Every Little Thing She Does is Magic!

Izzy's 5th birthday party took place a month ago. She had a wonderful time. It was extra special to plan her birthday party this year because she asked me to surprise her. Sam and I talked about a few themes for her surprise birthday and we thought she would love to have a magic themed party. We knew it would be a big hit with her.

Over the course of November, Sam and I went to a few websites and found some stuff we thought her friends might like. He picked everything that went in to the magic box the kids parted with: a magic coin trick, invisible ink, Hershey's kisses, finger traps, magic cards, lollypops, and an invisible pen. We also bought some magic hats, trimmed them with silver and lavender ribbon and gave them to the kids. I thought they could use a magic wand as well and so, "poof," the magic was in the air. The night before, Sam helped Brad and I prepare the hats as well as the magic boxes. I prepped the stickers that went on the cups for "Izzy's Magic Potion."

Up until the day of the party, Izzy had no idea what we were planning for her. She was super excited once she saw everything being laid out for her friends. She had chosen the colors for the party so I kept everything in silver, black, and lavender. We decorated the back room with some lavender polka dot balloons as well as some other nice decorations. Her friends arrived around 3pm and received their magic hat and wand. A short while later, Magic Dan arrived and the kids were mesmerized. I've never seen Scotty bear sit down for so long. It was a really wonderful party-one of my favorites, by far.

Despite all the work and exhaustion, what made it totally worth it for me was that Izzy thanked me for her surprise and told me she loved it. My little lady is the best.

Farewell, Summer Time

Wow. I can't believe summer is practically over for me. I return to work tomorrow and I'm suddenly sad that the time I had with the kids is coming to a close. I guess that's why summer is so much fun. It has an end and a beginning. It gives us time to nourish our "selves" by not adhering to schedules, demands, or expectations. I really enjoyed the "ordinary days" we shared as a family this summer. We visited Monterey, played in parks, went on tons of bike rides, went to Science camp, explored Mother Nature, frolicked in the lake, bathed in sunshine, and were totally and completely lazy at times. It was bliss: very full and very fun.

Well, Summer, I'll see you next year. I'm looking forward to seeing you already!

The Conch

At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, there's a huge conch shell in the play area devoted to children. Every time we've gone there, I've taken pictures of the kids. First, it was Sam by himself. Next, it was Izzy and Sam. This time, I tried to capture a shot of all three of them happy and smiling in the conch.


Below is a photo collage of my attempt to capture the bliss, harmony, and love we were experiencing while we were there:

Two out of three ain't bad in my book...better luck next year!

Baby Crack

Scotty escaped from the bathroom after I bathed him. I. could. not. help. myself. I mean, who doesn't love baby crack?

Hotel Living

Before we left for Monterey, I was a little worried about sleeping arrangements. It was the first time the kids were going to a hotel and sharing a lot of small space together. I asked Brad to rent two adjacent rooms so we could have some room to breathe and hopefully be able to endure each other.

I am a genius.

Why? Because my plan worked perfectly. Not only did we have plenty of "roaming" space, the kids absolutely loved being in the hotel. I'm not sure if it's because I let them jump on the beds, horse around, order milk and cookies before bed or eat candy at any hour but they REALLY, REALLY loved it. The evidence is below.....