Christmas Card Fun

I love family photo shoots! love them!

 being the beat of a different drummer peep that I am, I have have have to have a theme for my shoots.  seriously. seeeee-eer-eee-uz-leee...

many of my fb friends post all sorts of lovely, skill-fully photshopped pics of their fam. I would like those pics too, but instead I need to bug my photographer pals to shoot the things I cook up in my head...ahhh good times...and really I love these so much, soooooo mucho!

you'll have to forgive me for having to have sooooo many pics, I actually have close to 300 if ya wanna come to the house and we can ooh and ahhh together?  I'll make you hot chocolate or pour you some vino???

Party Madness

Making Emmy's cake was super fun, but when it comes to kid birthday parties....well, they're really not quite my scene. If you know me well enough that seems pretty ironic, since I've dabbed repeatedly in wanting to be a party planner...

It's the whole noisy, over-priced, verrrryyyyy grimy pizza place party scene that I don't like to appear in...Where was her party you wonder?  Good ol' Chuck E Cheese! Yikes!

We invited alllllll the girls in her class, would have like to invite alllll the any kids in her class, but boy howdy is there a mark-up for pizza and tokens at a party.  Spendy, but the whole no-need-to-clean the house before or after, is really quite worth it...man how all over the place in opinion am I in this post?!

 

is it just me, or is a giant rat in your face a wee bit creepy?

ahhh the coveted crown...

I should have known we were in trouble when our party had more tables reserved than any of the others that day...

I thought is was quite cute how the whole staff goes up and sings and dances and verrrryyyyy entertaining
One thing I really appreciate about the Chuckster, on the way in your hand and your child's hand is stamped...in order to get out all stamps must be read and match.  They also have cameras on the door.  It makes me slightly less neurotic about letting my kidlets wildly run around...

Anywho, hope you enjoy the pics! I'm still experiencing after shocks that she is o the big five...better known as one whole hand in our house!

Take the Cake!

***Why yes I am a dweeb and it did take me two weeks to write this post***

Do ya remember how we just had a birthday in the house?

Weee-eeeellllll...under great duress I planned a party for the Em-ster.  Kid parties are so not my scene, but that is not the point of this post. That we will save for another day!  Instead, let's discuss....dun-dun-dun...

the cake!

Emmy's favorite princess is Belle, so of course, we made a Belle Princess cake. 

Ooooohhhhh Yah!

I had big time help from a friend to make (and ahem get motivated) this cake and plan the fete...

but it was uber worth it!

look pearl buttons!

the fondant was not as challenging as I expected, that being said...we did her skirt twice, as the first one slipped right off the actual cake under skirt!

Everything is edible except the actual doll, and her jewels.  A good girl has real jewels...

Yes it's overkill world on the pics, but I was just so proud!  like I had birthed my own baby cake for my real baby cake Emmy!

Oh and it was a rainbow of fun on the inside as well!

I'm dying to try my not so steady hand at a cake decorating class next! Wanna come?

Musings at the Museum

Last Friday was the first Friday in December! Yay! That means all the Phoenix museums are faahhh-reee!  Some friends (including Emmy's betrothed) and I took our kids down to the Children's Museum (which is usually a wee bit spendy). 

 I was excited...and a lil apprehensive expecting a big crowd...part of it was packed city, but once we started moving around and going through all the rooms, it was really fun!  The kids had a supah dupah time!

We made gingerbread peeps

built forts

grocery shopped

and plenty of other stuff!

Can't wait to go back!

More on being Thankful

I forgot to tell you about this tradition we do every year.

The matriarch (Grandma) passes out three little pieces of un-popped popcorn to each person.  Then a jar is passed around, each peep drops their popcorn in as they say what they're thankful for.

My kids answers this year:

Gary--Family, Emmy & Lilly, a house and basketball

Emmy--My family, my school, and my friends

Lilly--My family, my food and Disneyland.

Personally, I think Lilly's rocks the socks! Not only does she love the happiest place on earth, she is so going to the beat of her own drum.  My three year old is the most independent thinker in the fam.  Good or no so good? you decide ;)

Theeeeen, on Sunday for the Birthday girl...

Lilly had told Emmy she'd get her a present, a specific one in fact...luckily, I found out and picked up a littlest pet shop set (that stuff is not cheap!).  

Gary helped Lilly wrap it (they have some mad wrapping skillz)...Lilly ran out yelling, "Emmy I got you a..."

luckily Gary can run fast too and caught her before she could tell...granted, Lilly proceeded to whisper the upcoming present continually.  It was quite entertaining!

So thankful for the little things.

Today is Gary's first basketball game--hooray! Go Falcons!

Weekend of Celebrating!

Here at this swim house we had a bizzzzzeee weekend!  I hope your Thanksgiving was really great.

On Wednesday, my lovely ladies had their feast, complete with turkey tunes sung by the 3-6 set.  You could just die at the cuteness.

On Thursday we did the unthinkable!  We didn't cook! We didn't eat Turkey!  Nope my folks ordered a prime rib dinner from Safeway.  It was ex.cell.ent!  I did make these. And like she says--they are awesomesauce! (I'm eating the last one right now!)

Then yesterday is the big day of celebrating around these parts...we cooked a turkey finally, but way mucho more important is Emmy, my Birdie, turned one whole hand!  Yep, somehow she is now five! 5! Yikes!  

She wanted to decorate her own cake and of course LB helped (I cannot guarantee the prior whereabouts of those sprinkles).

We had a small family party at home--like we were going to go anywhere when we had royalty around hehehe

 I seriously am amazed she is five!

 I tried to tell her she has to be 4 for two years and she laughed that one off.  So then I cam at another angle..."You know Emmy, when you're 5 you have to get a job" Again with the laughter!  Her reply "Mommy, I have a job, I go to school!" Man oh man, is she a smarty farty.  Adore that kid!

 Adore all these little peeps that call me mom. 

 They really are the greatest!

Oh and since I know you're wondering--I survived triumphed on Black Friday and got the kiddos a giant trampoline-with an enclosure!  Let's hope my neuroses don't get the best of me and I let the kids enjoy knocking themselves around and hopefully wear themselves out... 

Hope your weekend was as blessed as mine was!