one...two...THREE #may27th

saturday, this boy woke up singing 'because i'm happyyyyyyyyy!' :P  he knew it was finally party day.

we threw a joint birthday pool party with friends of ours, Kristina and Allen; their daughter, Celén, was born on May 28th.  the location was at my gym, Lifetime City Centre! it was special to me because i had part of my 30th birthday celebration there, Chiso was finally able to come gymming with me when he turned 3 months old, and now he has celebrated his 3rd birthday there.

excited and picking up the Mickey and Minnie Mouse cakes the morning of.

the guests of honor! and why do they look like long-lost brother and sister?! LOL

but before their guests arrived, we put them to work stuffing their favor bags. we paid them in food, no worries.

on the menu:

 cheese, pepperoni, & BBQ chicken pizza (provided by the Lifetime Cafe), an assortment of subway sammiches, a variety of chips, cake batter rice crispy treats, strawberry-pecan-spinach salad, juice, water, and cake.

right on time, Papa, thanks.

we played gym games upstairs on the 3rd floor before hitting the pool. 

does that parachute give you a nostalgic feeling too?

they had some parachute fun, bowled, played scooter races, and there was even a real live Angry Birds game... pretty neat.

Chiso had all the pretty girls to himself before his guys friends arrived ;)

my girlfriend, Michelle (bottom L corner), put her super long legs to work and dusted EVERYBODY in the scooter race! her daughter, Lyonna, and Chiso share the same birthday.

now for the part the kiddos had been waiting all day for-

it's time to SWIM!

the party ended at 4, but we were in that pool from about 2:45 to 6:15.  he just didn't want to leave! you know where to find us this Summer.

this picture cracks me up- i was just trying to get their attention for the picture and i have no idea what i even said! but ummm, they look so annoyed. ROTFL.

splish, splash <3

i didn't get pics with everybody, but i'm grateful some of my family and friends were able to come celebrate with us!

my cousins Angie and Gerrilyn and their kiddos,

my sorority sister Trashina took a dip with her adorable boys,

and my friend Krystal was on double duty and held it down! i tell her all the time what a huge inspiration she is to me.  i feel like i'm starting all over balance-wise with Odego on the way and all... heck i feel like i JUST got into a groove with one kiddo (remembering to add an event to my calendar, getting there on time if at all, making sure he has pants on, etc) and she always encourages me that i can. experience is the best teacher and i believe you, girl. alright *clears throat*

let's sing! make a wish, Celén.

your turn, Chi!  he would not put that pizza down.

before & after.

 asleep in the car by 6:30pm and didn't wake up til the next day. party POOPED.

all four of us were! happy, HAPPY, 3rd birthday to our Chiso <3

thanks for reading!

le

pizza pizza

a doorstep package is so awesome to wake up to!!!! especially when you've been anticipating it's arrival.  what is it? oooh just my next product review.  and it's food this time *pistol fingers*

we had a crazy weekend and hit up three 30th birthday parties for our friends.  30 is a huge milestone and we were honored to have been invited to help celebrate with each of them!

Friday night party #1 was for Nichola *whistles*

2nd Friday night party was for Evelyn- that dress was as hot as the woman in it!!

and finally, we ended our saturday evening with Melanie-  just flawless!

all three of them brought 30 in RIGHT and in their own way-  THAT is how you do it!

hanging on this guy's arm always makes for a fun night.  i follow @chalenejohnson on IG and she has motivated me tremendously concerning the importance of keeping family in the forefront in the midst of taking care of myself, and i encourage you to do the same!  i don't take our date nights for granted and really cherish and enjoy my toddler-less time with Sonny. felt like we were back in college with all this partying for a sec, oh boy!

but back to saturday morning- it began with maple almond butter banana burgers for Chiso and i.  fun to make, fun to eat.

he goes crazy for these things!  all flavors of Justin's nut butters work, especially the chocolate hazelnut and chocolate almond butter. yummers.

we followed up breakfast with a visit to the gym.  i got sweaty on the elliptical with some fat burning cardio, shot some hoops with Chiso, and we got up outta there.

you should know by now what we did next!!  it's a saturday ritual, come on now.  just a short trip this time though:

• sara lee 45 calories and delightful whole wheat bread
• unsweetened apple sauce
• fresh blackberries (on sale)
• fresh strawberries (on sale)
• sweet potatoes
• grapefruit
• bananas
• frozen tilapia
• wheat bran
• oat bran
• red bell peppers (on sale)
• Walden Farms pancake syrup

Q: how do i get started with cleaner eating?

A: very popular question as of late, but the answer is simple.  in the grocery store!!  buy and keep the right stuff (wholesome, fresh, natural, no-low processed foods)  in your fridge so you'll always be prepared to make nutritious, healthy meals.  check out my 'the right stuff' section for some of the brands and items i purchase and use daily.

we usually do the family thing on Sundays;  Sonny went to a house party recently and would not stop raving about the incredible slice of pizza he had eaten!  i needed to see what all the hype was about, so we made it  a date.

if you're a Houstonian, i'm sure you've either passed this place or been here yourself several times.  and hey, they are on Instagram too-  they commented on the pic i IG'ed earlier, how cool! check'em out: @starpizza

we ordered 1 slice of whole wheat cheese pizza for Chi and he went to TOWN on it.

i was impressed by the super wide range of toppings, and was relieved to see that you could order single slices instead of being forced into buying a whole pizza.  it's the little things.

i got a slice of whole wheat, thin crust, zucchini, grilled chicken, and pineapple with plenty of hot, melty, gooey, mozzarella cheese.  no words besides insanely delicious.

and then that monstrosity hit the table.  that is a WORK OF ART.

half salsa verde, half supreme deep. dish. pizza. :shock:  if you haven't been yet, i bet you're going now.  night!

le