Party! Party! Party!

We had three birthday parties this weekend!

On Saturday, Claire helped her friend Hannah celebrate her fifth birthday. It was a very fancy spa party where all of the girls dressed up in costumes, got manicures and pedicures, had their hair styled and glittered (!) and had their makeup done (I even scheduled a pedicure for myself!).

This was the fanciest party we've been to! Pizza, juice and cupcakes were served and the girls had several opportunities to dance together. Claire had a fabulous time!!! In the car on the way home, Claire said that she wanted to have her next birthday party there. If we end up going with a "girls only" sixth birthday party, this may be a possibility.

After getting all dolled up, it was off to Michael's first birthday party at his house. The kids played with all of the toys and jumped and bounced in the bounce house. The weather was perfect for an outdoor party -- they really lucked out! We enjoyed some delicious food and desserts. The highlight of the party was when Michael ate his monkey cake. He loved every second of it, taking handful after handful and attempting to get it in his mouth. So sweet!

Arriving at Frog Falls with Thomas

On Sunday we headed to Frog Falls for Dylan's fourth birthday party. It was another gorgeously perfect day! Dylan's mommy planned an airplane theme for the party which was awesome -- boarding pass invitations, airplane cookies, airplane-shaped watermelon fruit salad, airplane cake, etc. So creative! We had so much fun swimming and cooling off in the water with the birthday boy and many friends.

Dylan with his gorgeous (and delicious) cake that my cousin made.

Princess Party with Belle

Claire and Ema (aka Belle and Rapunzel)

Our local library has had some great offerings for kids this summer -- a one man band, a bubble-blowing show and, today, we went to a princess party with Belle from Beauty and the Beast. We have been to some great shows and events and I have to say that today's party with Belle was really great! It was 45 minutes of pure princess fun!

Belle greeted all of the little princess guests, then taught them how to wave like a princess and twirl like a princess. All of the girls eagerly practiced waving and twirling. Next, Belle danced along with the girls to a few songs, then played The Hokey Pokey with them.

The audience sat down to rest after all of the dancing while Belle read a princess book. During the last part of the party Belle gave the girls clues describing a princess or prince and the girls had to shout out the name of the prince or princess after listening to all three clues.

Belle was gracious enough to pose for pictures after the party.

Summer/Chili Party '11

The only picture I took at our party! I was a bad photographer!

We had a summer/chili party yesterday so my husband could receive some feedback on his always-evolving chili recipe before he enters it into the state fair's chili competition. Even though not everyone we invited was able to attend, we ended up with a nice crowd of close friends and family.

The kids ran through the sprinkler and swam in our kiddie pool. They all got along so well!

So did the adults! Most relaxed on the patio munching on chips and dip, cherry tomato, basil and mozzarella skewers, guacamole and chips, nuts, bruschetta, a giant pretzel tray with three types of mustard and other assorted appetizers.

The chili was a huge success! Everyone really liked it. The majority of guests had the spicy, regular chili, but a few opted to have the chili my husband made especially for me -- what he likes to call the plain chili (It's not spicy at all.). Although my husband loved the glowing reviews about the chili, he was hoping for some constructive criticism on how to improve the chili because he wants to win first place this year. Let's hope this is the winning version!

Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, fresh bread and several salads were enjoyed for dinner, followed by brownies, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter and jelly bars, fruit salad and apple pie for dessert.

We really had a spectacular time and think all of our guests did too!

Nick's Bowling Party

We had a great time at Nick's 5th birthday party today. The party was held at a local bowling alley and was so much fun! Claire's technique hadn't changed since her first attempts at bowling a few weeks ago. It involved me helping her roll/push the ball towards the pins. Her final score was 83.

We were so happy to be able to help celebrate Nick's birthday! We met him and his mommy years ago at a baby sign language class, then realized they lived in my brother and sister in law's neighborhood.

Build a Bear Birthday Party

We celebrated Claire's friend Ilana's birthday at Build a Bear this afternoon. The last time Claire was at Build a Bear she was less than a year old. We've managed to pass Build a Bear in the mall and wave to the big bears outside and call it "the bear store." But now she knows the truth! I think my credit card will get more use as a result.

Before the party, Claire was a little nervous, saying, "But, I don't know how to build a bear!" I assured her that we would help her and she would be able to do it and it would be FUN. Once the party got started, she relaxed a little and started enjoying the experience of building her own bear which she named Fantastic. She had so much fun with the other kids as they built, cleaned and dressed their bears. After everyone had their bears, they received a little home for their bear and then we headed to the food court for some treats and one of the best ice cream cakes we've ever had!

It was a great party and we were happy to be able to celebrate with Ilana -- one of Claire's oldest friends.

Christmas Party

I have been a member of a local moms' group since February '07. Joining the group was one of the best things I've ever done as a mom. We've met so many other great families through this group who have filled our days with playdates and park outings and our nights with parties and get togethers. It has really been great for us!

Last year the group hosted a family Christmas party for the first time. We were unable to attend, but we didn't miss it this year! Approximately 113 moms, dads and kids attended the party which was held at a local church's auditorium. The kids rode around on little cars and bikes while the parents socialized. There was a ton of food - both catered and homemade. Santa Claus himself actually came to the party! We clapped as he walked through the room and headed for the stage where each child was called to come up on stage to receive a gift. This was actually the first time Claire sat on Santa's lap and she jumped right up with a huge smile on her face! She was absolutely thrilled with her gift -- a Sleeping Beauty doll. It was the only princess doll she needed to complete her collection. How did Santa know?

The Fun Bus

We've seen it all over: Driving here and there, over by the mall, parked in front of homes. It's big, it's green and it's on wheels. It's The Fun Bus! Today, we had the opportunity to go to a party featuring The Fun Bus. And, boy was it, uh, fun! All of the kids at Thomas's birthday party piled into The Fun Bus for an hour of stretching, tumbling, balancing, punching, jumping and hopping through an obstacle course. The kids even took multiple turns sliding down a slide that was attached to the back of the bus at the end of the hour. Whoever knew a bus could be so awesome?!



Sliding out of The Fun Bus