Once a year we celebrate with stupid hats and plastic plates...Adam Sandler

Woo Hoo we made it through!!  As the burning embers of my ulcer subsided I joyfully relaxed at my sweet tarts 3rd birthday party.  If I stress like this over cake and ice cream, what am I gonna do when she askes for a pony?  The very ironic thing is that I prayed all day to just relax, that it was going to be geat no matter who came, and you know what, it was!!!  We had unexpected family come and it was so sweet, and 2 little girls that I actually know and know the families.  It was perfect.  If I ever do this again (and I know I will), I will look back on this blog and to remind myself how promptly I forget that it's gonna me OK!
So, on with the festivities!

This was the banner I made.  I got the idea from a much more elaborate site, but I hung little monkey's on the letters and thought it turned out pretty cute.  I didn't do color because I thought maybe I could re-use some of the letters.  Aren't I thrifty! ha!  Actually i was concerned I would run out of ink.

These were the cupcakes and banana splits.  Changes I made to the recipe for the cupcakes were that I used a Pillsbury Devil's Food Cake Mix and 4 black peeled bananas (for extra flavor).  I used peanut butter frosting.

We played some kiddie music softly in the background and really only got to one very short game of ring toss

Because then we went on to the hayride.  The day started at 37 degrees, but by 2 it was sunny enough to do a short ride.  It's a birthday tradition.  That's my monkey on the left.

Then we jumped a bit

THEN we did cupakes and presents.  We had to melt the "#3" candle back together because Ava took a bit out of it earlier thinking it was candy...

After everyone left, PawPaw took back the trailer and took kids with him.  He borrowed it from a good neighbor friend who has a polo farm (HIS trailer was full of junk, BAD PawPaw).  So the day ended with a little barnyard fun

Samuel didn't want to leave and I told him "Son, we will be back a hundred times", and in that moment, I was glad.  Minus the copperheads, tarantulas, black widows, pitch black and dirt roads, TX wilderness living is pretty great.  Whew, glad that's over!!

(If you're a friend, there's more photos on facebook)

Birthday Blah!

No one from Ava's Mother's Day Out has RSVP's to Ava's birthday :(  And here I thought I was going to be overrun with toddlers for 3 hrs. and now I am disappointed?  So, I complain to my husband.  HE says, well, why would you think they would come, the mother's don't know you...WHAT THE...Who cares if they know me!  It's not MY birthday!  Women are highly social, I am meeting them all the time in the park and McDonald's and I have made some very unlikely acquaintances, some of the best.  And what woman doesn't go to a part with cupcakes and banana splits!  I mean, I ALWAYS show up where food and the option for social interaction is involved.  He's wrong, right? Right?

My Little Monkey turns 3!

Ava will be 3 in March, and I lamented and lamented over having a party.  So far we have just had a little family gathering with a hay ride and it's been so sweet.  Why do I want to mess with that?  I don't know, but let's just, ok!  So, off to the blog search for some creative ideas.

First came the invitations, I decided to stick with pre-K kids, as we have a couple of circles, and it could get out of hand really quick.  The budget is tight right now, so I am trying to keep it simple.  I got the initial idea from HERE. And it evolved from there.  This was the final product.

EVERY SINGLE TIME I try to do anything crafty, I end up having to do extra labor because I get ahead of myself and leave something out.  In this case, it was Ava!  And the fact that it is a birthday! That does not technically appear on the invitation.  But I had already printed them on the card stock, and as I have said before, the local craft store is on Jamaica time.  So, I went to the added trouble of making my own stickers.  Thankfully I had JUST bought a pack of do-it-yourself stickers and was anxious to give it a try.  So I incorporated a few elements from the invitation, and then added Ava and the fact that it was for her birthday!

Then came the idea for a banner.  I really loved this little monkey, so I will find a way to put him on each letter.

Then I started thinking about food, and again, went blog shopping.  I found the idea for an ice cream sunday party and made it banana split as monkey's and banana go together!  I won't be doing it that elaborate I can tell you that, but I like the offerings in the muffin tins, and I may make cupcakes and let them decorate with frosting and sprinkles as well.

Now for some preliminary "To Do" list.  While I have toddlers, that does not mean I am "hip" on entertaining a gaggle of them.  I am more the sit in the living room and socialize while the kids jump on the trampoline kind of mom.  So I did a little googling here for some advice.  Apparently it is better to have a bit of structure for toddlers.  I know we will have a hay ride, but a few simple games handy helps too.  So I picked Down on the Farm, where you make up a story about farm life and when kids recognize a word they make the sound, like duck or tractor etc.  I MAY need a script for this! I also chose Pair Them Up.  Here you gather items that come in 2's, like socks.  You give several "one pairs" to the child in a bag and have them look for the hidden other pair.  Whoever gets the most first wins.  But apparently with toddlers it is best if all win, so I will keep that in mind.

It was also suggested to have some soft children's music playing in the background.  I use Pandora a lot and created a Baby Einstein station that I will have playing.  And that's that!