Birtthda'y Boy Bash

My big boy turned 7. I can't believe how big he is. He is smart and funny and filled with a wild silliness that he often can't control. Even though we are moving he still had a magical day. He wanted to have a party so I kept it low key and just invited friends to the lake that we have been frequenting. I brought punch and cupcakes. It was windy and a little cold but the water was warm. Later we went out for pizza and then had presents and cake and ice cream as a family.

He wanted a remote control police car, and a tadpole for his birthday. He is such a sweet boy. He is wild and opinionated. He likes to be involved and he has an aptitude for drumming. He is helping me out more and more and I am delighting in the fact that he can lift my load by doing work for me when I need it. We love him and I hope he has a wonderful year.

March Madness

March is flying by. We have been so busy. Winter has been hiding for a few weeks now and spring has been heading our way. It always gets to be more fun on our nature table when spring comes, there is just so much more to find and we are outside more so the kids bring all sorts of stuff in to pu on it. 

I had a birthday and made my own birthday cake. I choose German Chocolate. I had to make it gluten free and I choose to make it sugar free too. It turned out super good. I also got a hair cut for my birthday I have been loving how easy it is to take care of. I basically get out of bed and fluff it and go on my way.

We are trying to be more crafty. I am always crafty but I am trying to be more relaxed and let my kids help. Things like needles make me nervous when it comes to 3 and 4 year olds. It gets hard when my boy who is capable of doing more "dangerous" crafts wants to make something and then the girls want to do the exact same thing. I have to get creative or deal with a lot of crying. 

We made these little dolls for a friend who was turning 3. They were fun but they were also a lot of work. We really enjoyed making them and learning from them. My kids couldn't keep their hands off of them. Now I know something to make for them this next Christmas! I am going to be busy this next week trying to finish up our Easter crafts and gifts. It feels a bit like a race when Easter is in March. March madness I guess, good thing its Spring break for us this week. 

A Birthday For a Princess

We have a December birthday in our family. It is fun for her as it helps her know when it is here. When she asks when her birthday is going to be, we always say that it can't be her birthday until the Christmas tree is up. 

This year I tried my hand at making her a Waldorf doll as her main birthday gift. At first it went so well I found myself thinking "Hey I can make and sell these things." Then reality kicked in and it got tricky, tedious and time consuming. Now I have a new respect for the dolls I see where the maker is asking $250. I used to think that I could never afford that and how ridiculous that price tag was. Now I totally understand how a well made doll could cost that much money.

 My daughter named her Sofie and she has a crooked leg. I was concerned that my daughter wouldn't like her as she is not super big into doll play. Despite the flaws in my craftsmanship she was well received with an exclamation of joy. She really is a wonderful doll and when you hold her you can tell she was made with love. She has a nice warm weight to her even though she is not weighted.

She asked us if she could have an ice cream party. It was cold outside and the ground was covered with two feet of snow so we didn't know what to do about that at first. In the end what could we say but yes to her birthday request. So an ice cream sundae party it was. We filled the table full of ice cream sundae treats, let the kids all pick exactly what they wanted at 10 am in the morning. Then we had ice cream cake before noon. It turned out to be over the top and fun. 

The present table was quite exciting. 

Waiting in anticipation for ice cream sundaes.

Getting ready for ice cream cake.

Its hard to contain all that excitement.

Birthday stories, songs, and wishes. She got very serious.

Truly my little princess. She made sure she had princess hair too.

Then came the presents.

The presents were chaotic and glorious at the same time. 

After the party we had a quiet afternoon but then decided to go out to a family dinner where she picked the restaurant. That was not the best idea as she turned into a dragon full of bad attitude at the dinner table, and then didn't eat her dinner. I think she was coming down from all the sugar and was tired from all the fun of the day. We learned some important lessons as parents, the kids can either have a party or a restaurant, not both. Nonetheless we had a great birthday for our princess and we are so happy she is in our family. 

A Birthday For My Guy

Someone around here is getting big. He is all full of attitude and loves to have fun. We had a fun little birthday party for him. 

When I asked him what he wanted to eat for his birthday he picked the party platter from Azteca. No one complained about that. Not even I, as it made things easy for me.

I made him his cake. He picked out the flavors.

He didn't eat it. When I asked him why he told me that it was too sweet and that he doesn't like cake anymore. That was fine with me as from now on we will just have a low sugar cake, whipped cream frosting, and berries.

Presents are fun, and he got a lot of wonderful things.

Our sweet neighbors even brought him some flowers.

He wanted this giant anatomy book. 

He is a very sweet boy with a wild side. He loves to snuggle and break things. He is a good helper and I have been loving having him do some chores like taking out the recycles, vacuuming, and feeding the dog. 

Happy Birthday indeed.