A Day in the Country

Matt has been wanting to go on vacation before school lets out, so a few weeks ago he took us to his parent's place in Columbus.  I wasn't exactly thrilled about spending my weekend in the country.  I mean gosh, I already live in the country so why did I want to go spend my vacation in some more country.  Well, I packed my happy pills {a bag of York Peppermint Patties} and we had a great time.  Brazos loved fishing and Sandy had a great time on the swing and with tractor rides.  It was time well spent as a family.

Cinco de Mayo

Before I got married, I imagined that I would always be having parties at my future house with my husband.  Of course my idea of a party is way different than others' ideas of a party.  Alcohol doesn't even cross my mind usually, unless it's a tiny glass of pink wine.  There's no grilling outside or just hanging out in the garage.  My idea of a party is like a little girl's idea of a party.  A party is a gathering of my closest friends around a decorated dinner table with something to celebrate - you know, kind of like a bridal shower or baby shower.

Well here we are seven years later and there haven't been as many parties as I imagined there would have been.  Don't get me wrong, we have had amazing birthday parties and a few baby showers, but I had imaged lots more parties.  One reason there aren't quite as many parties is because the majority of my closest friends live in different towns and finding time to get together can be challenging.

I really love to read party blogs and I have pinned hundreds of party ideas on Pinterest, but it seems that many or most of these ideas never come into fruition.  The other day I decided that "You know what?!  My closest friends are my little family of four right here at home!"  So we threw together our own Cinco de Mayo party!  I think it's the teacher in me that enjoys parties, because when I taught second grade we celebrated every holiday as part of our curriculum, and we had so much fun.  So yes, I probably talked to my family like I was a teacher leading a celebration, but they all played along and we had a great time.

We cooked fajitas.

We had festive drinks {water or juice with lemon and mint}.

We made a festive banner and small piñata.  The kids loved the banner and the piñata.  This really put them in the party mood.

And everyone played along and dressed up just a tad bit.

And what's a party without some simply delicious dessert!

And you can't forget the piñata!

We'll be having much more little parties at home now, because I've now realized that I have the best three guests always near by!

And just in case you were wondering or you were a part of my "What is Cinco de Mayo?" questions throughout the day, here's what all the hoopla is about.  It's commemorates the victory of the small Mexican army over the large French army.  And why is this celebrated in the United States?  At the same time during this battle, the French army was beginning to help the Confederate Rebel army during the Civil War.  But after the French were defeated in the Mexico, Napoleon decided not to aid the Confederate Army.  If the French had aided the Confederate Army then the results of the Civil War could have been altered greatly and our country would be very different today.  President Lincoln was very happy that he did not have to fight the Confederates and the French at the same time.  So Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican victory at the Battle of Pueblo in Mexico.  I could go on and on, but you're probably bored already, so I'll stop.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! 



Bubbles and Glasses

The kids have been obsessed with bubbles lately - probably because at every birthday party we've been to the party favors always include bubbles.  I love to blow the bubbles and have Brazos chase them.  He loves to chase them too, but becomes frustrated so easily when the bubbles float way above his head out of his reach or they pop before he has a chance to get near. 

Brazos is getting really good at blowing bubbles of his own, and I've even taught him how to catch a bubble and blow it into a larger bubble. 

Sandy likes to try to blow bubbles, too.  She hasn't produced a single bubble yet, but in her eyes she has made the most beautiful bubbles.  She dips the wand into bottle, takes it out and puts it right up to her lips, makes a pucker face, and then smiles at her job well done.

And we all have fun until this happens.....

We haven't quite perfected the sharing method yet.

And on a side note, it my little man ever needs glasses, he is so getting black-rimmed glasses.  Look at how cute he is!

Birthday Fashionista

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of helping a sweet eleven year old plan her birthday party.  When I asked her what kind of theme she wanted for her party she knew exactly what she wanted.....shoes, dresses, and more shoes!  While we were sitting at her dining room table talking party plans she started listing all the places she wanted to display shoes, including hanging some from her dad's deer antlers on the wall.  Fortunately, her mom and I talked her out of hanging shoes from the deer antlers, but in the end we came up with some great ideas for this little birthday fashionista.  {She really is quite the fashion savvy girl.  By just walking into her room you would know by all the headbands that frame her dresser mirror - a color to match every outfit.}

It was a sweet intimate party with a few of her closest friends.  The girls had fun making bracelets, eating cupcakes, and modeling all their new bling-bling.  After Jill blew out her candles she said, "My wish already came true!  I had the perfect birthday party!"  To see the bond between girls at this age is so special, because friendships start to form that will last a lifetime.  The way these girls helped one another put on their bracelets and pose for pictures together, you could tell they have found true friends in one another.

Sandy and I were so blessed to be able to share in this special event.  Sandy even got to sit at the table and be one of the big girls.  I look forward to the days when Sandy has girlfriends of her own to share sweet moments with.

I designed her invitations for her. 
Jill's Barbie dolls were perfect for her party.  Their dresses made the evening even more fashionable!

The birthday girl even made little Miss Sandy a bracelet.

I agree with Jill and say that this was the perfect party for an aspiring fashion designer.

Happy Birthday, Fashionista Jill!

Daddy's Helpers

I love to watch Brazos and Sandy interact with their daddy.  Watching Matt with the kids just makes me fall in love with him all over again.

Actually, the first year we started dating {14 years ago!} I can remember Matt playing with my cousin Bailee, who was 4 at the time, and watching him play with her just made my heart fall for him.  Bailee is now 18 and a senior in high school!

This past year my grandpa passed down one of his antique tractors to our little family.  My grandpa did some riggin' on this tractor and added an extra seat and steering wheel.  Brazos has loved this addition because he can work right along side his daddy.  I'm sure this tractor will provide Matt and Brazos with many years of memories.

My husband is amazing and can do just about any kind of handy work that needs to be done.  I really hope that Brazos learns handy man skills from Matt and I am definitely going to encourage Sandy to find a husband that is good at fixing things.

Matt wanted to relevel our yard because he wasn't pleased with how he did it the first time several years ago.  He needed a tool to use behind the tractor, but he wasn't pleased with the condition of the tool, so he took it apart and fixed it. {He is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to his outside work.}  Sandy saw all the little nuts and bolts that he left lying on the ground and made a bee-line to pick them up.  She quickly realized what her daddy was doing with the bolts and began helping him.  Who knows....maybe she'll be handy herself!

 

 After the tractor rake was put back together, Matt was missing four bolts, so who knows where Sandy decided to hide her new toys.