Fall Family Fun

It’s fall y’all! My favorite time of the year, and not just because I have an autumn birthday, but also because the weather is glorious, crisp, and refreshing. And even more importantly, there are so many fun things to do together as a family. Last weekend we spent a morning exploring a fall farm festival, like we do every year.

There were pumpkins (which Lydia used as a fairy princess throne)…

DSC_9382And there were animals (Caleb tried to hug the donkey through the bars, but had to settle for petting him on the nose, since Caleb was far more enthusiastic about the donkey than the donkey was about Caleb)…

DSC_9320And there was corn (this is Alethea’s interpretation of what a “Corn Fairy” might look like, I think she got it spot on)…DSC_9255And more corn (which Caleb preferred to play with while standing outside of the box, since he had a hard time walking through it)…DSC_9227

And even more corn (because I can’t resist a fun photo op)…DSC_9213

DSC_9288HURRAY FOR FALL!

What We Did This Summer: June

Our summer is absolutely flying by. We have been super busy. Too busy to write as much as I’d like to, but I thought I should at least share our month-by-month highlights. I give you… June.

We worked on the deck….

DSC_4770And Alethea graduated from kindergarten…

DSC_4813We celebrated her graduation with a trip to Como Town for rides and cotton candy…

DSC_4863 DSC_4973And we worked on the deck…

DSC_4987Caleb turned one and we celebrated with a baseball party…

DSC_5780And in what might turn out to be the highlight of the entire summer, the girls and Caleb sat on the grass behind second base and ate cake with their bare hands to conclude his smash cake photoshoot…

DSC_5826And we worked on the deck…

DSC_5697We played in/on/near the water every single day it didn’t rain…

DSC_5675And made several trips to the library and various playgrounds…

DSC_5287We enjoyed hanging out (and being goofy) with our neighbors…

DSC_5391And we did some more work on the deck…

DSC_5681We met this guy at the nature center…

Snapping TurtleCaleb thought it would be a good idea to pet him…

DSC_5534The girls thought it was a better idea to stay a long way behind him…

DSC_5536After working on the deck some more, we planted a fairy garden…

DSC_5705And the girls looked to see if they could find any trace of tiny magical visitors…

DSC_5728Alethea took her very first ballet class…

DSC_5610And she loved every minute of it…

DSC_5611All that along with a couple parties, trips to the beach, hanging out with friends, and lots more working on the deck made for a busy, but good month. And spoiler alert for the “What We Did This Summer: July” post, the deck still isn’t done and we’re not exactly sure when it will be. It’s ended up being a beast of a project, but we keep telling ourselves, “It will be so nice when it’s done.”

Here’s hoping this finds you all sitting back, sipping lemonade, and enjoying the sun!

A Mermaid Party

How is it April already? I guess this means I should post pictures of Lydia’s 4th birthday party before it’s completely too late. After all, as she informed me firmly the other day when I told her she wasn’t old enough to do something, “But Mommy, I’m ALMOST FIVE!”

Not sure if 4.25 is almost 5, but that’s a discussion for another day, so instead I give you the invitation for Lydia’s fourth birthday party…

Mermaid Party Birthday InvitationI am proud to say that I purchased some mermaid clip art and then Photoshopped my own invites instead of hiring out this time. I can’t say that it was quick or easy, but I am happy with how they turned out. Lydia was okay with them too, although she didn’t hesitate to point out that the mermaid isn’t a “real Ariel”. Can’t win ’em all I guess…

She was delighted with her party outfit though. I found her dress online at JCPenney (my go-to source for little girls’ special occasion dresses).

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And when I say she was ‘delighted’, I mean her exact words were, “I love my new dress! It’s pretty, it has a flower… And it covers my underwear!” Truly, could anyone ask for more?

Besides a fancy outfit, there were also balloons, which Caleb carefully inspected for leaks…

mermaid party balloonDSC_0633

And I decorated the mantel and memory table with pictures of the birthday girl and other mermaid inspired things (bonus points to the first person to find and correctly name Ariel’s two treasures from the movie)…Mermaid party mantel decorations

DSC_0674The dessert table included cake, cupcakes, chocolate covered strawberries, white Sixlet “pearls” and coconut delights (homemade Almond Joys). It was quite a spread!

Mermaid party cake tablewhite sixlet pearls for a mermaid birthday partyLittle Mermaid birthday party cake ombreThe candy seashells on top of the cupcakes, the favor bags, and of course, Ariel walking on the sandy beach next to the cake were all quite thrilling for our birthday girl. She could hardly wait until it was time to slice the cake so she could steal Ariel off the cake stand.

mermaid birthday party seashell cupcakes Ariel on a Little Mermaid Birthday Cake

Little Mermaid party favor treat bagsI wish I had gotten more pictures of the actual party for you. Suffice it to say that I was a bit busy in the thick of it, but it seemed like all the guests had a good time and enjoyed the seafood appetizer spread. Lydia herself was more interested in the presents and blowing out the birthday candles, but who can blame her?

DSC_0889DSC_1042Life sure is grand under the sea…

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Happy birthday to my four (I mean, almost five) year old girl!

PS. If one BobbleHeadBaby celebration isn’t enough for you, visit my Parties Page to view them all!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I’m not terribly good about blogging on a schedule, you all know this by now, but one holiday that I’ve managed to mark for several years in a row now is Valentine’s Day. In fact, I’ve posted something on V-Day four of the five years my blog has been in existence, which is probably better than I’ve done on any other holiday.

So to keep my hot streak going, happy hearts day from three little valentines…DSC_1917DSC_1864DSC_1805DSC_1874Rest assured, no babies were harmed in the making of this valentine…    DSC_1907DSC_1922XOXOXO,

Alethea, Lydia & Caleb

DSC_1809PS. You can check out Valentine’s Day posts from previous years here: 2010, 2012, 2013 & 2014

iPhone Archives

So you all know by now that I love taking pictures of my kids. However, unlike a lot of parents, I rarely photograph them with my phone. Not that there is anything wrong with phones, a lot of people seem to get really good pictures with them, I just always seem to reach for my camera when something cute is happening. I guess I feel more in control with my Nikon’s myriad of settings at my disposal.

Anyway, I don’t take many photos with my phone, but I’d finally taken enough of them that my iCloud storage was full and after many weeks (it may have been more than a year actually) of reminders that my photos weren’t being backed up, I finally plugged my phone into my computer and downloaded my library.

And what do you know, I take an occasional share-worthy phone photo too. Here are my four favorites….

Alethea at dairy queen – October 2011

IMG_0327Alethea on the “Water slide” – August 2013

IMG_1105Alethea and Lydia – September 2013

IMG_1106Lydia trying on her thrift store princess dress – September 2013

IMG_1121And yes, Alethea is 2 years old in that first one… maybe should try syncing my phone a teensy bit more often, huh?

Happy Birthday, Lydia Grace!

You are so beautiful

IMG_1298To me

DSC_8844You are so beautiful

DSC_0262To me

DSC_1026Can’t you see

DSC_3086You’re everything I hoped for

DSC_3289You’re everything I need

DSC_3733You are so beautiful

DSC_4789To me

DSC_8295Happy 4th Birthday, Lydia Grace!

You are beautiful inside and out and we couldn’t love you more!

XOXOXO,

Mommy & Daddy