Cupcakes & Canvas Party

Happy (rainy) Thursday!  Here in the Midwest anyway.  Although temperatures have finally hit warm levels this week, we're taking it easy today as the rain pours down around us.  Right now, the kids are playing Angry Birds after a satisfying meal of spaghetti and asparagus.  And I'm finally ready to share the details of Ava's first-ever friend party, her Cupcakes & Canvas party!



A local woman recently started her own business, and as an artist she offers painting packages for various types of parties, both adults and children.  Ava had attended a similar party at a friend's house, and she was ecstatic to host one of her own!  We were lucky Nicole was able to fit us in the week of Ava's birthday.

Ava requested a mermaid painting and invited a small party of friends to join us.  We had to prepare very little, as Nicole came to our home armed with canvases, paints, brushes, tablecloths, and cupcakes!  She had painted a mermaid canvas of her own to show the girls as a model, and the basic format was drawn onto the canvases for them to follow.  Easy-peasy!  It took about two hours for completion, and the girls painted so beautifully!

 

At first, Hudson wasn't planning on painting a girly mermaid, but once the action started he couldn't be left out.  In fact, he was essentially giddy during the entire painting process.  He began trying to follow the mermaid outline, but once he found out that he could mix his paints together, he took off on an abstract tangent that was highly entertaining. 

 

In all, I would highly recommend this type of party for the seven-year-range.  For privacy reasons I didn't include any photos of Ava's sweet friends, but their paintings looked fabulous as well.  It was well worth the money and kept them entertained all evening.  By the time the parents arrived to pick them up, the canvases were dry and ready to be hung at home with love.

 

Thanks, Nicole!  We loved our painting party and were so thrilled with all your help.  It made Ava's birthday and her time with friends even more special.  My budding little artists are so proud of their paintings!

Easter

 

I awoke early, well before the alarm.  Darkness lay quietly in the room, and the only sound was the subtle rise and fall of my husband’s breath.  Nearby, in their own sweet rooms, my children slept peacefully. 

It was time.

I rose softly, donning an old familiar sweater and worn sneakers.  My hair was a riot of curls, and I could only hope the neighbors wouldn’t see me.  I gathered up my secret carton and crept into the lovely dawn of Easter morning.

It had been cold the last few days, but today was warmer.  And birds chirped unexpectedly as the sky began to lighten.  There was something so magical about dropping bright, candy-colored eggs onto green grass.  My spirit soared, and my task was completed much too quickly.

For a long moment, I stood there in the dewy grass and absorbed the first rays of sunrise.  My thoughts turned to resurrection, to sacrifice and to rebirth.  I thought not of my own family—Easter baskets already filled on the kitchen table, a busy schedule of gatherings for the day—but of a long-ago man near my own age.  It was thanks to Him that I was able to perform this bit of magic on this beautiful day, and wordless prayers filtered through my mind.

It was Easter.  It was a new day.  It was a perfect and surreal moment.

After a quick glance at the scattered eggs in my backyard and a brief smile for the happy birds, I turned to go inside.

 

“He Is Risen.”

Instagram Lately

Although we're still waiting patiently for the weather to truly turn spring-like, we've managed to find ways to keep busy.  I have several posts on deck (Ava's cupcakes and canvas party, Disney on Ice, Easter, etc.), but here's a photo strip of the past few weeks, via Instagram. 

 

In no particular order:

 

 

 

Seventh Birthday

March 25, 2013

Dear Ava,

Today you turned seven years old, and it took my breath away to see that you have grown so beautiful, so intelligent, so wise beyond your years. You’ve always been a bright personality in my life—my sparkling firstborn—but now more than ever you are becoming a friend as well. Yes, I will always be your parent, but it warms me to see the girl you are on your own merit.

You are seven. You are superb.

 

This year, you planned two parties for the first time ever.  We had our usual family get-together, and later this week we’ll host a group of your friends for a cupcakes and canvas party.  Such an event perfectly highlights the social, artistic, and independent aspects that are expanding within you.  Already I see less of the little girl I once cuddled to sleep, and more of the young woman with whom I chat and pray with each night before bedtime.  I treasure those conversations, my sweet girl, and hope that routine always lingers between us. 

You now read chapter books, curled quietly on the couch or aloud to one of us, and have been getting straight A’s in school.  Every day you manage to squeeze in an art project between sharing stories with your parents and playing patiently with your brother. You love Wal-Mart runs, dining out together, and playing Barbies.  I think your family will always be the most important thing to you, and that makes me proud.  You speak freely about God, and that makes me thankful.

 

More than anything, I am grateful to have you in my life. From the moment you were born, you have brought me a deep happiness that I could never fully explain. Simply knowing you, appreciating you, and loving you has made my life complete.

Yes, Ava, you are growing up beautifully. Seven years have blessed you with so much, and you surprise me every single day with your capacity for life. You are the loveliest girl I know, and you are full of magic.

Happy seventh birthday, my sweet firstborn.

All my love,

Mom

More Hudson-isms

As I was just telling Hudson the other day, three is a magical age.  There's something so refreshing and unpredictable and just fun about a three-year-old learning about the world around him (or her).  It's pure unadulterated childhood.  I remember Ava at this age (enchanting!), and Hudson is no less entertaining himself.  Thus, I wanted to take a moment to record some of his sweet little Hudson-isms that have emerged during this year. 

 

Oh, how I love this little man!

 

His favorite word to use, especially during serious conversation, is "actually."  He peppers his language with it nearly every day.  "Actually, I would like another banana, please."  "There are actually nine cars in that box, Mommy."  "I actually think that Ava started that fight first."

 

When he's happy and feeling particularly loving toward someone, he'll snug up to them so sweetly and draw an invisible heart on their arm with his finger. (Love!)

 

Conversely, when he's mad or annoyed with someone (and not inclined to scream at them...lol), he'll sometimes draw an X on them to illustrate his dissatisfaction.

 

He always refers to McDonald's (his favorite restaurant) as "Old McDonald's."  I'm pretty sure he thinks the song is about the restaurant, and I've never had the heart to correct him.

 

Instead of saying three-years-old, he'll refer to himself as "three-my-old."  He often projects into the future with statements like, "When I'm six-my-old, I can go to Zumba with Mom and Ava!"

 

When a good song comes on, this boy can dance his booty off.  Just yesterday, he boogied gloriously in GD Ritzy's and had everyone chuckling at his antics.

 

When Daddy makes him mad, he'll often inform him, "You're nice five times, but you're mean one-hundred-twelve times." Yeah, Hudson's a numbers man.

 

He's very into music right now and enjoys listening to an eclectic array of music, which he can sing nearly perfectly from memory.  Right now, he's into Adele ("Rumor Has It" being his favorite), southern rock ("Sweet Home Alabama" and "Ramblin' Man" at the top of that list), any Disney songs he can get ahold of, and unfortunately the "Thrift Store" song that Daddy played for him on YouTube.

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Okay, so I know these Pinterest-inspired cards are totally last year, but Ava remembered making them for her Kindergarten class and wanted to repeat them again this year.  Apparently, these cards made her a total rock star.  How could I resist?  Then, as we were designing hers on the computer, Hudson became interested and announced that he wanted to make his own cards too.

Alas, I did not take photos of the final products, but we bought heart-shaped red suckers to put in their "hands," and Hudson added a cellophane goodie-bag to his as well.  I think both kids enjoyed sharing these special cards with their classes.

Hope everyone's day was filled with love.  Happy Valentine's Day!

January

So I awoke today to an icy white world, an unexpected snow day home from school, and the stark realization that the month of January had entirely passed me by without a single blog post.  What?  I certainly didn't plan to take such a lengthy break, but I suppose it always takes me awhile to ease back into a new semester.  Often January passes for me in a blur of freezing temps, long days, and wintry blase carelessness.  Today is February, though, so I'd better get myself in gear, eh?

But first, I can't resist a recap.

This holiday season, I'll cherish many simple memories of the kiddos together, like this moment where they decided to "camp-out" in front of the Christmas tree.  They cleared away the playroom debris and replaced it with a homemade campfire, blanket sleeping bags, and books to read before bedtime.  As a child, I always enjoyed playing magical games near the lit Christmas tree, and I am so glad to see them carry on that tradition.

Then this happened: adorably festive holiday outfits for equally impressive Christmas programs.  Nothing makes me smile like watching Ava and Hudson sing Christmas carols, and this year I was not disappointed.  Not only did they perform beautifully at their respective programs, but for the first time they really embraced singing at home.  Hudson especially memorized a dizzying array of holiday tunes and sang to us happily throughout the season.  Our house was so joyous!

 

Although I didn't get any shots of Ava's performance (which was amazing as usual), I did snap this one of Hudson's precious get-up as a reindeer.  He was a bit nervous for his first-ever school program, but you would never have known it by his performance.  He was fantastic!

 

This was the night before Christmas, all dolled up in holiday jammies.  I feared this may be our last Christmas where Ava truly believes, so I soaked up every moment with her especially.  Look at that anticipation!  Believe me, they were not disappointed, and I thank everyone (Santa included!) who blessed my kiddos this year.

And let's not forget....we actually had a white Christmas this year!  A beautiful blanket of snow provided fun-filled memories in our own backyard.  We built a snowman, launched snowballs at each other, and even frolicked with the neighbor's new puppy.  What a way to cap-off our favorite season of the year!

Now that January has passed us by, and I've finally adjusted to the new year, I will try to maintain this 'ol blog a bit better.  Welcome, 2013!