And today I cried...

First day back to work. I was tired but the day went alright. It was even a bit fun seeing everyone again and getting my classroom ready. But then I got home. Past 6:00. After sitting in tons of traffic. Making dinner, feeding baby, washing diapers, bathing baby. And before I knew it, it was bedtime. 8:00 and I feel like I didn't even see him today. As I read him a few books before bed, I started to cry. His little body curled up on mine, "reading" his book outloud and pointing to the pictures, and my tears just flowed. I stared at his little feet and smelled his newly wash hair and cried. Oh, how he will grow this school year. He will learn new things, and I'll miss them. I really didn't know how hard it would be to go back. But I know that tomorrow will be better. I'm praying that tomorrow will be easier.

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Running Gear and Essentials?

Now that I'm starting to train for the half marathon, I would like your advice.  What do you make sure to have with you before you pound the pavement?  I would love personal recommendations on kinds of ear buds (over the ear or not, what brand) and anything else you think I need.  (So far, I have great shoes and a water bottle.)

THANKS!

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Goodbye July, Goodbye Summer

I feel like I just wrote this post and I was in the middle of summer break.  But in one week from today, I will be officially back to work.  This summer blew by so fast and I can honestly say, that it was the best summer I've ever had.  Spending time with my son has been absolutely incredible and I going back to work is going to be extremely hard.  Last year, I was ready to go back to work and get back to my "normal" life.  But now, I'm not so sure that working is going to feel "normal" for me anymore.  I've already cried a couple of times about thinking about Ethan at the babysitter's.  Here's to hoping the anticipation of going back to work is worse than the real thing.
We have totally been digging the splash pads this summer.  Ethan wasn't so sure about them the first couple of times but now he loves running through the fountains.  (St. Louis readers, we like the ones at Tillis Park and Millenium Park.)  Ethan was so funny yesterday running around the house with his bath towel on his head.  SUPER-ETHAN!  When I took out the Bumbo to lend to a friend, Ethan wanted to try it out.  Hilarious watching him squeeze himself in and out :)

This morning, when I pulled in from work, a POD was in our driveway.  In order to list our house, we have a lot of cleaning to do.  Our basement is FULL of "stuff".  Boxes of toys and clothes, the Christmas tree, wrapping paper, craft items, bedding and pillows, wedding presents, well...anything you can imagine.  It's insane.  Our agent says that everything needs to disappear so into the POD it will go.  DID I MENTION THAT WE ARE GOING TO MOVE?!?

We aren't moving yet.  We are just starting to look and are hoping to list our house after Labor Day.  One more month to do a lot of little fix-up projects around the house and pack up this POD.  We are definitely staying in St. Louis and we will be moving closer to our parents and my work.  The driving back and forth is crazy for me and Ethan and I spend so much time in the car.  We LOVE LOVE LOVE living in the area we are currently in but unfortunately, won't be able to afford a house the size that we want. 

Finally (to end this totally random post), today was the first day of half marathon training.  It is my 3rd attempt at training and 3rd time's the charm, right?!  I've been running on and off for about 3 years now and I know there is nothing that can get in my way of running this thing in October.  My sister and I are going to train and race together and I'm excited to do this with her.  So here we go!

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Traveling and Cruising with a Toddler

We just got home from a week-long Alaskan cruise with Ethan.  I'll admit, it wasn't the most relaxing trip of our lives, but we came prepared and were able to enjoy the trip and the beautiful scenery.  That being said, I'll never do that again.

When my mother-in-law mentioned that she wanted us to go on a cruise with them and WITH ETHAN, I was a bit skeptical.  I knew that traveling with a 14 month old would be a bit tricky and I knew that cruise wasn't exactly the place for a toddler.  But the more I started talking to people, the more excited I became with the idea and since we love to travel, we figured we could survive.  There would be 4 adults and only one Ethan so we had pretty good odds in our favor.

Before the trip, I scoured the internet for the best traveling tips and toys that I could find.  Hopefully this post can help others too!  Here is what worked for us while traveling and cruising with a toddler:

 1.  Fisher Price Apptivity Case-  Ethan loves to push the off button on our phones and iPad when we try to  use apps so we bought this case hoping it would prevent that and it did.  I downloaded all of the Fisher Price free apps and he really liked them.  He also liked these: "I Here Ewe", "SoundTchLite", "Bubbles", "Shapes", "Match it Up" and "Doodle Buddy". 

2.  Sock Money Nesting Dolls- These were great for dinners on the boat.  We would put little snacks or pieces of bread in each one that he could find as he opened each doll.  He really loves opening and closing them so that gave us a nice 20 minutes of "relaxation" one night.  (We left the smallest 2 dolls at home because they are a chocking hazard.)

3. Travel Magna Doodle- We ended up throwing away the magnets because the kept falling off and were a chocking hazard.  Ethan isn't really old enough to draw yet but he liked erasing whatever was on the screen so that kept him busy for a bit.

4. Earth's Best Food Pouches- Luckily, Babies R Us has a 20 of $20 sale on these right before we left.  Ethan hasn't had "baby food" in a very long time but I knew these would be great for snacks on the boat or while we were docked.  I am SO glad I had these.  Ethan decided to be a picky eater some days on the trip and it was nice to know he was getting SOME kind of nutrition for the day.  There are tons of great flavors and they are organic too! 

5. B. Hellophone- Ethan LOVES cell phones and this was a birthday gift from my brother.  We saved it for the trip and it was his favorite!  You can record your voice and there are cute little songs.  We didn't use it on the plane because it's pretty loud but it was great for time in the room on the boat.

6. Annie's Organic Bunnies- I heard about these from another mommy and she was right...baby crack.  Ethan adores these...he smiles and laughs when he sees the box.  I brought a box of cheddar and a variety box of cookies.  These things saved our lives too many times.  I hate that I was shoving these things down his throat but they were really the only thing that would keep him occupied during dinners, flights, and any other meltdowns.  (These were the reason I needed to bring the baby food pouches.)  For some reason I started calling these things "bun buns" and when Ethan eats them he says "mama" in the sweetest voice you have ever heard.

7. First Years Jet Stroller- We needed an umbrella stroller and I heard about this from another mommy.  It was AWESOME.  I love this thing!  Great quality, easy to use, light, and perfect for travel.  AND...I got it on sale randomly on Amazon (I think it was $25 for some reason).  It comes in a bunch of cute colors too...of course, we just got black!

8.  Snackgrabber- This was another necessity for the "bun buns".  Ethan was able to feed himself and it occupied him to have to go in for his snack.  We also got creative and put other things in there during dinners (spoons, makeup mirrors, bread, pacifiers...anything that would fit).

9. Pack and Play Sheet- Man, I had no clue that a cruise wouldn't provide a pack and play sheet!  Seriously...they give you the nasty 1980's PnP WITHOUT a sheet.  Thankfully I read a bunch of blogs that told me to bring mine along.

Luckily, the flights went really well.  We had layovers on the way there and the way back.  We also had a 5 hour redeye flight back which was really stressful.  Ethan ended up sleeping that entire flight but we didn't.  Every time he fussed and tried to change positions, we scurried to get him comfortable. 

My sweet, little baby turned into a toddler on this trip.  We got our first taste of Ethan's "naughty" side and now it's time to learn how to actually parent.  Unfortunately, we reinforced Ethan's behavior the entire trip because we couldn't just let him scream all day.  He quickly learned that if he screams, then he gets what he wants REALLY fast.  Poor kid is in for a rude awakening that that isn't going to work at home.  Let the fun begin!

I'll definitely do a separate blog post about the trip after pictures are downloaded.  Here's one of my instagram pictures and one from Mike.  :)

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2010...101 in 1001

I found this as an unpublished and unfinished post that I started in January of 2010. It is amazing to see that 30 months into the 32 month "project", many of my goals have been met. Let's see....

Education/Work
. Graduate with my Masters Degree DONE
. Start classes toward my 2nd Masters Degree or PhD
. Change grade levels
. Have a student teacher DONE
. Become a mentor
. Become the school representative on a district committee DONE
. Teach a district course

Physical
. Run a 5K DONE
. Run a 10K DONE
. Run a 1/2 marathon (Going to start training)
. Start swimming (buy a Speedo, cap, and goggles) DONE
. Fit back into my wedding dress
. Weight 140 lbs. for more than 1 day
. Start biking
. Go rock climbing

Family
. Have a child DONE
. Get another dog
. Talk to my brother and father on the phone more often (Do text messages count? In progress)
. Visit my deceased relative's graves at least once a year
. Foster pets up for adoption

Financial

. Pay off my car DONE

. Buy a new house (Starting the process)

Home
. Paint the basement DONE
. Landscape our front yard
. Buy new bedroom furniture DONE
. Grow grass and end the swamp in our backyard DONE
. Change our guest bedroom into a nursery DONE
. Hang pictures in our living room DONE
. Vacuum more often DONE
. Paint/Redecorate upstairs bathroom DONE 
.Garden/plants for the side yard DONE


Organization
. Develop pictures DONE
. Start new photo albums DONE
. Organize my clothing
. Organize guest bedroom closet DONE
. Start a filing system DONE

Travel
. Visit Italy DONE
. Visit California DONE
. Visit New York DONE
. Go hiking somewhere outside of Missouri DONE
. Visit Greece
. Visit Spain
. Go skiing somewhere other than Hidden Valley
. Visit Mexico DONE
. Visit a winery in California
. Ride a mo-ped
. Ride on a train DONE

Arts
. See at least 1 new musical each year DONE
. Take a photography class
. Photograph a wedding DONE
. Photograph a friend's baby
. Photograph a friend's engagement
. Take a dance class
. Take voice lessons

Self
. Read 3 adult books each year DONE
. Start volunteering
. Donate my hair to Locks of Love

Crazy
. Go skinny dipping
. Jump off a cliff into an ocean
. Get another tattoo
. Go to a shooting range

St. Louis
. Go to Crown Candy
. Go to Black Thorn Pizza
. Take a segway tour downtown
. Visit the Planetarium

Soooo, I never finished making this list and there were only 65 items on it.  But man, I've done A LOT of those things.  Kind of fun to see what my "to do list" was at the age of 26 after only being married for a year and a half.  Definitely want to continue checking things off of this list but lots of new things should be added.  Maybe a new list will be created some day.  You know this girl loves her lists :)

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I'm a cooking fool!

Thanks to Pinterest and being home this summer, I've been able to try out some new, awesome recipes.  I found a few online and made up some on my own.

I'm on a roll lately and I'm sure if you follow me on Instagram, you are probably sick of seeing my food. 

1.  Knock-off egg McMuffins- (found these on Pinterest)  Super easy and better for you than fast food.  These are REALLY good...Mike says they are better than the real thing.  I definitely plan to make another batch when I'm back to work in August.

2.  Time for Dinner's Buffalo Turkey Burgers, Edamame Quinoa, and grilled corn on the cob-  We are huge Time for Dinner fans and these have been in our freezer for quite a while.  They were so delicious on a sandwich thin, lettuce, tomato, and ranch greek yogurt spread (just add some dry ranch to a container of yogurt...yum).  The quinoa was totally easy and really good!  I boiled the quinoa in chicken broth and added the shelled edamame after it simmered for 20 minutes.  Just follow the directions on the bag for quinoa.  Mike made a spicy butter for the corn and it was great...just cayenne pepper mixed into the butter.

3.  Tilapia fish tacos-  For the fish, I used frozen Tilapia that I had in the freezer from Sam's.  I rubbed taco seasoning on top of 6 filets (Mia ended up eating one...grr) and followed the cooking directions on the back of the bag.  I made guacamole slaw by blending 2 avocados with a small tub of greek yogurt.  When it was smooth, I stirred in cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and minced onions and 1/2 of a bag of organic broccoli slaw from Trader Joe's. 

                                                      

I chopped some tomatoes and a lime, shredded the fish, and rolled it up in a Trader Joe's corn tortilla.  (Make sure to follow the directions and heat the corn tortilla before eating.  They aren't good if you don't follow those directions.)  I was so proud of myself for just making this up myself :)

4.  Homemade Hawaiian Pizza-  For about a dollar or so, you can buy Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza crust.  I just followed the directions on the back of the bag and added my favorite toppings to make a Hawaiian pizza (sauce, pineapple, Canadian bacon, and cheese).  Honestly, it wasn't the BEST pizza I've ever had...it was pretty bland.  I think next time, I'll try to make the crust thinner and add some garlic and more seasoning to get more flavor.

                                                  

So that's what I've been up to lately!  Just cooking away as little Suzi Homemaker :)  Have a fantastic weekend and STAY COOL! (I heard it's supposed to be a high around 110 degrees tomorrow in St. Louis!  YIKES!)

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Thoughts as a SSAHM

The major perk of being a teacher is summer vacation.  You work your butt off for 9.5 months and then get to enjoy summer break.  Now, not all teachers take a summer break.  Before Ethan, I would teach summer school and load my schedule with summer workshops and trainings.  But not this summer, my friends.  I decided to spend the entire summer home with my son and let me tell you, it has been incredible.

I can't believe that I am halfway finished with my break.  {tear}  5 weeks down and 5 weeks to go.  I wasn't so sure how I would do as a SSAHM (summer stay at home mom) but I love everything about it.  Ethan is so good and so much fun and we are having a blast together.

Don't get me wrong, I know that staying at home with kids is hard.  But from MY experience with MY son, it is a piece of cake.  Being a stay at home mom is a million times easier than being a working mom (TO ME).  Ethan is on a great schedule which allows me to plan out our day in the morning (depending on when he wakes up).  I get to workout during his morning nap!  I get to prep dinner and shower during his afternoon nap!  It's amazing! 

So many things are possible by being home!  Errands and grocery shopping during the day.  Fun outings at the pool or splash pads.  Play dates.  Cleaning and picking up around the house.  Laundry and sunning Ethan's diapers.  I could go on an on.  ILOVETHISSOMUCH!  Being a working mom is REALLY hard.  Balancing yourself and your job and your home and your child and your schedule and your marriage and your friends.  It's hard.  Ugh...and the driving and the jam packed weekends.  It seems almost hard to breathe at times.

I've been thinking a lot about if being a SAHM is right for me.  I know I'm probably a minority when I say that I didn't really like the newborn stage.  Maternity leave was hard for me...especially the first 4-6 weeks.  No PPD or anything...I was just dying for Mike to get home in the evenings so I could get a break (or a shower).  Not going to lie, I was ready to get back to work when the school year started.  But once Ethan hit 6 months, I wanted to be home with him.  And now, he is at such a great age and I feel like we are able to do so many fun things together.  I am teaching him a lot and I know that he wouldn't learn these things at our in-home babysitter (who is wonderful, BTW). 

BUT...I am not ready to give up my career.  I love where I work.  I love my adult relationships at work.  I love being able to financially contribute to my family and be able to live the life that we live without having to budget for anything/everything.  I love knowing that I'm putting my education (bachelor's and master's degrees) to work.  I love knowing that I'm doing a job that helps our society and makes a difference in others lives. But I love being with my child all day. 

I think the perfect balance would be to stay home for a couple/few years after we have 2 or 3 kids.  (I know that the ease of staying home with just Ethan won't be so when there are more children involved.)  Then I could go back to work when all of the kids are in school.  (Working part-time isn't an option as a teacher in my district or something I would be interested in doing.)  I can't really imagine being at home in an empty house all day when I can be working with kids and earning money for our family.  Only time will tell what will be right for us and our family.

But until then, I'm loving this summer and my time with my Ethan. 

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Memory Keeper

*Paper Coterie did not pay for me to write this review or provide me with any products.*

I've been needing something for Ethan's newborn "stuff". You know...his baby hat, footprints, hospital bands. A friend, Amy, posted a coupon on Facebook for 50% off a Memory Keeper and I was all over it. A Memory Keeper is a large box with an adorable cover that you can personalize with your own picture. Honestly, the box is a lot larger than I thought it would be! I love the colors and the design. It is exactly what I wanted and needed! There are tons of designs and these boxes could be used to organize and save anything.
 

 
If you "like" Paper Coterie on Facebook, you can see when they run their promotions.  I definitely plan on getting a Memory Keeper for each child down the road.

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A post about poop and puke

This week has been an interesting one in the world of a summer stay-at-home mom.

Lately, Ethan's poop has been different and let me say (without going into too much detail) that it has been NASTY.  (Those of you that cloth diaper will understand that while I used to be able to just plop it into the toilet easily, instead, I've been using the sprayer on EVERY diaper for TWO WEEKS!) 

Last week, we got home from the pool and Ethan was exhausted so I just put him in a clean diaper and put him down without any clothes on.  Big mistake.  I guess he pooped in his diaper and it hurt his bum so he started fussing (and took off his velcro diaper since he didn't have pants on).  I figured he was having a hard time falling asleep so I let him fuss until after about 10 minutes, I decided I should go check on him (he usually goes down easily).

There. was. poop. EVERYWHERE.  On him.  On the crib.  On the bumper (that we have used for a teeth guard). On the breathable bumper.  I pick him up without thinking and of course get poop all over me.  It falls on the floor.  Mia starts eating it.  I'm screaming, trying to get her out, trying now to get his poopy hands all over me.  Trying not to vomit.  Of course, the poop on the front of my shirt gets all over the dresser when I go to wipe him off.  Suddenly, I realize I just need to get him in the tub.  The whole ordeal ended up taking about an hour to get all cleaned up.  Bed stripped and everything in the laundry.  I had to treat myself to a congratulatory beer for getting all the way through without throwing up.  It was definitely the grossest experience I had had as a mother.

Until today.

So...the little buddy still doesn't feel good.  Still nasty diapers so I planned to call the doctor today to see what they said.

In the car, I hear a water splashing sound and realize that Ethan's throwing up.  I put my hand back on his chest and yes, it was vomit.  Then the smell.  Ughhhhhh.  I pull over to assess the damage.  It was BAD.  I didn't have anything to clean him up with and it was definitely going to be a lot of work.  Since I was close to my mother-in-law's, I called her and asked her to get washcloths and towels ready.  And again, I am forcing myself not to throw up myself.  The smell was terrible.  I'll spare you the picture but let's just say that it was EVERYWHERE and in every single nook and cranny of that new carseat.  I had to keep reminding myself breathe through your mouth, breathe through your mouth but it was hard.  Definitely was the MOST disgusting thing I have experienced as a mother.  Hoping my little buddy doesn't top that anytime soon.

I felt like I was just hazed into the sorority of motherhood.  Thanks, E!   :)

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Pinterest Love and Fails

I love Pinterest, plain and simple.  I love looking at photography, fashion, recipes, and craft projects.  I'm not very creative but I have a great appreciation for beautiful and creative things.

Whenever I pin something, I always want to know if it really is as easy as it seems.  Is the food actually good?  Have someone actually tried making/doing/cooking this?

I thought I'd go through some of the successes and failures I've had at making things from Pinterest.

Pepperoni Roll-ups- SO GOOD!  Brought them to a party and friends ate them right up.  I served them with a marinara sauce.  I made a "skinny" version with lowfat crescent rolls, light string cheese, and turkey pepperoni.

I love you because...frame- I already had the frame and stickers.  I just ran up to Hobby Lobby for a nice, yellow damask paper and a dry erase marker and that was it.  It is really nice to pass this back and forth and write things that we appreciate about each other but don't say on a daily basis.  Below is my Mother's Day message...



Holiday baby pictures- There are always so many cute pictures of babies around the holidays.  Here are the ideas I found on Pinterest and did with Ethan.

              

Baby hand print ornament- FAIL.  We tried to just do red paint on a clear ornament in December and it was a mess.  Ethan was only 6 months old and just wasn't having it.  We tried awake, we tried sleeping.  Nope.  Might try again this year.  We will see...

Popcorn cupcakes-  I got a couple of comments on these so I knew I would include them.  These were super easy.  I bought the cupcake collars from Oriental Trading and regular cake mixes for the cupcakes.  We iced the cupcakes with white icing and took a handful of marshmallows for the topping.  It was so easy to just "dip" the cupcakes into the palm of a hand full of marshmallows.  Easy peasy and super cute!  (My DH did make little labels and we had to tape the cuffs shut.  They kept popping open.)

Spray painting the highchair- Young House Love did a post on spray painting an old high chair and I immediately knew this would be happening for Ethan's party.  I was surprised when my mom willingly let me spray our old highchair from when I was a baby.  We followed the directions from the post and also used this post from Bower Power and one I found on Pinterest.  I was so happy with how it turned out and it wasn't too hard.  My husband actually did it in the yard.  He didn't sand it beforehand and he used grey primer.  He did sand a few drips and had to go to the store for more primer and color spray.  Get more than you think you will need!

I also got the idea of the hot dog bar, goldfish bags, and favors from Pinterest too!




Crockpot Buffalo Chicken-  YUM YUM YUMMMM!  Made this last night and it was so good and super easy.  3 ingredients:  frozen chicken, bottle of Frank's buffalo sauce, and 1 dry ranch packet.  I made it "skinny" by not adding butter and putting it on a Sandwich Thin.  We actually did put a bit of Greek Yogurt in the bun for a "ranch" taste.  (pic below is from the original Pinterest blog post).

Those are my favorite things from Pinterest right now.  What are yours?  I love to try things out that I KNOW have been tested by someone and recommended.  Baby is up from naptime!  See ya!

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School's out of summer!

Sometimes, I think that teachers look forward to summer break more than the students.  I've always lived for summer break but, of course, this year is different.  Last summer was extremely overwhelming as a new mom, trying to get the hang of this parenting thing, recovering and healing, and battling the extreme heat and humidity that kept us inside. 

I feel like this is Ethan's first real summer.  A summer that is going to include lots of trips to the Zoo, the pool, and everything that St. Louis has to offer.  I.am.so.excited.

Summer started off with a trip down to Mexico to celebrate my 29th birthday, my first successful year as a working mom, and quality time with our close friends.  It was EXACTLY what I needed.

I was worried about how I would do without Ethan for a long weekend but we all survived just fine.  I truly believe that having a relaxing weekend away every once in a while is best for me, my marriage, and my role as a mom. 

We flew first class for the first time because we had miles and boy, was it wonderful.  I understand why people say that you won't go back after that.  Unlimited drinks, plenty of room to get comfy, and really good food.  I was in heaven.  (Bloody Marys and mimosas aren't a bad way to start off your birthday.)

I would definitely recommend our resort, Excellence Riviera Cancun.  It was wonderful.

We have only been back for 5 days but already enjoying summer to the fullest.  Today, we set up the little man's water table and baby pool.

Next step is making a calendar of all of the fun stuff to do in the St. Louis area.  I live in a city that offers tons of fun things to do (with and without kids) and I plan to take full advantage of it for the next 9 weeks.  (Ugh, why is summer so short?)

Happy summer to all!

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Ethan's First Birthday- Carnival Party

For Ethan's first birthday party, I wanted to do something special.  I wanted to find a fun theme that would work for his outside party at a nearby park.  I scoured Pinterest and found so many carnival/circus ideas (see my inspiration board here!)  Honestly, I had no idea how much work it all would take.  I've now decided that Pinterest is the devil and although it provided me with TONS of ideas, it also made this party almost impossible to prepare.  Working full time (and having a husband with 2 jobs) and taking care of a child doesn't leave much time for party planning.  I enlisted the help of my family and the night before Ethan's party, we cranked it all out.  (It also didn't help that I ran a 5K and was out of the house from 7-9 am on the morning of his party.)  It was crazy but we did it!  (I already feel sorry for our future children who will never have this much energy or creativity put into any of their parties.)

Without further ado...Ethan's party!

I LOVED how the popcorn cupcakes turned out.  So easy and so cute!

Party favors

Hot dog bar for lunch

Now for the fun part!

Adorable birthday t-shirt from LeeLynn Crafts.

My mom let us repaint our childhood highchair that she now uses for Ethan.  Thanks for the idea Young House Love.

Happy birthday, Ethan!  Thanks for all of the friends and family that helped make Ethan's day special (and for helping me not lose my mind preparing).  Xoxo

Cupcake holders and cuffs, popcorn bags, plates, silverware, table cloths, stickers, lollipops- Oriental Trading Company (they have TONS of carnival decor and item)

Plastic Popcorn Holders (for favors and chips), red bowls, balloon bases, foil tins, ketchup/mustard- The Dollar Store

Hot dog Wrappers and Cracker Jacks- Amazon

***Since I was asked, the dress is from Old Navy.  They only have it in navy blue and a small.  The dress runs big (I'm wearing a small).  I bet you can find it in the clearance area in-store too!

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