53.

The last couple days I've been working on some special projects for a very special occasion.

Can you guess where we're going??

That's right, we're going to Disneyland. In just a matter of minutes actually.

We're going to the happiest place on earth to 1. celebrate our five year anniversary and 2. to have a last hoorah with the whole family before my baby sister leaves for China.

We're so excited. Evie definitely knows something fun is about to go down. I asked her if she wanted to go to Disneyland and she excitedly screamed yes. 

Anyway, I've been feeling crafty lately and wanted to make some special D-Land apparel for my baby.

Now, I am most definitely a beginner sewer, so there are LOTS of imperfections, but I'm willing to let you see them. Hopefully over time, as I continue to sew, you will see how much I am improving.

This one was super easy. I just hand stitched some felt onto an old shirt and glued on a felt bow that I made.

On this one, I painted a navy blue Mickey with some fabric paint onto an Old Navy tee that I got for $5. It has a bit of a distressed look.

This last one was originally going to be the only one I made until I got daring. I like it the best because it took the most effort. That collar was WAY harder to make than I expected. And sewing in a circle isn't all that easy either. I got the little black tee from Target for $2.50.

So there you have it. I spent a total of $10.50 on all three shirts. 

Next time you see these, they will be on my Evie girl, while basking in the gloriousness of Disneyland. I'll be sure to share lots of pics!

See you soon!

52.

{Boyd} 

Cardigan: Gap

Tee: Old Navy

Jeans: F21 (when they used to have guys)

Shoes: Sperrys-Journeys

{Evie}

Bow: Clippy Chicks

Cardigan: Old Navy

Shirt: H&M

Skirt: Old Navy

Shoes: H&M

{Niki}

Entire ensemble, including shoes: F21

51.

Happy ❺ years to us!!

It's been complete and utter bliss since the day we laid eyes on each other...

NOT!

Let's get real, folks.

Marriage has been, probably, one of the biggest challenges I've ever experienced. It has shown me lots of arguments, a few fights, a bit of heart ache and plenty of tears.

While is hasn't been complete and utter bliss, it has definitely had it's countless, blissful moments.

It has been within these last five years that I have grown into a woman that I am proud to be. I've learned more than I ever thought I needed to know, laughed harder than any stomach should handle, experienced more happiness than I ever knew existed and loved more than I knew my heart was capable.

And it's all because of this man I call my husband.

It's been a great journey. We've made it to this milestone of half a decade together. And I can full- heartedly say that I look forward to all the years to come.

Neither of us are perfect. But we are perfect for each other.

 I am so blessed.

I love you babe!

Forever you'll have my heart.

50.

I've been meaning to share some great news with all of you...Let me start from the beginning. 

Back in June I wrote a letter to Bosch. I was basically begging for a new small kitchen machine since mine was breaking. After sending a rather dramatic and quite hilarious email(if I do say so myself) I became friends with a couple different people down at the company. One guy in particular, named Jason. Jason is pretty awesome. He and I emailed back and forth a few times until I was told that they didn't have any extra machines in stock but that they would like to send me their Tassimo, a hot drink maker. Now, I'm not one to turn down free stuff, so I graciously accepted. We decided to wait until I returned home to AZ from TX to have it shipped. Fast forward to about Oct./Nov. when I received my Tassimo in the mail. It was great. I loved it. I made lots of delicious mugs of hot chocolate with it. (My favorite-my own salted caramel hot chocolate recipe.) End of story. Well, not long after, I received another email from Jason telling me that they were about to get a new shipment of kitchen machines and one of them was reserved for me. Say wha???? To say I was excited would be an understatement. They shipped it out and I got it at the beginning of December. It was like the best early Christmas present ever. So awesome. I still am excited as I sit here and tell you about it. I love it so much. It's beautiful and sleek and really gets the job done. 

Anywho, I'm sure you're all wondering what exactly my original email consisted of, so I'll share it. Let's begin with the photos I sent:

Now for the letter:

Subject: HELP! my bosch is breaking.

Dear BOSCH, I have been a long time user of your small kitchen machine BOSCH. I grew up with one in my home and when I got married four and a half years ago, I took over my husband's. I use it for various recipes, however, my favorite thing to use it for is to make cookies. I love trying new cookie recipes. In fact, I just tried a cookie recipe tonight that called for ice cream.(They were delicious, by the way.)  My baby girl just turned 7 months last week and since she was about 3 months old, I started sticking her in a bumbo chair and putting her on the counter next to me so she could watch me bake. It's our favorite thing to do together. Unfortunately, I don't think we will be able to do it for much longer, seeing how our small kitchen machine BOSCH is on the fritz. It gets slower and louder with each batch of cookies I make, trying with all it's might to hang in there, but alas, I know it's death is quickly approaching. I can't tell you how much the thought of not making cookies in my BOSCH with my sweet little Evelyn saddens me. I could weep, I tell you! Some would say, "Just make cookies the old fashioned way." Nay, I say! Making cookies without a BOSCH is not worth making cookies at all! And what is furthermore haunting about this whole situation is the fact that my husband just gifted me with a pair of brand new cookie paddles for Christmas,(upon my request) which as you know, are not exactly "inexpensive".  Now, you're probably wondering why I've come to you with such heart wrenching woes... Well, here's the deal. I can't afford to buy a new BOSCH. Soooo, I was hoping that out of the kindness in your big, red, blood-pumping heart, you would be so inclined to give me one. (Cue: eye batting and captivating grin.) It would save the bonds of mother and daughter and also make us shout with jubilation. Oh, and it would make the hubby very happy as well, because you see, he too loves to try new cookie recipes that are delicious to the taste. (And a cookie made in the BOSCH is nothing short of that!) And if it is not enough to save a mother/daughter bond, or make a young family of three delightfully joyful, than I shall bribe you by informing you that if you were to send me a brand new, sparkling(like Evelyn's eyes) small kitchen machine BOSCH, then I would post about it on my blog, writing of how wonderful and amazing your company is. And  I would tell my friends that they should all go out and get a small kitchen machine BOSCH for themselves, thus making your small donation to me, a rather largely profitable business move on your end. ;) ;)  I have attached four pictures of myself and Evelyn enjoying our BOSCH in hopes to help you grasp how much we truly do love using it together and hope you realize how devastating it would be for you to deny my plea. (Uh hem, and also to once again, bribe you with cuteness and cleverness. Honestly, how could you turn us down after seeing those?!) And with that, I bid thee farewell. Please consider my attempt to receive a simple donation and let the thought brew deep within the burning of your bosom until you can fight the urge to give in no longer. (If graveling at your feet would at all help at this point, considerate it done... and allow the mental picture to flood the mind for just one moment. (Now, take a deep breath. Soak in the moment. And exhale. Moment is over.) In all seriousness though, our BOSCH is breaking and we would LOVE a new one. We are loyal customers and appreciate the time you have taken to read this email. Have a nice day. And please get back to me at your earliest convenience. Thank you. Take luck, niki worthen So there you have it friends. Bosch is wonderful and amazing and you should all go out and get yourselves a small kitchen machine! And in case you don't believe that I actually got it. Here's proof.

I'm thinking a new photo session with the three of us (me, evie and boschy) needs to take place. What do you say??

To Jason and everyone at Bosch: Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You guys are the bomb. Totes magoats. 

49.

What are YOU wearing: The hairy edition.

Although these pictures don't showcase this great hairstyle that I have become quite fond of all that well, you will still get the general idea. It's quick and easy, but looks like you spent some quality time on it. I'd like to thank my girl, Coco for introducing me to this hairstyle. She doesn't have a blog, but just trust me when I say she's ultra fab! Love you boo.

Headband: Anthropologie

(don't mind that cowlick, this was like day four- scrunched hair;) 

Undershirt: H&M

Cardigan: Walmart($3.50-recent) (embellished by yours truly. i just made a bunch of different fabric flowers and hand sewed them on.)

leggings: gap

shoes: walmart (still in stores)

Let's not forget the pony.

And to keep things hairy:

The cutest little piggies that she sported the other day...for about 20 min. before she ripped them out.

48.

I think it's pretty obvious how much we adore this little girl. I can't begin to describe how it felt to become a mother or how amazing it is to share her with my greatest love. She is a piece of me and just as much so, a piece of her daddy. We made her. And it was out of pure love. And I don't think there is anything more sacred.

There was once a time when I wasn't sure if I would ever get to bring a child into this world. It was a long, hard time for me. But it was beyond worth it. And I would do it all over again. And I will. 

My heart aches for those who want children but can't have them. I'm pained for anyone who is hurting or struggling or fighting to have what I have been so blessed to have. I wish there was more that I could do. But for now, this is all I know how to do. And you can do the same.

Please share the love❤.

Go here and here. 

xoxo

Evelyn Nicole. 12 month photos by Nick Narducci. 

47.

On January 6th, Boyd and I flew out to Florida where we spent one night before boarding the Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship for a three day cruise to the Bahamas, courtesy of the pest control company Boyd sold for last summer and will be selling for again this summer. I had a lot of anxiety about leaving Evie, but I made it through without any tears (although I had to fight them back really hard on quite a few occasions) and managed to enjoy myself. 

Dinner on the ship.

Sister Lexi got to come. Our waiter was pretty awesome. Thought he was super funny with the flower on his head.

We were supposed to have two stops but were unable to make our first stop in Cocokay because the water was too choppy. It was a bit unfortunate, but we still had fun in Nassau.

My feet are in the water. That's how clear it was.

 Gorgeous, right?

It doesn't get much more tropical than this.

Love this mural! 

 Scooter time.

Rides like a champ.

She begged both of us to get braids. After a lot of prodding, Boyd finally gave in. She was hilarious. Every local that saw him after called him Bahama Papa. It was awesome.

Wish I could have taken this guy home.

It was nice to spend some quality time with Boyd and catch up on sleep. Vacationing is not the same once you have kids though. You never feel quite complete unless you have your entire family with you.  I sure was happy to see my girl!

46.

This girl LOVES the tub so much. She jumps and screams when I ask if she wants to take a bath and if she hears the water on, she comes runnin. She'll happily take it with or without bubbles, hot or cold. But it's been a while since I actually gave her a bubble bath so today I generously poured them in. I think she enjoyed herself...I don't know, what do you think??

I use the camera on my phone so often out of convenience that I forget how great my Nikon is. I'm in love with these photos. I think I'm going to blow one up, frame it and hang it in the bathroom...but which one to choose? That is the question.

Hmmm...I don't think I can resist those sparkly eyes and long lashes in number 5. 

45.

Hello there. Have you been wondering where I've been? Well, since you asked, I just returned from a little vacation. Boyd and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas, courtesy of Home Shield Pest Control. It was a fun time. It was very hard leaving my baby for four nights, but I managed to enjoy myself. Pictures to come soon.

At any rate, it's Wednesday and it's been a while since I did a legit WAYW post, so here goes...

Okay, remember this post, where I talked about our Christmas outfits and how I'd be wearing my skirt from DEB? Well here it is.

Sweater: Gap

Skirt: Down East Basics

Tights: Gap

Shoes: Thrifted

Bow: F21

Sweater Dress: Gap

Tights: Gap

Shoes: Target

44.

More family pics.

I've posted so many from this photo shoot but with so many that I love, this is the only place I can put them all. There surely isn't enough room on my walls.

Photos by Jules.