...WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING WHILE I HAVEN'T BEEN BLOGGING:
1. Celebrating Alaina's 3rd Birthday:
One of my favorite things to do as a mom is celebrate my children's birthdays. While we don't spend a fortune on the celebration, I have loads of fun the days and weeks leading up to the party as I plan how we will honor and celebrate the life that God has created in each of our children. Isn't it amazing the creativity God shows as he puts each of us together? His work is worth celebrating! So, the day before their birthday I like to make a big deal it is their last day to be whatever age. I like to celebrate the actual day of the birthday with a special meal (this year Alaina chose Pizza Hut for lunch and homemade macaroni and cheese and ham for dinner), a small cake (orange icing for Alaina of course), and maybe a small early present or two (Anna let Alaina open her presents early this year). But most of all I like the party. I like figuring out a theme that honors who my child is and finding ways to incorporate it into everything. The third birthday party is my favorite, because in our house on your third birthday the theme is your favorite color. For some reason, for both of my children during their year of being two, their favorite color was so important to them. It was a statement of who they were and that color is so much apart of their choices and preferences. So on the third birthday our party is all about the color. Anna's 3rd birthday party was blue, and SO much fun. Alaina however, loves orange and yellow and so this was the beginning of our theme. There was orange and yellow food, clothes, nails, cupcakes, balloons, tablecloths, wrapping paper,etc. When Alaina walked into her party she saw the house and her friends and family decorated and dressed just as she would have it if she got to choose. Such a simple and fun way to say, "See how beautiful you make the world!" Scattered amongst all the orange and yellow though, were zoo animals. Alaina didn't know what that was about, and as a three year she accepted it as if it made perfect sense, and didn't even ask why. What she didn't realize was that it was a clue to her gift from Larry and I. This year Larry and I didn't want to get her another toy. Because she is blessed to have an older sister so close in age, there wasn't really anything in particular she seemed to want or need, so we decided instead to give her an experience that she could enjoy over and over again. We got her a family membership to the Columbus Zoo. This present came to her by way of a stuffed lion who was holding a note that said, "You are coming to the zoo to see me." Also in
the package was an appropriate outfit for visiting the zoo. (Anna got a similar package.) Also, her great grandma, "Mum", got her a wagon for her and Anna to use at the zoo. Of course there were lots of other great presents from her guests but as you can see from the pictures the real fun was in the time we spent together. Alaina loves playing with her cousins, and she got to do plenty of that. There was a brief meltdown when she couldn't get the third candle to blow out on her cupcake. It wasn't trick, but for some reason she couldn't get it to go out, and when everyone started to giggle, she got embarrassed and briefly fell apart. As you will see in the pictures, it wasn't anything a little orange cake and ice cream couldn't fix.
Actually, Alaina's whole day was fun that day. My dad couldn't come to the party (he was scheduled to work at Longaberger Golf Club that afternoon), so he came and got her and Anna in the morning and took them out for a donut. He also gave Alaina a present (a Dora doll). After that Larry took the girls to a birthday party that they were invited to at Lake Isabella where they were perfectly entertained while I got the house and food ready for our party.
1. Celebrating Alaina's 3rd Birthday:
One of my favorite things to do as a mom is celebrate my children's birthdays. While we don't spend a fortune on the celebration, I have loads of fun the days and weeks leading up to the party as I plan how we will honor and celebrate the life that God has created in each of our children. Isn't it amazing the creativity God shows as he puts each of us together? His work is worth celebrating! So, the day before their birthday I like to make a big deal it is their last day to be whatever age. I like to celebrate the actual day of the birthday with a special meal (this year Alaina chose Pizza Hut for lunch and homemade macaroni and cheese and ham for dinner), a small cake (orange icing for Alaina of course), and maybe a small early present or two (Anna let Alaina open her presents early this year). But most of all I like the party. I like figuring out a theme that honors who my child is and finding ways to incorporate it into everything. The third birthday party is my favorite, because in our house on your third birthday the theme is your favorite color. For some reason, for both of my children during their year of being two, their favorite color was so important to them. It was a statement of who they were and that color is so much apart of their choices and preferences. So on the third birthday our party is all about the color. Anna's 3rd birthday party was blue, and SO much fun. Alaina however, loves orange and yellow and so this was the beginning of our theme. There was orange and yellow food, clothes, nails, cupcakes, balloons, tablecloths, wrapping paper,etc. When Alaina walked into her party she saw the house and her friends and family decorated and dressed just as she would have it if she got to choose. Such a simple and fun way to say, "See how beautiful you make the world!" Scattered amongst all the orange and yellow though, were zoo animals. Alaina didn't know what that was about, and as a three year she accepted it as if it made perfect sense, and didn't even ask why. What she didn't realize was that it was a clue to her gift from Larry and I. This year Larry and I didn't want to get her another toy. Because she is blessed to have an older sister so close in age, there wasn't really anything in particular she seemed to want or need, so we decided instead to give her an experience that she could enjoy over and over again. We got her a family membership to the Columbus Zoo. This present came to her by way of a stuffed lion who was holding a note that said, "You are coming to the zoo to see me." Also in
the package was an appropriate outfit for visiting the zoo. (Anna got a similar package.) Also, her great grandma, "Mum", got her a wagon for her and Anna to use at the zoo. Of course there were lots of other great presents from her guests but as you can see from the pictures the real fun was in the time we spent together. Alaina loves playing with her cousins, and she got to do plenty of that. There was a brief meltdown when she couldn't get the third candle to blow out on her cupcake. It wasn't trick, but for some reason she couldn't get it to go out, and when everyone started to giggle, she got embarrassed and briefly fell apart. As you will see in the pictures, it wasn't anything a little orange cake and ice cream couldn't fix.
Actually, Alaina's whole day was fun that day. My dad couldn't come to the party (he was scheduled to work at Longaberger Golf Club that afternoon), so he came and got her and Anna in the morning and took them out for a donut. He also gave Alaina a present (a Dora doll). After that Larry took the girls to a birthday party that they were invited to at Lake Isabella where they were perfectly entertained while I got the house and food ready for our party.
2. Going to the Zoo (the first entry was so long I bet you forgot it was a part of a list!): The day after her party we got up early, went to church, and then came home and got ready to go to the zoo. We didn't get there until after 2:00, but we got to see every one's favorite things, and the girls got to try out the new wagon. Alaina loved seeing the lion, touching some of the sea animals, and riding the carousel. However, after back to back parties the day before, church early in the morning, and then a trip to the zoo....well, she made it back to the car happy, but not awake. The picture says it all (Notice she is asleep on the lion that she got for her birthday. She carted him all around the zoo with her.)
We also got to go back to the zoo this past Thursday when the weather was in the 70's and perfect. It was a spur of the moment trip, but the great part was that one of my favorite people, my roommate from college and her two sweet girls were able to join us. It was a great way to spend time with someone I don't get to see enough. If you want to see Julie's blog entry about our trip hop on over to her blog. The most exciting thing about this trip to the zoo was that we got to see the baby elephant, which was so cute and still very small. The trip was made memorable when the mommy elephant peed and pooped in front of us. I have to say, that that was even amazing and hilarious for me! It was like the flood gates were opened. One minute she was just standing there, and the next minute there were 10 gallons of urine pouring out of her! I can still hear Anna laughing now!
3. The Dora Show- My parents' birthday present to Alaina was tickets for all of us to go see The Dora Show at The Palace Theatre in Columbus. We weren't allowed to take pictures in the theatre but we did get some outside the theatre afterwards. The girls loved the show, and afterwards we went to Easton to treat my dad and Larry to dinner for Father's Day. We also got to enjoy strolling through some shops and enjoying the sunshine out by the fountains. The girls want to come back to Easton with their bathing suits some time.
4. Vacation Bible School- This year I was on the Leadership Team for our Vacation Bible School, and also agreed to co-direct a self-contained preschool program for our VBS. In the past our preschoolers have traveled from room to room during VBS just as the older students do for crafts, games, snacks, story time, etc. This year, however, we wanted to give them a program that was more specific to a preschoolers needs and allowed them to stay in one place. So another mother from church and I ended up leading a VBS within a VBS for our preschoolers. We have a large room in the basement of our church (that is actually the size of three Sunday school rooms). This room is used for our K-2 sunday school class and even has doors that lead directly into our fenced in playground. So this was the perfect spot for our pre-school VBS. Our preschool class participated in the opening and closing in the sanctuary with the older kids, but after that they came downstairs with us. Each evening I would share the bible story with them in some interactive way, and then we would split them into groups of three and do stations in our one large room of crafts, games, snacks/discovery center. This was no small feat to pull-off and thankfully God blessed us with the hands of many adults. It took us about six adults and four teens every night to pull off what we did with those kids that week. It was exhausting, but I loved being able to give those kids such a wonderful VBS experience, and a chance to hear and know God's word in a way that they could really relate to. My own kids were in my room and they had a blast. Anna had so much fun that she insisted that she wants to do VBS every day. This particular mom is too old for that though! I was completely exhausted after just one week!
5. Celebrating our Anniversary: Larry and I celebrated our 7th anniversary on June 29th. We actually intend to get away somewhere for a week-end as our real celebration, but of course we are still planning, and I can only hope that we actually make it happen. We did end up having a really nice family style anniversary though. It fell on a Monday, and Larry had to go to work in Heath. The girls and I have heard a lot about how nice the Heath pool is, but had never been there. So on that day we had lunch, and then my mom and I took the girls there. It is one of those pools with the jungle gyms in the water and had so many great areas for the kids to play. I took Larry's swim trunks with me, and when he got off work he joined us (my mom left early). We anxiously awaited for Larry's arrival, and I felt good all day knowing that he had something fun to look forward to after work. So, it was a bummer when he got there and realized that I had brought the trunks that no longer fit him, and he couldn't swim with us. Fortunately, it was a cool day and he was able to sit relatively comfortably in his work clothes while the girls showed off a little in the water. Then the girls and I got changed and we all went to Olive Garden for dinner. This is our favorite family restaurant and it brings out the best in our girls. For some reason they are always their cutest and most charming when we are there. It was a great way to celebrate all that our love has brought us. I am so blessed to be married to Larry. Who he is has bled into who I am and made me new and more whole. In a big picture kind of way, he keeps me on the road to being the person I want to be. In a smaller picture kind of way, I feel most blessed because he truly and genuinely wants to be with Anna and Alaina and I all the time, and always chooses just being with us over everything else. What more can a family ask for than a husband and father that is fully present? Well nothing. But he gives us more anyways, laughter....lots and lots of laughter, strength, wisdom, grace, and mercy. I just love that man!
5. Other Fun Summer Stuff: wading pools, movies, the library, new books, softball games, swing sets, water tables, picnics, skipping baths, long lazy baths, staying up late, sleeping in, trying new recipes, Grandma and Grandpa's garden, strawberries fresh from the vine, napping in the backyard, not napping at all, watering flowers, cleaning, deciding not to clean, sharing sweet "I love yous" and frustrated "TIME OUT!'s", attending special events, missing special events...and in all of these things we praise God for all that He has made and all that He is.
6. Praying: Larry's dad was admitted to Riverside Hospital in Columbus last week. He was sent there due to a very low heart rate, and was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. On Tuesday morning he will have a valve replacement and a double bypass. If you have made it this far through my list please remember Larry's father (also named Larry) and his mother, Carolyn, in your prayers.
7. Looking ahead: There is still a lot more to do this summer, and hopefully I will be more disciplined in recording it all. On the same day as Larry's surgery I will lead the first day of the Mission Camp that I have been planning for my youth group this summer. And of course we have more summer play ahead of us....stay tuned!
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