little bird party

we had a busy weekend with lots of fun. yesterday we went to the cutest party ever. it was a birthday party for our friend's little girl madeleine. she is turning one. her parents sammy and kim did an amazing job with all the decorations and food. everything was so beautiful.

they chose a bird theme. they had this little tree with turquoise felt birds dangling from it. there was an amazing dessert table with a tiered cake, cupcakes, cake pops, and little cookies shaped like birds. they served a delicious lunch with grilled chicken and pasta. the kids snacked on kettle corn in little custom made popcorn boxes. there was a bounce house to entertain the kids while the grown ups all got to talk. it was so fun. i love going to their parties. everything is so relaxed. the party was outside and the weather was great. it had been a hot day but it started to cool off just as we got there. it was a later party for kids starting a three and still going on past seven when we finally left. there were people still just arriving. so fun. they sent us home with little whistling bird favors that you fill with water and blow into to sound like a bird.

after the party jen and ray came back to our house to give their kids a bath before their long drive home. all the kids were so tired and super dirty from running on the blacktop with no shoes. such a nice end to our busy day.

soccer

mason started soccer today. he has been wanting to play soccer for a while now so i was excited to sign him up. of course now my week is crazy busy driving around from two schools, soccer for mason, ballet for dahlia, and gym class for both. i don't mind though because he loves his soccer class. two of his friends from school are taking the class with him and it makes it extra fun.

i signed him up for "kidz love soccer." it is an organization that focuses on teaching the kids how to play soccer in a non-competitive environment. he is not really on a team that will compete against other teams. the teams change every week. i thought it would be a great place for him to learn without being stressed out to win. the focus is to have fun.

dahlia and connor came with us of course and had fun riding their scooters along the sidewalk while we were there. it was great to keep them occupied. the class is only 45 minutes long so the time went quickly.

mason was so excited to play. it was great watching him. he was running all around and laughing. when we got home he did his homework right away. i couldn't believe it. i usually have to coerce him into doing homework. i think this sport will be great for us. yay for soccer.

preschool

dahlia started preschool this week. monday was the student orientation day. i got to go to class with her and stay with her. she was introduced to her teachers and got a tour of the classroom and playground. the classroom is super cute with a play kitchen, reading corner, and lots of tables for crafts.

wednesday was the first day of class without any parents. poor dahlia didn't want to go. she was hiding under the bed in the morning and wouldn't come out. i asked miles if he would come home after dropping off mason so we could all take dahlia to school together. that seemed to do the trick and dahlia finally agreed to go.

once we got there she loved it. she was excited to see the craft tables and started playing with the play-doh right away. she was happy when i picked her up and told me how much she liked school. i am so relieved. today she went to class without any problem at all. hurray.

i really love her school. it is so cute and the teachers and other mom's are so nice. i already have made two new friends. she goes three times a week from nine to twelve. i am so happy to have found a nice preschool. i wish i would have known about this place when mason was little.

itty bitty blankets

dahlia wanted me to teach her how to sew today. i was excited to dust off my sewing machine and make something. it has seriously been way too long. i love to sew and i never get a chance to do it anymore.

we decided to sew some tiny blankets for her baby dolls. she has these little dolls that she says are twins so we made them each their own mini quilt. dahlia picked out the fabric and i cut the pieces. she then helped me stitch them together with the sewing machine. she did a great job. she was very good at not pushing the pedal too hard and sewing too fast. i was impressed. i finished the blankets with some hand stitching and now they are done. i can't wait to make something else. there are a ton of unfinished projects waiting for me to do.

happy camping

what a fun labor day weekend we had. christina, jen, and ray came over with their kids on sunday for a sleepover. for the last couple of years we have planned a backyard campout at the end of summer and it is always super fun. this year was no exception.

everyone came over sunday afternoon and we set up a small tent in the backyard with the kids picnic table, beach chairs, and a fire pit that we didn't actually light. we grilled chicken for dinner with corn on the cob and a yummy tomato, cucumber, feta salad. after dinner we lit a fire in our chimenea so the kids could roast marshmallows. they made lots of smores. when it was time for bed we moved the little tent inside the living room so bodhi, dahlia, and ray could sleep in it. they had wanted to sleep outside but i hadn't put a tarp under it and i was worried it would get damp and cold. i didn't think anyone would really sleep outside this year so i didn't bother getting out the tarp and the big tent. next year i guess i will have to do that.

in the morning i made breakfast and we all went outside to make tie dye t-shirts. we did this last year and the kids absolutely love wearing their t-shirts. they were so proud that they made them. this year dahlia and bodhi seemed more interested in painting their hands and feet. i do think the shirts turned out pretty good though. the weekend went by so fast. i was sad when it was time for everyone to go home.