1st Birthday Cake = A Childhood Ritual

Simon got the whole top tier of his birthday cake to himself on his birthday, of course, Yes, the one with the pink ring around it. Man, I really should have invested in the good food coloring. Oh well.

Not so sure what to do with it...

After a sample bite, though, he was good to go...

Yeah, see, it ain't so bad!


A genetic love of cake...

I love this birthday boy!

Record Keeping

Here are some briefs on what my 3 favorites have been up to:

* Head lice! Pretty much the most wicked parental chore since potty training. I'm thinking (hoping!) we're past it, but what a nightmare. Hours of hair combing, a laundry catastrophe, cleaning up to my eyeballs. Yeah, hated lice. Now Maya is required (by me) to wear her hair up and braided tight and shellacked with mousse when she's at school, and she receives daily lectures about not touching, not wearing, not laying. Ugh. (If you go thru this and want some tips, I'm your girl.)
* LOVING Kindergarten. Love love love. I think she's the class narc, which makes sense, since she's a full head taller than they are. I'm sure she has some hard lessons about tattling ahead of her, but that's okay. As of now, she's friends with everyone and one of her highlights has been being chosen to "go up into the loft" with the STAR of the week during rest time on several occasions. And with several different boys, much to Daddy's chagrin.
* Great report card and teacher conference, which was nice to hear. I mean, I know it's Kindergarten, but good feedback is always great for parents to hear. The principal already knows her by name, but in a good way, :) and Maya's super exciting moment was getting her poem (Oh homework, oh homework, you are so fine. Even though you take up all our time.) read over the announcements on Friday. She was beside herself, so thrilled.
* This is the greatest time of year in Texas. Maya comes home from school and spends the rest of the day outside in the yard. With Mason, if he'll come, by herself when he gets sick of it. She makes up games, jumps on the trampoline for hours, etc. God bless Texas!

* I feel like Mason is, at last, thriving in preschool. It took him such a long time to warm up, but he absolutely loves it now. I come to pick him up and he's enthralled with the book he's being read or is wholeheartedly doing the actions for the song they are singing. He's starting to talk about what he's learning and about his friends and may or may not have his first crush. (We hear a lot about "Gigi", and when Maya asks if he looooooooves her he says "I just like her!", but he does his funny smile, which we love.)
* He has been such a good sport with such a tired Mama lately. When Simon naps in the morning, half the time I just pass out. He'll lay in the bed beside me and wake me up to ask for "a new show" when necessary. I feel so guilty, but he's so sweet. And luckily, hooked on good PBS Kids stuff like Sid the Science Kid, Dinosaur Train, and Super Why. I'm hoping I'll be more awake and alert soon so that our Mommy/Mason time is a little higher quality.
* Mason has started to show interest in letters. What letter is this? How do you spell that? I don't remember how we went about teaching this stuff to Maya - it seems like she just knew it one day. I need to get some flashcards or a game or something. Anyone have a favorite?
* He is my greatest, quickest little helper, as long as a)you turn it into a game (you are the delivery person, right?) and b)he doesn't get distracted. His ability to become distracted is second only to mine. But for the most part, he's so willing and so sweet, he probably gets a little overused in this house. I'm sure it all balances out, because I remember having a conversation with a friend a while back and we were both saying the opposite - thankful for our big girls, because our age 2ish boys were so unwilling. So it's fun to see him evolve.
* Whenever I say "Maya, when you were little you said "movie safuter" instead of "movie theater", Mason wants me to tell him something cute he used to say. But he's just now coming into his cute sayings, so I need to be sure to write some of them down. Think is "sink". Wipe is "wipe-did". And of course, there are several more currently in rotation, and they all slip my mind. I'll keep a running list so I can give Mason his own cute-phrase post here soon.

* Simon is the cutest little walker in the world. As my Dad says, "At least he's not pigeon-toed". The kid looks like he just hopped off a horse as he waddles around. It's so cute. He's happiest when he has one of anything in each hand.
* We refer to him as "the randomizer" because he's always carrying something around. He might wander into your room with a couple of granola bars and then find something he likes better on your nightstand. Later on you find your tin of cough drops under the couch and granola bars in your bed. It's amusing because he's amusing. And adorable and sweet.
* For the most part, he's just so sunny and happy and satisfied to wander around. This week, he's been teething and pretty unhappy about life. But still, he's a snuggler and a smiler and a giggler.
* He's a banana boy. If all else fails, that boy would eat 2 bananas at every meal. Of course, then he'd never poop again, so we're trying other foods. (Anybody have particular success with a finger food? This boys turns his nose up at quite a few things, which can be annoying. Luckily string cheese and graham crackers are always good standbys.)

And that's the latest and greatest...

Blame It On Baby

I've been so MIA around here lately, and I apologize for that! I will blame it on the big announcement...which most have already seen on Facebook: We've got baby #4 coming in May! Yes, we did do that on purpose, although I'm not sure how sane we are, having babies 18 months apart. But we're SO very excited and feel so blessed to have another sweet little person coming to our home.

This has probably been my easiest pregnancy, or at least a billion times better than with Simon. I've been super, super tired and felt pretty grossed out a lot of the time, but nothing like last time's laying in bed wishing to die situation. Of course, Simon has been the best, easiest little baby, so maybe you pay upfront. In which case, we're in for it. But, since my next easiest pregnancy was Maya, I'm hoping it's an early indication that we've got a little girl on the way. Of course, we'd be thrilled either way. And by we, I mean me & Chris. Maya, on the other hand...well, let's just hope it's a girl. :)

Anyway! I'm hoping the super exhaustion will pass soon and that I'll be here more often very soon. I have lots of family pictures and a pretty major Anthropologie wish list to share, if nothing else.

In other news, I will be celebrating my big 3-2 this weekend! Having 2 kid birthdays in October followed by the kid-centric Halloween festivities...and the tiredness, I guess, has kept me from scheming as much Birthday fun as I have in previous years, but I'm sure they'll be dinner out and cupcakes and other goodness involved. My 30s are my favorite so far. Life just keeps getting better and better, and I'm feeling very blessed.

Hope all is well out there in blogland. Back soon!

From One Simon To Another

Simon was named after one of our best friends from college. Simon Elmore was/is quite a character. He was hilarious and silly and so much fun, but he was also extremely smart and hard working and talented. Perfect combination. He and his wife Amy, although we haven't seen them in years and don't talk very often, are considered among our dearest friends.

Today in the mail, this arrived from them. Very sweet, I thought. A Simon name plaque with hangers. Cute, lovely, so thoughtful of them. Then I turned it over and found this note attached (click to enlarge):

Of course, much emotional Mama bawling ensued. What a wonderful gift. I feel so blessed to have such amazing people in my/our life. It's wonderful to have a legacy of awesomeness, if you will, for my little guy. Thank you, Elmores. I know we'll always treasure it.

We had Simon's birthday bash last night because it's supposed to rain like crazy this afternoon (it had better!) :). Pictures to come of that and of my little big guy...

Happy First Birthday To Simon

I interrupt this blogging break to wish my baby boy a happy birthday! I can hardly believe Simon is 1. I don't think I could ever adequately express how special this guy is. He is the baby that changed me into a "real" Mom. I have enjoyed every moment, even the tough ones, of his babyhood. And somehow, because of him, I have enjoyed my "big" sweet kids so much more, too. He most definitely feels like he just belongs with us.

Today I am grateful for him, for his sweet and independent nature, for his funny personality and infectious laugh. I'm grateful for his patience, with me, with siblings that want to smother him...with it all. I'm grateful for his snuggles and smooches. He's such a blessing.

I am so grateful to be a mother. I never knew it would be this good.

Happy birthday, Simon! We all love you SO very much.

BRB

The ol' blog seems to have been relegated to back burner status as I try to get through the rest of October. I'm sure I'll be popping by with pumpkin patch and/or 1st birthday pics...eventually. See you real soon!

Day Out With Thomas

Last week was the much-anticipated trip to Day Out With Thomas. It definitely exceeded our expectations. The kids had SO much fun.

You should have heard Mason squeal when he first saw "the real" Thomas. He was SO excited. It was adorable.

Because I'm too lazy to scan it, here's a picture of the picture we bought. Because it's a major family moment. We had to buy the picture.

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Although the train ride ended up being "a little bit boring", and both big kids were majorly in need of the potty the entire time, it was definitely an important part of the overall experience.

Me & my girl.

Giddy! I've never seen this guy so excited!

I love Maya because even if it's not "her thing", she always manages to get excited about whatever we're doing. She was definitely the most enthusiastic 6 year old girl at Day Out With Thomas.

He squealed big time for Sir Topham Hatt, too.

Which "embarrassed" Maya "so much!". "He laughed right in his face! How embarrassing!"

Maya kept it real with the director of the Narrow Gauge Railway. No laughing in his face, no sir.

Maya of course volunteered to help out the magician, "The Phat Clown". She laid an egg. She was pretty stoked about it. As she should be.

We made the rounds...giant slide, petting zoo, hay bale "amaze", Thomas Legos, Wooden Thomas, "glass" (plastic) Thomas, tattoos, coloring, stamping, and of course, THE STORE. All told, it was a really fun event. Cheap, no. But really fun.

This guy, with his squealing and squeaking and major enthusiasm made it all worth while.

And this guy, of course, was an amazing good sport. Daddy was behind the camera, but he had a blast, too.

Serious fun times! These are my favorite sorts of memories with my little fam'!

Things I Want Week: Anthropologie

{Bouquet of Roses Heels - Clustered Camellia Tee}

Things I Want Week: Boden

{Rainbow Coat - Portobello Jacket}

Littlest Party Guest

My plan was to have Simon nap during the party, but that was just plain silly of me, wasn't it? This kid loooooves to party and couldn't bear to be in his room while we were all having so much fun.

He even found a fan and some lipstick to call his own!

Seriously, Mom? Nap while I could be partying?!

I'm sure you're all partied out, as am I, so I thank you for your patience and indulgence. I definitely recommend the fancy tea party. It was one of my favorite themes yet, right up there with Hello Kitty Luau. Good times!

I'll Take Care Of Those Leftovers For Ya...

Mason proves himself once again to be Really Useful when he finishes off the birthday cake.

And he does it with such gusto! He's definitely my kid, bless him!

Flower Crowns

Instead of party hats, I decided to make flower crowns for the girls. I will admit - they are slightly a little bit of a pain to make. Not difficult, just a little tedious. I did them while I watched TV, not a biggie.

All you do is make a circle with floral wire and attach flowers using floral tape.

The girls seemed to like their fancy crowns!

Fancy Fans

I usually like to have at least a small craft project going on at birthday parties. It gives the girls something to do if there's a lull, plus all kids just love to make stuff.

Being that I'm not a super crafty girl, I like to keep it pretty simple. For the tea party, we did decorate your own fans, which I bought from Oriental Trading. I labeled each fan with the girls' names, set out some markers, and that was pretty much it.

Easy peasy, and the girls seemed to enjoy it!

What's A Party Without Cake + Gifts?

This was my first attempt at making my own cake. I've did my own cupcakes last year, but this is my first "real" cake. It's not too shabby as long as you don't look too close! :)

The girls loved it, though. I will admit to being slightly delighted at their awestruck reaction. Little girls are pretty awesome.

Tea set up top and tea cups alla round. Remedial piping. Uneven layers. Like I said, not too shabby!

I guess it's pretty much par for the course that Maya started asking to open her gifts about 5 seconds after the party started! She was very gracious this year, full of enthusiasm for all of the fabulous gifts she received. The trend in birthday gifts seems to be "project" gifts. Paint your own bobblehead dogs. Design your own messenger bag. Write your own fairy tale book. Make your own scrapbook. Paint your own jewelry box. Etc. etc. Which is all riiiiight up Maya's alley and she's already been going nuts with it all. Such fun!

The China Shop

We gathered up all the girls at the party and played a rousing game of "Pass the Teapot" (Hot Potato-ish...but the opposite, I guess) to the jazziest version of "I'm A Little Teapot" you ever did hear. If the music stopped and you were left holding the teapot, you got your ticket to visit the....

China Shop! Here you picked out your favorite cup + saucer, for use at the party AND to take home and treasure forever and ever, I'm sure.

This is the fruit of my labor...millions and millions of trips to Goodwill and Savers. I got rather addicted, because I found some amazing toys almost every time I went. There's a bit of a rush associated with a good thrift store find. Perfect condition stack of classic Little Golden Books (some never opened)! Practically new bristle blocks, just like the ones we have! Eeboo lacing cards for 69 cents! Yep, I'm addicted, I tell ya.

Here's a few more shots of the tea cups...

Chris actually took individual shots of each tea cup...AND individual shots of each girl with their tea cup...

...but I won't torture you with those photos.

After the tea party, my saintly helpers washed all the tea cups, added the favors inside (ring pop, lip gloss and candy necklace) and wrapped them up in cellophane for the girls to take home.

Sunrise, Sunset...Sing It With Me!

Baby Maya becomes 1 year old Maya becomes...6 year old Maya! Man, I love this birthday girl!

Some shots from her first year...look like anyone else you've seen around here?

Happy Birthday, Maya!

The party girl is 6 today! I can hardly believe it. Maya is fabulous little (not so little?) person. Funny, sweet, responsible, smart. It's been fun to watch her grow up these past 6 years...and I can't wait to see what the future brings to this good girl. Hugs & kisses, Maya! We love you!

Kiss A Frog

One of the tea party games was "Kiss A Frog". I bought some scrapbook clip art that included the perfect frog prince. I added "Happy Birthday, Maya" and my dad was able to print it out GIGANTIC at work. Chris mounted it on a board and it was good to go.

I bought a bunch of Avon lipstick samples on Ebay so each of the girls could have her own. They got all fancy...

...were blindfolded, spun, and then kissed the frog.

We had each of the girls sign their name next to their lips, so it's a fun keepsake of Maya's guests.

The prizes were crown rings and bead bracelets from Oriental Trading. Very fancy indeed!

Welcome To Tea Party

I have mentioned before, long ago, that when Maya was very little she'd invite you to her room for a tea party. When you arrived, she'd always greet you with "Welcome to tea party!". It was one of my favorite Maya-isms of those days.

So here's what we at at the tea party: flower PB&Js, fruit kabobs, cream puffs & brownie bites, (which were dipped in pink candy melts, topped with sprinkles & and M&M), "party" mints, and some cracker/pretzel party mix, because I just wasn't sure what "fancy" and savory item belonged on the plate. Overall, the food came out very cute. More went into the trash than into anyone's mouth, but I will try not to think about that!

"Tea" choices were hot chocolate (with marshmallows, of course!) or raspberry lemonade. We were surprised at how many girls were guzzling the hot chocolate, since it was a pretty warm afternoon!

What a cute bunch of fancy girls!

{More details coming all week.}

Tea Party Details: The Yard

Here's how we decked the yard for the big tea party...

This way...to the tea party!

We decked the yard out with tissue paper puffs, pink, white & green balloons on-a-stick, and several handmade banners.

Such as the "Happy Birthday Maya" banner.

And my first ever sewing project fabric bunting banner. (China Shop banner in the background.)

The tables were lined with flowers and confetti.

We striped up the trees with streamers.

Of course, the most important decoration is all of the cutie pies running around the yard all fancy in their tea party dresses. So adorable!

It All Started With A Bathtub Full of Balloons

I hope that all anonymous party haters have since deleted me from their blogrolls and/or blog readers, because this week is going to be all about the party. That's right, all week long, baby. All the photos, all the scoop. Starting tomorrow.

Hope you enjoy!

Meadowsweet

Sandi Henderson's new fabric line Meadowsweet has most definitely caught my eye. Especially the vintage-y daisy prints. Oh, and all the rest of it too. Gorgeous!

11 Month Simon

I just adore my 11 month old Simon. He continues to be my most enjoyable child yet. Not because he's any more sweet, but because I appreciate babyhood for the first time as a parent. I see where this is going (and it's all good...you know, so far) and I see how fast it's going (way too fast!) and I'm just enjoying this guy so, so much.

It definitely helps that he's just as sweet as can be. He loves his blankie. He's finally adjusted to taking a bottle. (But won't actually feed himself for more than 2 seconds at a time. Which is fine. I enjoy my snuggles whenever I can get them.) He's a thumb sucker. He's totally adaptable to whatever is going on.

He's extremely patient with a brother and sister who don't show any indication that the novelty of a baby has worn off. They are constantly in his face, manhandling him, smooching him. He hardly ever protests.

He's definitely a goodie. Can't believe he'll be one at the end of the month. Time definitely flies.

Cherry Almond Sugar Cookie

My friend Jen is very talented in the kitchen, and pretty much everywhere else, too! We made a whole bunch o' these cookies for a church thing, and she even tutored me in piping. (Those are definitely NOT my swirls...I'm a very remedial piper, but I was starting to get the hang of it...) These cookies were deeeelicious. She posted the recipe here, on her food blog. Yum!!

Lovelies

These packages are about as pretty as it gets! My mother-in-law has this sort of flair for special gift packaging. I'm more of a "throw it in a leftover gift bag" type of girl, but I should change that. These are gorgeous.

Portraits By Maya

"There's just so many options." - Deb, Napoleon Dynamite

I always love it when Maya gets hold of the camera. She always comes out with some great shots, especially the inevitable self-portrait. Good stuff this time!

Deep (Fried) In The Heart Of Texas

I have yet to visit the Texas State Fair in Dallas, although I hear it's epic and I hope to get there one of these years. I do make a point of perusing the fair food menu every year. Some of the offerings sound rather amazing. And by that I mean disgusting. {That's not to say I would try 'em!} Heart attacks waiting to happen! Here's this year's list:

Deep Fried Peanuts – Deep fried peanuts in shells and seasoned with a variety of flavors (Cajun, garlic, powdered sugar, jalapeno). Nimitz Drive N9.

Stuffed Wings on a stick – Texas sized, boneless, seasoned stuffed wings, fried and served on a stick. They are crispy on the outside; tender mouth watering stuffing on the inside. Smokey John's CBP15.

Rotisserie Chicken - Whole Rotisserie chicken sold in either 1/4 or 1/2 with corn and bread. Belgian Waffle stand in Tower Building.

BBQ Stuffed Wings – Texas sized wings are rubbed with Smokey’s special spices and stuffed with hearty Texas flavors (beef, potato, onion, noodles and spices), then smoked for hours. Smokey John's CBP15.

Texas Bar-B-Que Boomerangs – Tender, hickory smoked brisket, chopped and mixed with BW’s special sweet, smokey flavorful BBQ sauce. Brisket is scooped into a light pastry won ton wrapper, folded, sealed and deep fried to a delicate crisp golden brown. Served with your choice of sauce: BBQ or BW’s Flame Thrower. BW’s in the Tower Building.

Fried Apple and Peanut Butter on a stick – A large wedge of apple wrapped in caramel and peanut butter, dipped in batter, fried and sugar dusted. On the Midway near the Texas Star M19.

Banana Praline Waffles – A golden banana waffle with warm praline sauce and topped with lots of whipped cream. Tower Building TB23.

Deep Fried Pizza – Pepperoni or sausage pizza slices battered in homemade Italian batter, deep fried and served with an extra helping of pizza sauce and parmesan cheese. On Fun-Way, FW20.

Smokin’ Bullets on-a-stick – Internationally seasoned beef filled egg roll, wrapped, deep fried until golden - bullets served with a tantalizing sweet, sour and spicy Chinese – Thai dipping sauce.On Cotton Bowl Plaza CBP16 and MLK26 near Little Hands.

Fried Turkey on-a-stick – Cajun seasoned Turkey breast meat, marinated, breaded and deep fried. On Nimitz Dr. behind the Cotton Bowl at the Yoakum booth N30.

Chocolate Jalapeño – Fresh jalapeno skewered and dipped in funnel cake batter, fried and then dipped in chocolate. Available dusted with cinnamon and sugar, or dipped in chocolate. In Cotton Bowl Plaza, CBP1.

Fried Peanuts n Shell – Fried peanuts; eat shell-n-all. On Fun Way, FW27.

Mexican Pies – Shredded chicken mixed with Jack cheese, black beans, corn kernels, red peppers and green onions between two tortillas pressed in a special pocket grill. Auto Building restaurant.

Frozen Turtle Cheesecake Dipped in Chocolate on a stick – Located beside many Lemon Chill carts throughout the grounds.

Frozen Explosion Swirl – Strawberry, Pina Colada, Blue Raspberry, build your own swirl frozen beverage in a special container. Locations in all sections of the park.

Chili Cheese Dog Pot Pie – Slices of wieners mixed with chili, covered with grated cheese and a pastry crust. Baked and cut into squares, served in a 12 oz. bowl. Served at the Chili Parlor in the Tower Building.

Fernie’s Southern Fried Fajitas – Tender succulent strips of mildly seasoned skirt steak dipped in batter & fried until golden & crunchy. Topped with savory fried onions & served with a side of creamy homestyle gravy. At the Dock Restaurant on Nimitz Dr.

Texas Pig Candy – Scrumptious, sweet & spicy cocktail sausages glazed with brown sugar, raspberry chipotle & cayenne pepper. Oven baked and toped with our signature candied slice jalapenos. Served at Bailey’s in the Tower Building.

I Will Call Them...Mini Me

I really want to order a Mini-Me clip for Maya. Emandsprout customizes your hair clip to your specifications. Awesome, right?

{Via Cool Mom Picks.}

Toofless

In the past week, Maya lost her 3rd tooth on the bottom and her 2nd top middle tooth! She's looking pretty toothless and cute, no?

She has lots of questions for the Tooth Fairy, and has been writing her long notes and leaving them with her tooth - and that good ol' Tooth Fairy has been replying! Some things Maya has found out (in response to her very specific questions):

1. The Tooth Fairy is 606 years old.
2. She has blond hair.
3. She is a tiny fairy and has wings.
4. She uses the teeth to make necklaces.

For now, there is one "barely loose" tooth in there. But I think the Tooth Fairy will be taking a break from house for a little while, at least.

Muddy Buddies

Chris has been working on a flowerbed project in the yard (Almost complete, "after" pics to come! It looks fabulous.) and has, of course, had a couple of lovely kids assisting him. We've (finally) had a bunch of rain, which has made digging up the rocky Texas dirt much easier. Plus, you know, it made a bunch o' mud, and what could be better than that?

Check out Mason's new "pouty" face. At age 3 1/2, he's finally adding some 'tude to his nearly always pleasant demeanor. I rather like his pouty face. And I love that I can make it go away pretty easily with some smoochies and/or a cookie.

We have been sick this week. Mason started coughing on Thursday. Maya started on Friday. Simon on Saturday and me on Sunday. Chris, that lucky devil, is still crud-free. We love him for that. I hauled all 3 kids into the doctor on Monday...with all the swine flu mania, I didn't want to take any chances. Turns out we all just have a regular ol' cold. Which is great with me. Gradually, we're all feeling better. We've enjoyed lots of movie time, snuggle time, laying in my bed playing "Would You Rather" and Mason's favorite, "The Raise Your Hand Game". ("Raise your hand if you love your Mommy." "Raise your hand if you want pizza." Etc. etc.) Good times. Maya is venturing back to school today. I'm hoping she can keep her coughing to a minimum. She hasn't been coughing tons...but when she gets wound up, it starts up. (Edited: I thought Maya was headed back to school, but she actually seems worse today than she did yesterday. Poor little dear is snuggled under my covers shivering right now. Such a bummer!)

As for me, I've got last minute party details to take care of. The food, the cake. Etc. etc. I've got all the birthday shopping done. Well, and her birthday isn't until next week, anyway. I'm excited to see how it all goes. I do love birthdays!

Hope you are well and you stay well. There's lots going around - wash those hands! :)

Baby Steps

Watch out, world! Simon's (tentatively) off and running (walking). And on his 11 month birthday, no less! Give that kid a few days and he'll really know what he's doing. For now, we're enjoying his drunken-ambling. Nothing cuter!

{Sorry for the blurry photos. What can I tell you...these are action shots!} Check out that look of pride! He's pretty pleased with himself. As well he should be!

Have I mentioned that dressing my kids in I Heart Mom clothing is a major guilty pleasure of mine? It's my favorite.

Don't miss the 2 second video.

I never really expected the 3rd time around to be as exciting and fun and as adorable as the first or second, but somehow it is. I can't believe my big boy! He's such a blessing to us!

Stripes

How fabulous are these stripes? The colors are perfect. It's a really great Great Room, is it not? (Har har.)

Baby Spoon

I want one of these personalized baby spoons for each of my kiddies - not just the baby! What a sweet keepsake.

Boy Meets Girl Meets Spot

I love my new short sleeved silhouette hoodie from Boy Meets Girl. Of course, the first thing I did was get a brown stain on the back of it. I'm laundry challenged, and I don't want to ruin my brand new shirt (if it's not already ruined). Any tips? I think...it might be stain from my dining chairs. They sometimes every now and then if they're wet leave stains on things. And that's the color it most closely resembles. Think I should just throw it in the wash and see what happens? Pre-treat first? Seriously, I'm a laundry novice. Help!

PS - look how dirty my mirror is. Yuck.

Oh, Anonymous

I get so amused/annoyed (depending on my mood) when "Anonymous" commenters feel the need to bag on the ol' blog. If you're bored, don't read. I'm not trying to please you, Anonymous. It's my spot to post about/bookmark whatever I want, whatever I'm doing, whatever is on my mind...which is, at the moment, party stuff. Guess what? After this party is over, Simon's party will be taking over the blog for 3 weeks. If you're not interested, feel free not to read.

{Hmm, I guess today's mood has led to...annoyed! Being sick and having 3 sick kids probably has something to do with it.}

Party on!

Marshmallow Pops

Marshmallow pops are on the menu for Maya's tea party. They look simple enough, but how do you suppose she made them stand up? Yep, Floral foam (or whatever it's called) under the M&Ms. Pretty clever!

Lollipop Events & Designs

I was planning to throw down a few blankets at Maya's party for a couple of the games and gift opening. Perhaps with this as inspiration, I can do a little better than "throw down a few blankets". This is super cute!

Lots of great eye candy at Lollipop Events & Designs and the blog.

Pioneer Party

This American Girl Pioneer Party from One Charming Party is one of the best kids' parties I've seen...ever! So awesome. Check out posts here and here. I love the simple table setting. I'm going to something for the tea party...alternating short round vases I found at Goodwill and Mason Jars, which I hoard (hello, my maiden name is right there on the outside!).

I also thought I'd buy some green tissue paper and have some of my party helpers wrap up a few flowers for each girl to take home. That way I won't be left with a ton of flowers that I will probably stick out on the deck because they make me sneeze. And what little girl doesn't love flowers?

Shoe Bags

These shoe bags are ingenious. And adorable. I probably wouldn't use them as shoe bags. But they look simple. And I'm sure I could figure out some use for them...

{Via My Favorite Things.}

Carnival Inspiration

Lisa & Geoff had the most amazing carnival-themed wedding. Read all about it on Once Wed. I'm definitely taking some inspiration from here for Simon's party at the end of October.

Love the invites. Love! Too cute.

Cotton candy & caramel apples are most definitely on the menu.

Using board games as centerpieces is genius! Such a fun idea.

I think I will try my hand at making mustaches on a stick. Find out how here.

People amaze me with their cleverness.

Japonicas

So many pretties in this Etsy shop, I can scarcely pick a fave. This one make the list for sure, though. Lots more to see here. Oh, and here, too, on the ol' blog. Nice.

Holding Out For A (Super) Hero

Mason hasn't hit the superhero stage yet, but when he does, I'm all over this reversible cape! Two heroes in one (take your pick...) and it's a steal!

Silhouette Book Bags

May I just say that Dandee's Silhouette bags are genius! Love love! She did an entire amazing craft camp. Read all about it. She's my hero.

Cassia Beck

In love with these amazing vintage-inspired prints from Cassia Beck. Gorgeous! She also has a blog. And a jewelry shop.

{Via Lovely Clusters via Natalie.}

'You Are My Fave' Throws Fabulous Parties

And I love that it's an "Un-Birthday Party", not only because Alice In Wonderland is my fave, but also because, hello, what a fun theme! And a cute cake!

I'm hoping Maya's layer cake turns out well. I've never done a tiered cake before, so I have no idea what I'm doing. Tips, tricks?

Skippy Designs

I am in love with every single print in the Skippy Designs Etsy shop. All of them. But especially the ferris wheel. I want to buy them all.

{I have been bad about keeping track of my "via's" lately. But thank you to whoever it was. What a great find!}

New Picasa Feature = Awesome

I already thought Picasa was the best thing ever, but their latest update is even more awesome! They have a new Facebook-esque "People Tagging Tool". Which is cool in and of itself. People get their own folder, you can quickly find pics you're looking for of a specific person, make quick collages, etc. etc., I'm sure. But the amazing part (for me) is how smart it is! After it has a couple of pictures to go by, it starts to pick up on pics it thinks might be of you. And it's usually right! Even with my look-alike kids, it gets them right more often than not.

See, here. It grabbed mostly pics of Maya as a baby...and one of Maya's cousin Daniel. (Just hit the check to confirm or the X to remove the tag. Or double click the pic to tag it correctly.)

Here's a whole bunch o' Chris...and a couple of his brother Sam.

It catalogs your peeps over to the left(I was just getting started, then got too excited and had to share...). The orange ? to the right means it's found more photos it thinks might be you. Too cool!

You can download the latest version of Picasa here. Do it!

A Grandma's Couch

I would have adored this necklace from Down & Out Chic even if it hadn't been awesomely named A Grandma's Couch. But the fact that is is named A Grandma's Couch makes it all the better. Wish list!

{Via Lovely Clusters via Natalie.}

Everyone Should Have A Friend Like That...

I've got a couple. {You know who you are!}

Sycamore Street Press is one of my new favorites. Lots of cute stuff there. And a blog, too!

Party Details I'm Loving...Part 2

{Lovely + colorful artist party from One Charming Blog.}

{Milk + cookie shots from Simply Creative Insanity.}

{Along the same lines...milk + brownie shots from Celebrations at Home.}

{Cootie catcher invitations from Celebrations at Home.}

{Simple + gorgeous cake from P is for Party.}

{Picture confetti from P is for Party.}

Sparkle Thots

Unfortunately, I have no idea what the Singapore Dollars to US Dollars exchange rate is, so I have no idea if these are bargains of splurges. Either way, they're gorgeous. More here.

{Via Lovely Clusters via Natalie.}

VW Camper Cookbook

A friend of ours who knows about Chris' obsession with all things VW Bus sent me a link to this book. Chris definitely needs it in his collection!

Of course, he'll definitely need it if he gets his way and we take a California coast trip in a VW camper. Did you know you can rent souped up old school VDubs by the week and drive them up the Cali coast? It's Chris' dream come true. He's thinking spring break. National parks. Camp grounds. Beaches. Of course, I couldn't be that close to Disneyland without stopping by. We'll see...

Party Details I'm Loving...Part 1

{Simple + sweet tea party treats from One Charming Blog.}

{Sweet yellow treat favors from Silly Bee's Chickadee via Simply Creative Insanity.}

{Fishing game from Hayley & Joshua's AWESOME wedding on Snippet & Ink. Chris thinks he can make one for Simon's birthday party.}

{Ingenious cotton candy packaging, also from Hayley & Joshua's wedding.}

{Another fabulous yellow party. Via Sycamore Street Press.}

{Adorable Dum Dum tree.}

No One Likes A Frowny Face

Things have been a little cranky around here lately. But not completely cranky. A little bipolar, I guess. Lots of smiles. Lots of frowns. Lots of BUSY! Lots of tired. Internet was on the fritz, which makes me very crabby (and puts a damper on blogging). It has been fixed...(for now) so I'm back in action. We're hoping for more smiles this week.

I remember my Grandma calling Maya "a sober baby", and that description s definitely apt for Simon as well. Well, sort of. He's also squeaky and smiley and funny. But he's also a lot sober. Which, you know, is good. Don't want him hitting the bottle this early in life, har har. Actually, not hitting the bottle is one of my biggest complaints with Simon. It's feast or famine with him. I often say that all you have to do to make me happy is to eat and poop. (If you're one of my children, that is. Although I'm terribly happy if you're eating and pooping well, too!) His spotty bottle feeding drives me a little crazy.

Simon is proudest of himself when he's standing, hanging on by one tip of a finger, think think thinking about taking his first step. He's SO close. So close. Not there yet, but it won't be long. He has also mastered the art of "peek a boo", which is of course ridiculously cute. Other talents include smelling insanely delicious, stealing your cookie (even I can't say no to that face!) and being the best shopping sidekick of all times. He's a goodie.

Storm clouds have blown in over Mason's world this week, for the first time ever, maybe. This is my sunshine kid! But there has been lots of tears and sadness this week and I'm hoping to have my happy Mason back soon. There was much drama surrounding a package that never got delivered. It contained Bertie the Bus and "battery-powered-operated" Lady (the train). These were rewards that he worked hard to earn and we couldn't find in stores. He exercised major patience to order them rather than just pick something-anything-else in the store. And then weeks (seriously) went by with no delivery. Every afternoon there was tears, particularly when other deliveries (birthday stuff) came almost every day this week. Talk about torture! I did finally get someone to overnight me some replacements and at last, he had them on Friday. Drama, drama, drama! (Side note: I swear the post office is either incompetent or full of crooks. 2 separate shipments from Amazon have mysteriously not ever shown up, and this was after one of my neighbors dropped off a package containing my Mom's birthday gift, which they found "sitting on top of the mailbox". Argh!)

Of course, it's always possible to coax a smile out of this boy, especially with the offer of a treat and/or "runner chugger" (Thomas train) time. He and I are enjoying our morning snuggle time on his off-days from preschool. We read books, watch shows (Dinosaur Train is his new favorite - have you seen it?), tell stories, play "underground cave". I SO look forward to this! It's fun to "move through the stages" with the kids. Now he and I have some special "us" time with Maya at school and Simon down for a nap. It's great. (Like the Linus shirt? Hello, how appropriate is that?!)

Maya's adjustment to Kindergarten is pretty well complete. I started volunteering in her class 2 times per week, and it's fun to get a little peek into her "new world". She really loves it. She prefers "being a tray" to packing her lunch. Some days she wants me to walk her to her classroom, sometimes the front door of the school is good enough. She earned 2 "Super Kids Slips" in the first few weeks - one in art and one in music, and she was super excited about that. She doesn't seem too concerned about ever earning one in PE, haha. Definitely my kid!

I really value the time I have with her. I love having her read to me or just hang out with me. I don't love wrestling her into the shower, which seems to be our biggest area of conflict at the moment, for some strange reason.

I love that we're finally playing outside again. September is here and we finally remember why we love living in Texas. Such gorgeous weather. I love to see my children sweating from actually doing something active, rather than from just walking outside into the furnace. They've been playing outside for hours at a time, which I love. It's nice to realize that we'll be able to do that pretty much for the next 9 months. So great!

The fun is getting ready to begin. I just love this time of year. Maya's party is in less than 2 weeks. After that, it's her "real" birthday. Then we go to Day Out With Thomas. Then it's Simon's birthday. Then Halloween. Then my birthday. Then Chris' birthday (on Thanksgiving!) and Thanksgiving in Portland. Then a weekend trip to Utah for some real winter weather. Then Christmas and New Year's...it's non-stop, and I love it!

SO, so much to catch up on. Seriously, I have like 20 tabs open of things I want to blog about. Lots coming. Thanks for reading! :)

Tea Partying Like It's 1999

My sister-in-law called me today, sounding legitimately concerned: "Are you okay?". Um, yeah. Why? Well, I've been a bit MIA this week. No blogging, no calls. Not much in the way of Facebooking. I appreciate that she noticed!

So it's been a busy one. We bumped up Maya's birthday party a week, so it's now 2 weeks from tomorrow. All of the details that I've been thinking about, and blogging about and making lists about have to start coming together here pretty quickly.

I found the cutest (and most reasonably priced!) tea party invite here (Check out her shop - her invites are adorable and she's so sweet!) printed & trimmed 'em up, rounded the corners and they're ready to go.

I've become the thrift store queen rounding up all the cup & saucer sets I need. I have to say, it was bittersweet finding the last of what I needed today. Now I'll have no excuse to visit Goodwill and Savers with quite the same frequency I have been. And I have to admit, I've become rather addicted. Today I scored not only on tea cups, but on perfect condition Little Golden Books - some of the classic stories that are missing from our collection. Last week I got a gigantic bag of perfect condition bristle blocks, perfect to add to the ones we already have.

Today I visited the party store for paper goods, Michael's for a flower cookie cutter for the PB&Js and cookie pops and some edible glitter (I also found pirate candy on clearance that I picked up for Halloween). I think I've pretty much bought it all. Except more flowers for the flower crowns. I figure I'll keep working on those and use up what I have first. I've got scrapbook paper to make some banners to label the different areas of the party...another project! I do love to throw a party.

And then I get to turn around at the end of October and throw another one for Simon's first birthday. Luckily, I've been planning and buying for both parties at the same time, so his should be pretty easy to pull off.

Party on, party people!

What A Wonderful World, Indeed

I love everything about the Wonderful World dress, except the fact that it would probably make me look pregnant...and I'm not. Darn this belly fat! But it would be cute on someone without that problem. (Curse you with your working out and eating right and all that willpower!)

Tiptoe Through The Tulips Skirt

I'm so in love with the kitschy designs over at the li'l Etsy shop Love To Love You. Especially this skirt. And especially every single thing in the shop. Love, love, love.

{Via Danielle, whose style I always adore.}

Tea Party Sandwiches

These sandwiches are GENIUS and I never would have thought to do them this way. I think I'll also do a ham & cheese version with Kraft slices showing thru the center. What would I do without the world wide web? So many great ideas...this tea party bash is starting to come together in my head, and I'm getting very excited.

So here's a question for you. My original plan was to buy cup & saucer sets for each girl to use at the party and take home as a favor, along with some small trinkets. I've been able to find some sets priced within my budget at places like Ross, Marshall's, TJ Maxx, etc. Some. But as Cottam parties do, the invite list keeps getting longer and longer. And I'm finding fewer and fewer sets that are reasonably priced. So I've started picking them up at Goodwill and yard sales, etc. Which is fine, they are cute and in lovely condition. But now I'm rethinking the whole tea set as a party favor thing. I mean, is it terribly tacky to give someone something you got at a garage sale? They'll be getting plenty of other "stuff" to take home, I'm just wanting to not be disgusting and tacky. Maybe I should just keep them all and/or sell them at a yard sale or something? Thoughts, anyone? If I decide not to give them to the girls, I could try to borrow sets instead of buying a ton more. But I do still really like the idea...just not if it's disgusting.

As always, I'm not over-thinking the details. You know me... :)

Pom Pom Vines

I think I'll take a shot at making a few of these for Maya's party decor. Pink & green is the color scheme, so pink flowers on a green vine would be perfect. There's a tutorial here.

I'm In Love With Mary Jane

I can't stop thinking about these babies. Yes, please!

Piping Even I Can Do

My friend Jen gave me a few piping tips as we iced a whole bunch o' cookies for a church thing. At this point, I think I might could pull off something like this cute cake for Maya's birthday cake. Looks simple and sweet, right? Or am I fooling myself on the "simple" part? I think I'll do a 2 tiered cake with a mini teapot as a topper.

{Simply Creative Insanity is a new favorite of mine...}

Care To Share My Pizza Goldfish?

Sunday in church, Mason made his way down the pew to come sneak a sip of my water bottle. Gulp gulp gulp, a few smooches and he was back on his way down the pew to sit by his Grandma. But then he got distracted by the very cool book the about-6-year-old boy in front of us was reading. He was peeking. Snooping. Right up next to this kid's eardrum when "BUUUUURP", he let out the loudest belch ever. The kid whipped his head around with a look of surprise and disgust on his face, after which Mason quickly continued on back down the pew. He's too young to be embarrassed by such a thing. I, of course, am too old to find it as amusing as I did. I could not stop laughing. Could not! It was terribly inappropriate. But it was so loud. And stinky, I would venture to guess, since Mason had been pounding the pizza Goldfish throughout the meeting. And the kid's face was so priceless. I'd compose myself...then I'd die laughing again. In fact, I'm dying laughing while I'm writing this. I love my kids. They provide me endless amusement.