party!

Jason had a great birthday party yesterday! The kids were great sports about the warm weather (you never know in April, it could go either way here) and they all enjoyed themselves. We kicked things off with a craft project, wood birdhouses, ships and airplanes that the kids could glue together and then paint. The little guys (the 2 year old siblings) had a great time at the Play-Dough table. Even the big kids liked the Play-Dough table (here's a pic of Jason, his BFF Sidney and Cameron). Next was the Lego pinata that the kids beat to a cardboard pulp. Jason wanted to be the rope-controller, he thought that was the most awesome part. He laughed like a mad man while he watched his blind-folded friends swing and miss. Finally he couldn't stand it any longer and took a turn, busting open the pinata for the candy rush. Next he opened presents from family and friends. Finally we ate Lego cake and ice cream. We had a great afternoon and we are so thankful for Nanny and Pops hosting the bash. To top it all off when we got home a very special package was waiting for Jason at our front door. His cousins, Noah and Kadin sent him a super soaker, and let me tell you, it is SUPER and it SOAKS! More to come on that I'm sure!

happy birthday!

That's right, today is the big # 6 for Jason! And what a day it is turning out to be! Jason's class just happened to have a field trip to the zoo scheduled for today and Darren, Cameron and I got to go along (plus we brought cupcakes for the class). We all rode the school bus to the Lake park and had our orange frosting and chocolate cake cupcakes. Then we went on a tour of the zoo. After the tour we set the kids loose on the playground for 15 minutes before loading up back on the bus. For lunch we picked up some In-n-Out (which by the way, Jeff's in CA this weekend filling his belly with double-doubles I'm sure!). When we got home we let Jason open his presents from us which were two Hot Wheels City sets. It's basically a Hot Wheels city, get it? Tonight he and Cameron are off to Grammy and Papa's to spend the night with their cousins and then go to the hot air balloon festival tomorrow. Yeah, Paso has a hot-air balloon festival, amazing! We saw two ballooners practicing this morning as we drove to school. Should be pretty fun. Here's a few pictures of the crafty preparations for birthday weekend. First up is the completed Lego pinata. Some of the paint peeled so I went over it with another coat today. Also, I made a quick birthday banner Wednesday night. I think this is a fun one because I didn't do any embroidery work, just felt and glue (so technically, it was fun because I didn't take on too much!). Jason is wearing his birthday crown that he got at school today.

correction

It has come to my attention that this is in fact my 99th post and yesterday's was only #98. Apparently my Blogger sign-in page counts drafts in the blog count, and I had failed to post 2 drafts. So here we are at #99 (pat on the back).
Can I just start a discussion of American Idol? I'm not sure what it is to "swoon", but I think I did it a little last night when David Cook sang "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera. I was holding my breath during the entire performance, just waiting for him to crack, but he nailed it! And please, someone for the love of Pete, get Brooke White off of the stage. This process is too much for her, she can't handle the pressure any more! I'm not a fan to the degree that I actually vote for any of these people, but you may find a few downloads from David Cook on our computer. Does anyone else feel a little squeemish listening to "Jesus Christ Superstar"? Will Andrew Lloyd Webber receive a harsh judgement from God because he turned the gospel into a seventies disco rock opera?
Birthday countdown continues. We bought Jason's presents last night and have made a feeble attempt to hide them. I hope he doesn't snoop...

100th Post!

Wow, I didn't realize it, but this is my 100th post! I'd just like to take a moment to congratulate myself.... there, that's good. We are currently in the throes of birthday party planning. The big number 6 will be celebrated on Saturday at Nanny and Da's/Pop's/Slash (or as Cameron says, "Flash"). We're definitely going with a Lego theme (Lego cake, pinata, and activities). Jason is excited out of his mind and loves being a part of the planning. I think I'm going to use a diaper box and the bottoms of plastic cups to make a Lego pinata, should be fairly simple.... should be. The cake will just be a 13x9 with cupcakes on top for the Lego bumps, or whatever they're called. Jason can stand the wait. He especially can't stand waiting to spend his birthday check from Grandma and Grandpa. We thought it would be best to hang on until after the party so he would get a duplicate gift, but I think he's going nuts. The days are dragging on for him. Poor kid! Here's a picture of Jason in his new tent from Aunt Kathy and Uncle Dave and his big cool cousins (who played with him on the swings at Aunt Pat's party... which was Awesome).

cute kids

I love these kids!

teddy bear tea

Who's ready for cuteness? Today we were invited to Jason's school for the annual Teddy Bear Tea. The kids had gone to the Stuffy Bear Factory (think Build-a-Bear Workshop) and made bears last Friday. Today they got to have a tea party with the bears and their guests. Jason has the pleasure of parents and grandparents who are available at the drop of a hat, so we came to enjoy a cup of tea. Jason's new bear is named Mickey. He is currently learning to deal with his new sister Cameron who isn't as gentle as his daddy, Jason. The kids were very cute during the program. They read a book about insects, recited the months of the year with hand motions and sang a song about going to the zoo. The class is going to our local zoo next Friday on Jason's birthday. I'm going to make cupcakes for the class and bring them to the zoo. Should be fun.
In other news, Cameron is learning to use the potty. So far we have accomplished sitting upon our potty seat without crying. Next up, the long wait upon the throne for "the feeling" to kick in. I don't know how else to teach that besides turning on the faucet and letting the water dribble. I'm also standing by with plenty of jelly beans for bribes. The goal is to get her potty trained so that she can go swimming in our pool this summer. The rule is no swim diapers, so we've got to get this done! I'll post pictures as soon as I can get a discrete one, so far she's very excited about pictures and not ashamed to take them.

crafts for cam

I am determined to start decorating for Cameron's big girl room because I know someday we will move and the kids will have their own rooms... someday! I think I've mentioned this project here before, but finally did it. It's super easy:
1. Cover an artist's canvas with fabric. Staple to the backside using heavy duty staple gun and use hospital corners.
2. Modge Podge the whole thing.
3. Cut out your shapes and Modge Podge them to the canvas.
4. Wait for it to dry and admire your craftiness!

One of my favorite things about this project is going into Michael's and buying the canvas, as if I'm a real artist! By the way, all canvases are 40% off this week and Beverly's has them for 50% off this month. I bought this 8x10 for only $2.50! And the fabric was from my mom's scrap drawers. I have three more canvases to cover, different sizes and I think I'll do different birds. Cameron's room will be so cute! Here's a picture to match the cuteness.