Family Pictures & An Annoucement

Family. There is no greater gift than family.

Whether you are connected by blood, marriage, or love, family is everything.

Annual family photos are a tradition for many families; ours is no different. We had family pictures taken last weekend, and I'm so pleased with how they turned out! I suppose I'm a little biased: 1) because my son is adorable, and 2) because so is the photographer.

 

I have been blessed with an amazing family.

I thought I would share a few of those family photos here...

in anticipation...

...for my GIVEAWAY tomorrow!

That's right, you loved my printables so much, tomorrow I will be giving one lucky follower a FREE personalized printable OR personalized digital Christmas card! Come back tomorrow for all the juicy details!

All photo credits to Rick Maxwell Photography (except for the photos of him, that credit goes to my mom - thanks mom!)

See you back here tomorrow!

How We Spent Our Halloween Weekend

Our Halloween festivities began on Thursday night with pumpkin carving.

Cooper had a bit of a meltdown so there aren't many pictures of the actual carving.

But I do have a fabulous before and after for you!

Before:

After:

On Saturday, Cooper's preschool hosted a "Fun Fest" carnival. I had a photo booth and took hay bale photos for eight tickets a pop.

On the BIG day, Cooper FINALLY got to get all decked out in his costume.

The cutest Woody you've ever seen right?

We knocked on exactly three doors in our neighborhood. Not because that's all we wanted to do, but that's how many participate on our happy little cul-de-sac.

We spent the rest of the evening at a carnival at Rick's daughter's church. We played games, and got lots of candy and cute prizes.

The vendors were really great with this little guy, even helping him "win."

We had a wonderfully busy weekend, although I am truly exhausted today.

Now it's on to planning for the next big holiday - BLACK FRIDAY!! Oops, I mean Thanksgiving...

Remember these marshmallow pumpkins? Well I've been coming up with some ideas for Thanksgiving and Christmas marshmallows, so stick around!

This weekend is the Grandma-to-be party I told you about here. I'll have a post on that next week. 

See, I told you there was lots going on around here! See you soon!!

Looking For the Great Pumpkin

My favorite thing about this time of year is visiting the pumpkin patch. I think it has to do with one of my favorite movies of all time "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown." One of my earliest memories is of watching it when I was little. I tried to get Cooper to sit and watch it with me, but ten minutes in and that was it. I guess Linus and Sally aren't as exciting as Shrek and Fiona.

Last week Cooper's preschool class went to a local Pumpkin Patch. What I love about this patch is that it's completely run by a local high school and is located on their campus. We got to go out into the patch and pick our own pumpkin for just three dollars, no matter the size or type. Very cool.

Here's my boy with his very own pumpkin.

 

They also had some livestock. Cooper made friends with a goat.

I mentioned you could choose a pumpkin of any size AND type. This is what I was talking about:

I tried to talk him into one of those, but he preferred this one. I guess it fits better in his lap anyway.

Hope you enjoyed our trip to the pumpkin patch as much as we did. We're carving pumpkins on Thursday evening, so come back on Friday and see how they turned out!

(Make sure to visit Supermom and I Should Be Folding Laundry for more great photos. )

How We Got Through a Rainy Weekend

It's been a dreary few days here in the OC. What is usually a warmer time of the year, has turned wet and cold. We spent our Sunday indoors (much to the kid's disappointment). Usually on a day like this, I would be tying on my apron (ok, so I don't actually have an apron, but I'm sure I would look damn cute if I did). Anyway, I would probably be baking BUT since my oven is BROKEN, that didn't happen. Sooo, to combat the running around the house and jumping on the couch, I announced that we were going to make playdough. My son cheered and I was THE BEST MOM EVER. (Ok, so he didn't actually say that, but it IS true).

Since the You Capture challenge for the week is "ORANGE" I knew this was a perfect opportunity to create my subject.

Yellow and red make ORANGE.

"Children's games are hardly games.

Children are never more serious than when they play."

~MONTAIGNE, Essays

Photography 101 was taught by this guy (shown here with his ORANGE drink):

I'm slowly learning the buttons on the camera, and how and why to use them. My photos are a little grainy, but apparently that's because the ISO was set too high and the aperture too low. Or something like that.

And for those of you who have never made the easiest "toy" in the world, here's the recipe.

Homemade Playdough

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups salt
3 cups water
1 Tblsp cooking oil
1 Tblsp cream of tarter
Your desired coloring (Food coloring, Kool-Aid packet, even Tempera paint will work)

Pour all ingredients into a pot and cook until the sides start to pull away from the pan, stirring intermittently. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, them transfer to wax paper, or a large cutting board to cool (you don't have to wait for it to cool to start playing with it).

I didn't have any on hand, but I love using Kool-Aid packets, because it not only adds a beautifully vibrant color, but a great scent as well. You can also add different extracts to create your own scent (peppermint, lemon, vanilla, etc). Throw in plastic knives, rolling pins and cookie cutters and this is a great rainy day activity to keep your kids busy for hours!

You Capture - Animals

I have been seriously neglecting one of my passions - photography. My boyfriend is a photographer, and we work together on his business. But when you start making money doing something you love, it's not always a good thing. The business side of it takes a lot of effort, and I haven't picked up my camera (ok, his camera) just to shoot for fun in quite a while. It's just not as fun when you have to work at it.

I have also gone from using my Canon Rebel DSLR to Rick's Canon 30D DSLR, since he now has a 40D and a 7D which are used for our business. We reserve the 30D for personal use. So, I am now under pressure to learn how to use it. I love photography, and really don't "want" to learn all the buttons and stuff, but it does make for a better photo. I'm also using an external flash.

Are you bored yet?

My plan (I always have a plan - doesn't mean I follow through with it, but at least I have a plan) is to start back up with the You Capture challenges at I Should Be Folding Laundry. I really enjoyed participating and checking out the creativity others would capture through the lens.

This week's topic was "animals."

 

I have a lot to learn when it comes to photography. I still love just taking pictures, but I'm excited to get to know what all those buttons mean too. Thankfully, I have an excellent teacher.

Cooper's Carnival Birthday Party!!

The weekend of Cooper's birthday passed as quickly as it came.

For his actual birthday, we celebrated with dinner at Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel. If you haven't been to a Character Dining Experience at either Disney Resort, you should! It's amazing, the kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and, while a little on the expensive side, it's well worth it. More of our family party in my next post.

Today is all about the big CARNIVAL PARTY!

Using inspiration from Adriana at and baby makes three as my jumping point, I planned and prepared for nearly four months, and I'm happy to say that the party went off without a hitch!!

I'm extra grateful to have some wonderful photographers on hand, Rick and his son Chris, who shot all of these wonderful photos. They are amazing, and Chris definitely shares his dad's talent for photography. Enjoy the pictures! (I will include a list of resources at the end).

STEP RIGHT UP, COME ON IN...

The tables were covered with yellow tablecloths and topped with white butcher paper. Centerpieces were just some simple greens in a vase tied with balloons. I set out crayons for a little creative expression.

Even the grown-ups enjoyed the coloring.

 

 

I placed some bright blue pails around the treat table, filled with candy. (the tags on the lollipops say "Thank you for coming. Hope you had a sweet time!").

The Menu:

The food was a hit! We cooked the hot dogs beforehand and wrapped them in foil to keep them warm. I also made a pasta salad for the adults (I'll be sharing that recipe soon - it's my favorite go-to for potlucks). Caramel apples were sliced apples with caramel dip.

Of course no carnival is complete without fresh popped popcorn! We filled retro popcorn bags with microwaved popcorn for our guests to munch on.

I found these red cups at Target, that came with lids and straws (not the ones pictured). $2.99 for 15! They were perfect for the cute clown straws I had purchased.

For the cupcakes I borrowed this three tiered stand from a friend, who found it at a local flea market.

It was perfect for displaying Mama's Homemade Cupcakes.

I made the cupcake toppers in Publisher. I printed them on cardstock, cut the two inch squares and attached them to coffee stir sticks with double sided tape.

I still wanted Cooper to have his own special cake, so I purchased a giant, plain cupcake at my local grocery store and iced it like a cake.

 Cooper thought it was pretty cool.

My friend Vanessa is multi-talented. Not only is she an amazing teacher and awesome Polynesian dancer, but she does some pretty fantastic face painting as well. Since she loves my Cooper too, she offered to provide face painting for his birthday party. She did an amazing job and we were so grateful!

 Cooper's Snake.

We also had a jumper to help balance out some of the quieter activities!

 

Even some of the mommies got in on the action...in dresses no less!

 

Yes, that's me, getting knocked down by a seven year with way better balance!

Now, for my favorite part of the party, we also had a Photo Booth! I saw a few of these around blogland and thought, "I can do this!" But, I didn't want to spend the money for fabric for the background that I would probably never use again. Then I remembered that Grandma has a cute polka dot blanket, and voila! Instant background! 

Everyone really enjoyed the photo booth, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

  

 

I even kept Cooper's big birthday present to the "Carnival" theme:

 

Seriously, this Roller Coaster by Step2 is one of the coolest toys ever! The kids all had a great time taking turns on it.

To end the day, everyone got a party favor bag filled with carnival prizes to take home.

Cute Rice Krispie Treats courtesy of Grandma.

This party was probably the most detailed I've ever put on, and everyone had a great time! Cooper especially enjoyed himself - I don't think the smile left his face all day. I hope you enjoyed the pictures!!

Endless thank yous to Rick, my hunky partner in crime, who put up with three months of party planning and decor everywhere, my never-ending outbursts of "look how cute this!!" and who helped with everything from pick-up to set-up to clean-up. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Chris for the amazing photography and willingness to take on any job that was needed of him (from bagging popcorn to decorating cupcakes), to Vanessa and Jennifer for their ideas and for being my cheerleaders, Kathryn for loaning us the cupcake stand, and Grandma for all of her help in making sure this party went off without hitch.

 

Resources:

Digital Party Pack (used for the party favor tags and Happy Birthday signs): Typewink on Etsy

Cooper's Birthday Shirt: Made Cute Just 4 U on Etsy

Framed Signs: Made in Publisher by me, using backgrounds from the digital party pack

Blue Buckets: Target (dollar aisle)

Roller Coaster: Amazon

Clown Noses: Small Toys

Party Favors/Prizes:

Clown Straws, Bird Whistles, Retro Popcorn Bags: Hey Yo Yo on Etsy

Ice Cream Shooters, Super Balls, Lollipops, Sticky Hands, Mini Pinwheels: SmallToys

Inspiration:

Adrianna @ and baby makes three

Whimsy & Wise Events

Linking to:

My Delicious Ambiguity

The Shabby Nest

The Girl Creative

Someday Crafts

Bella Before & After

Bird Crafts