Stella's Bday Plate

So i've been wanting to start a tradition - paint a bday plate for Stella each year for her bday to use for her piece of cake.  Actually Jill - i've been wanting to ask you if you and Davis wanted to do this some day but there just never was a good time to plan it.  So spontaneously today, as i pulled into our Kroger's parking lot to pick up a few things for our road trip, i plopped stella in the cart still in her car seat and i thought you know what - she's in a good mood right now, i think i could bust some ass and paint this plate super fast.  so the funny thing is this place is WAY down away from Kroger's in the plaza area, and here i go trucking along the lot, into the store with my shopping cart.  i was like a bum with a baby.  hardly anyone was in there except for a few kids.  well anyway,  wahlah - her 1st Birthday Plate!  i did it in about 15 min. - they told me when i asked how long it could generally take to do "oh you could do it quick, in about an hour"  i was like - she doesn't have an hour in her and i still have to go to Kroger's - let's get this show on the road - where's your red, yellow, blue and white paint!? 

i can't wait to see it after they fire it - it should be fire engine red, aqua and and white with some hint of yellow - which are her "birthday colors" :)  TMI?  :)

oh - and it was funny - this place is called "Paint Your Own Masterpiece" but as you can see mine is no Masterpiece but man the few kids in there sure did think i was a DaVinci or something...they were surrounded by me watching me "create my masterpiece" - it was hilariously cute.  and Stella was a gem in the shopping cart for those 15 min.

Peaceful Asleep, Nap Time

Messy!

 Teething Bisquits = The MESSIEST baby food ever.  But - man they work like a charm when i need to get something done like clean up the kitchen.

The Shining!

  omg - crazy bath hair.  reminds me of Jack Nicholson in The Shining.  My scariest movie EVER, i hate it - the movie that is, not my darling girl's bath hair ;)

Mama-razzi Monday!

Stella Jane Clark was spotted on July 14 enjoying a dip in the shallow end of her lake in Northern Michigan.

Aunt Amy's Pancakes

 As our family knows, my mom and Amy make the best pancakes.  And now, Stella has discovered this as well.  Aunt Amy made her some of her specialty very own sour cream batter pancakes for breakfast when we were up north.  She can't wait till the next breakfast time with Aunt Amy!  She ate these right up.

Aunt Hadley's Baby Book

Over the last few weeks Stella has taken notice to the baby that is on the packaging of her Yo Baby Yogurt cup and always pointing to the baby and smiling.  So today when she was doing this i remembered the Global Babies Book that Aunt Hadley bought Stella which i haven't read to Stella yet.  When I showed her all the babies from around the world she got so excited to see them all.  She loves this book Aunt Hadley, Thank You!

Stella Turns 11 Months Today!

 Here she is - Stella is 11 months old today! 

Now if you ask her mama, i think SHE LOOKS TOTALLY LIKE A LESNIEWICZ!!!  At least in that first photo for sure! 

While up north at my parents cottage I got all crafty and painted this onesie for her.

Well - i've got 4 more weeks until her Big 1st Birthday Bash and i'm busy busy busy planning it!

Till Next Time, Leland

 Dinner at The Cove restaraunt in Leland. Stella was kept very entertained by the view of Fishtown.

Mama-razzi Monday!

Back on July 1st, Stella Jane Clark was spotted looking quite "Garden Chic" at her Jeamma's Garden Tea Party where she happily enjoyed the company of others such as her JoNanna, her Aunt Amy, her Great Aunt Snookie & her Great Grandma Alice, to name a few.  She was later joined by her future Uncle, Todd, which also made her very happy (hi Todd - now get back to work!  ;)

Visiting Friends On Lake Michigan

 We visited some friends at their log home which was right on the bluffs of Lake Michigan to watch the sunset.  It was absolutely beautiful.  And Stella LOVED playing in the sand & with their dogs (which equals SandBox & Dog some day, soon enough)

Sleepy Head

Napping on Jeamma & Ter-Bear's bed.

Captain Stella

 
When we go for boat rides Stella eyeballs the steering wheel and is very envious of her Ter-Bear who gets to steer the boat, so she is all smiles when she gets to drive.

Stella's First Crawl!!! 07.17.10

Stella's Elephant Bench

Stella just chillin' on her bench at her regular ice cream joint in suttons bay.

Hi'ya, from Up North!

Lovin' the Hammock

Mama-razzi Monday!

Stella Jane Clark was spotted KFC parking lot at around 10pm at Exit 212 off of 75 North, heading to her Jeamme & Ter-Bear's cottage.  Looks like she was taking a break from the road trip & playing driver.

Peeping Stella

Doing her rounds/nightly tour with Ter-Bear before she heads up to bed....at 10:15pm.  What happened to her 8:30/9 bedtime?  It went bye-bye since we've been up here for some reason. 

Cute Dress

I love these bell sleeves.  This was definitely one of my favorite scores at the Neimen Marcus Outlet store in FL.  It says size 2 - Jeamma and I have decided it is supposed to be a very snug shirt for a toddler but i bought it to be worn by Stella as a most adorable dress! 

Sit Down, I Don't Think So

Rock & Roll Chick....

...on the twig rocking chair up north that is :)

Stella's Country Club

She's got her own pool, a view of the lake, people catering to her every need....i guess she's just missing the club tennis court.  Maybe Ter-Bear will put one back in the woods for her.  Stella can't wait to go to the sister country club in Strafford, VT.

BTW, she likes to give her big duckie kisses, it's really cute.

Pooped Up North

                                                            On the porch swing with Jeamma

                                                            Napping with hands full

Stella Hits The Carnival!

We went to the Traverse City Annual Cherry Festival today, on Great Grandma Stella's Birthday, July 8th.  This is a week long festival and Miss Stella hit the carnival and rode her first carnival ride!  JoNanna, i know you will barely be able to watch this video - but don't worry she was fine and SHE LOVED IT!  And the video is blurry because of the zoom Ter-bear had it on but in the beginning look for when Stella totally waves to them from up above and the photo above of her on "The Crazy Bus" with the huge grin reflects how she was in video....but you can't see the detail.

It was a fun-filled day for her of playing the carnival game with the ducks in the water where she grabbed her very own and won a prize (a big yellow floating squeaking duck), watching the "Air Dogs" show where dogs ran and leaped into a giant pool & they measured how far they went in the pool and people watching or shall i say "carnie watching".  And Stella topped the day off with one of her favorites, a complimentary mini-ice cream cone from the Sleeping Bear Ice Cream Parlor in Suttons Bay.

As you can see above, i could not resist this "photo opp!" as i call them which happens probably 100 times a day of Stella in front of the carnival ride with all the sweet cute flying elephants.  And it reminds me of my search for some elephants that my dad can add wings to for her nursery.  I need to get back on that project because i do not have enough things in her nursery ;)

Happy 3rd Anniverary to Us!

Had a wonderful Anniversary dinner at Stella's in TC, Michigan.  Justin and i said the same thing to each other "thank you for the best gift of my life....Stella." Are you gagging? It was a wonderful day and evening. 

 And thank you to Justin, he bought me this Eucalyptus necklace & earrings i had admired back in March in Florida.  Beautiful, i love them.  And with the mommy brain that i've been having lately, i was searching the "Modern vs. Traditional Gifts" for SECOND wedding anniverary...when hello, it is our THIRD.  So i bought him something made out of cotton.  i bet all of you can guess what.  yup, a Jeep T-Shirt.  but it's a very cool one and it came all the way from the U.K.  Ed

 

Editor's Note:   So I'd have to say these two pics i took of her today have to be in the top 5 Best Stella Photos Ever!!!!

Off The Charts...in Cuteness AND Weight!

As Stella's proud and gloating mama, I declare her to be Off The Charts in Cuteness!  And her pediatrician has recently declared her to be off the charts in another catergory.  Weight.  She had her 10 month appt. a few weeks ago and although she was riding that 3% for weight for some time, she officially went off the charts.  No concerns though and he jokingly told me i should just tell people i have a VERY ADVANCED 4-month old.  Ha! 

As much as she is under the average, even under the Below Average group, this little peanut of ours eats like a horse.  She's now being introduced to "real people food" - thanks to her Jeamma while being up north at the cottage.  Bits of shredded chicken salad leftover from my mom's garden tea party - she loved it.  Heavily buttered toast which her daddy fed to her this morning.  If it were up to me, i'd still have her on the liquid diet (it makes me a bit nervous, the chuncky foods! but i knowwwwww, it's time.)

Stella's First 4th of July!

Stella is featured in her 4th of July dress which was just "whipped" up by Jeamma that day - made from recyled striped hoody shirts.  I love this dress on her.

Stella had her First 4th of July!  And she enjoyed the Leland July 4th Parade in town where she saw Clydesdale Horses for the first time and experienced her first Fireworks.

She's been a bit off schedule since we've been up at the lake - basically 10 to 10 right now.  On the 4th she went to bed a little earlier though around 8:30 so we figured she had set the plans for us that evening - she'd for sure be sleeping at 10pm and we would have to watch the fireworks from the cottage as opposed to from the boat on the lake.  But Stella had a different plan in mind as she awoke just an hour later at 9:30, and as HAPPY and RESTFUL as can be (what? only that one hour of sleep).  So we suited her up for the night boat ride & the cool breeze and Jeamma, Ter-Bear, and us hopped on the pontoon at dusk (the day is very long up here so dusk it just shy of 10pm).  Stella was THRILLED!  She loves to spot boats (and ducks) on the lake and she points endlessly at them.  This night there were boats & pretty red & green boat lights galore.  Everyone was headed north on the lake to get a front row seat of the Leland Fireworks.  The big booms didn't phase her and actually at one point she seemed way more interested in Ter-Bear as he sat at the wheel of the boat then the gigantic colorful fireworks show!  She was such a good girl for her first 4th of July - it was really special.