The Birthday Party!

We had THREE birthday parties for Sarah this year! You already heard about the "puppy party" where we invited her entire preschool class and the gifts were for the local Humane Society. That was party number one.

On her actual birthday, it was just a special day for the three of us! We did fun stuff in the morning, lunch at A&W, had a playdate, saw the new Shrek movie and had her tomato soup for dinner. She also got to open one gift from us. That was party number two.

Saturday was party number three. It was family and a few close friends. We keep the Puppy theme, served hot dogs and brats, potato salad, watermelon, grapes, chips, soda and had a puppy cake. It was made by our neighbor - was a very moist white cake with strawberries in the middle. The frosting was green tinted whipped cream. That is where she gave it to me and I decorated it with my Cricut Cake. I used the Paper Pups cartridge, cut out four dogs (she is four), added flowers to the corners and used the dog's noses to hold the candles.We had the party at Mom and Jim's (the house we are going to be buying) so it was a pool party - which was perfect for the hot day! You can see a few of the Oscar Meyer frisbees floating in the water...just part of the House Party kit I won!Sarah had to check the temp of the pool before the guests arrived!Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, God Parents, and more were there and this party, she got gifts that she could keep! Fun things for a four year old like crafting items, Disney DVDs, doll clothes, a Lite Brite, play golf set, even a Birthday Barbie!Her "art cart" is now full of great things like beads, pipe cleaners, modeling clay, and craft sticks. She has played a few rounds of golf with her Daddy and sleeps with the new Barbie! She doesn't realize it yet, but my Mom gave her the gift of activity by paying for next year's ballet classes! (Mom rocks!!) What more could a little girl ask for?

Happy Birthday my little Bug-A-Boo!

Class Picnic

Sarah is officially done with preschool! Monday was their last day and on Wednesday, they had the whole class at a picnic at the nearby park. All adults signed up to bring something, the kids got to play like crazy on the equipment and the parents got to set up play dates for over the summer!The park is really close to the school, which means we were able to walk there in less than five minutes. Sarah knows her way around this playground but it was fun to watch her there with her friends.An official sign of summer is when the bubblers are put in to all the parks! This was very handy today as the temperatures were rapidly climbing. There was a veritable feast for all to enjoy! Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ham sandwiches, fruit salad, water melon, sliced cheese trays (we brought one), pasta salad, veggies and dip, chips, cupcakes, Rice Krispie treats, and juice! If someone left there and was still hungry, that was their own fault!

This was really a great way to end the school year and we can all stay connected over the summer through play groups that are set up every Tuesday at different parks over the summer!

Teacher Gifts

It's that time of year - when we show a little appreciation for the gang that helped mold the minds of our little ones for many months. Sarah had two teachers for preschool - they were both WONDERFUL!

Instead of the normal apple route, we did strawberries and will package them up with a note that says "to a berry great teacher". These were pretty easy to make, only cost me some paper out of my stash and a bag of clearance Hershey Kisses. I got the idea from a friend's blog (Thanks Ms Heidi) but found a cut file online - we cut them, scored and embossed them, then stuffed with kisses! Enjoy the video of Sarah working the Cuttlebug and embossing them all - she is a true crafter at heart :)


A few glue dots or adhesive onthe tab...Stick it together...Put a few Kisses inside...Fold the flaps down a little...Thread the hemp or ribbon through the holes...tie it closed...Thread the cord through the hole in the center of the strawberry top...tie it closed...And now, you have a strawberry! Add it to the pile until you are ready to package them!
Miss Lori and Miss Jodi thought they were WAAAAYYY cool! :)

My Little Dancer...

Today was our first dance recital! This year cost me $50: the price of a costume and tights as my Mom picked up her ballet lessons for a combo birthday/Christmas present. We asked for the gift of activity and she listened!

Enjoy the pictures from before the recital and then, the video of her dancing - she is the 2nd dancer from the left, the little blonde...As they were lining the little girls up and getting ready to lead them out, I gave her a hug and said "have fun sweetie" - she hugged back and said "Don't worry Mommy, I won't let you down".


What a little peanut! :)

The Puppy Party!

Birthday parties are a part of childhood and just plain fun to host! We have picked a theme every year and this is the year of the puppy. Simple food like hot dogs (free from coupons), puppy chow (with free ingredients) and lemonade ($.10)...puppy cupcakes (from one $.50 cake mix)and then there are the goody bags!
She LOVES to have goody bags and this year is no exception. We got the mini beanie dogs from Oriental Trading Company along with puppy collar bracelets. If you wrap it twice, the bracelet will work as a dog collar for the little pups...set him on a mini PlayDo (after Christmas 75% off clearance) and pop it all in a little bag. Viola! You have a goody bag and it ran us about $1.40 a kid. This does two things - leaves everyone going home with something in their hands and no one cries because they didn't win a game.Speaking of games, this year is a bonus! Instead of creating games or a project for the little ones, I bumper her party up a few weeks to be the day before my Tupperware Team family Picnic. I will have a bounce house here and the kids can simply play to their heart's content! The business is paying for it, so I am getting "free" entertainment, LOL!
We chose to invite all of her friends from preschool and are a little surprised that we have only gotten RSVPs from about half (saying yes or no...). I knew a holiday weekend might be tricky, but it is what was going to work for us. We ended up with a total of 9 kids -- out of 19, that was pretty good!
Here is the really neat thing about the puppy party. We said no presents for Sarah, but included a list for the local humane society - so they could get something off that list and bring it. Sarah and I will take the loot to the humane society and get lots of pictures! It's about having fun with the friends and giving back to society. Don't worry - when it is time for the family birthday party (a few weeks later) she will get her share of goodies - I have a huge honking family! It always seems like Christmas to her, LOL. What was neat - they all had the items wrapped up! Gift bags, shoe boxes with fancy paper and more! You can tell that they were excited about what goodies they brought for the animals and she had a lot of help opening things up, LOL!Wednesday, after school, we are taking Sarah to the Humane Society to deliver this wagon FULL of great things for the animals. I am amazed at how generous everyone was -- all the toys, treats, food and even a bed! Just look at how much great stuff! From my phone call, I understand that they will give Sarah a tour and got out some of the smaller animals for her to pet/play with, she might even get to feed some treats to a few of the pets! Again, this will be another great photo opportunity and this whole event should make for a great 8x8 scrapbook album!
You can see a very tired girl here - she didn't even finish her 'popsicle' before she passed out, LOL! She was a great hostess, got her share of bouncing in, passed out cupcakes and goody bags, hugged all of her guests as they were leaving and gave out plenty of thank yous...it was really a very fun day!

The Pool Is Ready!

Last year, there were plenty of days that the pool was too cold to enjoy swimming in comfortably...so this spring, a pool heater was installed! We should be able to enjoy it from May to October, any day that the weather permits.

This is a good thing!

The heater works, the pool has been vacuumed, shocked, skimmed and prepped for summer -- just look at it! (OK, there will be that constant battle of cotton weed fluff and "helicopters" for the next couple of weeks...)

The timing is perfect as the first heatwave has struck! Over 95* with the heat index today...and we might break the heat record tomorrow! EEK! It is SOOOOO nice to be able to take a dip, eat lunch and then chill a tad more.

The big thing is sunscreen -- 50+ SPF, and add more every couple of hours. I have had skin cancer already and don't want my little bug-a-boo to get it!

You know where to reach me this summer...I wonder if I can get a water proof phone?

A Special Thank You

Sarah got mail today...this is for Abby and Mitchell..