A Royal Wedding Celebration

In honor of William and Kate's wedding, my good friend Nici and I decided to throw a proper viewing party for our girls and some of their friends.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I've been t-total excited to watch this wedding.  How often do we get to see a real live fairy tale wedding happen - to a real live royal family - and not a Disney cartoon?

So it all started with a proper invitation (of course) which were hand delivered to each girl.   Can I just say that I Heart Photoshop?

To get in the true spirit of things, I made each girl a princess veil.  It's amazing what you can make with a cheap plastic tiara, some white sparkly tulle, and a glue gun.

And of course, every girl needs a proper diamond engagement ring.

And dinner at a beautiful royal table.  Our wedding feast consisted of ham biscuits, chips (not British fries - but 'crisps', fresh fruit, crudites, petit fours, and chocolate covered caramels, all served on the finest china and silver, and crystal.  Lemonade for the girls served in champagne flutes and blood orange mimosas for the mamas.

Her Highness Giovanna Hallman Long

Her Highness Addison McSwain Comer

Her Highness Madeleine Anne Martin

A Royal Toast

'ching ching'

And what proper party would be complete without a little cookie decorating?

Cookies in the shapes of crowns and wedding cakes, of course.

Royal cookie decorating is serious business.

The more sugar and glittery sprinkles the better.

It's hard work being a princess bride.  It's a good thing the lemonade was plentiful to refresh our little brides.

Lots of licks and tastes of the sweets - but as Madeline quickly discovered - icing straight out of the bottle is best.

Proper Princess Petit Fours

We completed our party by first looking through my wedding album.  It was fun to share the pictures of my wedding day with three little girls - Addie who kept wanting me to turn the pages quickly to get to the one where Deonne and I kiss.  (Sadly, that picture doesn't exist - that roll of film from our ceremony was lost.)  When I asked her why she was so intent on seeing pictures of kissing - she grinned and looked at me and said " 'cause I want to kiss my BOYfriend."  Watch out B and N - she's looking to share some smooches... HA!

We then changing into our princess bedroom attire (nightgowns) and accessorized with our veils and settling in to watch the wedding.  Lots of ooohs and aaahs from the princess brides as we saw Kate emerge from her Rolls Royce - and an enormous amount of giggles when we saw the royal couple's first kiss.  (Thank goodness for DVRs - we could fast forward through the lengthy ceremony and processionals to the palace to watch just the good parts.)

I'm so thankful we got to share this moment with friends.  I distinctly remember my mom waking me up at some ungodly hour on the west coast to watch Princess Di get married - and ooohing and aaahing over her dress and flowers as she emerged from her carriage.

I was just about Anna's age - and I remember that morning like it was yesterday.  I hope the fun we had last night created long lasting memories for her - that she'll one day share with her own children - when William and Kate's children get married someday ... but I'm getting ahead of myself now aren't I.

What a fun night.  What a glorious celebration!

Jack Turns Two

Our little Jacky-pooh turned two last Friday.  It still baffles my mind that my youngest, my baby, is two years old.  Sigh.  I'll save the sentimental post for later - right now I'll focus on the fun festivities of a two-year old party!
I went back and forth for a theme of his party - I wanted it to be something he'd enjoy at the age of two - not too complicated or advanced or scary (i.e. no clowns - they're creepy) - yet something all of the kids in attendance would enjoy.  Because his birthday fell two days before Easter - an egg hunt became the natural choice.  And, I figured it's the last year I can do something sweet and innocent - from here on out I'm sure we'll be celebrating his passing years with trucks and tractors, pirates and cowboys.

Once I settled on the theme - and the timing (brunch and egg hunt at 10:00 in the morning) I started googling and perusing through every party planning/mommy blog/crafty celebrity I could find to come up with fun crafts and decorations and goodies and menu options.

Of course, it was first and foremost and egg hunt - so the kids in attendance would need a basket or bag to gather their treats.  I shopped around for sweet looking baskets that were reasonably priced to no avail.  The ones in my price range ($1-2) were either those bright looking bamboo ones or plastic buckets.  Neither of which I liked.  So I turned to trusty Martha - and found directions for these 'basket' bags - and with Deonne's help to install the eyelet - was able to create individual bags for everyone who attended.

I found a lot of the decorations in my attic (like the egg wreath pictured above.)  I have this habit of purchasing holiday items when they go on clearance - stuffing them in bins in the attic - and forgetting about them until the next year.  What a happy surprise to find the above wreath to welcome guests to this festive occasion (I think it might have come from Target - but I'm not entirely sure.)

No party is complete without cake or cupcakes.  I've made the move recently towards cupcakes rather than large cakes that require cutting, plates, and forks.  These little sweeties turned out so cute - using that (what I call) hairy piping tip to make the grass.  I'm sure that's not the proper name for it - but I originally bought it to make Elmo hair on cupcakes - so it was forever more called the 'hairy tip.'  So there.  It made great Easter basket grass - topped with jelly bean 'eggs' and tiny royal icing carrots from Bake It Pretty.  

Favors for the kids came in the form of family Easter baskets - stuffed to the brim with assorted goodies from the Target Dollar Spot (sidewalk chalk, bubbles, flower seeds), a variety of age appropriate Easter themed childrens books, a 'carrot' filled with goldfish (Jack's favorite snack), and assorted typical Easter candies (think Cadbury Creme Eggs and foil wrapped chocolate eggs.) 

I had a lot of fun with the decorations - like these carrots (wrapped utensils) for the main food table.

What brunch is complete without Krispy Kreme donuts?  I think it might be a law somewhere that you must serve these delightful sweets at all brunch parties.  Also on the menu were platters of fresh fruit, strawberries from the local sustainable farm, a pile of tea biscuits surrounding an assortment of butters (blackberry, pecan honey, and lemon herb), sausage, egg, and cheese casseroles, spinach and Gruyere cheese stratas, phyllo, prosciutto, and Parmesan cheese wrapped asparagus, and orange-lemonade, blood orange mimosas, and fresh brewed coffee to drink. 

I turned to Martha once again for assistance with table decorations - making these lovely little candy daffodil cups filled with lemon jelly beans.

Family Fun came through with directions for making chocolate egg topiaries to decorate the kids' table - which was covered with white craft paper (along with a basket of crayons) to encourage a little crafting/drawing from our guests.

The printable decorations.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  I happened upon Simply Creative Insanity via a party planning blog I frequently visit.  As soon as I saw her party featured on Kara's blog - I knew I had to contact her to see if she could help with the printables for this shin-dig.  And help she did - and then some.  She created a beautiful custom invitation, all of the printables you see in these photos and did so beautifully.  She was prompt and easy to work with - and I HIGHLY recommend her to everyone out there looking for custom designs!

Kind of hard to see in front of my horribly un-ironed tablecloth - the banner reads 'hippity hop.'  So SWEET!  And so perfect for the sweets table!

In lieu of the typical banner strung on ribbons that I make for all the kids' birthdays - I opted this time to glue the photos and name on dowels and plant them in the garden.  I had various bunnies and happy birthday signs stuck in planters all around the yard.

Sugar cookie cutouts are a staple 'round these parts for all holidays, birthdays, celebrations - these turned out pretty darn cute - even if I was up 'til just after midnight Friday night finishing the piping...

What party doesn't deserve marshmallow bunnies on a stick?  I was so happy to find them in blue - to match the color scheme of the party (lime green and turquoise blue.)

In addition to the baskets each family took home - each was also given a jar of 'bunny noses' to add to their growing collection of all things sugary.

These asparagus straws were so darn yummy - I'm wishing I had some more with me right now to nibble on!

Another view of the family baskets.

So now that we've set the scene - let's talk about the actual party - okay?  Okay.  We gathered the kids in our house until all families arrived - then set them loose across the backyard to hunt for their eggs.  Somehow I miscalculated how many eggs I purchased - I'd originally planned for 12 per child - but ended up with way way way more than that.  Yeah - counting has never been my strong suit.

In addition to the more than 200 colored eggs (stuffed with candy) were two silver eggs and one golden egg.  James was thrilled to find one of the coveted silver eggs.

Jack had a t-total ball.  His older cousin gently guided him around the yard - pointing out eggs and helping him fill his basket to the brim.

Of course it didn't take long for him to get the hang of things and he was soon off on his own - running about and collecting eggs.

Can I pause for a moment to point out his adorable outfit?  I found it from a wonderful seamstress on Etsy, Stella Kate Designs.  Not only did she create this ADORABLE outfit in record time (I somehow lost track of the date and ordered this the week before the party) but she made it well - as in it is excellent quality!  So super friendly shop, excellent quality, extremely kind in working with me to get the fabric/font/design/buttons right, very fast, and incredibly well priced ... you can't go wrong!  Call on Stella Kate Designs for your custom clothing needs - she rocks!

Checking his basket - presumably to see how many more he can stuff in there...

What a happy birthday boy!  I could eat him up with a spoon!

This precious girl, who I adore for her funny sense of humor and bouncy curls, discovered the Golden Egg!  She was thrilled!

My Anna had to pause now and then to check her loot - and snitch a few pieces of chocolate-y goodness.

Blowing out his birthday candles - making him officially two!

Jack's little birthday cake - even though he had cupcakes - he still needed a cake to blow candles out on - so I made this little guy just for Jack.

All in all it was a super fun party.  The weather cooperated (rain stopped) and the sun eventually came out.  The food was good, the drinks especially good, and the morning was filled with laughter from giggling children.

Most of all, Jack had a wonderful time.  He grinned and smiled and played and giggled and hugged his friends and hopped and jumped all at the same time.  He was truly the birthday boy - and loved every minute of it.

I have to say a big thank you to my dear friend Nici - who came over and helped calm my frazzled nerves when I was trying to get everything finished by 10:00 am (all the while thinking - what was I thinking planning a party to be ready in the morning with three kids age 6 and under running amok in excitement??) and hid the eggs for me.  And also to Ashley - a new but very special friend - who took time out of her day and her own three kids to come over and photograph the big day (all photos were taken by Ashley.)  Thanks you guys.  Seriously.  I couldn't have pulled this off without you - nor would I have any pictures of the fun.



Photo Book/Spoiler Alert

I heart Shutterfly.  In a very short time (relatively speaking) I put together the photo book you see below to give my mom for Mothers Day.  It's hard to think of fun things to send her - pictures seem like the best option - and a picture book?  What could be better than that?

So take a look at the last year with the Party of Five - and tell me if you'd be happy to get this as a Mother's Day gift.

Click here to view this photo book larger

It's Been A Week...

Blogging silence.  That usually means one of two things.  A - I'm struggling with something that preoccupies my thoughts or B - sick kids.

While there always seems to be a healthy dose of (A) going on - the latter this past week was option B.

Starting that Saturday afternoon at the 701 Whaley farmers market (previous post) - I began to get a weird ear ache.  It came, it went, and was bothersome to say the least.  By Sunday afternoon, however, it was debilitating.  I managed to make it through work on Monday - but Monday night it was horrible.  HORRIBLE.  I was up all night thinking my ear was going to explode.

Tuesday morning I head to the doc-in-the-box. No surprise.  Wretched ear infection.  What thirty-six year old still gets ear infections???  Leave there, get my prescription filled, get to work, put computer in docking station - phone rings.  Jack has a fever.

Leave work to go pick up Jack - immediately take him to the doctor - he's diagnosed with strep throat.

Quarantine for 24 hours. 

Wednesday, all three kids have their quarterly check-up with their ENT to see the status of their tubes.  Anna and James both check out fine - one tube on each kid is out.  The other tube(s) are securely in place.  No worries.  Jack, however, also has one tube out.  But that ear has been plagued with ear infections, and at the time of his exam, his ear was filled with fluid.  Problematic in a two-year old whose speech is still developing.  We go back in six weeks to see if it cleared or if he's also a repeat candidate like his brother for tubes and adenoid removal.

Back at work on Thursday.

Friday morning, I'm back at the doctor 'cause my ear isn't any better - and now I'm completely deaf in that ear.  Which makes for some interesting conversations with my spouse who has a tendency to mumble - and my children (which is kind of a blessing - being deaf in one ear makes it a lot easier to tune out the whining and bickering.)  Anyway.  Doctor says the ear looks better - and good news, my ear drum is still intact.  Really?  I didn't realize it was in danger of not being intact.  Says to keep taking the antibiotic - if not better, call on Monday for a referral to the ENT.

Pick up my new prescription for numbing ear drops and promptly return home to tilt my head on the couch so I can administer said ear drops and hopefully keep them in place in my ear and get some sort of relief from the incessant throbbing pain.

Friday afternoon, pick up Anna from her spring break camp at Edventure (that she LOVED and is the topic of another post) then the boys.  Halfway home James proclaims 'mommy, my mouth hurts.'  I get them home, get them settled, take my trusty otoscope (minus the ear piece adapter) and peek in James' mouth.  Bright red nasty throat with big red welts.  Awesome.

Friday night, as soon as Deonne gets home - I take James to the pediatric after hours care.  I heart them.  James has strep.  (Is it any surprise?)  24 hours quarantine.  Meaning he had to miss his soccer game Saturday morning.  And we had to keep him home - which is hard considering he really didn't ever feel bad, never had a fever, just the sore throat, and had WAY too much energy to contend with.

I watched Anna like a hawk over the weekend - sure she was going to contract the super contagious strep throat.  Thankfully, knock on wood, she's managed to escape it.

I, however, am still completely deaf and my ear still hurts.  I posted this on my facebook page earlier in the week - I totally take back every time I lost my patience with one of my children when they had ear infections.  Because these suckers hurt.  Tremendously.  Of course, theirs tend to clear up when they have been on antibiotics for 24 hours.  I've been on them for a week.  Little to no relief.

So off I go to the ENT tomorrow.  How funny is it that I'll be seeing the same doctor who we just saw last week but without my crew of kids.  I should have just asked him to look in my ear that day - since it was still hurting so much.

Oh well.

Apparently my children get their 'bad' ears from their mother.  Hopefully they also get my vocabulary and sense of style.  HA.

So it's been one of those weeks.  It's been a while - so I guess we were due.

Saturday Morning Fun

One of the things I'm enjoying the most about life right now is the fact that I'm slowly coming out of the 'baby fog.'  I know I've blogged about this before, but having an almost-two year old and not being pregnant is a true joy!  I'm able to get out more with the kids and have much more energy to research new and fun things to do as a family rather than stick around the house.

Take Saturday morning, for example.  I'd heard a lot about the local farmer's market from various friends and colleagues.  How there is a lot to see and look at as well as a good breakfast spread for reasonable prices.  So we ventured out - and weren't disappointed.

The kids loved it.  Deonne and I did as well.  Lots of local vendors selling everything from artisan breads to key lime pies, fresh flowers and organic greens, to sausages and meats, soaps, and cutting boards.  It kind of felt more like an artisan market than a 'farmers' market - as there weren't a lot of fresh fruits or vegetables.  But it is the start of the growing season - so I expect that will pick up in time.

Breakfast was sausage and egg casserole and cheesy grits casserole - both made using the local cheeses from the market.  Hot coffee, of course, homemade yogurt with granola and strawberries (that are just coming into season here), and a cinnamon twist strudel-thing from the organic baker lady.

We missed the donut stand (how could we do that??)  It was outside and around the corner from most of the vendors, so we didn't see it until we were leaving.  We'll definitely make that stop next week (James has already planned that we'll go.)  They were making fresh strawberry donuts - right on the spot!  Even little Jack was interested - pointing and gesturing wildly saying 'do-no' - his word for donut. 

It was perfect weather to attend the market - they had big tables set up, complete with tablecloths and fresh flowers.  We ate, sipped our coffees, and watched the kids play with the many dogs (on leashes) that people had brought.  

It was really fun. (Notice my hair?  No, I'm not channeling my inner Elvira - I just decided to stop trying to keep up with blond highlights and go back to my natural color.  But instead of 'boring brown' my stylist added a little extra warmth.  I like it.)

After breakfast and wandering around the market, we headed to James' soccer game.  He's doing really well - isn't afraid to get in the pack of arms and legs to kick the ball - and has really good control over the ball when he does have it.  The only problem(?) is that he has SO much fun that he's giggling like a hyena the entire time - so he loses focus - and thus the ball.  But who cares.  He's having fun.  He's enjoying the game.  And that's what matters.  So we saw lots of this (above picture - James is #24)...

...and also a lot of this.  James giggling with his buddy Michael. 

And that, is what it's all about.

Morning Quiet

I hate getting up in the morning - and am most definitely not a morning person.  I'm not one to leap out of the bed the moment my eyes open.  Rather, I like to burrow in, slowly let my mind come awake and pass over from dreamland into reality.

Despite that, I must admit that I like it when I'm the first one up.  I'd hoped to sleep in a bit today - but a certain little boy crawled into bed with us sometime in the wee hours of the morning - and no matter how sweet it is to feel him curl around me, I just can't sleep with there's a body fidgeting and wiggling and rolling around right beside me.  Couple that with the geriatric cat who was snoring LOUDLY at the foot of our bed, and sleep became impossible.

So I'm awake.  My house is quiet right now.  The only things I hear are the sounds that make this house a home -

the thermostat clicking on and off down the hall
the clock my mother gave Deonne and I for our first wedding anniversary steadily ticking
the dripping of coffee into the pot
my grandparent's 'grandmother' clock ticking and chiming in the living room
the occasional sigh and stretch from one of the cats
random nonsensical words from the children as they toss in their sleep

It's going to be a busy day, that's for sure.  A visit to the local farmer's market early this morning.  James' late morning soccer game.  Lunch of some sort.  Then an unplanned afternoon and evening - with several options on the horizon (hopefully none of which include the 14 piles of laundry that have accumulated in various places throughout the house.) 

So I really appreciate this quiet time.  This time to gather my thoughts.  Sip my first cup of coffee.

Perhaps I should try to rise earlier and make a habit out of this... oh, who am I kidding.  I like sleep way too much.