my eyes as per usual- then I heard that telltale pitter patter outside. I love that sound, absolutely love it. Especially when I go to bed- it's nature's lullaby :)

However, a lullaby is not exactly what you're looking for when you're trying to drrrraaaagggg yourself out of bed. We ended up hitting the snooze button and getting up later than usual. I felt foggy and half awake all morning... When you woke up, you didn't want to go to daycare, either. You just kept telling me "No, Momma, I wanna stay home." I wish we could have! These types of days are perfect for lounging around, snuggling, and reading books.

Since we were running behind I didn't pack my lunch (I'll buy today) and we forgot your chocolate milk at home! You were heartbroken. I always feel bad when I leave your drink behind... I imagine what I would feel like if someone else was in charge of my beverage and forgot. I mean, we remembered our own coffees (of course)! We apologized, but you didn't say it was okay. Instead you just glared at us. I don't blame you.

I can't wait to come and pick you up- to see your face light up as your run over to give me and Dada a big hug and say "Momma! Dada! You're HERE!" :) Picking you up is always one of my favorite parts of the day... That hug is the best. I always miss you, and it makes me glow that you get so excited when we come to get you.

Days like this always pass so slowly, don't they, ruggle? But they also make me feel calm, for some reason. I guess it's that same old fact- the beautiful, good days just wouldn't be the same if we didn't have the yucky, ucky wet ones to balance it out. Days like today make me think of the things I'm grateful for...

You had a couple of head bonk incidents this weekend that both landed in the same place... so you ended up pretty swollen, and I was worried. I went in late to work yesterday so that I could call the doctor, and take you in to see her if necessary. Luckily they just asked some questions and then told me you sounded like you were fine, and I could give you tylenol and ice it and then see where you were at. Just the thought of you being hurt badly scares me so much, I don't know what I would do if it ever came down to a serious injury... I guess I just hope your Daddy would be around to be level-headed, because I get so flustered and worried! So yesterday, after speaking with the nurse, I looked at you with your swollen face and your big smile, and my heart just swelled with happiness... I said to you, "I love you so much, girl"... And you looked at me, and you know what you said?

You said "Thank you."

So I asked, "For what, honey?"

"Thank you for loving me, Momma."

No, little girl... Thank YOU for loving me. It's the greatest gift I've ever been given. I'm so grateful.

Easter Fun!

We had a really fun Easter this year! It was Ilyana's first easter egg hunt, and she picked up on it pretty quickly :) It was also our first holiday we have had AT HOME- no traveling, YAY!- and the first BIG holiday meal I have done all on my own. We had my brother, his girlfriend, my two cousins and one of their girlfriends over, plus us, and Will's brother stopped by with his family for a while, too.

I was nervous at first that something HAD to go wrong- when you're trying to plan a meal for that many people, plus an egg hunt, things get a little crazy. To top that off, our babysitter is off this week, so RIGHT after our big meal and visiting, I was sending the girl back with my brother to stay with my Mom for the week... SOB!... So I had to pack for that, too. I was worried that at least one of my dishes wouldn't come out, or I would forget something for the Bend... Or.... Or...

Well, none of it happened! WOOT for me!

I made an 8-lb ham, cheesy mashed potatoes, corn, salad, deviled eggs, filled celery sticks, punch bowl cake and bread. Everyone was stuffed- there was more than enough food- and they claim to have had fun... Of course, I can't really vouch for that, because I was running around most of the day, but I believe them :) I didn't manage to get any pics when everyone was there, because I was busy, but here are some highlights from the hunt, and also a few pictures of my pretty girl all dressed up:

Starting the hunt! I think at first she thought she had to EAT all the jellybeans while hunting, not put them in the basket... But that didn't really work out.

She's getting pretty excited here, realizing that there is candy AND presents all over- just for her!

But here, Momma. I'm a nice girl, I'll share.

One for you, two for me...

Found a Polly Pocket!

I think here she was in the middle of screaming "CHOCOLATE!"

And here she is with her full stash of boot-AY! Including, but not limited to:

• ABC letter teaching book
• Two pretty dresses and one summerish outfit
• Polly Pocket
• Other random dollies
• Giant bubble wand & bubbles
  
• Oodles of candy
• Shovel...
  
• Etc...
  

And here are some photos I took of my girl all dressed up for the day in one of her pretty new dresses:

See that gorgeous flower bow in her hair? I won it from Kia over at Good Enough Mama for guessing the right goog search! I rock... Oh, right, she does too :) Thanks Kia! Ilyana loves it... It's the first clip she'll let me leave in her hair for more than two seconds without screaming and ripping it out! Yay for you for finding a Bendy Clip!

Now, you peeps should go visit her and say Hi. Or say something snide and sarcastic. Cuz that's how Kia rolls, and she'll like you more if you say something like that than something all ushy gushy and nice. :P

Yes, I realize this is blurry. But how could you resist that FACE?

Ilyana: EASTER IS FUNNN!

Come to think of it, most holidays that are associated with candy are pretty good. And even if for some reason the holiday ends up bad, at least you can drown yourself in chocolate eggs and eat good food till you barf. There's always that.