I love traditions! We go to the same pumpkin patch every year. We first found the charming place in 2007 when we just had baby Daniel. Then Annabel was born and we went as a complete family for the first time in 2008. As much as I love the tradition, I don’t think they will fit on that blue tractor again next year, do you?
I love October. I grew up in Maryland, so October always meant cooler weather, leaves changing color, sweatshirts on a Saturday morning, and planning for Halloween. In fact, one of my FAVORITE October memories is hanging outside in my backyard with this boy I liked in sixth grade and we were wearing our basketball All-Star jackets because there was a cool breeze (and piles of colored leaves all over the grass) and he was helping me carve my Halloween pumpkin and he would scoop out the guts for me because I didn’t want to and I remember thinking he was so nice and then I remember thinking that we would be perfect together because we both liked to play basketball AND carve Halloween pumpkins….but I digress.
Since I live in Florida now, I only get the “Halloween planning” part of October. The weather here is still in the high 80s. There are no leaves changing color. And I own one sweatshirt and it’s still packed up in a plastic bin. BUT, I have my imagination and lots of fun decorations. My favorite decoration is this awesome Fall wreath I found at Michaels. (You will notice a theme with me and Michaels. I go there A LOT. We have a bit of a love affair going on. But, hey, wouldn’t you? Check out this WREATH.)
See? I do have some leaves changing color now. I also put up our traditional “Countdown to Halloween” witch. So, in case you were wondering, you have 30 days to plan those costumes, people.
Oh, and my daughter is excited for October too. We went “Fall” shopping last weekend and it was a blast. We have a brand new H&M store that opened up at our mall and I have not been to an H&M since I lived in Washington, DC. I first fell in love with H&M when I lived in New York City after college. It was the best place to buy affordable, trendy clothes. And they have the best accessories. Here’s Annabel wearing her favorite purchase: a puppy dog sweater dress. She just needs some fun leggings and sparkly Skechers and she’s good-to-go. Now, can it just get colder here already?
Daniel loves to bowl, and he has a bit of a competitive spirit, so we decided to have his 6th birthday party at our local bowling alley/family entertainment center.
The afternoon included team bowling and some video arcade fun. We also had a pizza buffet lunch and orange cupcakes (Daniel’s favorite color.) The kids had a blast. Everyone left with a “Daniel’s Bowling Buddy” medal and one lucky friend won the grand prize trophy. (I ordered the make-your-own medals and trophy from Oriental Trading. Love them!)
I created gift bags out of plastic ball containers (99 cents from Party City!) and decorated them to look like bowling balls. I filled each one with small party favors and candy treats. Each had a tag that said “Thanks for coming. Hope you had a ball! Love, Daniel.”
And I love my Etsy shops! Special thanks to Etsy Shop A Party Studio for the super cute cupcake topper idea. I simply printed them out on white card stock paper, cut into circles (using this Fiskars circle punch), and attached each to a Starbucks coffee stirrer cut in half. Voila! I am definitely inspired to use more “printables” for the kids’ parties. It’s an inexpensive way to add that personal touch! Also thanks to Etsy shop Sun Dog Shirts for Daniel’s bright orange “6” T-shirt.
You can see Daniel’s “Cars and Trucks and Things That Go” Birthday Party HERE and HERE.
You can see Annabel’s Shabby Chic Pony Birthday Party HERE.
Happy Birthday America! I love that we celebrate America’s birthday at the beach. Every year we spend the same July week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We stay in the same beach condo. Sometimes my parents or my sister and her family join us. But this year, it was just the four of us. We’ve had an amazing time just hanging out as a family. We are buddies. Today was especially fun because we spent the entire morning splashing in the ocean waves. The kids had their very first root beer float at lunch. They helped me decorate the room in red, white, and blue. We took an evening beach walk, flew kites, and searched for sea shells. All while waiting for the fireworks which we could see perfectly from our balcony. Daniel was so inspired that he grabbed a sheet of paper and crayons so he could draw the colorful explosions. This was the first year that Annabel stayed up super late and she loved every minute of it. They are both finally in bed and the fireworks are still booming in the background while I type.
Thanks for an awesome party, America. God Bless You.
This year I had two school Easter bonnet parades, egg hunts, and class parties to attend. And they were on the same day. First, it was Daniel’s school celebration where I helped coordinate the fun. Then I was off to Annabel’s school to enjoy the rest of the morning with her.
Our Easter Sunday has been wonderful.The kids woke to Easter baskets filled with candy. We went to a beautiful church service. We had brunch with the Easter bunny (our new tradition!) The kids watched Winnie the Pooh (another tradition) and we had Easter dinner with GG . We stuffed ourselves with Honey Baked ham, Polish kielbasa, hard boiled eggs, fresh veggies, and GG’s strawberry apple pie. And with all this chocolate I’ve been shoveling into my mouth, I’ll need two days to recover.
I hope you had a blessed day with family and loved ones.
Annabel wanted a pony at her birthday party this year so we started researching the option to bring a pony to our house. I thought we could do another at-home celebration that would include pony rides for the kids around our backyard. But when we drove out to the pony farm to meet with the owner, we knew we had to have the party THERE.
It was beautiful. The place not only had ponies to ride, but an adorable play area, a pony bounce house, miniature ponies to feed, a picnic table seating area, and just the complete serene farm feel. It was such a cool discovery off a main road in Jacksonville. It’s called Hidden Fields. Perfect.
We booked the party and Mama began the planning. Thanks to Pinterest and Etsy, I had a blast looking for theme ideas. I decided on a Shabby Chic Pony Party with lots of western elements. And, of course, lots of pink for my baby girl.
We booked a catered BBQ lunch and the rest was up to me. I had to plan the decorations, party favors, and of course, the birthday cake. Some of the items I copied directly from what I found on some amazing websites. Then I mixed in a little creativity. There was a lot of stress toward the end (mainly because it was supposed to rain but, thank goodness!, the weather was perfect.) All in all, the party was a huge success. Mostly because Annabel’s eyes lit up when she saw everything.
There were 20 kids and their parents. We were so happy that GG and Pop Pop could make it too. All the kids rode ponies and went on a hay ride. Annabel’s favorite thing was feeding the tiny ponies. She was taught to make an ice cream cone with the hay. The kids also spent time on the play area and the boys especially loved the bounce house. Everyone filled their bellies with pulled pork, hot dogs, mac-n-cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, and salad. The beverages were water, iced tea, and pink lemonade. Then, we had the cutting of the cake and each child received a personal pink cupcake with a pony toy on top. I think some of the parents now plan to book their next party at the farm. It was a great day. Yee Haw!
Here’s the party overview:
Annabel’s outfit:
-Dress: Gymboree
-Pink Cowboy Hat: Halloween Store
-Pink Cowboy Boots: Sheplers.com
-White Denim Jacket: Target
Decorations:
-Burlap and pink banner: Etsy shop Expressions In Design
-Metal treat cans with burlap ribbon: Jo-Ann Fabrics (bought ribbon separately)
-Small flower cans: Soup cans that I emptied, washed, and covered with a strip of scrapbook paper
-Pink bandana napkins: Oriental Trading
-Shabby chic frames for table signs: Homegoods
-Pony canvas art: Target
Favors:
-Treat bags: Walmart brown paper gift bags. I glued on small doilies and then placed an initial sticker in the center.
-Bag tags: Jo-Ann Fabrics
-Chocolate horse lollipop: Etsy shop Mandies Candies
-Bandana, western necklace craft, horse bubble, and personalized crayon box: Oriental Trading
-Cowgirl and cowboy notepads and stickers: Celebration Express
-Kids western hats: Oriental Trading
Birthday Cake:
-Cake: Publix
-Cake pennant sign: Etsy shop Queen Bee Inspirations
-Cake plate: Local antique mart
-Cupcakes: Publix
-Wire cupcake stands: Michaels
-Pony cupcake toppers: Oriental Trading
I’m one of those suckers who loves Valentine’s Day. I love the hearts. I love the red, pink, and white. I love flowers. I love Hallmark cards and a big box of Godiva truffles.
My birthday is February 1st and my daughter’s birthday is February 15th, so I put up the Valentine’s Day decorations on January 31st. We celebrate for the month, basically. I love to look at all the hearts, “love” signs, and pictures my kids drew in school. I just love…love.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
In 2011…
And had the (not so) tough conversation.
We had a fire in our backyard.
I watched a real life fairytale.
We went to the grand opening of LEGOLAND.
Daniel started playing two new sports.
Annabel started dance class and got her first bike.
I had my heart broken by a woman.
Then, I fell in love with another one.
I spent the night with some New Kids.
Daniel went to his first movie.
I added another movie to my all-time-favorites list.
We decided not to travel and spent Thanksgiving at home.
We spent Christmas at home too. And went on some fun holiday adventures. Daniel even ice skated for the very first time.
And we rang in the new year with some great friends.
It was a year of major milestones and family moments. I’m excited (nervous? curious?) what 2012 will bring.
Well, FOUR more things. Quick things. Promise.
My last week of October was CRAZY. Annabel had her very first class party. It was “Fall” themed and I was one of the moms in charge of the crafts, food, and fun. It was also my first time observing her in the classroom setting and it was such a joy to see her interacting with her little friends.
Daniel had his Fall “Hoe Down” at school where the kids gathered in the gymnasium for games and DJ dancing. Daniel did not dance, but he loved the games. He’s a pretty competitive kid. I think he won about fifteen Halloween themed pencils and slap bracelets.
Then, later that night, my super hot and hip hubbie had a big Halloween bash with his radio station. He went as rapper Pitbull. I went as a Mom who stays home to babysit while wearing comfy PJs and watching backlogged episodes of Up All Night. Here’s a photo of the real Pitbull:
And here’s Hubbie in his costume:
Pretty good, huh? I’m still getting used to his super shaved head. He wants to keep it. We’ll see…
Finally, we hosted a Halloween party at our house for some close friends on Saturday afternoon. The weather had the perfect Autumn chill so of course we made the kids bob for apples in a bin filled with cool water. They loved it. We also had a bounce house, pin the tail on the black cat, a bat pinata, and lots of really good “bad” food.
Okay. I think I’m ready to say, “Hello, November.” How about you?
