Georgia's Tea Party (birthday catch-up, part I)

Remember back a couple of months when Georgia and Oak had their birthdays?  I managed to get birthday letters up but entirely skipped any kind of recording of actual festivities.  So, in the attempt to catch-up before the summer is entirely over (school starts in 11 days! eek!), I'm posting them now (Georgia's first and Oak's to follow). Enjoy!

Georgia wanted a tea party for her 6th birthday (and first friend party), so a proper tea party I gave her.  I'm actually NOT a party planner, in the least, but it was kind of fun to flex my hostess muscles a bit and see what I could come up with.  It didn't hurt any that it was a theme I loved.  Ezra's lego party last October, while equally fun to attend, was much less extravagant.  What can I say? I'm a natural-born girly-girl :) We had proper finger foods (this recipe wins the award for being easiest to make and fanciest-looking), lemonade, made hats (general instructions found here), played pin the tail on the unicorn, opened presents, and filled those last few crazy minutes by walking around with bananas on our head to practice good posture (thanks Fancy Nancy for that idea!).  I let each girl take home their teacup with a little necklace and a bracelet set for favors (the cups were actually little milk glass punch cups that I found in a set at a thrift store...but they were perfectly adorable and fit their little hands even better than normal tea cups).  Overall, it turned out pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself.

I set the mood with the invitations

I had some close-ups of the party decor, but I haven't stolen them off my mom's phone yet, so this'll have to do

(ps-in case you're wondering, that's my super-cute mom who helped out a ton!)

The whole group eating like proper little ladies

The girl of the hour

She was in absolute heaven!

The girls absolutely adored the hat-making activity. It was a lot of bang for not too much hassle (although if you had asked me at 11:00 the night before while we were hot-gluing paper plates and bowls together, I don't know if I would agree with myself ;)  It was fun to see their little personalities come through their designs...some of the girls just wanted a few flowers and other girls (like Georgie) couldn't pile on enough stuff! I think they all turned out absolutely adorable!

Our neighbor friend, Lilly

Baleigh, Georgie's bestie from school

The girl herself

Miss Reese, Scarlett's bestie

Little Sister Scarlett

Cailin, a friend from church and Reese's older sister

Kai, Georgia's long-time bestie from church

I couldn't resist posting a close-up of the birthday girl.  How cute is she?! I mean, I know I'm bias and everything, but really!?

My mom insisted I take a quick belly shot with the adorable hat she made as an example for the girls.  I think I was 24 weeks here.

All the cuties together!

Proof that she did, in fact, open presents.  I just figure this post is big enough without posting them all.

Instead of a birthday cake, she just wanted pink sparkly cupcakes.  I was more than happy to oblige.

Oh, and in case you're curious where the boys were during all of these girly-girl festivities, Oak was down for a nap and Ezra was busy doing this:

so don't feel too sorry for him.

I offered to let Ezra stick around, but he strongly informed me that he would NOT be at the party.  He would go hang out with his bestie, Liam, thanks very much.

aaaand that's all for Miss Georgia's festivities!  I think my sister took some family festivities pictures on the day-of, but I don't have them yet.  So, these'll have to do!  Hopefully I can get Oak's up soon and we can move on to more recent stuff :)

the backside of childbearing

I know I really should be posting adorable pictures of my children from our multiple summer vacations (is it still considered a vacation if one takes their work (i.e.: the small savages) along?), but instead I'm being selfish and posting something about myself instead.  My bestie sent me this link since it reminded her of me.  Oh, how right she was!  It's definitely a struggle I deal with daily as I try to come to terms with this pregnancy being my last.  We decided that five was our number since I don't know if our finances, time, or sanity can stretch much farther...but it's just so darn painful.  It kills me, but enough is enough and one has to stop sometime.  So, I'm sharing it with all of you since I figure I can't possibly be the only one who mourns the end of my childbearing.  Enjoy!

Lessons learned from my trip to Indiana:

People in Valparaiso, Indiana are not particularly helpful when your car overheats.

People in Jacksonville, Illinois, however, ARE quite helpful when your car overheats.

My husband doesn't recognize when I dye my hair.

12 children, under the age of 12, is A LOT...especially in public.

Those dozen kids consume food like locusts, leaving only crumbs and sticky messes in their wake.

Dealing with screaming children in the car = high speeds = speeding ticket.

The $120 part to fix cruise control is still cheaper than the aforementioned ticket + part.

9 children, with only a single adult to supervise, can actually live through a sparklers and poppers session without a single ER visit (especially if that adult is my superman of a brother-in-law).

9 hours in the car (each way) alone with 4 small children is surprisingly doable, especially when high levels of candy and dvds are consumed.

Every single second, penny, mile, tear, and wrinkle was worth it to get to see my two best besties and their broods!

Love you, Lib and Steph!

30 weeks!

I'm on the homestretch!

I can't even believe I only have 10 weeks left (and with my history, probably less).  Part of me thinks September seems like forever away, while the other part of me realizes it's only 10 Saturdays left to get everything done.  eeek!

Happy 4th, y'all!

Hope your holiday is as festive as ours!

school's out for summer...school's out forever!

Remember when I updated my blog regularly?

Yeah, I do too.

So, I've been working on birthday party posts for for.ev.er and I figured I might as well post these in the meantime.  I'm always so glad that my kids get out of school relatively early (around May 25th, typically), since I'm pretty burnt out by that point.  It doesn't hurt any that that means they go back a little early too.  Let's just say I'm not one of those that mourns the return of her children to school ;)  Anyway...

Ezra's first day of 1st Grade...

...and his last!

Georgia's first day of Kindergarten...

...and her last!

Also, remember forever ago when I mentioned posting pictures from my sis-in-law's wedding? Well, I figured I'd just send you to the source...her photographer, Bridgett J. Photography.  She's my husband's cousin and is incredibly talented.  She's actually the one who'll be doing my (first and only) maternity shoot when we go out for Spencer's little brother's wedding at the end of July.  She does amazing work for any of y'all who might be looking for a photographer in Utah :)  Here's the link to a few of her pictures from Heather's wedding and her bridals.  Enjoy!

And, lastly, just because I can't resist...

ps-I always hear this song, Alice Cooper's School's Out in my dad's voice since he'd sing it at the end of the school year.

To my Oak, on his 2nd Birthday

Oakie, my Oakie...how I love you so!  I can't even believe you're 2 years old already!  At the same time, it's seems like you've been part of our family forever.  Everyday, I am grateful you were sent to our family.  Everyday, I am grateful you will be part of our family forever.  I simply can't imagine Us without You in it.

 Love those baby blues!

Oh, Oak, you bring such joy and brightness and spunk to our family.  What would we do without your spark and energy?  You're like a little lightning bolt that crackles around our living room, jumping off of furniture, tackling your siblings, and chucking toys against the wall.  You're such an intense little personality.  You're so happy so much of the time, really, a truly joyful little soul, but then, just as quickly you're writhing on the floor in a full-out tantrum or smacking anyone who stands too close. After the storm passes, however, you go right back to being your crazy, enthusiastic, grab-life-by-the-horns typical personality.  You just love life so darn much.  Even in your happiness and excitement you're intense, Little Man.  I guess you can just join the club with your other intense-personalitied siblings, right?  Your middle name is Gideon, a biblical and Book of Mormon warrior.  I love how it fits you so well.  Combined with Oak, it's the perfect name for a mighty warrior, which you are.  You are my little warrior, through and through.

Our first attempt at Time Out

It was obviously enthusiastically received

Oh, my dear Oak Gideon, you are ALL BOY.  I used to be a little skeptical of gender roles when I just had my first two kids.  Ezra did like a lot of boy-typical things, but he wasn't what anyone would call rough 'n' tumble.  Georgia was much more like that, instead.  Again, she loved sparkles and pink, but she was the tougher and more energetic of the two kids.  Then...I had Scarlett.  Scarlett, from the moment her personality first shined through, was a little girl.  From the top of her curly brown head to her painted toenails, she is a girl through and through.  And then, Little Friend, I had you.  You are the boyest boy I know.  All your favorite toys are boy toys.  You are insanely physically active.  You put Georgia to shame with your rough 'n' tumble-ness and Scarlett to shame with your eternal energy.  You literally and figuratively love to run circles around the rest of us.  You have a naughty mischievous streak a mile wide.  You really do fit all the boyish cliches and, honestly, I can't help but love you all the more for it.

You do have a softer side, however, which I fully relish.  You'll often climb into our bed to cuddle the wee morning hours away.  You love books and movies and will insist on sitting on my lap or under my arm while we enjoy them together (which is also about the only time you slow down).  That's why I call you Little Friend, a nickname that is unique only to you.  You really are my little buddy, following me around like a puppy dog, climbing on my back when I'm sitting down, wanting to just hang out all the time.  While it's hard to find a moment alone, it's nice to have a child that so fully basks in my attention and enjoys my company.  It's just nice to be the favorite, for a first :)

Mama's Boy

You also love all things vehicle and animal-related, Oakie Boy.  Toys, movies, books, stuffed animals, clothing, etc.  If it has anything at all do do with one of those two categories, you're all over it.  Speaking of clothing, your other great love is shoes.  You'll consent to getting your diaper and clothes changed, just so you can finally get those shoes on your feet and there they'll stay all. day. long.  I find this particularly amusing considering the other kids and I are definitely bare-feet type of people.  Who knows, maybe you get it from your dad?  Regardless, I find it to be one of your most endearing quirks (especially considering my own great love of fabulous footwear).  You also love, love, love your siblings and follow them into all sorts of adventures.  It's fair to say that sometimes they drive you insane (I can't say I blame you, they do maul you to death regularly), but you adore them all for the most part.  Scarlett, in particular, is your best little frienemy.  You fight and play and fight and play and eventually tackle her all day long (you're smaller than her by about 7-8 pounds, but what you lack in size you make up for in pure willpower).  You recently graduated up to a Big Boy Bed at your insistence (you literally just started insisting on sleeping in a bed instead of the crib one night a few weeks ago and have never looked back) in the room you share with Ezra.  Ezzie waited a long time for a little brother and is absolutely thrilled to have someone take the bottom bunk to his top.  I know you'll be a great big brother to the soon-to-arrive little man too.  You've made a wonderful addition to our little brood, Oakie Boy, and we're all so glad to have you.

The Boys in Easter finery

Oh, Little Man, people love you.  You have an absolutely infectious personality and make friends wherever we go, whether it be the grocery store, park, or the library (you're a particular favorite of Angel, one of the children's section librarians).  There's a primary song, "Give," Said the Little Stream, that reminds me of you and Scarlett whenever I hear it.

"Give," said the little stream,

"Give, oh! give, give, oh! give."

"Give," said the little stream,

As it hurried down the hill;

"I'm small, I know, but wherever I go

The fields grow greener still."

Singing, singing all the day,

"Give away, oh! give away."

Singing, singing all the day,

"Give, oh! give away."

Despite your small stature, you have a giant personality and such a happy little spirit and you really do make the fields grow greener still* just by being you.  Oakie, you make life a better, happier, greener place just by being in it.  You smile and the world smiles right back at ya.  I can't say I blame them.  Being around you makes me happier too, every. single. day.

I love you, Oak Gideon.  I love you with all of my might, mind, and soul.  You have a special niche in this mama heart of mine which is all your very own, Baby Boy.  I can't wait to see you grow up into the amazing man I know you will become.  On the other hand, I'm so very glad you're still my little man for a little while longer. I love you!

Happy, Happy Birthday Mr. Oak!

*Am I the only one who always sings that line "the grass grows greener still"? anyone? anyone? (to this day, I can't say those words without thinking of Ferris Bueller's Day Off)