That Being Said...

... It was a pretty great party. The reason it was such a great party, though, wasn't because of the Oreo pops or the cookie decorating table or the bubble machines but because there were so many WONDERFUL people there.

Friends and family, thank you so much for coming out to honor our sweet girl. We feel so loved! And, oh, the presents! You people sure know how to outfit a 2 year old little girl!
Thank you so so much.

Here are a few pictures of our wonderful guests:

BJ with Abby, Leah and Jane, enjoying the shade.

Audrey A, looking beautiful!

Sweet Crystal and Gideon.

Joseph and Cayla, assisting with the cookie decorating table.

Evie June and Laila's cousin, Madeline.

Dana, looking fly, with Levi and Jonah.

Leah R, what a darling!

Daniella D, taking out her paci for a photo op!

Beautiful Gigi!

We love that silly girl!

Uncle George, Uncle Poppy and Aunt Gammy, Grammy, Aunt Heidi and Uncle Chris.

Papa, Grandad, Grandat and Nonna.

Jane and baby Maddox, super sweet.

Ross and Julian, sharing a pensive moment.

All the family who came!

Ellie Claire, accomplishing the serious task of eating a cupcake.

Laila with her sweet friend, Kelby.

Laila and her cutie cousin, Madeline.

Jenny and Evie June, so much beautiful hair in one picture. 

Sweet Chris and I with Laila, Elijah and Madelyn.

Laila, pondering the whole candle thing with my sweet friend, Liz, her son, Beau and Melissa lighting the candles!

Handsome Micah, climbing.

The cake decorating station! 

Laila, Shane, Ellie, Kelby, Gigi, Brandy and I.

Laila and her proud mommy and daddy.

A VERY special thank you to Bethany Johnson for taking these beautiful photos for us!
We will treasure them!
xoxo

An Important Realization

Hi! Did ya'll know that I'm an extrovert? Big time. Like, please oh please let me spend an afternoon in the throngs of people at IKEA fighting over that last EXPEDIT bookshelf we all learned how to turn into a bench on pinterest! Please let me spend a long evening at a restaurant with 8 friends drinking wine, eating and talking about life. Please let me have a morning at Starbucks, watching people, interacting with strangers, drinking coffee and texting a bunch of friends all at once. Ya'll, it's not just that I LIKE people and passion and talking over coffee... I am absolutely energized by it!

Therefore, when an occasion calls for a party, my friends, I am ALL about it. For Trevor's 30th birthday, I threw him a surprise party with a ton of friends and lots of hoopla. When my sweet baby girl who I love and who lights up our world turns 2, what could possibly be better than a great BIG party?! All her friends, her family and her favorite things...
Bubbles!
And balloons!
And food!
And lemonade!

Why not? The bigger, the better, right? So, for Laila's birthday party, I planned my little heart out! I pinterested (is that a word??) day and night for good ideas, convinced Trevor that we NEEDED to send custom balloon invitations, stayed up late with my sweet mom making Oreo pops and cupcakes and fruit kabobs and peanut butter cracker cookies and almost passed out blowing balloons and pretty much went bonkers creating a beautiful, fun and themed 2 year old birthday party for my baby.

And then, on Saturday, the day before the big party day, I did the unthinkable.
 I referred to the event, out loud, with my own voice, as "my party".
And it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was doing it all for me.

Because I like parties.
Because parties are FUN.
Because I wanted to invite people and make things and have everyone together and be cute and crafty and generally be known as a cool mom who does great parties and pulls off fun pinterest ideas like Oreo pops.

 And, had I asked Laila... and had she been able to express herself to me about this, she probably would have said that, for her birthday, she would have liked to have her little buddies over to her playroom for goldfish and ice water and a showing of her favorite Veggie Tales DVD.
 Because she, I do believe, at least at this point in her life, is an introvert.

I think she had fun. Actually, I know she had fun.
We have the pictures of her smiling at her party to prove it...

(I just can't help mentioning that her dress matched the theme. Ok, I'm done.) 

BUT this just might be the last BIG party we have for her. Next year, come March, I will ask my daughter how she would like to celebrate her birthday. Maybe she'll say that she wants to have 3 girls over for a sleepover and pizza. Maybe she'll say she wants to go to the zoo with her best bud or maybe she'll surprise me and ask for a big party.

Whatever her preference is, though, I am going to honor it. And I am going to endeavor to honor HER and the way God made her and value every bit of the personality she has been given no matter how different it is from my own. I know that the Holy Spirit will help me with this. And I'm grateful that God is teaching me through Laila.

May that never end.
And may her preferences always include Oreo pops. Just for fun.
:)


An Addendum: WOW. This realization and this commitment I'm making to take care of my little introvert's heart by paying attention to her preferences, especially when they are different from my own, has opened my eyes about Trevor as well. He is also an introvert.

Did ya'll know that?
Could you tell?

Somewhere in the course of all this, I got the same realization about Trevor's 30th surprise birthday party that I did about Laila's 2nd birthday party... I did it all for me.

OUCH, ya'll. Ouch.

My sweet husband would have preferred a small dinner party of our closest friends. Or a weekend away. Or a weekend (prepare yourself for this because it is truly hard for me to imagine) ALL ALONE.

So, here I sit. In repentance. And gratitude. I'm grateful for these realizations. I'm grateful for growth and I'm so very very grateful that God gave me such a precious pair of introverts. They are my greatest treasure and I endeavor to be worthy of them.

My Love for Starbucks - A Photo Montage

Let's start with my little protege...



Sweet girl, staying hydrated at the Starbucks in Breckenridge Village...
(January 2012)



Many a date night have been spent at Starbucks!
(All the time) :)



Planning a Hike on Vail Mountain? Definitely need to fuel up with a Starbucks bev!
(September 2011)



Enjoying Starbucks, Jesus and some tunes in Bakersfield, CA.
(May 2009)



Midnight in Paris... Ok, broad daylight at the Paris Starbucks!
(March 2006)



THE ORIGINAL. Seattle.
(Honeymoon! August 2006)



Celebrating my Mom's 50th birthday at one of the trillion Starbucks' in NYC!
(May 2007)



Trevor and our dear friend, Chris Reeser, at a Barnes and Noble Starbucks (counts!) in one of our favorite places on earth, Pensacola, Florida.
(Easter 2007)



A little attitude with my iced coffee in our nation's capitol!
(Feb 2009)



BFF Coffee Bevs, with Jenni in D.C.
(Feb 2009)



"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Fransisco..."
(May 2009)



See that IV in my hand?? Yes, I was in the hospital with lactic acid poisoning and what was my treatment of choice? A Starbucks bev. And a Starbucks bear. Priceless.
(August 2009)



My two favorite men on earth... enjoying a Starbucks bev.
(Easter 2010)



And, y'all, I've even astounded myself with all of this Starbucks love!
Now, where's my endorsement contract??
I'm calling my agent!

The Third Place

Not to be confused with "the third eye"... something sort of Buddhist, I think. Sorry, Dr. Elverskog! What I mostly remember from "Intro to Buddhism" is Katie impersonating you and those oral exams where you would ask me 2 questions, give me an A and tell me to quit talking during your class. :)

Anyway. What was I saying? Oh yes, the third place. Starbucks. (Big, contented sigh) Yes, today I want to write about Starbucks. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love coffee. I do, I do I really really do. But, with Starbucks, it's not just about the coffee. It's about the atmosphere, the aura, the fung shui (spelling??), if you will.



I've really tried to get into "local coffee". In fact, I live within walking distance of an admittedly lovely little coffee shop who will remain nameless that a lot of people really adore. Sure, their mystery latte is delicious (quite possibly has, like, 7,000 calories), they have a trendy name and logo and, yes, everything they sell is local, vegetarian and most likely gluten, soy and paraben free. BUT. The chairs aren't comfy. It's always cold in there. The employees aren't always very nice. And the bevs are super over priced!

Here's what I love about MY Starbucks:

1). The way the sun streams through the windows in the morning and makes everything all warm and cozy.
2). The local art they display that changes monthly.
3). The fact that my drink is always delicious.
4). The fact that my barista knows my drink.
5). The fact that my barista knows my name. And my daughter's name. And that she knows that Laila will want a small ice water too.
6). The comfy chairs.
7). The big open patio.
8). That, one time, when Laila and I were down the street at the park and I locked my purse, keys and phone inside the car, (I know, you are all shocked that I would do such a thing!) we walked to Starbucks and they gave us free bevs and snacks AND let me use the phone (multiple times) while we waited for Trev to come rescue us!
9). That I can park there and access the Katy Trail to enjoy my new-found passion, running, AND that, after my run, they'll sweetly and politely give me a venti ice water for free without even commenting on the fact that my face is as red as a tomato and I'm panting like I just crossed the Sahara. My baristas are so tactful.
10). MY GOLD CARD! Not only does it have my name on it, but every 15 bevs that I purchase (takes the Chapman family only about 2.5 weeks to accomplish this), I get a free one!! Anything I want!! (Venti soy no water chai, please!)

So, there's my list. I'm all for local and gluten-free but, y'all, I'm just saying, my Starbucks is doing it RIGHT. :)

Have a wonderful caffeinated day, friends!

Caving In

Pinterest, oh pinterest, how I've avoided you like the plague.

But you will not be ignored.

Everywhere I go, everyone I see and talk to, all over facebook and the WORLD, you follow me (and I'm not even on twitter). You've hunted me down. You've given me no other choice. You've worn down my resolve, little by little, like running water through a canyon. And now... here I am.

Username: chelslovestrev
Addicted
In Love
Adoring Every Minute

Pinterest, oh pinterest, you sly little minx.

A Spelling Lesson

Today, I caught a glimpse of this word, "catsup" spelled somewhere.
All I could think was EWWWWW.

Catsup?? Makes me think of a cat. Having supper. Which kind of makes me feel all itchy and like my throat is closing up. Cause, first of all, I'm allergic to cats and, secondly, they give me the creeps with their tiny little pointy sharp teeth and their bad attitudes. Yuck.

(I google image searched "cat" so that I could post a picture here for you, to further make my point, you know... But, honestly, I'm so grossed out by cats that I couldn't even bring myself to put a picture of one on my blog. So, here's a random picture of Laila Grace instead.)



Ahem. Anyway.

Could we all please agree that the yummy tomato-y stuff we put on french fries, hamburgers, hot dogs and scrambled eggs (hey, some people do!) is spelled "ketchup"???

Good.
Thank you.
I feel better now.

:)

A Pinching Problem

Stop the presses, people! This is NEWS!

The unimaginable has happened... You will not believe this. Are you ready? Cause I'm still trying to digest it myself...


It turns out... that... Laila Grace is not perfect.



I think I just felt all the oxygen being sucked out of North America as we gasp in utter amazement. I know. The horror.

I am sorry to tell you this but Laila is A Pincher. Now, whether you pronounce it p-ih-nch or p-ee-nch doesn't really make a difference. Cause, either way, it's unacceptable. It hurts. AND it's just plain RUDE! Did I just call my daughter rude? Why, yes, I did. The truth hurts, people. The truth hurts.

It all started yesterday at her family birthday party when her cousin Madeline did something that irritated her. I'm not sure whether M stole the toy from L or if it was that M had the audacity to not allow L steal a toy from her or what. All I know is that I heard a commotion, looked over and my mom mouthed to me "She punched her".

"Madeline PUNCHED Laila??!?!" I said, missing the "discreet" memo entirely and, clearly, assuming that Laila Grace was 100% innocent.

"No, Laila PINCHED Madeline!" my mom clarified.

WHAT??!! I felt as though I'd been punched in the throat. (I don't actually know what that feels like but it can't feel good.) MY BABY?! Pinched someone?! NO WAY!

But THEN, today, she pinched her little friend Ellie. Twice!

And THEN she pinched ME when I wouldn't put her down this afternoon!! Well, after all this pinching, you can bet that she and I sat down and had a serious conversation. I told Laila Grace that it is okay to get angry when something doesn't go how we want it to and that it is okay to be frustrated but that it is NOT okay to be unkind to our friends when we're angry.

"In your anger, do not sin" I said.
To my one year old.
While she zerberted my leg.
I'm sure it really sank in.

Here's the thing: When I was in Kindergarten, there were these kids, Hannah and Luke. Twins. And they were pinchers. Big Time. Like, these pinches drew blood. I can still remember Hannah's scrunched up little face as she sank her fingernails into my flesh and gritted her teeth to make it as excruciating as possible. I used to wonder what made them so angry, so unkind, so RUDE.

And, now, light years later, I have a pincher on my hands.

But mark my words, my friends. By the grace of God, we will overcome this pinching problem. It will not identify us. We will not give in to it. We will have victory.

LOVE will overcome.

I'll report back on how it goes.

:)

Oh, and Hannah and Luke, if you're out there, I forgive you... I think.