The Bumblebee Party

We had Bridger's "Bumblebee Party" over the weekend.

My husband's family was in town, so he had lots of cousins over to play with :)

I decided to make him a dark chocolate cake with yellow buttercream icing and the autobots logo cut out of chocolate fondant.

I also made oreo truffles dipped in yellow-white chocolate and chocolate cookies with yellow m&m's.  Of course we had real food too...pizza, chips & salsa, watermelon.  Bridger wanted to have broccoli because it's one of his fav's (strange...I know...) but I didn't have a change to go get some.  Maybe next year... :)

The kids played pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey-transformer's version and then spent the afternoon in the pool.

Bridger was so excited to get a pillow-pet.

Isn't it funny the things that kids want?

Saxon is so jealous because he has been wanting a pillow-pet for a while now.

We kept it simple, but I think it was a success :)

Neverland

There's something special about being 3.

It seems to be the age that you go from toddler to big kid.

The 3rd birthday is the one where they finally start to really get it.

When Saxon turned 3, we had a NEVERLAND party.

It was magical!

My friend Rachel from Black Eiffel did the photography.

(Her post here)

I went all out...it was a lot of work and a lot of fun.

On July 31, Bridger will turn 3.

At first I thought a Harry Potter party

(since the movie just came out and Harry Potter's b-day is also July 31).

Bridger said "no, Bumblebee" (as in transformers).

Me: "How about superheros?" (how cute would a vintage-inspired hero party be?)

Bridger: "No, Bumblebee".

After going back and forth, I conceded.

His mind was made up.

Now the dilemma is, how do I make a cool Bumblebee party? 

I have a few ideas, but nothing great.

Any suggestions? 

If you love camping...

In the summer, I LOVE to go camping.

When I married Nate, he said that he loved to go camping too...perfect!

As it turns out, we had two very different ideas of what makes camping fun:

Cait's Idea:

Go somewhere with a campsite (some favorites are up in the mountains, the beach, or a lake).  Once we're there, we set up camp.  I plan out the meals, I stay organized, I bring A LOT of stuff.  My Dad once made a full turkey dinner while camping on the beach.  I sleep on an air mattress.  There has to be a bathroom and somewhere to clean up.  At Shaver Lake, we wash our hair in the lake.  It's obviously not the same as a real shower, but at least I feel a little cleaner.  There has to be something to do.  At a lake we go boating, and the beach we play in the waves, hike, explore, collect shells, etc.

Nate's Idea:

Go somewhere remote wearing only the clothes on your back and your only supplies are those that fit in your backpack.  You eat cold soup out of a can.  You hike from sun up to sun down and sleep where ever you find yourself at the end of the day.  After a few days, you turn around and head back to where you started.  

(Dalton enjoying dinner at our campsite)

If you like to camp like me, I have a fun and easy recipe for you to try:

Dutch Oven Enchiladas

Corn Tortillas

Queso Fresco - grated

Enchilada Sauce

Mexican Blend Cheese - grated

First, line your dutch oven with foil.  It's not necessary, but it helps with the cleanup.

Then heat up the tortillas on the camping stove until they get a little brown and a little crispy.  (This is also not necessary, but it helps then hold their shape once they are covered in sauce).  

Next, layer the sauce, tortillas, and cheese in the dutch oven, like a lasagna.

Just keep layering until you use up your supplies.

Sauce...tortillas...cheese...

Finish with cheese on top and sprinkle with Mexican Blend Cheese.

Cook for 20-30 minutes in the dutch oven.

What are your favorite camping meals?

 

Harry Potter 7.2

Guess what we did this weekend? :)

(aside from everyone in my house getting sick...apparently there is a 24 hour bug going around)

We saw the final Harry Potter!

I loved it!

I love the Harry Potter series though.

LOVE it!

I'm actually kind of sad that it came out already because now it's over.

Did anyone else go see it?

What did you think?

Little Bow Ties

Do you guys remember Diana who did the giveaway for the gorgeous market tote a few weeks ago?  She added these super cute little boy bow ties to her shop and is being featured today on Very Jane. :)  Go check it out...

Dreadbands

Today Very Jane is featuring crocheted long headbands,

also known as

Dreadbands :)

My sister Brooke did the photography and the modeling of the blue one,

and her friend Robin modeled the pink one.

 

She's so talented!

Do you remember what a hot item crocheted headbands were last winter?

Most stores could hardly keep them in stock.

If you want to get a head-start on the season, make sure to get one of at the discounted price...only $12 instead of the original $18.

Also, check out these sites and send them some love :)

Very Jane

Gnarly Notions

Brooke Butler Photography

Have a great day!

A Mommy Moment...

Sorry for the sporadic posting, we took our family camping at Shaver Lake, CA. for the 4th of July.  It was AMAZING!  One of my favorite places on Earth.

We did a lot of boating while we were there and my little Saxon was so brave.

You'll have to indulge me for a minute while I have a "mommy moment" and brag and gush about how proud I am of him...

Saxon decided that he wanted to try the "Jimmy Jam".

The Jimmy Jam is like a wake-surf trainer.

The handle hooks onto the board so you can be hands free while you stand, then reach down and pick it up.  The little kids like to just lay on it, and the bigger kids like to try and stand.

Saxon asked if he could try after he saw the bigger kids doing it.

I was so proud that he was brave enough to get behind the boat alone.

Then, once he was going, he started leaning side to side and trying to cross the wake.

I was screaming and cheering of course.

Then all of the sudden, he sticks his little bum in the air and wiggles up on to his knees, and then detaches the handle so he can hold it.

 Now he's knee-boarding!

Even a group of people on shore (who we didn't know) started cheering.

My little 4 year old looked really little out there behind the boat.

The bigger kids on the boat were yelling for him to try and stand.

He did try, but he fell.

I thought he would be scared after falling, but he was loving all of the attention too much.

He just kept on smiling :)

Of course the good pictures are all on my sisters good camera, so I still need copies.

What are your favorite things to do over the 4th?

Wax Paper Chandelier

Last week, my Dad was in town and a group of us went to dinner.

One of the girls in our group was telling us about a wax paper chandelier that she had just made.  She pulled up a picture on her phone, and it was AMAZING.  Really pretty.

I didn't have a chance to ask her to give me a step-by-step tutorial, so I thought I'd post this one from Freshly Picked so you can get an idea of what it looked like.

Anyone ambitious enough to give it a try?