Tea Party Fun

Lucy, Rose, and Harper had a play date at our local tearoom, Kupa Tea, this week.  Melissa made a reservation and they had it all setup with pearls, boas, and special tea cups for the girls.  The girls visited and enjoyed princess tea (pink lemonade) while the mommies were able to catch up.

 The girls loved their tea and the muffins.  Lucy came over and whispered to me she would like to order something hot for lunch. 

 I love these sweet girls and love see them learning how to create their own little friendships.

 Melissa was so sweet to take these pictures of the girls.  She always takes beautiful pictures. 

 And Meggan captured the one below on her phone.  It is such a fun picture...the girls are shouting,

 "Woo Hoo!"

 

Brothers

These two are rarely more than a few inches apart at home. 

I don't even think they realize that more than brothers they are best friends. 

Playdoh Love

 Lucy loves playdoh!  Love might even be an understatement.  She can play with a single can of play-doh for 3 hours straight without stopping.  She loves to roll, cut, shape, and design.  She uses her toys to create elaborate plots and sets with the playdoh.  She watches YouTube videos on different playdoh sets and techniques.  She is a playdoh expert!!! 

I let the boys play with playdoh some but was always a bit reluctant due to the mess.  Lucy can have at it pretty much whenever.  Seeing her use her imagination and be creative makes me so happy.  When it is time to clean it up we wipe the table off and whatever is on the floor we let dry and then vacuum it right up.  It really is not a huge hassle to clean up. 

 

We were going through lots of actual Playdoh cans though.  So I thought it would be fun for her to help me make her some homemade playdoh.  She loved every step of the process and has enjoyed the homemade playdoh as much as store bought. 

 Homemade Playdoh

1 cup flour

1/2 c salt

2 TBS cream of tartar

1 TBS oil

1 cup boiling water

Mix dry ingredients first.

 We added the food coloring to the boiling water for easier mixing.  Lucy picked yellow!

 Continue to mix until a soft ball forms.

 I used gel food coloring which gives a more vibrant color.

 Let it cool a bit and then knead it until it is a nice smooth consistency.  Add more flour if too sticky.  It gets less sticky as it cools.  Lucy was able to do all of this part on her own and loved kneading the warm dough.

 It made a really good size amount of dough.  We give her a bit at a time and store the rest in a zip-lock baggie.  It has stayed very moist and she loves playing with it. 

Keep practicing...

You were so excited to play football and Dad bought you a ball as a surprise so you could practice before the season ever started.  I love seeing you out there practicing. 

Practice is where character is developed and determination is learned.  Practice is a skill that will be in important in every aspect of your life.

 Sometimes in practice the balls hit you harder than you expect...

 sometimes you make a perfect catch...

 sometimes you have to dive for it...

sometimes it doesn't seem worth it...

 sometimes you will beam with pride...

 sometimes it will be just out of reach...

 

sometimes you will feel like quitting...

but just keep running...

 and sometimes it will surprise you...

 and just get easier.

No matter what....this guy will be right beside you helping you, guiding  you, and cheering you on.  No matter what it is...practice...and always put forth your best effort.

First Day of School 2014-2015

Our 1st and 2nd graders!

 

 Sam was lucky enough to get Mrs. Fletcher this year.  She had Jack his first two years and has been so special to our family.  We know he will have a great year in her class!

 Jack got Mrs. Nicolas for 2nd grade.  He was so confident and comfortable when we dropped him off.  Mrs. Nicolas' husband accidentally left with her keys that morning so she was not to school yet when we dropped him off.  OOPS!!! 

Toby took the day off to take the kids to school with me.  We went straight to the car dealership and bought me a new Honda Pilot.  It was so funny to see the kids reaction when we picked them up in a brand new car.  They were so excited!  Both had great days and came home in the best of moods.  What more could we ask for?

Back to School Dinner

Since Jack started Kindergarten we have had a back to school dinner the night before.  My parents come and we have spaghetti and meatballs, yummy dessert, and lot of talk about what to expect in the coming school year.

 We have a theme each year and I also read a book that corresponds with that theme.  Inside the book I write a letter to the kids.  I read the book after we finish dinner and before dessert.  Our theme this year was - Kindness Matters!  We talked about what that meant and would look like in the coming year.  Pepa told a story about a kiddo he remembered from his elementary years.

 The kids each get a small gift.  This year they got a water bottle and some other little treats.

 While we were clearing the table we found Lucy sitting their spelling her name.

The boys went with Mima earlier this summer to pick out their first day of school clothes.  All laid out and ready to go.  We were filled with anticipation and excitement for the next day! 

This night is really special and my kids remember all the details.  I wasn't blogging the other years so I want to record what our themes were.

 

2012-2013 Be Confident

2013-2014 Remember Who You Are (key chain)

2014-2015 Kindness Matters

Farewell Disney

Why is it never easy to say good-bye to Disneyworld.   I always could stay a few more days.  We woke up early and had our bags checked and headed to Disney Hollywood Studios (or MGM as I will forever call it).  We needed to be there for rope drop so I could run to get Frozen sing-a-long tickets and Jack, Sam, and Mima could run to get in line for Rockin' Roller Coaster.

 Our last morning picture. 

 We had to wait in line for quite awhile before they let people in the park for rope drop.  It was incredibly hot that morning.  Lucy and I were able to see the Frozen Summer opening ceremonies where we were waiting.  Olaf was very cute as he opened the park.  Then I had to run with the stroller to the very back of the park to get our tickets.  Luckily, I got the time I wanted since we were on a tight schedule and had to be back to the hotel by 4 for Magical Express.  After all the running and craziness I thought Lucy deserved a cupcake.  She picked a huge Anna cupcake.  Meanwhile, Mima is with Jack and Sam at Rockin' Roller Coaster.  I notice a text as we are walking to meet them that they would not let Sam ride because of height requirements and that she had let Jack ride by himself and was waiting at the exit.  I could tell she was freaking out a bit.  I hurried to catch up to her and when I did I found a very distraught Sam.  Mima had made it better with a lemon chill and another snack.  She waited at the exit...luckily with Disney rides there is one way in one way out.  Jack cam out grinning from ear to ear and felt like a million bucks.  You could tell that did wonders for his confidence. 

 

  We met a few Disney Jr characters and headed into the Art of Animation to meet Mickey.  Mickey did a very special job for us.  We took this picture and used it to tell Nicci's kids that they were going to Disney a few weeks later. 

 After this we went to the Frozen sing-a-long.  It is a special event they were doing this summer.  You basically get to sing with the characters to every song in Frozen.  Lucy was in her element and entertaining the crowd.  She would stand up in her chair and passionately sing every word.  I love how Frozen has brought so much joy to families this year.  There was a family with teenaged kids sitting behind us...both boys and girls and they not only were loving watching Lucy but those kids sang every word to the songs as well.  Every mom, dad, and kid was totally engrossed in this sing along...and of course they ended it with snow!  We went to Pizza Planet for lunch which is always fun and my kids inhaled their salad like they were craving vegetables so bad! 

 We planned our FastPasses so that we would end on a big ride too.  Toy Story Mania was our final ride.  We all love this ride and competing for the highest score.   After this it was a race back to the hotel to catch the bus. 

 A sign of a great trip is sleeping kids on the ride to the airport.

This was such a special treat to end the summer.  I know my mom loved being able to go with the kids and get one on one time.  We always have a ball with our huge groups but it is chaotic and there are 17 people coming and going.  This was a slower paced trip where we were really able to enjoy seeing the kids experience Disney.  I am so glad that my mom was then able to go on a trip with Nicci and her kids and in November is getting to go on a Disney cruise with Eric and his family.  She deserves it...she has blessed us beyond measure.