the one where TORI TURNS TWO

I am writing this post a little early as I am going to be way too super busy the next couple of days to type it up but here we go:

Victoria is turning two.

TWO YEARS OLD. At two, Tori...

-is 27 lbs and.. Im not sure of her height actually lol the girl is a tank. She is getting so heavy!
-Last night she told Dan and I all of her body parts: hands, feet, hair, head, boobies, belly, eyes, nose, mouth, ears. She is brilliant.
-The only color she recognizes right now pink
-If you ask her how old she is turning she smiles and says "TWO!"
-She is starting to recognize SO many people outside of Mommy and Daddy and her grandparents and Iz. Robbie, Maddox, Mia, Tay Tay, Meg, Jack, Will.. the list goes on. She has a big circle, that girl.
-Tori is obsessed with hugging. It is ADORABLE. She loves to ask Mommy and Daddy for hugs and she also likes to ask us to hug each other.
-She "sings".. as in hears music and makes funny noises and dances
-Tori likes to sit on the kitchen counter while Mommy and Daddy are cooking, or cleaning, or anything else that lets her be on the counter. Daddy is not a huge fan of this.
-Tori is still obsessed with dogs.
-Tori loves the movies Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmations
-Her favorite cartoon is still Daniel Tiger (and is what the theme of her bday party is)
-Her best friend is still her cousin Iz.
-She still has her curly hair and I am avoiding a haircut for as long as possible so she doesn't lose those.
-Her eyes are as blue as ever. I think they are sticking around.
-She tells us when she goes to the bathroom. Not before, only after so she isn't quite there as far as potty training but definitely getting close. Probably this summer.
-Tori is my little artist. She loves to paint, draw & "write notes"
-She is impossible to get dressed or change her diaper. She hates laying still so it is a legit wrestling match anytime I want to get her dressed, put on a coat, change her diaper.

My two year old, wow. I love her so.

 

the one about Junior League

My friend Courtney has been a member of this thing called Junior League for a short while and reached out to me about joining.
As a wife, the mother of a toddler and someone who also holds a full time job selling real estate and a part time job at LA Fitness (because lets face it, I have worked there for 8 years and worship my coworkers.. and the free family memberships help haha) I didn't know if I could add anything else to my plate. And then.. I learned about what joining Junior League would mean for me. This is not only an opportunity to network and meet some other local mothers... but a chance to make a difference.
Since having a child, anything child related seems to hit close to home so much more. This love that overcomes your entire being once you have a child.. it is overwhelming and it makes you want to save every child that you can. When you and your husband are on the floor playing with your baby and shes laughing so hard that she is begging you to stop.. and the begging you for more.. you look around at your family and think, "I hope that every child out there has a family who loves them as much as we love Tori, or that all the children have a nice warm house, food in their bellies, clothing on their backs....". And then the harsh realization that not every child has that hits you and you wish you could do more.
Junior League does that. They have helped not only children, but women in so many ways in the community. They help local charities and organizations with different things like food drives, clothing drives, they had a recent project where they painted and pretty much completely redecorated a nursery... and now enter my new member class and we are working on a project called "Power Packs Project". Did you know that for some children, the lunch they eat at school on Friday is the last time they will eat until they go back to school Monday morning? I couldn't believe that. It literally was a kick in the stomach. Food. Something most of us would never think twice about. Throwing our leftovers out, tossing out items because we didn't eat them fast enough.. and there are children, in YOUR neighborhood, DOWN THE STREET... who wont eat this weekend. Children who wont be running under their parents feet as they are cooking in the kitchen, children who wont be helping their parents stir anything, children who wont get a meal, let alone seconds.
Power Packs wants to end this in our community. What they do is, they reach out to different school districts to see if there is a need for the families to use their services. Power packs staff pack food for the parents to pick up from the school. One of the coolest things about this is that Power Packs doesn't just throw a box of mac and cheese in a bag and give it to a family, they try to make their meals nutritional, including proteins, fruits and vegetables.. and they give a recipe for the family to follow along with a price guide so the families can see what they would expect if they were to buy the meal at the grocery store. Most of the meals would cost around 5.40 to purchase.
Power packs is only given about 3% of their food in donations. They mostly purchase it themselves for a discounted rate at Central PA food bank. They also have food drives to try to get donations.
We are currently working alongside Power Packs to try to help them however we can. It is looking as if we will be hosting a peanut butter food drive. Peanut butter is one of the more expensive things for the organization to purchase so we are hoping to set up at a couple of local grocery stores and that customers going into the stores will pick up an extra jar of peanut butter to donate on their way out.
This program is at every school district in Lancaster County except for CV (they have a program through a church). Power Packs is looking to expand to York and Lebanon so that may be something else that my Junior League new members group may be working on.
I am so excited and proud to be a part of this group and to get to help give something back to this community. Lancaster county, this community so near and dear to my heart!
*If you would like to donate, or maybe know of a local company that would like to donate, please contact me via fbook or call/text me. Anything and everything helps!!!!

 

When the new member class was announced (just missing a few ladies)

New members and a few current JL members on a tour at the Power Packs warehouse:

the one with Spring/Summer fashion

I have recently been going a little PIN crazy on pinterest with the Spring/Summer fashion findings.. here are some of my favs!

This bathing suit...I don't know what you call this style bikini but I love the top. I also love a hipster/low rise bottom. I usually get one new bathing suit every summer so I am eyeing them up. I also LOVE the Vintage style bathing suits right now.. the super high waist bottoms and the cute top.

 

Lace top with high waisted shorts. I didn't try the high waisted shorts at all this past summer. I wont do it with denim.. because that is too close to the 'mom jean' for me but this black style or dressy style I can definitely see myself in. Also, I want to try this style hat. I don't ever wear hats!

 

  I am about to say something I never thought I would say (you know, after my 8th birthday).. and that thing is: I sort of am loving overalls. Ok people, before you go nuts.. not like, farmer overalls. Im talking cute, sassy, modern overalls lol. I have pinned a picture of cute overalls with a crop top and that is probably the one way I will definitely NOT wear them. I am definitely too old for a crop top (unless it is paired with a high waisted bottom).

 

These sandals. I LOVE wedges and anything that makes me look taller but lets be honest.. my summers are mostly full of chasing a toddler, bare foot, in the backyard..so maybe I can get away with these cute flats.

the one where Tori is 23 Months

I am 3 days ahead of schedule. That really doesn't make a difference but thought I would note it, nonetheless.

23 months old. I know everyone says it but its hard to believe time has gone by this fast. In the newborn moments, when your eyes literally HURT because they cannot stay open any longer and you literally think to yourself "how do people get through this?" ...and then if you're like me, you think of that one a-hole person you know who has kids and think "ok, if they did it, I can do it"... lol, no? You didn't do that? I guess it was just me then lol.. the days and nights seemed like the longest ever. That was a terrible sentence and you'll probably have to read it a couple of times but yeah, newborn days are hard. And then they are amazing because you cuddle, you smell, you kiss, you marvel in the love of your child.. you know what I mean.. the 'I didn't know a love like this existed until I became a parent" love. You dream about their future, all of the fun things you're going to get to do together when they get older. What will their personality be like? And then you fast forward to year two. When now, she is a little person.. she talks, walks, runs, climbs, builds.. its amazing. I would do anything to freeze her in this moment right now.

Tori's personality-
For anyone who hasn't met her... you are totally missing out. She is a class clown. She LOVES to make people laugh. Whether that is making silly faces or asking funny questions, she will do anything for a reaction (lets hope she outgrows that by the time shes in school lol). She is so, super aware of people and their feelings (which I like to think is one of the few good traits I was able to pass onto her lol). When she notices someone is upset or crying, she HAS to give them a hug or ask them if they're ok. Tori isn't a huge fan of things she isn't familiar with. If she's in a situation where she gets scared (like when the fire alarms went off in the house).. she will come to me and ask "Mommy, ok?". Its literally her asking me if shes ok in that moment. It is adorable. I love that she turns to Mommy to know that she is going to be alright. She is SO flirty. Guys, girls, anyone who is giving her attention, she will give 'the eye' and just the tiniest bit of a smile.. just enough to reel them in. Tori is SO freakishly smart. She picks up on everything right now. At the grocery store... "Mommy, pepper!"... "Mommy, apple!" (this could be an apple or a tomato but yeah she gets it). She officially knows what it is to have TWO of something, she recognizes the color pink and is putting more and more words together. "Daddys car".. "Daddy come back?"... "Mom, throw pink ball". It is amazing. This transition from newborn to toddler is just insane.

February is going to bring on lots of Birthday party planning. This year I am not going to have something huge but because I am Italian and there is no such thing as a small party it will still be a bigger party than most would have for a two year old. Grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles and neighbors. It is going to be a Daniel Tiger party. I have come up with a few fun ideas.. like tiger striped balloons, I am going to get two dozen donuts instead of a cake because girlfriend LOVES donuts. Oregon Dairy does MTO style so I am going to request orange icing with brown stripes. For the main dish I was thinking baked mac and cheese.... then the usual party stuff, chips, pretzels, cheese. Party favors will probably be something involving Oreos (Toris fav)... and then of course lots of kid play time and grown ups chatting about how fast the past two years have gone. Two years. Came and went. Two years. I have been someones Mommy. Two years. I have soaked up every last second of time with this sweet, sweet girl. The prettiest, best girl ever. (I am not biased! This kid seriously is the best!)

the one where I tell you about Life as of late

Welcome to the randomness that is today's blog post. I haven't posted in awhile so I thought I would give an update on what is going on with the Reras.

-Tori is officially putting together 3 words or more at a time. "Mommy.. cookie, please?" ... "Bye Bye Daddy"... "Mom where Daddy go?"
-We have been enjoying so much time with Daddy right now thanks to the snow and random holidays here and there. Its to the point now that when Dan has to work Tori is running around asking me where he is lol.
-Tori knows the difference between "Nonno" and "Nonna" now which is adorable and she loves them both so much but has been particularly clingy with my dad.
-On the home front: With this cold weather we are very happy we have the gas in the house now. I cannot imagine how much money we would have alrdy gone through if we still had the oil heat right now. FRIENDS is on Netflix right now so pretty much anytime I am doing work, blogging, etc... Its on the tv. I just watched the "We are on a break" episode and it still brings me to tears haha I mean, I have only seen it 100x. Valentines Day décor is out and Tori is loving it. She is obsessed with hearts. She always wants mommy and daddy to draw hearts and she always points them out on anything she sees. My Mammy gave me two hearts to hang on doors...so I hung one up on the door in the kitchen going to the basement and one in Tori's playroom. She is going to love having it hung in there (shes currently napping and hasn't seen it yet).
-Last weekend me and a couple of the lady friends went out in York last weekend and Dan had a guys night at the Diffs. York seriously sucks for night life. Except for the White Rose. I feel like all of the bars in York are either super chill... or they are like, a trashy dance club.
-Valentines Day my mom has very awesomely offered to keep Tori overnight so Dan and I can have a night to ourselves. We are planning on eating dinner at Ciro's and then having drinks somewhere/hanging out with friends. The following day we will pick Tori up from my parents and we will be staying there for the day because its my niece Samantha's 2nd birthday party. My sister is having a Disney themed bday party for her. Hard to believe its her second bday!
-On the fitness and eating front.. I am planning on next month starting to really crack down on eating better. I started drinking water with cucumber and lemon in it, its supposed to be a detox for the bod and I really like the taste. Been getting to the gym 4-5 times a week, the usual.

And that my friends is the excitement as of late.

the one with NYE at the Eden

The past 5 years in a row, the whole crew has spent New Years Eve together at the Reed's house. The "main crew" has pretty much stayed the same and then we have had a few people come and go as we have gotten older and well, as life has happened.
Their house has always been perfect for NYE  because 1-they offer it 2-we don't go to their place as much as its considered to be a little more "out of the way" than everyone elses houses 3-We can sleep there 4-they are the most gracious of hosts 5-they plan, there is booze, food, music, décor.
This year the general consensus was we have had an awesome run there but maybe this year we should switch it up and try something new.
Enter: The Eden Resort and DJ Freez
The Eden hosts two new years eve parties. One which is considered to be the  "older party" where there is a live band and filet mignon... and the "younger party" which includes open bar and a buffet. We decided to go with the "younger party" because there was a DJ and well, it was cheaper at $160.00 per couple. I am the cheapest person ever and $160 is normally something I would never consider to spend on NYE but I mean, food, a dj AND open bar... seemed like a really reasonable price. The next part would be trying to get everyone to commit. That ended up being way easier than I thought it would with the conversation going something like this:
"Hey guys, we were thinking of going the Eden this year for NYE.. $160 a couple for a dj, food and OPEN BAR"
-Friends response- "Ok, where do we get tickets?"
Done. 12 of us. The Eden. Dan, Me, Meg, Ray, Chris, Mad, Jess, Von, Amber, Andy, Lauren, Pete, John, Christine.
When we got there we noticed a two major things.. 1-we were 12 of about 20 people who were under the age of 40 who were there, 2-the DJ was playing "old people" music. We very quickly forgot that we were the only people under the age of 40 there. When you show up to a party with 12 of your best friends, you very quickly forget there is anyone else in the room at all. Also, the DJ was just warming everyone up. He actually did a great job with mixing the music up and had the dance floor packed.
A perk of the party being mostly older: there was not one minute of a wait for a drink. Open bar. All the drinks you wanted, over and over again without waiting. It was fabulous. I am pretty sure we quickly reminded everyone that we were the youngest group of people there. There may have been a glass broken on the dance floor, an "a$$hole" chant and someone may or may not have fallen out of their chair. I wont name names. What I will say is that all of those things were done by different people lol.. open bar, seriously, what more do I say?!
Now onto the mushy part of this post: it was really fun bringing in another year together. When we were all dancing on the dance floor at some point I was looking around at everyone and just thinking ... Dan and I have been together for 7 years, this was the 6th or 7th NYE in a row I have spent with Meg and Ray, Chris and Mad are getting married this year, Lauren is without a doubt the BEST thing I have gotten out of pledging my sorority in college.
We are so lucky to have each other.


Side note: being a mom and being hungover with a toddler is just terrible. Next year, I think a more family friendly NYE will be in order.

the one where Tori is 22 Months

Tomorrow my baby girl will be 22 months old. That means she will be TWO in two months. AH. Yeah one to two is no joke. It has flown by. She is turning into a little woman. Craziness.

At 22 months:

-Tori has her favorite people list: Mommy, Mammy, Nonna, Bubba, Pop pop, Mema, Iz, Daddy
-She asks for Iz now all the time. Its adorable. They are really the best of friends.
-She recognizes herself in pictures and knows her name is Tori
-She is awesome at giving you the side eye. It is hilarious
-Loves to hop
-LOVES DOGS. "Puppies", "Doggies", "Puppies", "Doggies"-she cannot get enough
-Gives amazing hugs where she puts you in a choke hold
-Loves to jump in her crib. Thinks its a trampoline
-Hides from me whenever I need to change her diaper. Its not fun.
-Still loves water, she is a little fishy who loves bathtime
-Current favorite foods are: chicken nuggets, M&M's, grapes
-Hates wearing shoes and socks, always wants to be barefoot
-Is a total Momma's girl (and I love every single second of it)
-Anytime she gets upset or stressed she looks at me and says "Ok?" It is so cute and adorable how she is looking to me to make sure everything is going to be alright.
-Loves anything and everything Daniel Tiger. She still hasn't said his name but she can say "oh" which is the Owl's name and "Kit Kat" which is Kitty Katerina lol. Side note: I am having her second birthday party in the DT theme :)

My head is still out of it from last nights festivities so that's all I can remember right now.

For your viewing pleasure: one of Tori's favorite things to do, facetime with her cousin Iz :)