My Kind of Party

There were confetti bombs and giant balloons that fell from the sky. Oversized fur coats and 'coon skin hats. It was quite the dance party. And we were there. It was a blast to jump around with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at their world tour finale; the last night of a 3 month trip. It was our first date night in a very long time, and our first concert together as a couple. It was so much fun, I hope we'll make an effort to go to more shows together.

Happy Weekend Friends!
xoxo
Joy

Feliz Aniversario, Carol!!

We are so happy you're here so we can all celebrate together. Love you! Beijos!! 

xoxo

Joy, Camillo, and Oliver 

93rd

Yesterday was my grandma's 93rd birthday! We celebrated over lunch in Tacoma and then dessert at DQ. Ollie is just crazy about Great Grammy and he gives her the most hugs and kisses! It's super sweet to see the two of them together. 

It was a nice afternoon even though it was quick. This photo was my favorite of the day..trying to get Ollie to look at the camera but he was too interested in Grammy. I love the smile in Jordan's eyes, the mischievous look between O and my mom, and how my grandma is snuggling up to her great-grandbaby. 

Love you, Gramms! Happy Birthday!

xoxo

Joy

Another Birthday Celebration and a Musical

           

For my birthday in June, my mom got us tickets to see the August showing of Sister Act at the Paramount!! Sister Act (1&2!) was my favorite movie growing up. Seriously, all time. Ever since then, I've had a thing for Lauryn Hill, too. I mean. Just listen to her voice! It was the perfect gift, what a fun night! Doesn't my mama look so happy in that top photo?

We parked a few blocks from the theater and started walking. Since we had a little bit of time before the show, we ducked into a little pizza place for a slice and a soda. We kept saying 'this is so nice!' and just relaxed without anybody else needing us to do something for them. It was so amazing. The photo above has a beautiful chandelier in the background. Oops. Missed it. But in my defense, it was 7:28 and we were rushing in. So, quick photo! 

The show was a blast. The characters were just like the ones in the movie, and the songs were exciting. I might have wanted to jump up and dance for one or two. But I did not. My mom probably would have been super embarrassed ;) 

It was a much needed night out and I enjoyed time with my mama very much. Thanks, Mom and Happy Birthday to me!! ha!

Have you ever been to a musical? What did you see? 

xo

Joy

Another Birthday Boy!

Today my love is another year older. I thought he was turning 23. But no! He's 24!! That means I'm not 25, I'm 26. Dang it. 

Happy Birthday to my handsome sexy hubby, awesome baby daddy, and best friend. I hope and pray that you always know how much we love you and appreciate everything you do for our family but that today you feel it extra! Thank you for being you, I'm so thankful you're all mine.

xoxo

Your Beautiful Sexy Wifey

Birthday Boy

Did you hear? Our little Oliver's first birthday was on Thursday! For a while, I felt a lot of pressure to throw him a big party. You know. The First Birthday Party.  But when it came down to it, a big party was just too much for this Mama. Not to mention, I kind of have bad luck when throwing a party is involved. So I made the decision at the beginning of the month to just keep it simple. Me, Camillo, and our baby. And I'm so glad. It was a super sweet day, just the three of us.

The morning started late - Ollie slept in until NINE! People, he usually wakes me up at 630 every morning!! When we finally heard him up, we snuck in with a handful of balloons - he loves balloons. We were giddy with excitement as we sang Happy Birthday but he kinda just stared blankly at us for a minute, blinking awake slowly. I guess we kinda rushed him. But once he rubbed the sleepy out of his eyes, he practically jumped out of his crib to get those balloons! We all snuggled and hugged, and sang a couple more rounds of Happy Birthday, then let him down to play. 

Until this day, Ollie hadn't really had any sweet treats. I'd been looking around for recipes specifically for first birthday cakes and found the idea of cake batter pancakes. This recipe was just I wanted: a fun treat that wasn't too sweet. And instead of syrup (syrup on cupcakes? No thanks!) we drizzled some mango puree over our sprinkled pancakes. It was just perfect! There wasn't a sprinkle left uneaten!!  

After breakfast, Ollie needed his balloons back. So he got them and flung them around while I cleaned up breakfast. And took a million pictures. This is literally one of maybe 24...

After clean up and play time it was nap time. It was the first day we had rain in, like, a month so it was the perfect nap day. Dark, breezy, chilly, and wet. I loved it. I don't think Ollie noticed. Except that we didn't get to go to the park as planned (don't worry, we made up for it the next day). Anyways, we both napped while Daddy worked on his computer. It was glorious.

Naps around here only last about an hour, especially on first birthdays. And most especially when there are balloons floating through the living room waiting to be played with!

What a great day we had. The evening was low key with lots of playing on the floor with new toys. I made some homemade pizza because what's a party without pizza?! And because Ollie loves it. Then, it was party hat time!! I asked Daddy to get the boy ready for bed and a few minutes later, this is what was happening...Oh yeah, buddy!!

Happy Birthday, Ollie! If you remember anything about this day I hope it's that we had a fun time as a family and being silly together. Let's make balloon wake ups and sprinkle pancakes a birthday family tradition, whatdya say? Love you, Birthday Boy!!

xoxo
Mama

Happy Birthday, Josiah!!

 Dear Josiah,

   I was so happy when Mom told us you were coming! I'd been praying for a little sister for a long time. Don't worry, I'm definitely glad you're a boy now!! 

   We've always been very close. Growing up, you were my little buddy. Even though we don't live very close anymore, I still love you so very much. You are so smart and imaginative. It seems like you always have a happy heart. You have a lot of ambitions - so follow your dreams! 

   I'm still here for you whenever you need me, okay? Thanks for being a great little brother and a fun uncle.

   Happy 11th Birthday, we love you!

xoxo

   Sis, Camillo, and Ollie 

Jordanne Wins!

*This post almost didn't get written. As a very private person, I wanted to curl up and grieve in peace. The internet has a way of making some things lose their sentiment and I was afraid that sharing these memories would diminish my fondness of them. Kind of like sharing a secret makes it lose it's secret-ness. However, after a few days of crying, then laughing, then feeling so sad, and then so thankful, I decided that keeping these memories to myself was selfish. So I've decided to share them with you...

Late last Friday night, I heard the news that my dear, sweet friend had passed away. I read the words and couldn't comprehend them. My brain felt really fuzzy, my skin tingled, and I felt my heart beat hard and then stop, as if clenched. And then I sobbed.

Over the course of the next few days my emotions went from disbelief, to fear, to joy, then back to disbelief. She can't be gone. Did she go in peace? Her pain is gone, she's in heaven. This can't be real. Her happy face would flash through my mind and I would be overcome with the urge to hug her. I just want to hug her one more time. I want to call her every time Jesus puts her on my heart. I want to visit her in the hospital. I want to pray harder for her and keep her company.

My dear, sweet friend Jordanne won her battle with cancer. She's now in a place far better than any of us left behind can imagine. A better reality than anything she experienced here on earth before or during her cancer. That's a victory for sure.

My earliest memory of Jordanne is the day we took a tour of the high school campus. As freshman, everyone in our tour group seemed a little nervous. The kind of nervous where you try to act cool to cover your nervousness but then you end up just acting..kinda dorky nervous. You totally know what I'm talking about. But Jordanne really was cool. She was the tallest student in the tour and I could tell she was a genuinely nice person.

Through the first 3 years of high school, Jordanne and I were mostly just friendly acquaintances. She was on the dance team and I was in choir. It wasn't until the summer between junior and sophomore year that we really got to know each other. That was the summer we started beauty school together. I sat on the curb outside of the building and when she got there, even though we didn't know each other well, I was happy to see a familiar face. She sat next to me and we waited for the first day to start.

We were kind of crazy in beauty school. Jordanne was Miss Jo's favorite (it was totally obvious) and because of that, we got away with a little more than the rest of the students. We snuck out for lunch, procrastinated on our perm wraps, begged to leave a little early, and took a few too many bathroom breaks. All in good fun.

One thing that I love remembering is the night Jordanne and I (with the help of a couple other friends) drove around in the dark looking for road signs to...collect. We found an 'Equestrian X-ing' and had to have it. The next day, we took Miss Jo that fancy new sign and laughed through the whole story of how we got it. Miss Jo acted really upset and scolded us but we knew she thought it was funny, too, and she kept the sign anyways.

Miss Angie was another one of our instructors. She usually taught us our Theory class. We had study guide books to go along with our text books and the idea was to fill in the blanks with the correct answer. As you can imagine, it was really tedious. So, one day we were sitting in class and Jordanne starts giggling. Like, uncontrollably. What the heck? She shows me her work book and the whole page of blanks is filled in with song lyrics. We did that for weeks and nobody noticed. We'd turn them in, the instructors would flip through and see the blank pages filled, and give us credit for the work. Haha. Sorry Miss Angie.

Geez, I guess my beauty school memories make us sound like a bunch of hooligans. Like I said, it was all in good fun and at the end of the day, we did what we were supposed to do. Jordanne was amazing at up-dos. She even won 1st place in a district competition! She really liked doing makeup, too, and would draw all sorts of designs onto her mannequin's face with permanent markers.

The two of us used to drive to a lot of away football games together. One night, we heading out towards some place far. Bremerton? Belfair? All I know is it was super dark, it was before phones had maps, and we kinda felt like we were driving into a horror movie. Also, it was really close to Halloween. We downed a couple RedBulls and inevitably had to find a bathroom. We were in the middle of nowhere. Or so it seemed until we found a Safeway. Rushing in, Jordanne was a few steps ahead of me. The next thing I know, Jordanne is shrieking and jumps about 2 feet in the air only to collapse on the floor at my feet. Just about peed my pants, let me tell you. The display of Halloween decor was full of motion activated monsters and zombies and had all lunged out at Jordanne right as she walked by!! Haha, oh man. You had to be there. It was the funniest thing. Thankfully, we still had to go to the bathroom but on our way out we walked arooouund that display. Then laughed the rest of the way to the game (which, by the way, we eventually found and were never kidnapped or chased by any other scary things we were imagining).

There was also the time, more recently, when we were waiting in line for a comedy show. Jordanne had a brace on her knee and was using crutches. A couple guys in front of us struck up a conversation by good naturedly asking Jordanne 'What'd ya do? Fall down the stairs?' Jordanne laughed whole heartedly and then graciously replied, 'No, I have cancer.' Um, those two guys felt really horrible but Jordanne sweetly said what she could to make them feel better. To this day I'm impressed by her attitude. She didn't let herself wallow in self-pity or get angry. She did what she could to make other people more comfortable.

There are many more memories like racing to Target 10 minutes before closing, Arby's drive-thru, Wendy's dollar menu, shopping trips, eating pomegranates, rapping along with Eminem, photo shoots in the woods, the creepy, run down cabin we found, middle of the night grocery runs for eggs, sticking up for each other, and helping each other out.

Her memorial service was Saturday. I thought I'd be a wreck. But, ya know? It was beautiful. And encouraging! One thing the pastor kept saying was how, as Jordanne's body got weaker, her faith got stronger. I'm so incredibly thankful to know that Jordanne had hope because she trusted Jesus. The pastor also read a few entries from her journal and it was undeniable that God was giving her strength and peace, even as her body failed her. Jesus never left her and now, they'll be together forever.

Thank you for respecting my week away from the internet as I grieved, remembered, and honored the memory of my friend. She was an amazing person and will be missed very much. What a relief to know we'll see each other again one day!

I'm Not Foolin' Anybody

I thought it'd be fun to write an April Fool's post. But then I woke up this morning feeling quite un-witty or clever. So, I'll just give you some photos of two fantastic little leggies. And a handsome Easter shirt. And quite possibly our only family photo. 

We had such a happy Easter. I hope you did, too! It was a gorgeous day here in Seattle and we celebrated Jesus being alive with good music, great friends, and tasty food. 

So as not to waste a perfectly good April 1st, here and here are a couple pranks that had me going. But only for one second. 

Happy April!!

xoxo

Joy

Travel, Baby!!

Our friend Lanissa over at Sweet & Petite Party Designs featured Oliver's baby shower on her blog this week! She and Kristie planned the whole thing to go along with Ollie's nursery theme - Travel! Head on over to Lanissa's blog and check out the sweet treats and decor! 

I'll be back later this week to show you the spray paint project I'm working on today while the sun shines..I better hurry!!

xoxo

Joy

Our Valentine's

Since Camillo had a test Friday morning, Thursday night wasn't going to work out for a Valentine's date. No problem to me! We stayed in to order a pizza and watch a movie. But Monday night, we got dressed up (I shaved my legs, people!) and headed out to Fumaça Brasilian Steakhouse. Even our little mister wore his Sunday clothes :)

I was kinda nervous taking Oliver (now accepting babysitter applications) since it was close to nap time but he was a champ. He quietly watched the servers walking around and listened to our conversation. When he was ready to eat, we sat him in a big boy chair (!!) and he ate his sweet potatoes and drank his water. (Let's not tell him that mommy and daddy were eating delicious meats, rice, and beans and drinking coconut soda..)

It was a fun night out on the town with my boys. I realized how much a little time out with the baby and the Daddy can be good for my spirits. I say these boys take Mama on dates more often!! 

xoxo

Joy

LoveBug Bite

The Crafty LoveBug has bitten me! I am totally in the mood for hearts and glitter and hugs and kisses and cookies and frosting. Trouble is, our house still looks like this. So I must scratch this LoveBug Bite (if you will) with a little exploration through Pinterest. If I could get to my craft supplies..and had room to create anything...I'd surely make these:

Source: inspirationave.com via Joy on Pinterest

And bake these:

Source: keyingredient.com via Joy on Pinterest

And string these:

Source: sugarbeecrafts.com via Joy on Pinterest

Aah, that feels better. 

Have you been bitten by the Crafty LoveBug? What are you making?!

xoxo

Joy

Our Merry Little Christmas

   Since we spent Christmas with my family earlier in December, Camillo and I decided it'd be a good year to start our every-other-year-plan. We don't get to take turns between families because Camillo's  family lives in Brasil. As grand as it would be to travel to South America biennially, we just can't do it. So the last couple years have been spent with my family but this year, we stayed at our house - just the three of us! I was really looking forward to an intimate family Christmas and I wasn't disappointed. It was perfect. 

On Christmas Eve we brought the air mattress out to the living room for a little slumber party under the tree lights. It was so fun! We're going to keep this a Candido Family Tradition. Yay! We stayed up a little too late watching catch-up Dexter episodes. What?! I know. That part won't be tradition :) Maybe some holiday movies would be more appropriate..

Oliver finally slept through the night again. The week before he'd been waking up every two hours screaming hungry. Oh, and every night since then, too. So much for 10 hour nights. Anyways, it was a great Christmas gift from my little guy. I woke up feeling rested and ready for a happy day. We stayed in bed for another hour or two, taking pictures, singing silly songs, and snuggling. I love my boys!

The rest of the day consisted of a yummy breakfast and good coffee, a couple gifts, Christmas storybooks, thankful conversations, and naps. Really, it was exactly what I had been hoping for.

By next year, when Ollie is old enough to kinda join in, I hope to establish a couple more Christmas traditions. What are some of your family traditions? Do tell!

xoxo
Joy