Phew! It's been a busy week! One of the best parts of my husband being a teacher are his vacations. He is just finishing up his spring break, and it was so great to spend so much time with him! I wasn't prepared to have to make so many meals since he's been gone so much this school year. Basketball season brought him home most nights around 8-9 o'clock, so I didn't cook big meals often. When he's home I actually have to think through recipes so I don't repeat them! One of our favorites was introduced to me by my cousin Melody. She brought me a meal after I had my son, and it quickly became a favorite. There are many similar recipes out there for this meal. :) This was what worked for us!

Taco Noodles/ Mexican Shells

What you need:

Salsa

Jumbo Noodles (16)

Ground Beef (a little over half a pound)

1 can black beans

Taco Seasoning (This is our favorite recipe for seasoning!)

Cheese

4oz Cream Cheese

Taco Sauce (We use Taco Bell mild sauce!)

How to make them:

1. Preheat your oven to 350*F

2. Coat the bottom of a 9x13 pan with a light layer of Salsa. We prefer to blend our salsa to get a more even taste.

3. Brown your ground beef (We typically use a half pound) and add your black beans. Sprinkle a layer of Taco Seasoning on top. Add in your cream cheese and melt it in. Add 1/4 cup water to the beef/bean mixture. Let simmer until cream cheese is fully melted and mixed, then let cool.

4.  Boil Noodles and place them in your pan on top of the salsa in your 9x13 dish.

5. Stuff each noodle with your meat mixture and pour a thin layer of Taco Sauce on top. Cover with foil and place in oven for 25-30 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and top with a nice heavy layer of cheese. Bake for 10 more minutes without the foil.

Enjoy! It's a super tasty meal. We typically serve with sour cream, guac, and lettuce. Best tip? My mom always told me to clean as I go. It makes cleanup a breeze!

What Every New Momma Needs

Finding out you're pregnant is one of the most thrilling experiences in life. I remember that feeling of first stepping into the magical baby palace of Buy Buy Baby. Holy overwhelming. I had zero ideas of what I needed or wanted. Everything in that place looks like something you HAVE to have. Props to their advertising teams. They are good at what they do! I was the first of my friends to have a baby. Now that many are having their firsts, I have heard them ask what on earth they need for this little bundle. Crazy enough, the thing you need most can't be scanned with a registry gun in aisle 4. You need a Melody.

My Melody happens to be my cousin. She is the Momma to help guide you when you are about to cry your eyes out from exhaustion. The Momma that won't judge you for breastfeeding, bottle feeding, vaccinating, not vaccinating...not having any idea on how you feel about vaccinating. She's the person who has been there and can give you a squeeze or encouragement when your toddler is having the biggest meltdown ever. You need the Momma that sees the tired in your eyes and loves you big enough to chase after your toddler even though she has three of her own.

When you text your Melody at 3pm telling her that you've literally let your toddler watch Mickey Mouse on repeat since he woke because you are too sleepy to do anything else, she will just laugh and tell you how she's been there a million times. This person is the one that you can count on for advice out of love. You can turn to her with zero judgement and know you'll leave encouraged and ready to take on anything.

She's the one that gets you through this Mommy business. Motherhood is no cake walk. In fact it's basically a walk where the cake gets shoved in your couch cushions while a little nudist toddler walks around breaking everything in your house. ;) Find a mommy friend that loves you and encourages you. She is more valuable than diamonds.

Happy 2nd Birthday Liam!

It was a whirlwind week! Having a baby only a month ago, I wasn't wanting to have a big party quite yet. We decided to have a super small family party to celebrate Liam's 2nd birthday, and it worked perfectly! Liam had a blast and was totally spoiled.

One of my best friends, Brittany, had a Mickey themed baby shower for me when I was pregnant with Liam. She happened to save ALL the decor so let me use it for his party. She put in SO much work with these decorations! She made almost everything on her Cricut machine! It was sweet to use it again at this party, more than two years later. :)

We kept the food simple with subs, hot dogs, and cupcakes. It was sweet to watch Liam blow out his candle for the first time!

For his big gift from Mommy and Daddy, we found this truck on clearance at Target a few months back. He absolutely LOVED it. As soon as he wakes up he runs as fast as he can to find that thing. He's had all of his meals in it, too! This version is so much fancier than the normal Cozy Coupes I've seen! It is a lot roomier, and has a working horn. It even has a seat in the trunk for a sibling! He's going to get a lot of use out of that thing.

Moral of the story? Simple parties make the best parties. We had a blast, and it was a great no stress party for me!

Party Prep: A Look back at Liam's first

With less than two weeks to go until my biggest baby's birthday, I found myself looking back at his first birthday party. Two things: 1. How on EARTH has it been an entire year? And 2. The whole theme of the party was Never Grow Up. Clearly he decided not to follow through on that. Stinker.

I knew that this party had to involve Disney. More specifically, I knew this party was going to be based around his nursery theme: Peter Pan. So. Much. FUN. This party was an absolute blast to put together.

I worked with a wonderful etsy designer for my invitations-saralukecreations. I'm incredibly impressed with her work and quick responses to my questions. I first saw this invitation design on a post of a gorgeous party by Jenny Keller. Seriously. This party was absolutely amazing. Look at the details!

I ordered the Peter Pan movie on eBay (stinking movie vault!) to play during the party. Random fact This movie was playing while I was in labor! Like... as I was pushing. Between pushes the doctor would turn around and watch. So, it's pretty fitting that it was playing at the party as well.

I loved these hats by etsy designer princessbooksbyjmh. I was going to attempt to make them myself, but then realized, "Who am I kidding... I'm never going to pull that off." So ordering it was. They are super cute. The adults ended up wanting them more than the kids! 

Instead of party bags full of candy, I decided to go a different route. I gave each child a Disney's Peter Pan Golden Book! They were cheap on amazon, and I really love the idea of giving out sweet little books.

We found cute straws and plates to match our "nautical" look. I also stumbled upon the Peter Pan poster I was looking for printed on wood for $14.99 at Meijer! SO cool! 

Last but certainly not least- We had this onesie made (with Liam's name of course!) by the incredibly talented LivieQ! 

My favorite part of the party was our makeshift smores bar. They were a HUGE hit with the guests, and we will definitely do it at all future parties! The hot dog boats turned out a lot better than I expected, and added a fun touch. 

Now to plan this years party. I have a sneaking suspicion that this one won't be so well thought out. Perhaps I'm just in denial that he's turning two and am putting off planning as much as possible. ;)