August 29, 2011

My Sweet Birthday Girl...

How unfortunate that this SPH Mama is just getting around to sharing the details of my sweet little three-year-old's birthday day.

Miss Tink-a-roo turned three on August 18th. I.cannot.believe.my.baby.is.three. But, that's a different post all together.

Tink's birthday looked a little different this year. For one, school had begun earlier in the week, and both little rascals had to attend. And, of course, one super important SPH Daddy was MIA. But, we made the best of it...

Tink was very excited to be the first kid in class to bring birthday treats to share. Not a hard accomplishment to attain when your birthday is on the third day of school. HA!

In our ever-reaching attempt to try to walk the healthy (er) walk, we went with homemade trail mix this year. Tink helped me shop for all the ingredients- mini pretzels, goldfish, graham bunnies, yogurt covered raisins, and mini marshmallows; and then helped me shake it all up. Room for improvement? Yes. An alternative to cupcakes with 4 inches of frosting? You bet!



After breakfast, it was time for a very brief #rd birthday photo shoot out front. Tink picked out her own pwincess dwess to wear. I ♥ this girl!!





Tink finished preschool just after 11:00, so I thought it would be neat to spend some "alone" time while Sassy was still at school. Nana & Graycop joined us, along with Lynzee and LuLu, at McDonald's to play and have a quick lunch. We also shopped at Target and then headed home for a quick rest.

My parents picked Sassy up from school and headed to the house so that Tink could open her gifts. She is currently obsessed with baby dolls, and wouldn't you figure that this little mini Circo brand doll set was her favorite? She got the doll, high chair, crib, potty, and 2 outfits... probably all under $30, and the girl was in heaven! She got some other really nice goodies, too!



I told Tink that we could go anywhere she wanted for her birthday dinner. She chose P.F. Chang's. Weird. She's probably been there twice in her life. Anyway, so it was. P.F. Chang's. Delish.



The girls had so much fin getting dressed up for a "nicer" dinner and we really had a nice time!



Three years and onward...

August 26, 2011

On the First Day of School...

Considering today is day 10 of school, I thought it due time to discuss day 1 of school.

The days leading up to the first day of school turned out to be quite chaotic, in true SPH fashion. To our delight, Adam brought two of his buddies from England to our house for a couple-night stay on their way down to Dallas. It was so great seeing him again, and meeting some new lads, but oh, the timing... That's just the way it goes sometimes, isn't it?

I still wanted to make day 1 special! Sunday night, I packed Sassy her very first kindergarten lunch- a homemade lunchable, per request.



A cute little lunch, right in her way-too-mature-for-my-bitty-baby-kindergartner but completely self-chosen lunchbox. You guessed it... Monster High.



To my surprise, the girls actually went to sleep very willingly and stayed asleep. I had envisioned two mini-me chicas restless and wound-for-sound the night before a very big day!

It came as no surprise that the girls sprang out of bed like no one's business. I had warned Adam, Matt & Joe not to expect too much peace & quiet Monday morning, and I was pretty much correct in my assumption.

Poor fellas.

Nana & Graycop came over for a very special breakfast... bacon, heart toast w/ jam, and my world-famous scrambled cheese eggs. EPIC.



It was early, but the girls were bright-eyes and bushy-tailed. Tink was experiencing a bit of shell-shock, really...

PRESCHOOL?!?!?!



Then, it was time for the portrait session casual picture-taking to commence. Lynzee teased that she bet I had backdrops and photography lamps set up in my front yard.

Not so, Lynzee.

The girls looked so, so adorable. I can say that. I am their mother.



Sassy was beyond excited for her school day to start!



And, definitely ready to show of her sass...



I {click} have {click} a {click} KINDERGARTNER {click}!!!



Seeing Tink with her cute little backpack was equally as bittersweet. On one hand, I am super excited that she is getting to be such a big girl and she is so excited to go to school like Sassy. On the other hand... HELLO... she's my baby. She still has chubby cheeks dimply knees and a whale spout. Sigh.



But, for me, it's better to live in the excitement than to dwell on the sadness. So, we did! Look at this cool chica, armed and ready for kindergarten...



LOOK OUT WORLD! Sassy is ready to SOAR!



We arrived at the school, and Tink was a little overwhelmed. There were a lot of kids and a LOT of parents, of course. But, nothing a little pep-talk from Graycop couldn't cure!



Self portrait x 2... Mommy and Tink, Mommy and Sassy. Missing our Daddy.



We walked the girls into the gym to find their lines. It helped immensely that Tink already knew her teacher well! We ♥ Mrs. B!!!



The girls, walking int heir lines to class. Sassy: doing what kindergartners do...



Not a tear was shed. Not one.single.tear. I almost felt guilty for not being more emotional. Aren't you supposed to cry when you send your kids off to kindergarten? I was emotional, for sure. But, I think the excitement of seeing Sassy and Tink off on these new journeys outweighed any sadness I was feeling.

There is nothing more special than two beautiful girls, ready to take on the road ahead of them, believing anything is within their reach and anything is attainable.

PRICELESS.

I snapped a picture of Sassy and Mrs. S right after school, because I didn't have the chance to in the morning. Both of the girls LOVED their first days and their teachers and their classmates and their classrooms.



To celebrate our wild and crazy day, we went with Adam & friends to Chipotle for dinner {thank goodness for that request rather than a home-cooked meal- HA!}, which left only one logical thing to do...



ORANGE LEAF!



Here's to a wonderful school year!

August 24, 2011

School Daze.

Yep, I still blog here, I promise.

I anticipated the start of the school year bringing some added chaos in the SPH and an increase in scheduling challenges. Nothing, however, prepared me for what the past week and a half were going to look like...

I feel like a mommy zombie.

For reals.

Add to the mix the fact that I've jumped back into my PAT work this week, after taking it very easy since Tyler headed east, and you've got one hot mess of a Mama.

It makes me sad because the.last.thing.on.earth I have time for right now is blogging. There are so many things I want to get out there, to cover, but I just can't catch a spare moment to do so.

I am seriously hoping that we find our groove soon, because I am missing the order in my life, for sure.

Up next {hopefully}- pictures from the first day of school and Tink's real birthday day celebration. Happy Wednesday, friends!

August 19, 2011

Day 1.


August 15th, 2011
Sassy's 1st day of kindergarten.
Tink's 1st day of preschool.




More to follow...

August 18, 2011

The Seaweed Is Always Greener...

While Tink is officially celebrating her third birthday TODAY, we thought it best to celebrate her birthday last Saturday while we had the chance to do something pretty special.

It's funny how things work out sometimes.

Before Tyler even thought about leaving for North Carolina, we had discussed several options for Tink's 3rd birthday party. I really wanted to do something a bit more intimate this year. Last year's watermelon affair was a blast, but something a bit quieter sounded really pleasant!

Some time later, my friend Micki clued me in that The Music Theater of Wichita was doing The Little Mermaid for their final show of the season, and they put on a little kid-friendly matinee Saturday afternoon. They also hosted Under the Sea, an interactive meet'n'greet, prior to the show for an additional fee.

So, after a few short conversations, I decided to buy tickets for all the girls- myself, Sassy, Tink, Nana, Lynzee, LMB, and LuLu, and that we would meet up with the guys in the evening for a BBQ. So, it really worked out perfectly, once we found out Tyler was for sure leaving, that we didn't have a) a huge party to deal with or b) a ticket for him to attend the shows.

There really wasn't entirely too much prep for this party, besides securing our tickets (thankfully) well in advance. The show opened to such phenomenal reviews that many sessions including ours sold out! I did enlist my friend Erin to make us some sugar cookies, and they turned out amazing. For now, this is something she does on the side for fun, and she is super reasonable! Keep her in mind for all your bakery needs. ♥




Tyler also helped me assemble a little goody bag project, which you can take a peak at in a minute.

My parents bought Tink a new birthday dress and lobster purse from Gymboree's Cape Cod Cutie line, and gifted her first thing in the morning. She looked SO adorable. I had planned ahead and purchased Sassy a coordinating outfit for the special day!




Even with the sunglasses on Sassy, I can't get over how much these two are looking alike lately!



It was an early start for all, but the girls were chomping at the bit to get the day started. especially Tink. She was one stylin' sista!



Once we arrived at Century II, we were led into a basement area. There were tables set up, several set pieces on display, and some interactive game stations. The girls started off by "fishing" for a prize.



Next, they got to try on some costume pieces and try out the Crustacean Band instruments. Very cool!



The girls chatted up with this sea creature, who identified himself an an eel, promising to be evil in the show, but nice in real life. And, he sure was. All the characters were so gracious about talking with the girls, giving them the time to ask questions, and learning and calling them by name. I was super impressed.



Some more exploring took place...



Then, it was time for juice, goldfish, and swedish fish.



And, we waited in line to be photographed with none other than the sea princess herself, Ariel. Or, Adewlewla, as Tink calls her. That doesn't get old. Ever. Not even once.



Here are the awful quality scans of the picture keepsakes we received. Photos by JW Fritchman. They're great in person, honest.





The girls adored mingling with the mermaids. Can you tell?



I didn't think I was ever going to be able to pry Tink away from her new friends. She talked their ears off, and they listened like good little sea creatures.



The girls were pretty much in awe. They loved it. Tink sat with this seagull dude for a long time. What I wouldn't give to hear what she was telling him all about...



The Under the Sea event was impressive. Definitely worth the price of admission! Afterwards, my Mom and I looked after the girls out front while Lynzee rounded up the van. We played a rousing rendition of Simon Sebastian Says.



And, it was off to a "fancy" lunch at Bella Luna. The girls were excited to go to a "grown-up" restaurant, and everyone was very well-behaved. After lunch, we sang to Miss Tink and enjoyed our cookies!



Tink was so excited to blow out her candle and dig in...



Pretty sure the sugar cookies were a HUGE success!



Next, Tink handed out her goody bags. I bought small purple totes, lime green tulle, and turquoise sequined trim at Hobby Lobby, and instructed Tyler on how I wanted them sewn. He's the man at the sewing machine. At least by our household's standards. HA! Then, I filled the bags with candy, Bonne Bell chap stick, seashell necklaces, bracelets, princess wands, and some other random goodies.



I think they turned out pretty cute!



Oh, and no Under the Sea birthday party goody bag is complete without some magic mermaid dust...



After lunch, we stopped off at Pink Saloon to buy some (ahem...) more Tiny Toms. Then, it was back to Century II for the show!

The show was phenomenal. Right up there with any major production I have ever seen, and I've seen several. Love, love, LOVED it. All of it. Of course, no photography was allowed inside, but the maestro granted permission to download and use their facebook-released photos, so I will share a few...

The acting was great.



The set was great.



The costumes were a-mazing.



The singing & dancing was superb...



What a great show! Lynzee and I lamented that we wished we could go back the following day sans kiddos (sold out). Keep up the great work, Music Theater of Wichita!

As if the day wasn't exciting enough, we decided to entend the party to a little family-friend BBQ with our firepit Friday crew (thanks, Lisa!) Nana and Graycop ordered this lovely cupcake cake for Tink...



We ate, the kids played, we chatted, sang Happy Birthday again, snarfed down some cupcakes, sat by the fire, and watched The Little Mermaid on "the big screen", i.e. projected onto the house...



What a perfect ending to a perfect day. ♥