Wordless Wednesday

Our wedding anniversary is 8 days away...but I am horrible at keeping surprises. I get all excited about the surprise-ees reaction and how happy they're going to be. Gives me warm & fuzzies inside. Hence the reason why Dustin already knows about this....

Oh, and I just bought these tickets yesterday afternoon. So I held onto that surprise for a good 8 hours {instead of the 8 days I just knew I could wait} before spilling the beans.

I don't care. It was SO worth it to see his face when he picked up this piece of paper I left underneath his lunchbox on the kitchen counter. I had my back to him & was spying on his reaction from the microwave reflection. He had the giddiest grin on his face. You see, we went & saw Lindsey Buckingham {Fleetwood Mac? Ya, you know who I'm talking about} in October 2008. I was a mere 3 weeks post partum & although it was an amazing experience standing so close to the stage & actually getting to touch Lindseys guitar while he played it, I was {more than a} bit uncomfortable. I knew Dustin wanted us both to have a great time.

This time? Will be much better. No engorged boobs or healing scar soreness {ya- to the -ay!}

Happy early anniversary, babe! You're lucky to have a wife who just can't hold the giddyness inside ;)

 Oh & let this be a leason to all those with suprises to keep secret. Um, I'm awful at keeping them bottled inside. I'd have to tell someone. But rest assured I'd tell someone like Emmy....she's pretty good at the whole "mum's the word" concept.

Weekend Recap (8)

1.) Doodlebug. 2.) Love that fake cheesers. 3.) You KNOW I was belting it Mariah style. 4.) I have an addiction, I know.

1.) A lil Bevans (Bob Evans, ya know) breakfast. 2.) For everyone :) 3.) Date night for the 'rents. 4.) Per her demand request.  

 1.) Lazy Sundays. 2.) Helping her "sick pony" feel better. 3.) Coffee table+corner of eye=sad baby. Since it was so close to her eye, we decided to get it checked out. No stitches needed thank goodness. Our lil Rocky Balboa. She's a touch chick, I tell ya. Wouldn't wanna mess with the likes of her!

Be Our Guest

Ugh, how is it Monday again already?!? Hope you all had a great weekend. Ours ended up being a bit eventful when our lazy Sunday included a trip to the ER with Emmy Kay. No worries though, she's just fine, our lil Rocky Balboa. Think it may be time to measure her for a bubble wrap suit. {More about that in the weekend recap post comin' up tonight.}

Anywho, I'm just sneaking a quick post in to let you all know that I'm a guest blogger today at The Mommy Diaries talking about my experience with breastfeeding. Kami is the mother of the sweetest lil guy, Lincoln and writes the funniest posts about him. Go check it out!

And don't forget, I was also a guest at Jenni from the Blog yesterday.

A HUGE thank you to both ladies for having me over. Next time I'll bring wine ;) And if you're visiting from either of these awesome blogs, welcome!! Kick off your shoes & stay for awhile. I'll whip up some Nutella & banana sammichs {Yeah, I know you're jonesin' to stay now.}

Steppin' Out Saturday 8.27.11

::deets::

Dress--JC Penney {for free. srsly. thank you summer clearance and a $10 off coupon.}

Belt--F21

Bracelet--JB Robinson

Shoes--Thrifted {3 bucks and a size too small. I couldn't resist.}

Earrings--Apt 9 @ Kohls

Dustin & I had a date night tonight and it was fantastic. We ate dinner, drank Octoberfest, and roamed TJ Maxx, Target, & Kohls. Well, for Dustin it was more like moped around. We He had plans on watching 'Captain America' at the theater but this wife said she just wanted to run to a few stores & we'd catch a later showing....and then there was no later showing. I was soooo bummed to miss that movie too! #redfont.

We went to Olive Garden for dessert, so I think the night ended on a high note for him. {and the Indians winning didn't hurt.}

Say what you want about the OG not being real Italin food, but for the love of Gaga their lemon cream cake and amaretto cappuccino's are the shit.

It's nights like this that give me those first dating months butterflies. I love how Dustin & I are 8 years in and still have that spark. Still know how to make each other laugh, give each other compliments, hold hands and sneak a feelski in out in public. I just love us. And we're doing what all couple should be doing--"weeding our garden" as my mother would say. (Insert a Dustin joke about a hose & hoe here.)

We still got it.

P.S I'm a guest over at Jenni from the Blog today while she has a staycation with her sweet lil family. Go visit! Tell her I sent you! Wipe your feet!

Y3W-And She's Off

This??

This is my baby chunkaroo walking. Last week? Would barely stand while I stood behind her & held both of her hands in the air. Now? Now she's off on her own.

I absolutely adore watching her face when she's made it from point A to point B. She's still a bit prehistoric & wobbly, but she's determined. She always look to Dustin & I for approval and when we clap for her, she claps for herself--it's just awesome to witness this milestone. And her Sissy is her biggest fan. Always cheering her on {"Come on Emmy Kay Dooooodle! You can do it!} and trying to give her high fives.

Learned to walk this week....getting her drivers license next week. When did my girl grow up?!?

Party Sneak Peeks

As many of you know, I love theme. Friggin' love if we're being honest here. So when Brooklyn told me she wanted a blue & purple puppy party pawty, my mind went crazy with ideas. {Moms of toddlers--isn't it sad when you don't get to be the decision maker anymore? She's already matter of factly telling me what she wants to be for Halloween too. I miss those Mommy decisions!}

Here's a few lil peeks at what we have planned.

I really wanted these party invites....

*Photo from Dimpleprints shop on etsy.com*

But before I knew it, there was only 2.5 weeks until the party. I had to get these invites ordered &
 out like yesterday!

So off to Vistaprint I went. Here's what I came up with...

Not exactly what I wanted, but still cute, CHEAP, and mailed out in a timely order.

Attire wise, we got her this shirt from Sha Bebe shop on Etsy. Brookie LUUURVES it. So much so she kisses the doggy everynight before bed.

And since she claims to be a "puppy pwincess", MIL is making her a tutu similiar to this.

*Photo from LilMissGoodyTutu shop on etsy.com*

Food wise--still working out the kinks, although I know hot dogs are a must at a party like this. We'll have our fantastic cake lady, Emily, make her cake again this year. {Remember Emmy's 1st birthday cake? She made it.} The only requirements Brookie had were she wanted a "stwabawey cake covered in puppies", so I'm really excited to see what Emily comes up with. We've also got chocolate "pupcakes" on the sweets menu to be topped with cupcake toppers from a favorite Etsy shop of mine, GiggleBees. Christine always does such a fabulous job, I can't wait to see them!

Here's a few more funsies for the kids including...

I still have a few more trips to Hobby Lobby, Party City, Dollar Tree, and JoAnn's to make, but otherwise we are almost set to celebrate our girl turning THREE!

Speaking of celebrating---have you entered Brookie's Birthday Bash Giveaways yet?!? {Points to upper right side of page.} No? Doooo eeeeet.

Brookie's Birthday Bash Giveaway-Sugar Locks

Giveaway 2 is from a favorite shop of mine, Sugar Locks.

For Emily's 1st birthday, I wanted a personalized bib for her to wear when she tore into her smash cake. I emailed Jen, owner of Sugar Locks, with the theme & color scheme, and this is what she came up with.

I loved it. It was perfect. And so darn cute.

But Jen isn't limited to personalized bibs. There is SO much more, for both boys & girls. Infants, toddlers, children, teenagers, adults, she has something for everyone. Initial shirts, sibling shirts, personalized totes, birthday shirts, monogrammed dresses, tutu's, vinyl decals, the list goes on and on.  There are over 2,000 items in Sugar Locks! Here's a few of my personal favs from her site. {Believe me, it was hard to limit to 4!}

A bit more about Jen... She is a Momma of 3--Reed (8), Gwendelyn (6) and Olivia (4). Reed and Gwendelyn love to help pack orders up so if you ever see a little writing on the box or a label that is not so perfectly straight, know that it is a 8 or 6 year old helping their mom work :) Sugar Locks is a home based business and customer satisfaction is key. So much so that Jen handles all orders, emails, and phone calls for Sugar Locks. Gotta custom order in mind? She can do it. Let's call a spade a spade...she's awesome.

And now, as a part of Brookie's Birthday Bash, Sugar Locks is giving away a $25 gift certificate to 1 lucky Shenanigan reader! I could seriously think of about 20 things I would do with that gift card right now lol

There are 6 ways to enter this giveaway. Remember to leave a seperate comment for each entry!

**Numbers 1 & 2 are mandatory entries.**

1.) Become a Google follower of The Stauffer Shenanigans by clicking "follow" under Loyal Shenaniganians in the top right corner. Comment here to tell us you're our newest follower! And if you already follow us, leave us a comment saying so.


2.) "Like" Sugar Locks on Facebook. Leave a message on Jen's wall that you're visiting from here.

**The following entries are optional, but give you a better chance of winning!**

3.) Follow Sugar Locks on Twitter.


4.) Follow the ShenanigansBlog on Twitter.



5.) Tweet "I entered Brookie's Birthday Bash #Giveaway @ShenanigansBlog for a gift certificate to @sugarlocks www.thestauffershenanigans.com"

Come back and leave a comment with your Twitter account. You can tweet this once a day, so make sure you leave a comment for each Tweet.

6.) Tell me what you would do with that $25 gift certificate! Me? I'm in fall mode already, so I'd put it towards personalized pumpkin shirts for October :)

Brookie's Birthday Bash Giveaway will last until Monday September 5th at 11:59pm. A winner will be picked via random.org & announced on Tuesday September 6th~~Brookie's 3rd birthday!

Please make sure to leave your email address with each comment so I know how to contact you if you are the winna winna. This giveaway is valid for (1) $25 gift certificate towards anything at SugarLocks.com. Huge thanks to Jen at Sugar Locks for being a part of this. Good luck, friends!!!

P.S---I'm guest blogging for Jill over at Momma Totally in Love while she's having an uber busy week & celebrating her birthday! {Hope you're having a fabulous time, Jill!} You must go visit--I promise once you see her sweet children, Frankie & Ava, you'll be hooked on this blog. And Totally Momma? So.Stinkin'.Sweet. Go now, I say! ;)

Brookie's Birthday Bash Giveaway-Piggy's Place

See this adorable {accident prone}girl {with a bandaid on her forehead to cover sidewalk skin burn}?

Well she's turning 3 in exactly 2 weeks. That, my friends, is cause for celebration! And what's a better way to celebrate a giveaway? TWO giveaways to be exact!

Let Brookie's Birthday Bash celebration begin!

Our first giveaway is from a very good e-friend of mine, Natalie. We've "known" each other since 1st trimester in 2008 when we were both pregnant with our oldests. Not only is she hilarious {click the link & you'll see for yourself}, super cute with color-me-jealous curls, and the Momma of an equally hilarious girl named Anna, she's incredibly talented. Natalie owns Piggy's Place on Etsy. She opened up this shop 10 months ago and has already had over 220 sales with 100% satisfaction scores. Korkers, headbands, satin flowers, sports bows, felt flowers, knit hats, messy flowers, bow holders.....she's fabulous.

*Pictures courtesy of Piggy's Place*

And I can say all this because I'm a customer of hers. I've seen her work & it looks even better in person. Helps to have cute models ;)

On the left is Brookie & Emmy sporting personalized bottlecap OSU korkers. And on the right is Emmy sporting a messy flower clipped onto a knit hat.

Now you can be a satisfied customer as well!

Piggy's Place is giving away a personalized korker bow with matching woven headband to 1 Shenanigan reader. Take a looksie...

Since it's football season {O-H!}, you could do a personalized team korker. Or a personalized character korker. Or just keep it simple with just the korker. Whatever you decide, it's going to be adorable.

There are 5 ways to enter. Remember to leave a seperate comment for each entry!

**Numbers 1 & 2 are mandatory entries.**

1.) Become a Google follower of The Stauffer Shenanigans by clicking "follow" under Loyal Shenaniganians in the top right corner of the blog. Comment here to tell us you're our newest follower! And if you already follow us, leave us a comment saying so.

2.) "Like" Piggy's Place on Facebook and post on Natalie's wall that you're visiting from here.

**The following entries are optional, but give you a better chance of winning!**

3.) Follow the ShenanigansBlog on Twitter.

4.) Tweet "I entered Brookie's Birthday Bash #Giveaway @ShenanigansBlog www.thestauffershenanigans.com"

Come back and leave a comment with your Twitter account. You can tweet this once a day, so make sure you leave a comment for each Tweet.

5.) Which korker headband would you choose? Leave a comment with the deets! Remember this is a custom order, so it's all up to you!

Brookie's Birthday Bash Giveaway will last until Monday September 5th at 11:59pm. A winner will be picked via random.org & announced on Tuesday September 6th~~Brookie's 3rd birthday!

Please make sure to leave your email address with each comment so I know how to contact you if you are the winna winna. This giveaway is valid for (1) personalized korker headband up to the value of $15.00. Huge thanks to Natalie at Piggy's Place for being a part of this. Good luck, friends!!!

Giveaway 2 coming right up......

Weekend Recap (7)

 1.) Paw-ty is only 2 weeks away! 2.) Perfect way to combine playing with eating. 3.) My Friday night hot date. Chocolate covered potato chips in ice cream? <3 you, Jimmy Fallon. 4.) Dustin opted for a festival cream puff. Amazeballs.

Our Saturday went a lil something like this....

 

It was a festival ride ridin', game playin', greasy food eatin', parade watchin' good time. Capped off by a night out for Momma & Daddy complete with Hardees not allowing Dustin to walk up for a hot ham & cheese. So much for being responsible! Thank the Lord for a sweet Momma who drove her tipsy daughter to Taco Bell. Best of all? Free nachos on accident. Score!

1.) We got a lil sillykins before naptime. 2.) Emmy & Daddy shared some french fries at dinner. 3.) My fav after dinner snack--hot carmel & pineapple sundae. 4.) Proof fall is around the corner. There were about 5 babies in front of her, but me oh my were they fast.

I hope you all had an amazing weekend as well! Be sure to take a looksie here tomorrow becaaaaause someone is turning 3...and we're celebrating the right way.
{GIVEAWAYS!}
=)