Happily Ever Mock

Donut Valentines and Heart Shaped Pizza

I love any chance to celebrate around here, but having a Toddler that gets so excited about anything out of the norm makes holidays even more fun!

Last Night Hallie and I made Heart Shaped Pizza for National Pizza day! She loved it and it was soooo easy! That’s a win/win in my book!

To form Pepperoni hearts, I just used kitchen shears to change the circles into hearts! It was delicious!

Today Hallie and I brought a special Valentine to our Play Group Valentine Party! Each of her friends got a milk bottle with their choice of white or strawberry milk, a cute little straw and some donuts! The tag I created read: “Donut you know you’re my favorite valentine?”

Feel free to print your own Donut tag!

This weekend Hallie, Daddy and I are exchanging Valentines since Daddy will be out of town next week! Hallie and I of course have a lot more Valentine fun in store though, so stay tuned!
Happy Weekend!
<3 Kelly and Hallie

Hallie’s BFF

If you are an avid follower, you know all about Hallie’s little BFF Luna.  Luna and Hallie have been friends since Hallie was just 3 months young (Luna was 7).  It has been a tradition for the girls to have their photos taken together around the same time every year since they were little.

It is so fun watching how much they grow and change over the years! They are getting so big! Here another photo from this years photo session, thanks to Luna’s sweet Momma! Stay tuned for Hallie’s Valentine photos from Purple Moments Photography SOON!

<3 Hallie and Kelly 

Valentine Crafts for Little Hands

One of our favorite things to do to celebrate Valentines Day is making our very own Homemade Valentines! You might think it would be hard to get little hands (and toes) involved in creating beautiful artwork that their friends and loved ones will treasure, but it’s actually rather easy! Here are 6 fun crafts Hallie and I have tried in the Valentines Days over her (almost) 3 years!

1.) Make your own Heart Shaped Crayons-
Hallie and I did this as her Valentine gift for her friends last year and she LOVED it! She really enjoyed helping me sort the crayons by color and breaking them up to put in the mold! It was really good for identifying colors and fine motor skills!

What you’ll need-

  • A heart shaped mold (we got ours at hobby lobby)
  • Old broken crayons (We also mixed in a pack of dollar store crayons)
What to do-
Peel off the crayon paper. Break them up and fill each tray until it is a little more than half way full.  Melt them at 350 for 10 minutes (or until melted).  Wait about an hour or so until cool, then pop them out! You can sort them by color to create crayons of each color of the rainbow like we did or have fun making multicolored crayons!
2.)  Finger paint Valentines Hearts-
What you’ll need-
  • Kid safe paint
  • Paper
  • Scissors
  • Marker/pen
(OMG look how tiny she is!)
I just dropped a couple drops of paint in “Valentine Colors” on the paper and let Hallie go to town! She loved it! It was GREAT for creativity! We are planning on doing this again this year! Once the paper dries cut out some hearts and write a message to friends and family from your sweet little
3.) Toilet Paper Roll Heart Stamping-
What you’ll need-
  • Toilet Paper Roll
  • Tape
  • Paint
  • Paper
Tape the toilet paper roll into a heart shaped stamp.  Give them some paint and let them use the toilet paper roll as a stamp to stamp hearts on the paper! This one is definitely getting a redo this year! Last year Hallie just wanted to do more finger painting! Lol I say it’s best for a Toddler 2 and up! But it is great for fine motor skills!
4.) Heart shaped mosaic-
What you’ll need-
  • Paper of different colors
  •  Cardboard or Card stock cut into a heart
  •  Glue
Depending on the age of the child, you can either tear the paper for the child or let them help you (its great for fine motor skills as well!)  then let them glue the paper on the Card stock/Cardboard. Hallie is REALLY into gluing this year!
5.) Footprint Heart Plates
What you’ll Need-
  • Inexpensive plate (Dollar store or Target)
  • Ceramic Paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Oven
We did these as a keepsake for Hallie’s first Valentines Day.  We even made a few so she could give them as gifts to her grandparents! It was so sweet! I put her in her highchair to make it easier.  I painted the first foot and stamped it on the plate. Then cleaned her foot and repeated with the second foot.  Then I placed it in the oven at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.  I am so glad I did this!
6.) Button Heart-
What you’ll need-
  • Cardboard or card stock cut into a heart
  • Glue (After doing this I think a bottle of wet glue would have worked better)
  • Buttons
This one is simple! Just glue the buttons onto the heart! Hallie had so much fun creating patterns and choosing which buttons would fit best where! (Good for problem solving skills, patterns, and fine motor) Hallie chose to give Daddy this special Valentine!

 

What crafts are you working on for Valentines Day?

 

Valentine’s Reads

We are having so much fun celebrating a Month of LOVE here at the Mock house! Each year for Valentines Day I choose a book to put in Hallie’s Valentine bag, and then the weeks leading up to Valentines Day the following year, we enjoy reading them! 

(Photo by Purple Moments Photography)
Here are some of our current favorites!

1. The Day it Rained Hearts-

2.  Hug You Kiss You Love You-

3.  We Belong Together-

4.  You Are My Cupcake-

5. BabyLit- Romeo and Juliet-

6. Happy Valentines Day Mouse- 
(Another photo by Purple Moments, cant wait 
to share the rest with you!)
Still trying to decide which book to put in Hal’s Valentine bag this year! Do you give your little’s Valentine’s gifts? What are you giving them? Have any more ideas of things I could give Hallie in her bag? I want to hear them!!!
PS, are you following is on INSTAGRAM @Happilyevermock ?
<3 Kelly 

Valentine Ideas For Mom

Valentines Day is such a good reminder to stop and think about the ones you love.  To put them first get them just a small token of affection that says “I care about you” 
Here are some fun ideas for the snail mail sender, note taking, snuggle loving mom like myself!
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1.) Love this stationary set from Curio Press, actually I love EVERYTHING in her shop, but this set just screams VALENTINE, plus it can be personalized! Check out some of her floral prints too, your honey will love them! 
2.) I am constantly grabbing for a notebook or pad to take notes on an idea I had for the blog or to jot down a recipe, why not do it in style with this cute Riffle Paper Co set!   If your gal is a note taker or 
3.) This adorable “Let’s Cuddle” pillow is a cute idea because it’s the perfect sentiment for the holiday, but would look cute on the bed year round!
4.) I am literally OBSESSING over these Crate and Barrel Pillow Cases too! And again they work year round, so she will feel your love 365 days a year…except when they are in the wash! Haha!
5.) Pretty much any of these precious Woven Pear Socks are a great addition to a box of chocolates or a nice candle! They are a sweet cozy gift for a momma who likes to cuddle.  And if you’re feeling extra generous, spring for the Sock Box! She’ll love getting a fun treat once a month! 
6.) And last but not least some pretty flowers in this adorable Oh Joy! vase from Target is a sweet idea! Even when the flowers are gone, she’ll love finding new ways to use the vase. 
Ladies, what do you think should be on this list? What surprises are you hoping for this Valentines Day?
<3 Kelly

Hallie’s Valentine Wardrobe Staples

Pretty much as soon as New Years Champagne Glasses have clinked and Christmas decorations have been tucked away, Hallie and I start planning for and celebrating Valentines Day!  Today I am sharing some of the fun Valentine Staples we have in Hallie’s wardrobe!

1, 2 and 4- Festive Turbans for Tots Bows–  Turbans for Tots has a lot of adorable Valentine options, but these are a few of my favorites!
3.  June and January Tights– We have them in Bubblegum for Valentines Day but they come in a variety of fun colors! We have also snagged a pair of slate and the old onyx stripe!
5. Bubblegum June and January Swing Dress– Again a ton of adorable options, but Bubblegum just screams Valentines Day! Be looking out for their Valentine Exclusives that drop on Friday! We might just have to grab some of those precious pieces as well!!
6.  Old Navy Fit and Flair Dress– I just LOVE the way this dress looks on Hal! It is super girly and the color is just yummy!
7. Custom Dress From ForTay Fabrications– You still have time to order! Do it fast! She has so many cute options to choose from! Remember Hallie’s Valentine Dress from last year….same lady! The dress pictured is a sneak peek of the dress I ordered this year!
8. Carters Valentine Pajamas– I just love how snuggly they are…plus Mommy might have a similar pair to match!
What are your kids wearing this Valentines Day?
Kelly and Hallie

Ben the Rooster Calendar

Ben the Rooster has done it again!

Hallie and I are of course still enjoying his bimonthly post cards.  She is getting pretty good at answering his open ended questions (of course she tells me what to write) and drawing something at least slightly on topic before mailing Ben back her pre stamped post card.  But the fun now doesn’t stop there.

Starting this month we have an adorable calendar page to decorate once every month.  I was able to use Ben’s calendar as a fun teaching moment for Hallie as well! After Hallie colored Ben’s January calendar photo.  I talked to her about the 12 months of the year and the 7 days of the week.  We discussed how the first month in the year is January, and it is part of Winter.  Then we talked all about the 4 seasons.

I just love that Ben provides such easy educational tools that can be easily adapted for each individual child’s age and comprehension level.

 

If you haven’t subscribed to Ben’s postcards, be sure to do so here!
It’s also not too late to get Ben’s 2017 Calendar! Check it out!

<3 Kelly and Hallie

Freckles Creative Studio

Hi my name is Kelly and I am a compulsive list maker, lover of snail mail, stationary hoarder and obsessive planner.

 And these reasons right here friends, is why I love Freckles Creative Studio 

I just love how bright and fun the colors of their stationary and pencil sets are! I couldn’t wait to dig into the adorable box of goodies! Seriously, isn’t their box adorable!?

I just love finding amazing stationary companies to crush on and this one is so worth it! I can’t wait to make more purchases!! 
What are your favorite stationary companies?
<3 Kelly 

Hallieisms Take 8

A new year, a new batch of Hallieisms!

  • Hallie is really into mimicking everything we say! Including terms of endearment. She is known to say “Thanks Babe!” when Daddy hands her something.  
  • I told her recently to “Hop down” off of something she was climbing. She shot right back at me, “I will NOT hop! I am NOT a bunny!” Touche!
  • One of Hallie’s friends has a of couple dogs that are not the friendliest. They are a bit skittish around kids, so I always try to steer her away from playing with them in case they get scared and nip. She walked up to one of them and screamed “Just give me a chance dog!” I couldn’t stop laughing, which of course Hallie didn’t take kindly!
  • Around Halloween, Hallie invented an imaginary friend that would do all the naughty things in the house. If something went missing or was damaged it was Snoop’s fault.  Snoop also in true Hallie fashion was an animal that liked to change form.  One day he was a dog, the next a bat, and the Snoop that scratched Pop’s living room table with a rock was a Goat.  Luckily for us, Snoop has seemed to disappear! Thank Goodness!
  • I am going to have to get a video of this one, it is just too good not to actually hear! Hallie heard a lady on Halloween get scared of a man in a mask. She ran across the street screaming “Oh my GOD!” So Hallie liked to go around telling the story and get very animated exclaiming she said “OH MY DOD!” She still uses it to exclaim a lot of things! Looking at Christmas lights, “Oh My Dod, more lights!” Or “Oh my Dod that baby is adorable!” lol
  • She for some reason was calling a Skunk a Slob…..I guess thats not too far off!
  • She sneezed and I wasn’t quick enough with a “God bless you” so she said to herself “God Bless Myself!” 
  • She likes to respond “Okie Dokie” When I ask her to do something
  • Same night as the infamous hilarious “I like Dogs Better than people” comment, she was sitting quietly in the back seat and said.  “My hands smell great!” I was like oh yeah? That’s great! And she responds immediately “I put spit on them”….gross!
  • On Thanksgiving we asked her what she was Thankful for and she would respond with, whoever was in the room plus her “Happy Birthday” Such a people pleaser! 
  • If she is hurt or not feeling good and then you ask her a little while later how she is feeling, she’ll say “Much More Better!” 
  • Speaking of getting hurt, She fell and scraped her knee outside of her Pop’s store. I took her back inside to get a band-aid and Pop started to fix her up.  She looked right at him and said “Pop, you are NOT a Doctor!” 
  • She is starting to name all of her stuffed animals.  One day I asked her the name of the puppy she was playing with.  She said “Slim” so I shot back, mostly under my breath, “Like Slim Shady?” And she exclaims “YES! That Ezactly it! SLIM SHADY! Come here Slim Shady! Good Slim Shady!” OOPS!!
  • We had just shown up to a friends house and were getting out of the car.  There were some men outside working on the power lines or something.  Hallie walked right up to them and asked “Oh are you camping?”
  •  Have I mentioned that all cars are named Carmine? She will actually talk to our Carmine while we are driving and say “Go CARMINE! Go faster to the finish line!”
  • If I am trying to get her down for a nap she’ll say a la Anna “The sky’s awake, so I’m awake, so we have to play!”
She is getting more hilarious every day! Here are all of her other Hallieisms in case you missed them!
<3 Kelly

2 1/2 years of Hallie Anne

Well, Hallie turned 2 1/2 over the Holidays (12-21) but I thought I would wait until after the chaos to update you on my sweet, hilarious, tall, Tall, TALL girl! She just brings us so much joy and every minute with her is exciting! 
Age- 2 1/2 years, and she never forgets to remind people of the half!
Weight- Still under 22 lbs last we checked.

Length- 35 inches tall!! That’s 2 inches in 6 months!

Size- Still so proud of my potty trained girl! Pants, PJs and Skirts- 18 month (though most times we still need to take in the waist) and Shirts and dresses- 2T Need the length!!

Eyes- Most of the time they look green or brown but they are still big and beautiful!

Hair- Light brown and super long! I keep saying I want to cut it, but I can’t bring myself to do it! It will likely be down passed her tushy before I get the courage to do it! 

Sleeping- 1 nap (1 1/2 to 2 hours) and 11 hours at night.

Favorite Foods-  Carb addict like her momma, fruit, and sweets. Loves pasta, pizza, hotdogs, strawberries and anything with sugar! She says her favorite food is potatoes today! Haha!

Milestones- Her ever extending vocabulary, help with dressing herself, washing hands and helping in the kitchen. I love that now I don’t have to remind her to go potty (most times!) And she can do a 30 piece puzzle by herself. 
Memorable outings and events- Birthday parties, photo shoots, ballet class, First Nutcracker, pumpkin patch, family holiday traditions over the holidays

Favorite toys/activities-  Stuffed animals (Especially my puppy!) Baby June, Coloring and Arts and Crafts, puzzles, Play Kitchen and shopping cart, bike, trampoline, Princess Castle, and Dress up clothes and Minnie and Daisy

Words/sounds- The kid loves to talk! She is completely conversational and says HUGE words like Interesting and frustrated! She literally has me dying laughing at all the hilarious things she says ( Be looking for a new Halllieisms post soon but here’s a little taste:) We were driving in the car looking at the Super Moon a month or so back and it was pretty quiet.  All of a sudden, out of the blue, Hallie exclaims “I like dogs better than people” we both kind of stifled a stunned laugh because okay we always knew she loved animals, but wait doesn’t she love us more than dogs at least?! So we asked her, “what about us? do you like Daddy better than dogs?” then she confirms “No! I like myself better than dogs!”  

Nicknames- H, Hal, Sweet pea, peanut and bean
Looking forward to- Decorating her new room and playroom when we buy a new house, hopefully a well deserved family vacation soon and of course planning that 3rd birthday party that is going to make this momma cry like a baby!
Big girl, I know these next few months will fly by and before I blink you will be three, but please try to slow down! 
XOXO
Momma