Holiday Crazzinesss & Sicknesss!

So I have been super terrible about keeping up with our blog the past few weeks, I am so sorry! Sickness and Holiday preparations have overwhelmed our little household. Many Dr. visits and ER visits for me and Gracie have made things a little hectic over here. Thankfully, we are feeling much better and were able to enjoy our favorite holiday! :)

New news on the Gracie-Bug front! We have top teeth!!! LOL!!! And we like to nibble on t-shirts with those front teeth, so funny!

She has curls now!!! Ahhhh!!!! I love them!!!

She loves to sing and bounce at the same time!!! Her little singing voice is music to my ears!

She willingly keeps bows and hats on! :) This makes mommy VERY happy! 8)

Now onto the serious stuff...

We had ECI out this past week and they were so helpful! They were Very intrigued with our little Gracie... The therapist was astounded by Grace's ability to focus and her interest in evaluating everyyythinnnggg lol.  She was SO intrigued that she is sending out a team of more therapists that are even more specialized than she is. To us, this is normal for Gracie, but the therapist said that in all her years of working with babies she has never seen one like Grace. This was definitely uplifting for our family... With all the struggling we have been through over the last year and a half, it was such a blessing to hear such positive feedback for once! :) I look forward to all the different ways we can continue to challenging her intellectually. :)

The therapist also put my "neurological disorders" worry for Gracie-Bug at rest. She said with the amount of intense trauma Grace's body had sustained over the first 13 months of her life that we should expect a delay in her development. It was wonderful to finally have someone who understands what our daughter has been through and is able to help her fully recover. :) Such a Praise!!!

While we still aren't able to completely rule out serious neurological disorders, I do still hope and pray for the best and know that either way God is in control and will be with us every step of the way. Thank you to all those who have been continuously praying for our little angel and we ask that ya'll keep it up, God hears each and every prayer. :) Thank you from the heart! :)

I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas!!! And I hope you enjoyed a few of our Gracie Christmas pictures from this season! :)

Happy Holidays from The Wheats!!! :)

15 Months!!! :)

Can you believe Grace is already 15 Months?!?! That sounds so toddler-ie and not so baby-ie! Even so, I still view her as my brand new newborn... And maybe I always will. The past few days we have been blessed with Jonathan getting to be home with us, SO wonderful! And he kept telling me over and over how much she has grown since his last job. She has really become quite interactive! She loves playing chase with us! :) Her laughter and baby squeals are music to our ears. :)

Just yesterday we noticed that about 5 of her top teeth are about to bust through her gums... I am guessing that is why I am having a hard-time keeping her from chewing up the wood furniture lol! I am pretty sure there are little teeth marks on our dining room chairs haha! 

We had ECI come out last week to help us set up therapy for Gracie. They are going to help us get her eating regularly and hopefully something besides pears lol! :) If ya'll could pray for her therapy to be just what this little girl needs that would be wonderful! I would love to be able to feed her a healthy diet of babyfood! :)

This past week Grace has rediscovered her ball-pit! I can't keep her out of it lol! And mommy and daddy tend to end up having ball wars everytime haha! I think we enjoy that ball-pit just as much as she does. :)

He is Gracie's hero! :) She really loved his time here at home with us, and we can't wait until Thanksgiving! We have SO much to be thankful for this year. :)

A Few of Her Favorite Things!

On today's post I have decided to make it all about Grace's favorite things! (In no particular order).

1) Her new BLINGY Shoes! They fascinate her lol! They make her feet "sparkle."

2) Her SillyTown! She got it last Christmas from The Peadens and she has Loved it from Day One, she is C-R-A-Z-Y about that toy! :)

3) Anything electrical & she thinks they all belong in her mouth, you gotta watch that girl! :) 

4) Pears. Her favorite food of all time.

5) Her bottle, she despises sippy cups of any kind lol. She even named it "Nuh-Nuh," that's right, the bottle got a name before Jonathan or I did lol!

6) Her daddy! When he gets home that little girl LITES up! 

7) Her mobile, it is worth it's weight in gold... For Real! :)

8) Bathtime! She loves putting her face in the water, lol, I am not kidding!

9) Climbing... She LOVES it, I see a future rock climber in her! :)

10) Being Held, but what baby doesn't? :)

11) Jumping! I really think she is going to opt for jumping around the house as opposed to walking lol.

12) Visiting her family! There she is surrounded by people who LOVE loving on her. She really enjoys the attention and affection. :)

13) Being at home with Mommy! :) Grace did love her teachers at school, but I can tell that she really ENJOYS being at home with me. :) I am so thankful I can keep her here with me! :)

Parties: Easy Table Decor!

One of my favorite parts of party planning is the table decorations. I love being innovative! And I really LOVE saving money! :) Instead of breaking the bank with cupcake stands and such, I went ahead and thought a little outside the box. 

The Cupcake Stand

This was the easiest decoration to make, and it really does it job well! :) You can find about a million tutorials on other blogs showing you how to make one. So I will keep my explanation simple and short. :) A few cardboard boxes, wrapping paper, and your embellishments are all you need! :) If you have a cricket at your disposal this would be a great time to put it to work! :) I used hot glue to help keep them stacked, but since it is wrapping paper, I handled it very carefully so it wouldn't tear or rip. 

The Lollipop Stand

The Lollipop Stand was super super easy to make. All you need is some styrofoam, wrapping paper, a hot glue gun, and tape. The styrofoam that I found at Michaels was perfect in size but wasn't deep enough to hold up the lollipops efficiently so I bought two and hot glued them together. That created the perfect depth! :) You could make really long ones, tall ones, lots of individual short ones, the possibilities are endless! :)  Once you are done assembling your styrofoam base go ahead and wrap it up with the wrapping paper and stick in the yummy goodness! :) You could also add ribbon, lettering, etc. Go crazy with it! :)

**Note: Styrofoam sheds like crazy, if you have a baby I would make sure to craft with it somewhere the baby won't pick up the shavings off the floor or vacuum immediately after crafting.**

Vases

Vases can be pretty pricey, but I found these super cheap ($4 a pop) at Michaels, and just a little ribbon seems to tie them in perfectly with the table. :) Easy peasy!

I hope my little tips today helped give you an idea or two for your next event! If so, I would LOVE to hear about it! :)

What a Week of Firsts!

SWHEAT GRACE

Goodness what a Week it has been!!!

This has truly been a week for our little Grace!

1) Grace got her 1st big girl carseat. We did our homework on this one (BIG thanks to consumer report lol) and got a Britax Roundabout! Not much selection so I am shopping around for a super cute and comfy cover for it! :) This is a BIG step for mommy too... Not sure if I am ready for it....

This is her NEW carseat! :)

2) Grace went to her 1st wedding! Our friends Libby & Gregg got hitched on Saturday and it was beautiful! We sadly couldn't stay long since Gracie was sick, boo on that.

Gregg & Libby with Grace

3) Grace had her very 1st Babysitter this past week! Miss Ashton was so sweet to come stay with Grace so Jonathan and I could go on a date (Yes... It was our 1st night out since we had Gracie... way overdue lol). Everything went well and we looked forward to future date nights! :)

Jonathan treated to me to one of my faves! 

4) Gracie has started taking steps with her little musical walker this week! Getting close! :)

Such a CUTE toy!

I look forward to more 1st's as they come & sharing them with ya'll!

Lots of Love!

Backdrops: Amazing & Affordable!

I hope all of you were able to check out Grace's First Birthday post and I hope it brought a smile to your face! :) Well on today's "Nifty Nook" post I wanted to share how I created the backdrops for her party. I just LOVE backdrops!!! They seem to give parties that extra little something! :)

Now finding a perfect backdrop and then hanging it can be daunting especially when it's your first party! Fortunately I have lived to tell the tale, and am excited to share the easy answer with you!

First off, I cannot put enough emphasis on preparing in advance! :) Since I started shopping early I was able to get some GREAT deals! :) Try to get an early start if possible. :)

A lot of people use flat sheets for their party backdrops and I have seen them displayed beautifully, but goodness the contraptions they have to build to get them to hang seemed a little bulky and time consuming (especially if you are throwing the party in a rented facility). And the sheets can really get expensive! So that got me thinking outside of the box...

While my friend Lauren and I were walking around Target trying to find some reasonably priced sheets we stumbled upon some shower curtains that were on SALE! :) And that was the deal of the day for me!

Room Essentials @ Target

They (the Room Essentials Shower Curtains @ Target) are usually priced at 9.99 but since it was towards the end of the college dorm promo I got them a little cheaper.

Okay, so you are thinking awesome! What a perfect backdrop! But wait... It gets better! The curtains run 72" in width, perfect to match any 6 foot table! Which was an exact match for the tables we were using at the party! :)

Well, now that we have the "perfect" backdrop we need to be able to hang it easily and efficiently.

Since our backdrop moonlights also as a shower curtain, it has perfectly spaced holes at the top meant for hooks. We are going to take advantage of those, but instead of shower hooks we are going to use command hooks. Target sells quite a few hooks that coordinate with their shower curtains and they match perfectly (can it get any easier?!) :)

I found mine @ Target in Pink & Green, but other stores probably sell them also! :)

So now you have your backdrop & hooks, we are ready to Party! 

About 40 minutes before your shindig begins start hanging your command hooks, my husband for the most part eyeballed the spacing; but I would suggest using a tape measurer and a level unless you too are gifted spatially. :)

After hanging the hooks, you can start ironing out and lightly starching (for really tough wrinkles) the backdrops.

The hooks only need 30 minutes of dry time (if you are using 6 or more hooks per curtain) so you can begin hanging the curtains pretty soon after you iron them perfect! :)

The take down is super easy and they leave no trace or damage, and best of all... Everything is RE-usable! :)

I hope this post makes planning your next party a little easier and affordable! If it does, please tell me about it, I always LOVE feedback! :)

Babies & Beauty Berries!

SWHEAT GRACE

While Jonathan was home we were able to take Grace on a walk in one of our favorite parks! :) I love the conversation and the adventures I have with my sweet husband! I treasure his time here at home with us! :) This also was a great time for me to try out the new camera. As you can see I still have a lot of adjusting to do lol! 

Grace enjoys being outside so much! I hope she takes after me and LOVES the outdoors! We could take tons of camping trips, sleep under the stars, and climb mountains! I look forward to her first pair of chacos! :)

Of course, a picture of my AMAZING husband! :) He does not really "enjoy" taking pictures, so I have to catch them at a moment's notice! :)

The infamous Beauty Berries, we ALWAYS talk about them on our walks... And I am pretty sure we have the same convo almost everytime lol! This is sadly prob one of the last time we will get to enjoy them until next spring. As you can see they are near the end of their season. :(

Grace had so much fun on our walk and loved all the butterflies and deer we were lucky to encounter! I can't wait for Jonathan's return for more family fun! :)

Our Baby is One!!!

Grace’s “Sweet” First Birthday!

We had so much fun celebrating Grace's First Birthday! What a milestone! This sweet baby girl has suffered so much this first year (due to health problems) that I wanted to go all out for her special day! I hope each of you enjoy the pictures below and feel that you were there with us celebrating one year of Grace Amaris Wheat! 

On her actual "birthday" we went out for a family dinner and then starbucks followed by cake at the house; we got some great pictures of our little sweetie that day! I posted some of the pictures from our family outing below! :)

Above is my Mommy with her favorite Grandbaby at Starbucks! :) Since she was the photographer for all these pretty pictures you won't see her much below! So I wanted to make sure she had a special picture posted of her with the birthday girl! :) She LOVES that baby!

Her sweet Tia Kiki was playing a soccer game in Tyler the day of the party so we wanted to make sure she had a special debut too! :)

Above is a picture of my sweet pea and her "birthday" cupcake! :) Turns out I have one of the few children that hates cakes, pastries, and other various sweet treats lol. See the picture below for proof haha! 

LOL! She was unhappy when she tasted her fingers! Poor Baby!

We enjoyed spending such a special day with such a special girl; we just couldn't wait until her "First" Birthday Party!

Karyn did a GREAT job on Gracie-Baby's invitations! We hope you all enjoyed receiving them! :)

This was Grace's First Birthday Outfit! It was so precious I couldn't resist! :)

Before entering into the party building, all of our guests were greeted with a festive wreath I made!

Grace's Birthday Party had a "Sweet Treats" theme! So below is one of the Treat Place-Cards I made for her Sweet's Table! :)

The Cake Table

The Cake 

We made the topiaries for the cake table, a little on the tedious side but soooo worth it! I thought they came out so CUTE! :)

Didn't her cake just come out perfect! I have to hand it to Sharon from Creative Memories, she did a fantastic job! :)

The other Birthday Topiary!

This is the back of her Birthday Outfit! :) My favorite part of that Outfit!!! :)

Close up on the Cake! :)

The "Smash Cake" is below! :)

The top of the cake, loved that part! :)

More Cake! :)

Baby Girl playing in her birthday pom-poms!

The Sweet’s Table

The Cupcakes on their pretty stand we made! :)

Cracker Barrel Lolli's! Yum! :)

Side View!

Another... :)

Top of the Stand!

Close-Up! :)

The Refreshments Table

These waterbottles were SO fun! :)

The Punch was a HIT! :)

Our mantle decor! Rachel did a wonderful job on Gracie's frames! TOO precious!!!

Family Picture in front of the Sweet's Table!

Close up of the Birthday Girl!!! :)

Her sweet little bloomers for her Smash Cake Outfit! :)

Time to Sing to the Birthday Girl!

Loved this!!

Blowing out the candle! :)

Again... We are not big on this whole cake in mouth thing lol! :)

The Present’s Table

Opening her gifts! :)

Trying them out! :)

Party Favors!

In the middle of the party favors we featured a book charting the growth of our baby over the past 12 months! :)

I hope our guests enjoyed this book as much as we did! :)

Close-up of the party favors!

We lOVED our Guests!

We tried hard to capture as many complimentary pictures of all our guests but still missed so many of those we LOVE!. :( But we are SOOOOO thankful for each of you coming! It meant the world to us!!!

Grace's sweet cousins made a BIG trip to come celebrate with us! :)

These kids are TOO cute!!!!

Robert & Gracie's Papa!

Lena & Uncle Seth!

Handsome Boys! Elijah & Micah!

Tio Frank & Lita!

Sandy Yu & The Wheats! :)

Lena & Tia Marsha!

Tia Nini & Tio TayTay!

Christle & Zach Peaden! :) We love you guys! Thanks for making the big trip! :)

I hope you all enjoyed this post! :) And felt as if you were there! :) Feel free to comment or email me if you would like any of the pictures for printing purposes! :) And I look forward to posting how I made some of the decor pieces on "The Nifty Nook!" :) Keep checking back. :)

Lots of Love!