Happy Kindergarten!

This year - there's only been one thing on my mind - K.I.N.D.E.R.G.A.R.T.E.N. And there's no escaping it. Well... I guess there is. And up until last Thursday, I had convinced myself {and was working on Aaron} to consider homeschooling Ava. I am not ready to let her go. I'm not ready to miss her so much. I'm not ready to separate her from Noah. I'm not ready to disrupt the non-existent routine we have. I'm not ready for this.

Last Thursday we met her teacher for the first time - {happy sigh} and she made me feel so much more at ease. The truth is {clearing my throat}, she's actually too great. She is so warm, sincerely empathetic, and has such a loving, nurturing presence about her. Her smile is a mile wide, and she emphasized how our communication and comfort is equally important. That night I shared with my Mom and sisters - my secret... {whispering I say, "Ava's teacher... is so awesome!"}.

Knowing this - put a huge smile on my face all day Friday - while getting ready for Ava's Happy Kindergarten dinner party with our families. My stomach still squirmed... now and then... I can just feel the clock ticking inside my heart...

But here's a snapshot of the party:



Using a lot of what we already had at home- decorating was easy... globes, easels, letter blocks spelling out words....

For the dessert table, I knew there would be little room after dinner, so I picked treats guests could take home with them in to-go boxes...



Since this was going to be family-style dining, the kids had their own table -



We set out crayons for them to draw on the table and filled containers I found in the school aisle at the dollar store with rainbow goldfish to snack on while they waited for dinner to be served...



Aaron made paper airplanes - which we hung off the chandelier {smiling}. The flower arrangement came from Whole Foods.



The serving table -



The cake table: school desk {flea market find}, homemade cake and microscope from the 1960s that belonged to Aaron's Dad....





Ava picked out her own cake flavors - she wanted buttercream cake with pink vanilla icing... And since purple is another favorite color, this miniature composition book from Party City and star candle were perfect!



We had dinner catered from Whole Foods {salmon, empanadas, artichoke-lemon fritters, pecan crusted salad} and Macaroni & Grill {Pasta Milano - Ava's favorite}.



Enjoyed great family/dinner conversation... the typical topics of what's in the news, corrupt politicians, the economic crisis... Oprah...



The kids did a craft activity too. They each had a pencil case they could personalize with stickers and then fill with pencils...



We sang "Happy Kinder-garten" to the tune of "Happy Birthday" - I didn't cry at all, which was surprising. I think I was caught in the moment of celebrating on this night and eating yummy cake, rather than really thinking about her starting school...



Lots of pictures... Proud Grandpa...



Proud Grandmas....



It was getting late - and although there was still so much to talk about, and comfort each other about- we all acknowledged... that Ava is ready. She handed out her party favors to everyone - these were made to order - candy red apples from Rocky Mountain - along with mini composition books.



For the kids, we had "paper lunch sacks" filled with school treats - erasers shaped like scissors, glue and stapler, mini paint set, a globe pencil sharpener, box of colored chalk, pencil tin case, large pencils, chocolates shaped like soccer/basket balls, and chocolate milk!



Ava was showered with gifts - her new backpack! {No. 5 from this post} along with other "school treats" from the family. 



We were so honored to throw this celebration for her. So humbled by her thankfulness and of the time we've been blessed to have with each other and help her grow. Tomorrow - a whole new journey begins. Aaron has taken the day off from work - and the both of us will be crying. We will be smiling. We will be screaming with excitement and yet so bone-breaking confused - "are we doing the right thing?"  We will hold her and walk her to class. We will kiss her a million times. And most definitely - we will make sure she knows, that we are ever so proud of our Ava...

Oh... the hyperventilating begins...

making summer memorable - alys beach 2011

Our 4th annual family beach vacation was a memorable one. As I shot these photos, I couldn't help but remember the years traveled - and looking through my lens - how different, how grown up... the kids are now. My sister and her family planned a trip out west, and although we were tempted to tag along, Ava grounded me to our summer tradition and the promise to return to the "beach" since she was 2 years old. This year was no different - she wanted to be at the beach - for 7 full days. I tempted her with Disneyland... but she refrained, and said she's outgrown the "princess stuff" {that's actually very good news!} 


So we left at 3am on Saturday and headed east - to Alys beach - the furthest beach we've stayed at along Florida's Gulf Coast. We arrived by 6pm, changed, and raced to feel the tip of the ocean...





There are so many photos I wish to share here - so instead, I put together 4 slide shows of some of our beach moments. The scrapbook story begins with our great escape... to simply get away.... which is what the kids have been waiting to do with us since the last snowfall...





We chanced the weather, water, and what our beach stay would be like... and we couldn't have shown up a better week. The water was clear and sparkling like the gem its known for, "the emerald coast." Windy mornings and evenings sandwiched perfect days - Mother nature was good to us.





Days 2 and 3... when Ava woke up, she gulped. She wasn't dreaming... she was still at the beach. A little too ambitious and sun burnt from the sun, the kids were forgiving.... and figured out how to split their time between the sand and water themselves. We brought a 9x9 canopy with us {instead of our umbrellas} - which was wonderful to catch naps under...





Aaron's Father's Day this year was very heartening and humbling... After I spoke to my Dad, Ava turned to Aaron and told him to call "his Dad." Ava remembers her Papa every day - knowing that he is no longer with us. But still, she emphasis, that he is, in some essence, still here, and very much alive in our hearts. 


Having to let go of a father is a very deep and painful loss, that from an adults point of view - seems to only widen with time. We try to splash memories of him as much as we can... but still - all of our hearts ache for Papa. I so cherish how Ava remembers him daily - and how Noah will spontaneously point out memories, in the least expected moments.  

I dedicate this next video to my father-in-law Ron and to my husband Aaron, who finds strength... every day... holding on to - our hearts. 

After the first few days, the vacation days seem to blur together don't they? There was no schedule to follow - just our hearts. We got our traditional photo shoot out of the way on the second day. And we're so glad we did! We picked up an inflatable boat for Ava to jump the waves with... and even though it flipped over in the water and she fell in, she came running out yelling, "Mom, did you see me? I was swimming in the ocean!"

Noah on the other hand, stuck to playing in the sand for the next few days - burying himself chin deep and pretending to be a "merman" and then a dinosaur, stomping on all of Ava's castles... 

When we ventured into town throughout the week, there was quite a bit of ice cream involved... along with some good eats and window shopping. We also chanced on a beautiful fireworks display at the Village of Baytowne Wharf {by far the closest we have ever been to}, an outdoor comedy show of children's fairytales, and some fun games {euro bungy, hamster balls, climbing wall} the kids were so excited to try, now that they are "taller" this year...

Days 4 and 5...
Having the children all to "ourselves" on vacation is quite a bit different than having them at home. Their personalities shine ten-fold... and their curiosity, questions, and energy... seem to be exponentially bigger... and for me personally, seeing this duo together, as brother and sister... was mesmerizing. 

What amazes me the most about the beach is how "small" we feel. There is, and always will be, so much that we won't know. And it is in this - that I find so comforting. 


The first day we arrived, Ava said, "this is the life!"

So true. But to me, so is the every day... whether we are just snuggling, tickling, racing, or reading books together...  its the infinite amount of conversations spoken - and non - discovering more about ourselves... and what's yet to come.








Until then... we're taking it one step at a time, balancing on both feet, and carrying much love...





Thank you sweet Ava and Noah... for all the wonderful summer time memories we shared at the beach this week. And as amazing as it was... know that there are better days ahead of us... simply because we have each other.

noah turns 4 - vintage carnival to celebrate

The 2nd biggest party of the year, for us, was Noah turning 4 on Saturday. I was inspired by so many creative party ideas posted online - with over-the-top tables, backdrops and favors...  the ideas are quite literally endless! Trying to squeeze in some creative planning and brainstorming between "it" all, may not have resulted in the picture-perfect tablescapes like I had imagined in my mind - but, the party was  - and in every essence.

There's something more nostalgic and special to me when things are homemade, re-purposed, and brought to life with the helping hands of family and friends whose every intention is to make it special for the birthday boy and the little people in our lives. It reminds me so much of my childhood - where parties were homegrown, there was always something "else" happening in the background, and everything simply went with the family flow...

Here's a snapshot of what we all pulled together for a vintage carnival party honoring our Noah, who turned the big 4!

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A banner sign that matched the party invitations, welcomed guests at the door...

Mom arrived early to help us set up our "olde time carnival" lunch, and before guests arrived, more than 100 balloons hit the ceiling throughout the house...

The food table:

My sweet flea-market find a few weeks ago of an old carousel made it to the center of the table - holding the condiments for the hot dogs. Other menu items included curly fries, nachos with queso, meatballs skewered with cherry tomatoes, chicken pesto wraps and fruit and watermelon trays.



The chicken pesto wraps {Barefoot Contessa recipe} is one of my favorites. These delicious wraps were held together with cute toothpicks donning sparkly fuzz balls. A last minute thought on how to decorate the food table came to me when I saw the underside of the cupcake liners, which read beautifully for the occasion:



Plastic baskets lined with paper, plates, queso {which had to be kept warm}, stood by on the side table - including a handful of clown noses!



On the other side of the food table, we made a self-serve drink station and served ice tea and lemonade. Mason jars {big and small} with daisy cut lids was my personal way of tipping off my hat to "olde time" - including red and white striped paper straws. {I love how they are biodegradable!}

The front yard hosted our carnival midway, which kicked off the party at noon. Here a bounce house with balls and bubbles entertained the kids, as well as games {basketball, ring toss, can toss...} earned the kids tickets to later redeem for prizes {Ava and Noah's favorite part}.

Spin-a-Prize - we made number "4" the winning number for 10 tickets...

Prizes were fun to gather. Remember ice-cream shooters? We also had slinkys, mini-beach balls, pin wheels, erasers and small toys.

After an hour, we filled up on carnival fare...





followed by a midway of confectionery treats...





Aaron made pink cotton candy while Aunt Roshana made sno cones for all the kids...

After food, games and treats, we sat down to take in a show! A "last-minute" idea {because I'm notorious for procrastinating}, Cindie, the Event Manager of DFW Kids Parties and Events, helped pull some strings and coordinate the perfect entertainer for our event, which made it extra special...



"Topper", the comedic-magician, had Noah and the kids brimming with excitement, attention and laughter. The kids gravitated closer and closer to him - wanting to participate in everything he pulled out of his suitcase and bags of tricks. He did an amazing job with this young {and older} group!











Some of the kids put on clown noses to pose... even Zoe our dog made it into the group picture!



After the show, we got ready to help the birthday boy blow out his candles... Mom made a home-made double layer vanilla and chocolate cake with butter cream frosting. Between cars and trains - Noah's 2 favorite things, I found a vintage animal train on Etsy - for the cake topper. The flag bunting {I literally sewed together that morning} was like the cake was having a party of its own - I couldn't have been more pleased with how it all turned out! Aaron also baked a dozen rainbow cupcakes for the kids...  which we served with strawberry milk!







































And then the most magical moment {at least for me} came, when we sang "Happy Birthday" to Noah, who fixed his eyes on me, too shy to look up - and at that moment, I exploded with so much joy - feeling so thankful and blessed with the gift of his life...











After wards, we headed outdoors again. Even though I flooded the day with lots of sweets, I couldn't break the birthday tradition of opening a pinata!

Children left with their goody-bags of prizes and candy, and a "thank you prize"... of a fish in a bag! Reminiscent to winning a goldfish at the carnival - these were actually bags of vegan extra clear glycerin soap with vinyl fishes inside made to look like they're swimming!

Carnival tins I had collected over the years, held more than 75 cake pops, candied in our vintage carnival colors, for our friends and family to take home and enjoy {red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting!} This was the first time I had ever made these sweet phenomenons {and perhaps the night before the party wasn't a good idea since it took 5 hours and 30 trials} but my sweet tooth {and party guests} would perhaps confess... they were worth it!

We had a lot of fun creating an "Olde Time Carnival" at home. What made it extra memorable for Aaron and I, was how involved Ava and Noah were throughout the planning process. From driving around town looking for red and white twine, to store-hopping, assembling invitations and even dipping cake pops at 1am, they each contributed in their own special way, making this very much a "carni" family celebration... where laughter, hard work and insanity... are inseparable.