fire pit at the beach

my niece zena graduated from middle school so we celebrated with a little beach party. my family met at bolsa chica state beach and roasted hot dogs and smores by a fire pit. bolsa chica is one of the few local beaches that still has fire pits on the sand. it was a long drive there for us but it was worth it. i haven't roasted hot dogs at the beach since i was in college.

it was very windy and super cold but we had so much fun. i love it when my whole family gets together. they are really funny. we always have a good time.

mason was bummed that i didn't bring his swimsuit. he wanted to play in the water. it was freezing though so i didn't think it would be a good idea. we didn't get there until after 5:00. they still splashed around and played in the sand. dahlia collected lots of broken sea shells.

connor found a huge feather and asked if anyone had some ink so he could write with it. miles said we could try to make it into a quill later. that would be a fun project.

the kids loved the smores. they were sticky though. we stayed until sunset. it was incredibly beautiful. i just love looking at the ocean. hopefully we can make it back to the beach for another family party this summer.

kitty party

after miles and connor came home from preschool we went to a friend's birthday party. katja turned six and had a kitty themed party. everyone got a headband with little cat ears and they could have their face painted with whiskers and a pink nose. they all did a scavenger hunt with cleverly written clues that led to a basket filled with stuffed kittens. all the kids could pick out their favorite color and adopt it. they then went to a craft table where they made a custom collar with their kitten's name on it. the whole thing was just too cute. dahlia named her cat fluffy, connor named his kitten, and mason named his mr. cute.

the boys were pretty uninterested in most of this. they went upstairs and played legos with katja's brother. dahlia loved all of it though. especially the craft part. they all enjoyed playing with their new stuffed kittens when we got home. it was a fun day.

adventure time party

i took mason to his friend's birthday party today. they did an adventure time theme. it was really fun. they started the party with a scavenger hunt that took the kids around the house to find little hidden treasures.

after the scavenger hunt a science guy came and showed off some experiments for them . the kids all loved the science guy. he was pretty funny. the dry ice at the end was a big hit. after his show he spun cotton candy for everyone. what a treat.

archer's mom made the funniest birthday cake. the inside was all layered with different colors and sizes of cake that were all pasted together with frosting. his dad came out dressed as the ice king and brought a pinata. everyone got to take a swing at it. it was a very fun party even for the adults. i love backyard parties. the vibe is always so relaxed.

party day

today was all about fun. i started my day at an elegant ladies luncheon at a friend's house. we had a simple gift exchange and a delicious lunch that looked like it could be served at a five star restaurant. it was so fun to be with all the girls.

later i met my husband and kids at a family party close by. this party is one we go to every year. it is at my dad's friend's car shop that has rooms intricately designed to look like movie sets from the past. there is always a band and lots of food and drinks. my kids love to play in the soda shop or sit at the piano in the salon.

the whole family comes to this party and it is always a lot of fun. there is tons of people there and the atmosphere is very family friendly. it gives me a small town feeling that is very nice to be a part of during the holidays.

cookie party

after the recital we had to rush home, change clothes, and head off to a cookie exchange party in huntington beach. i was up super early yesterday morning and late the night before baking all my cookies for the party and printing the recipe. this year i made cranberry-orange pinwheels. they are super good. i make them every year at christmas time. they are pretty easy to make and really pretty without being too fussy. my sister jen made these incredibly cute spice cookies that look like melted snowmen. i loved them.

we were an hour late to the party and most people were already leaving. that was a bit of a drag but because we are such good friends with the host i didn't feel weird hanging out after the other people left. in fact, it was kind of nice to have time to sit and chat. the kids went straight upstairs and had a great time playing with all the toys. they were so funny. connor was rocking out on a microphone singing the ninjago theme song. mason and the rest of the kids were building with magna blocks and jumping on a mini trampoline. they all seemed to be getting along great so we just sat downstairs and had a glass of wine. it was just a little bit of heaven to finally relax.

all the kids got to exchange gifts before we had to drive home. i brought home a box filled with a variety of cookies. i was so tired but it was a really fun day.

flower party

dahlia wanted a flower party for her sixth birthday. i loved the idea. we did a flower theme for her first birthday but she of course could not remember it. we had a great turn out. tons of friends and family.

to entertain the kids we set up a planting station. miles and i bought a bunch of paper white bulbs and little metal pots. the kids could decorate their pot with stickers and then fill it with pretty rocks and the bulb. the woman at the nursery told us the paper whites will bloom in about two weeks. they don't have to be planted in soil. just the rocks will work. they were so cute.

we also had pipe cleaners and foam flowers that could be assembled by the kids to make a bouquet. the girls all loved making flowers. of course we also had a bounce house so they could go jump if they got bored. all that along with our play set and tree house and the kids were very happy.

for food we set up a taco bar with chicken, beef, and lots of toppings including various salsas. my sister jen made these really pretty cake pops that looked like flowers. we had jello and cookies along with the cake for dessert. i had originally planned to make two round cakes but changed my mind around three o'clock in the morning when i had not even started them. miles went to the bakery this morning and bought some cakes which i decorated with paper flowers. they looked great.

the party was very laid back. i had a good time hanging out with all our friends. the weather was perfect for an outdoor party. so nice that it didn't rain. there were lots of cute decorations that i put up but i didn't get photos of them. i am so bummed. i always forget to take pictures.

happy birthday dahlia! i hope you loved your party.

castle party

yesterday we had mason and connor's birthday party. oh man parties are so much work. i do love them though. this party was huge. mason has a lot more friends now and we just keep adding to the guest list. it was a great party.

miles went over the top with my idea of turning the tree house into the castle tower. instead of painting cardboard he made these huge wooden panels that connected to the sides of the treehouse. it looked amazing. he also made shields out of foam core for the kids to decorate with stickers and jewels. the girls could choose to make a shield or a crown or both. this was a huge hit with the kids. they loved decorating their shields. we gave them all foam swords to go with them.

we had a bounce house that looked like a castle. they all loved jumping in this. we didn't play any organized games because i just can not handle trying to get 16 kids to follow directions. i just let them play so the grown-ups could talk.

for food i ordered corner bakery sandwiches. they were delicious. we did this for dahlia's party last year and everyone loved them. i loved them because they were easy. we also had pasta salad, green salad, fruit, cheese and veggies on the side. i made cupcakes for dessert and my sister made her famous sugar cookies. this time they were in the shape of dragons, crowns, wine goblets, and the letters c and m. i kept the party favors simple with chessmen cookies in bags with a custom label.

it was so nice to see all our friends. it seems lately that our kid's parties are the only time we all get together. i loved having a chance to catch up with everyone. happy birthday connor and mason!

camp nicky

this was a party weekend. we went to another great birthday party yesterday. it was for our friend's son nicky. he is now five. they had the party at their house and did a camping theme. everything was amazing as usual. the party was outside and they had these cute little A-frame tents for the kids to play in. connor and kira loved the little tents and thought it was a perfect place to have a snack.

there was a fun scavenger hunt that kids could play anytime they wanted to. you just grabbed a list and went around looking for the various objects. they also had crafts to make owls and pages to color.

there was a huge dessert table filled with adorable sweet things. there was cake, peppermint cupcakes, cake pops, chocolate truffles that looked like acorns, caramel apples, and a smores cake. then later they set up a s'mores station to make the ultimate smore. they had tons of different chocolate like andes, reese's peanut butter cups, and dark chocolate. the marshmallows were homemade. wow. dahlia said they were the best marshmallows she had ever tasted.

if you were in the mood for something savory they had a taco guy there making taco's to your liking and quesadillas for the kids. we were very well fed.

the kids spent most of the time in the bounce house. when it was time to go all the kids got to take home a lantern, homemade binoculars, and some bunny, fox, raccoon, or bear ears. jen and ray spent the night with their kids. it was a fun day.

mayors park

we went to the sweetest little birthday party today. it was held in a tiny park in la cananda called mayors discovery park. there were only about ten kids and the parents so it was a nice intimate group. they had lots of classic park games and a few new ones that were really fun.

the party started with a large spiderweb made from string. every child was given an end of the rope and a stick to wind it. they had to wind up their string until they reached the end. on the very end there was a prize. all the kids loved this game. it was nice because everyone won. there were also classic games such as walking with an egg on a spoon and the three legged race. they played another fun game where each team of two kids were given wooden blocks to assemble into the tallest structure they could without it falling down. they had two minutes to finish and keep it standing until the whistle blew.

dahlia was the big winner of the day. she is crazy competitive and took home three first place blue ribbons, and a red second place ribbon that she gave to connor. i was actually feeling bad for the other kids because she won every game. the parents thought it was very funny that she was beating out the older boys. poor mason and the birthday boy ended up crying at the end because they didn't win. luckily all was forgotten by time we had some birthday pie. homemade apple pie. yummy.

they did a cute craft where they got to decorate a large first letter of their name and then they all got goody bags filled with color pencils, notebooks, and scented markers. i loved the little party. such a nice treat to have fun without a big production.

koi fish and carrom

we went to a birthday party for dahlia's friend from preschool. dahlia has her favorite friend that she met on her first day. as luck would have it i happen to love her mom. she is so fun and nice. that is the way you always hope things will go. she and her husband had a little birthday barbecue for her daughter today and our whole family went. it was the first time i had been to their house. it is absolutely lovely. they have the most beautiful and peaceful looking koi pond right in their backyard.

the kids had so much fun playing on her new swing set. it is really nice. they just finished landscaping their backyard so everything looks so nice. they had these really fun wooden carrom games for the kids to play with. mason loved that. it was a little bit too advanced for connor, but he had fun trying to play.

the food was delicious. grilled burgers and the best bruschetta i have ever tasted. we had lots of fun.

owl party

yesterday we went to a birthday party for our friend's daughter madeleine. they always throw the best parties. the decorations are always so pretty and the food is delicious. they also happen to be super fun to hang out with so it a win win.

jen and ray came with bodhi, kira, and zena. the party was of course a blast. they had a bounce house in the back. my kids took off their shoes and right away jumped in. this year they had an owl theme for the party. she had paper lanterns decorated like owls, and tons of balloons. there were owl shaped sugar cookies and graham crackers that looked like owls with marshmallows eyes and a candy corn nose.

there was a craft station where the kids could make little owls out of foam stickers. tons of sweets were everywhere. cake pops, cake, cupcakes, candy, cookies. there was a bit too much sugar sitting around. luckily my kids were too distracted by the bounce house and little cars to indulge.

we stayed super late until connor started crying. we always stay just a little bit too long. for party favors they each got to pick out a stuffed owl that she had made herself. they are just adorable and just a little bit different.

after the party we all went back to our house and had a big sleepover. the kids snuggled with their new stuffed owls and fell asleep. it was adorable and such a fun day.

happy birthday miles

it is miles birthday on tuesday but we decided to celebrate today. we invited jen, ray, and their kids over for a little barbecue. i got some steaks and shrimp for a mini feast. we had a delicious dinner with asparagus, cucumber salad, and roasted potatoes.

miles has been working six days a week so he was happy to have a day at home and relax a bit. we all enjoyed being outside. it was fun to chat with jen and ray. the kids of course were thrilled to have their cousins over. now that we are back in school and have all our after school activities i long for those lazy summer days. happy birthday miles! hope you had a fun day.

swim party

today was fun and also a little sad. we went to a swim party at my friend's dad's house. we have been to lots of pool parties there and they are always so fun. he has just sold his house though so this was the last pool party. how sad. he really does have the best backyard for entertaining. a giant pool with slide, an outdoor kitchen area with a sink, grill, and bar. not to mention the company is always so nice and fun.

the slide going into the pool is definitely the favorite part though. we must have gone down that side at least ten times each. the kids loved it. i loved it too. i was happy to go with them. the kids and i were in the pool the whole time. we stayed pretty late and had some dinner. then it was time to say goodbye. sigh. i am going to miss that house.

beach house

my girlfriend rebecca had a beach party at her house in seal beach. it was just for the grownups so i had a really great time. she is renting the nicest place right on the beach. the picture above is the view from her balcony. it looks like such a fun place to live. i would love to be that close to the ocean and have the sounds of the waves lure me to sleep. ahh. so relaxing.

the party was just for the girls so there was lots of wine and yummy snacks. she had a tarot cards reader there and we all got our fortunes told. that was fun. it has been a while since i had my cards read. she said lots of money was coming my way so let's hope she is right.

miles was nice and watched the kids all day for me. i didn't get home until 8 pm. christina was at the party and we hung out the whole time. we went for a walk on the beach with zena after most of guests left. it was beautiful.

movie party

you would think that one party would be enough for today but not for us. we went to two! zena was having her birthday party today also. she is twelve today. yes, twelve. that is just crazy.

christina had an outdoor movie party. she borrowed our projector and we watched E.T. the extra-terrestrial. the kids had not seen that movie before. it was really fun. she had lots of chairs set up in her backyard and there was tons of movie candy, popcorn, cinema dogs, and nachos. after all that there was cake too! the kids just loaded up on all the sugar. it was really crazy. it was fun to have the whole family outside watching a movie though. i can't remember the last time i saw a movie with everyone. she said we will definitely do it again without all the sugar.

scooters

we went to a super fun birthday party this morning. it was at this place called scooters jungle. it was one of those indoor party places with a huge blow up slide and bounce houses. they also had a zip line and air hockey. it was so cool. the nice part about it was that the whole place was reserved for the private party. i didn't have to worry about the kids getting lost or taken. i could let them run around and play.

connor loved the big slide. he was happy to go on that the whole time. i went on it a bunch of times too. it was super fun. dahlia and mason both liked the zip line and the air hockey. they loved the big slide too. it was a really great place to throw a party. i would consider having our parties there but it was really far from our house. it was over an hour drive. i wish they had one close to us.