A Mo Willems Party

We got to plan a Mo Willems party for C's birthday and it was really fun. I kind of love that C keeps picking parties with themes we have to create ourselves. Plus, we have loved Mo Willems since way way before we had kids. We bought our first book in 2006! 

So here's a little bit of what we did at the Mo Willems party. It took place at my parent's house.

We played Pin the Hot Dog on the Pigeon. Which was every bit as exciting as my kids thought it was!

We played get the bubbles into the bath. Which involved wearing a blind fold and using a spoon to move cotton balls from one container to another. If you have never played this game try it sometime. It's great fun for kids of any age because cotton balls are so light most of the time you just scoop air! 

My brother set up a Mo Willems treasure hunt around the house and here are the kids finding the treasure! 

We also did some of the coloring pages and watched the videos from Pigeon Presents! Here is C's Wilbur hanging on the fridge! He is wearing blue jeans and has a stinky tail. Which is obvious if you understand 5-year-old boy art work and maybe less so if you aren't familiar with that technique. 

And what would a birthday party be without a cake? Well my kids don't really love cake and cookie really plays more into the theme of Mo Willems anyway. So we had a big decorated cookie cake! The cookie, hat and the border came from the grocery store bakery and the duckling was added by Husband. 

He loved it and it was delicious! I am probably going to do cookie cakes for both their birthdays and special occasions from here on out!

And because what would a birthday blog post be without a Pinterest-y table spread picture? Well I wasn't about to find out! 

For some of the details: Husband designed and printed the birthday banner. I cut it out and put it together. Each letter features a different Mo Willems character. (Pictured: Pigeon, Duckling, Knuffle Bunny, Elephant and Piggie and Leonardo.) 

We had gummy hot dogs because the pigeon found one that time. (And C doesn't actually like hot dogs.) These were a surprise and a hit! I think they really added a little something. You can also see the "bath tub" with the "bubbles" from the game. 

We put character stickers on appropriately colored lollipops to be a bouquet of "party favors" but actually they just looked too cute that nobody even touched them. We also put character stickers on party hats. God bless the inventor of sticker paper because it made it so much easier. 

And those were the little details that made our party special and fun for our C! I loved planning this party to celebrate our guy and our love of Mo!

A Peek at our Friday

Friday was a big day for us! C turned 5! And it was also the last day of 4-year-old preschool! We were heading out of town the next day and also had a short-notice ice cream social with some of Husband's relatives to celebrate C. 

Any one of those things I could have dealt with. But all together it was just too much for me and I spent much of Thursday night and any down time I had on Friday holding back some extreme emotions. Which sounds super lame and I don't even completely understand it myself but there it was. 

We set up his birthday sign late late on the 25th and I stayed up to pack and to take my annual 1:20 am picture of my newly minted 5-year-old. 

Because Husband had to work a full day and we were going to travel, we had him open his two big presents right away before his breakfast so we could both enjoy his excitement. He got a scooter and a set of big animals. They had this same set at preschool, I noticed them right away last February at the roundup and I know they had been among C's favorite toys there. 

Both presents were well received! Gift giving is definitely my love language and I loved watching him love his new things! 

After a lovely breakfast of muffins it was time to go to school. Here is the first day/last day picture:

He is standing up a step higher than he was in August, but even so there's really no denying how much he grew this past school year. I couldn't handle it. I dropped him off at school and totally lost it. But M and I had things to do. 

He wanted a Mo Willems party and that was the plan. But we couldn't find the pigeon stuffed animal! We had been looking for it for like two weeks. I didn't want to buy a new one but it was an essential part to the party and time was running out. So M and I went to Barnes and Noble to get a new one. Then right after we got home, I found the old one. Obviously. 

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Picking up C from his last day and it took a lot out of me to hold it together in the car line. I am not good with endings, I never have been. Lunch. Cleaning the house. Play time. Dinner. Guests. Kids staying up way late.

It was a fantastically busy day and I am so thankful I could spend it with my guy. 

And just like that, Five.

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!

Oh my C, I can hardly believe that you are five. I was reading back through your birthday letter from last year and oh gosh, everything still rings true. You have an outstanding memory, you are still just as sensitive and intuitive as always and you still love all things walrus. (And penguins and polar bears.) You are such a special guy.

Today is your very last day of preschool and it simultaneously breaks my heart and makes me beam with pride. You've grown so much in so many ways. The absolute best thing about this year is that you now love to write. Believe me when I say that I truly never though this day would come. Never. It wasn't instantaneous either but man, now you want to write and color all the things and I love it. You write the sweetest love notes to everyone as "special deliveries" and you absolutely know that my favorite thing is in fact mail. I am so proud of you and your progress and if I could sing it from the mountains I would, but we don't live by the mountains.

You still love reading and I pray that never changes because I love books right along with you. Every day I am surprised by your reading. You'll just read a sign. Or shirt. And I love it. You can now pick up the level 1 BOB books and just go for the most part. If I could zero in on the thing that surprises me the most however it would be that you love math so much. But numbers and patterns are your jam. And seriously, I will never correct you saying "patter-ens" ever.

You have such a wonderful tender heart. A while back, we were listening to Miss Sutton sing "Sunshine on My Shoulders" which is our special bedtime song, and you got tears in your eyes and said "Miss Sutton singing is just so beautiful." I mean, seriously, hand to heart ala George Banks in "Father of the Bride." I don't think many kids are sentimental at your age but that is just the kind of kid you are. You just feel every emotion deeper than everyone else around you. This is not without it's challenges and I have read a lot of articles and books this year to help me parent you better. You make me a better mom and knowing that you love me makes my heart so full.

I love how your mind works. You zero in on the funniest things and think so deeply. Your teacher Mrs. Owens said to Dad last week "He's not a leader. He's not a follower. He's just C doing his own thing." And I am pretty proud of that buddy. I love that already you're secure enough to just do your own thing and not worry about it. I pray that you never lose this quality and know that you are exactly who you are meant to be.

C, I am so thankful for you and the little boy you have become in these five years. I cannot imagine what our lives would be like without you and I am so so grateful that I get to be your mom. I am so looking forward to what this year brings and I love you so very much. Happiest of 5th birthdays to you.

Love,
Mom

Gearing Up!

Oh my friends. Can you believe it's THURSDAY already? Like tomorrow is Friday?

I am not ready! There's so much to do before this weekend! We have three parties this weekend for C, my brother and my dad! All with three different themes. Inspired by C's awesome theme for Husband's birthday, both kids were able to choose the themes for the parties. So we will be celebrating with a Ninja Turtle party, Mickey and the Roadster Racers party and a Mo Willems party.

I am exhausted just writing that!

And, no, there are no Mo Willems party things you can just buy. So we are creating it. Which is so much fun. Kathryn Whitaker I am not. But it shouldn't be too shabby. Luckily for everyone involved Husband is a graphic designer. If he were not I literally don't even know how I would pull this off.

Little party hat preview here. 

We actually decided instead of stressing and having a big friend party this year that we would take C on an experience. He doesn't even know it yet, we will tell him tomorrow, but C is going to go to his first professional show He has been to some children's shows and some local community theater productions. But with two theater majors for parents and five being the age most theaters start letting kids in... it seemed like a fun idea.

We are going to see Frog and Toad at Children's Theatre Company. So, yes, I recognize he could go at any age to this theater and so it isn't quite as special. But we love this show. We love the books. And CTC actually staged this show first before it transferred to Broadway. This is the first time they've done it since, but I know it will be done well!! And C LOVES this show. We will be seeing our local professional theater's version in June here, but we just couldn't pass up the chance for a big two-on-one date with our guy. My first professional show was also at CTC and we saw Madeline to the Rescue in their 1990-1991 season. So I was also either 4 or 5.

I can't wait to see his eyes shine! And, okay, I can't wait to see the show! Plus, then the Mo Willems party is just for family which is way less stressful!!

So that is a little bit what I have been up to this week. Planning some parties. Plus all the regular life stuff. Just a little busy but for fun reasons!

Around Here

This morning was super cold (48!) and rainy. So really what I wanted to do was stay in bed, watch a movie and snuggle... but alas. With only 5 more days of school left we powered through and drove to school in the pouring rain. But now the count down is on.

Last year during spring soccer when M just really wanted to play I considered buying a Tula carrier and the price tag talked me out of it. As we have been planning for Disney I have been worried about how M would do in lines. She's feisty and likes to lean way over when she's holding hands.

And then I found the Tula clearance section. Well, our toddler carrier came yesterday and I am kicking myself for not getting one sooner. It holds kids 25-60 pounds. C is only 35 lbs so we can easily carry either kid. We both tried it out front and back carry and it's so nice. Neither kid wanted to get down. I think it will be so helpful at Disney but also when we go to zoos, baseball games etc. when they want to see things and not be at stroller level. I am a happy camper. Husband even liked wearing it. He took the kids for a walk around the block yesterday with C on his back and M in the stroller and no complaints.

Our vacuum wasn't vacuuming anymore. But it's a Dyson. And they have that whole never losing suction thing. So we took it apart and found the clog. Which was huge, like I have no idea how we have been able to vacuum for so long if that was in there. It was strangely satisfying cleaning it out and we also removed all the hair/threads/gunk from the spin brush thing. And now it's happy vacuuming once again.

I just wrote about a toddler carrier and vacuum so that about sums up the excitement that is my life right there. Today was National Pizza Party day so we obviously had a pizza party. And it was good. Our weekend plans are not very big. I have book club on Sunday. And... them's the plans. My kind of weekend. Crazy that it's the last weekend of the school year!

Everything Is Awesome!

Our weekend into today has been just lovely and you just know that I am going to share all of the details with you.

Friday afternoon was gorgeous! And we played outside to make it count!! Chalk, bubbles, grass stains, you know all the typical fun that late spring brings to the table.

Saturday night Husband and I went on a date to see The Music Man at our local dinner theater. I really dig The Music Man and always have, wouldn't you just know that I would wind up living in "River City?" But for real, the first song "Rock Island" is the town across the river and one of the quad cities. So the first city into Iowa would be... mine. And they do mention Davenport in "Iowa Stubborn" which has always be one of my favorite parts, even before I lived here.

The show was fine. The dinner was great. And that is because instead of eating the dinner theater's buffet we decided to go out for pizza first. (We had show only tickets so never fear!) It was so nice to get out and see a show.

Sunday was the most precious Mother's Day. I got to sleep in and I got my Casey's breakfast pizza. It was delicious. The kids went with Husband and bought me all sorts of gifts and they were so excited for me to get them. Purple daisies, pineapple decor and C picked out this sunflower welcome sign, I have no idea where I am going to put it but apparently he was quite insistent at the store. And I love it because he loves it.

After Mass where M miraculously had the best behavior of her short life which was shocking since we told her she could go to babysitting and they didn't have it offered. (We were traveling last week so I missed the announcement.) She was a little upset but somehow she pulled it off! Go kid!

We got home and after a lunch it was time for the day's main event. My brother's graduation! Both speakers were good and though I was sad I couldn't be there, my pain was eased by watching the live stream and having root beer floats with my kids running around.

It was a great day! 

Today M and I had an awesome morning of grocery shopping and playing outside while C was at school. Then after we picked him up we decided to play outside some more and then we had a picnic lunch. The afternoon was spent playing school with C and rest time so all in all pretty awesome kick off to a new week. 

I hope you all had lovely weekends and stellar Mondays! 

TGIF: The Scoop

Happy Friday friends! Instead of quick taking today I am just going to give you a little blurp of what's going on with us. C has two weeks left of preschool and then summer break starts. Ack! We decided in February to hold off making a decision about Kindergarten until May. It's May.

Lately he has started writing love notes, like this one to his sister, and he leaves them as "special deliveries."

And he has been writing his own stories featuring favorite characters and the words he knows how to spell. 

And so my friends, we have decided to send him to kindergarten. He is excited about it, he is excited about learning. He is still one of the most emotional kids I've ever encountered but I truthfully don't think another year is going to change that. And after talking to a lot of people, and having everyone tell me to "go with my gut" that is the choice we have made. 

Earlier this week, he was playing book club. Which was kind of a combo of Super Why! and the fact I am in two book clubs. He built a little clubhouse and then read M and I stories for like a half hour. It was very sweet. I love how his mind works. 

M is one sweet little ball of sunshine. She LOVES dandelions and she calls them sunflowers. I can't bring myself to correct her just yet because she is so precious with them. 

This morning we went to the museum to say goodbye to Doc McStuffins. We played for about a half hour and then went outside for "Songs and Stories" which is exactly as described. We sing some songs and read two stories. Then we went to the little park while we waited for Husband to come rescue us because... I locked the keys in the car. We have AAA but sometimes they are slow and we had to go pick up C from school so we just called him to come rescue us. And he did. 

M has been really into the "Happy Helpers" from Mickey and the Roadster Racers lately. Or if you're not up to date with one of the new Disney Jr. shows, Minnie and Daisy, every episode they get a phone call from someone who needs help with a task like pet sitting or helping at a hotel. Last week when we were on one of our many errands we found the Happy Helper Van, so I let her get it and she was so happy! She has been playing with it non-stop and I just love watching her stories and adventures. 

It is Mother's Day weekend but I am sure you didn't need a reminder for that. We sent my mom flowers, chocolates and a card and had them delivered yesterday because my brother graduates from college on Sunday! C made me an awesome card: 

The card declares me as two years younger than I am and also the best at making sandwiches. I don't mean to toot my own horn but that is a title I will hold proudly! 

Our Sunday will consist of our typical Casey's breakfast pizza, Mass and then streaming the graduation ceremony. So pretty much perfection then. I hope you all have an amazing weekend!

Only on Wednesdays!

Wednesdays have been my favorite day of the week this past year. Wednesday is C's day off from school. Which is unusual because most of the preschools have Fridays off. But I have LOVED Wednesdays. We often would take outings, and they would be uncrowded because everyone is in school for the most part. Or some days it would be a mandatory pajama day and we didn't go anywhere or really so much do anything.

Lately we have had soccer on Wednesdays. Which, sadly has been not great. I don't know why or how Wednesday weather has been so cursed but this class has Tuesdays or Wednesdays. We couldn't get to class on time on Tuesdays because of school so we picked Wednesday. And wouldn't you know that every single Tuesday has been gorgeous and every single Wednesday has been cold/dreary or rainy?

This morning started out a little sunny with clouds so I was hopeful. But the sky started getting darker as we were getting dressed for soccer and I told the kids it was possible class would be canceled. And then on our drive the rain started. And the phone rang. And just like that we had no soccer.

So from the park we made a plan to go grocery shopping. I am so glad I had C run back in the house to get the rain boots. It was POURING when were in the parking lot and so everyone put their boots on and their rain coats.

Ready to rock and roll into the store.

They were having a lot more fun than it looks like I promise. I couldn't get over M's perfectly curled Cindy Brady pigtails. They were cracking me up. Though I will say usually when we go out we encounter lovely people but today was apparently grumpy senior citizens day as well as being rainy. 

It was raining so hard I scrapped the Chick-Fil-A plan and bought some chicken tenders and waffle fries. I also got honey mustard because C is super into honey mustard. Also did you know that T. Marzetti Honey French (found in the refrigerated section) tastes just like Chick-Fil-A Polynesian? #truestory and I love it! So homemade Chick-Fil-A worked out just fine. And even though we all looked a little like drowned rats after getting the groceries in the house, it made for an interesting morning! 

Rules of the Road

I saw a boy get hit by a car today. He is fine. That's the first thing you need to know. He is fine. But it shouldn't have happened.

I was at an intersection waiting to turn left. This is one of those intersections in life with a left turn lane, going straight lane and a right turn lane. A car pulled into the right turn lane and with her head turned left, squinting into the sun to see if she could go, some boys walked into the crosswalk. They had a walk signal. They were in the crosswalk. They were eating chips which is a typical breakfast as indicated by the many many kids I see walking to this particular intermediate school every single day.

I knew it was going to happen before it did but there wasn't anything I could do. She started rolling to turn and hit one of the boys. He jumped back and put his hands on the car to stop it and then the driver realized. She was in shock. The boys kept crossing the intersection. The driver rolled down her window, she saw me watching. I rolled down my window to ask the boy if he was okay but he just kept walking. It was loud and maybe he didn't hear me.

My light turned green and I drove home.

Then I emailed the principal. I didn't know what to do exactly but I figured in case later this kid was upset or actually injured somehow or reported it, I would at least back up the kid and let them know it was real. Maybe they'll remind their students that drivers are morons and to be safe. I don't know. The principal responded a bit ago that no one has reported anything. That worries me though. Because kids should expect more from adults driving.

I take car seat safety seriously. M is still rear-facing and she is going to be until she turns four. C is front facing but in a five point harness still. He's short. And he doesn't weigh a lot. So he is going to stay in 5 point for a long time. Does this mean he gets in the car at car line, I pull forward a bit and then park, get out and buckle him in? Yes. Yes it does. I know that some of my friends and specifically my in-laws think I am crazy and over reactive about car seats. My car. My kids. My rules. And if they want to make fun of me for reading my car seat manuals and actually following them? Well that's something I can deal with.

I do what I can because cars scare me. I cannot control the other drivers on the road but I can control what goes on in my car. And that is that everyone is going to be as safe as possible. No winter coats in the car seats. Nothing between the kid and the back of the seat. 5 point harnesses. Extended rear facing. Not using an expired car seat.

While I am driving I do the best I can. No cell phone. Lights on every trip. And I try very very hard to be cognizant of the speed limit. Tailgate me all you want. but a school zone is a school zone to me between the hours of 7-5 on school days. No turn on red, means, even if there's nobody coming, I am not turning on red.

I can't stop seeing that boy. I can't stop thinking about his mother and how she would feel if something more serious had happened. I can't stop thinking about the driver of that car. I hope she has a better day and that she learned her lesson from this without drastic consequences. Thank God, there are no drastic consequences.

Please do the best you can. When you're driving. When you teach your kids to drive. When you buckle your babies in. When you make sure that YOU are buckled. Just try to do the best you can.

All the Things With Us

Hello! Let's go real quick as I tell you about some of the real life stuff that's happening in our world. 

1. It's Cinco de Mayo, also known as my parent's wedding anniversary. We will not be celebrating with any sort of Mexican food because my kids just don't really groove on it. But that's okay. I do love a margarita so maybe I will make that happen. But who knows? 

2. My guy made some art with the geographic shapes. I call this preschool geometry. He calls this "Hot Air Balloon Festival." 

3. In other news, our guy got his last Imagination Library Book today. And when I read him the note on the inside from Dolly Parton I may have gotten choked up a little. Today was also the last page of his preschool letter book homework. This year has gone FAST. 

4. M and I were rock stars today. We did drop off, then we went to Target, Petsmart, McDonalds for a beverage, one of the high schools to pick up an Usborne book from my local book gal, the chocolate shop and then home for a minute to write out cards and wrap up the teacher appreciation week gift. Then we went to pick up.

5. We got all three teachers a little apple box of chocolates from our local handmade chocolate shop, then put the book in for the preschool. It was Nibbles, because it's C's favorite book and I thought it would be a good addition to the classroom. 

We didn't gift the stuffed animal. But we have him!

6. Have I ever written about how M calls oatmeal "eatmeal?" Because it's my favorite. We have it for breakfast a few times a week and it's always a winner. We do old fashioned oats, a little brown sugar, protein powder, cinnamon and some unsweetened applesauce for our own spin on the apple flavor you can get in the little packet. I like just brown sugar in mine however. 

Unrelated picture of my girl at soccer this week.

I don't have enough interesting things to tell you to make a number seven, but since I never link up anyway that's okay. Have an awesome weekend!

May Reading

Time marches on and suddenly we turned another page on the calendar. May started innocently enough, the weather forgot to be notified that the "April showers" were in fact over but it could have been the snow that they got up north so... no real complaints.

M had her well check for 30 months Monday. She's healthy. Our wonderful pediatrician was maybe going to be on maternity leave but she wasn't so we actually did get to see her. Though there's little chance she will be around for C's well check at the end of the month. But that's okay, we were just excited we got one kid in.

I didn't read a whole lot in April. I didn't even finish the book club book, which as it turns out didn't matter because only one other person showed up and she didn't even start the book. So we went to Bed Bath and Beyond and wandered around looking at all the random things. It was fun.

The book was "Present Over Perfect" by Shauna Niequest.

The idea of the book is good. We shouldn't worry so much about being perfect all the time or trying to appear that way, what is more important is that we are present with our family and friends. 

But that's about it. Niequist has many other books and clearly she's not a bad writer, but it is almost insulting to have an author complain about how stressed her life is and how she is going to say no to writing books and speaking engagements... in the book she wrote. She goes away to her cabin in Michigan to "get away" and jets off to Hawaii to relax, it's just not real life. Most people don't have the means to spend a month at a cabin away from the hustle or take vacations just because they're feeling overwhelmed. I thought the book would meet the average woman where she's at but I just kept feeling more and more alienated by Niequist and her privileges. Of course shes entitled to be stressed out too in whatever life she lives but it just didn't allow the book to feel genuine. 

I had such a hard time with this book that I put off reading the other book club book that I needed to read for this week. "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. 

It was a quite enchanting read. I will be perfectly honest with you and say that I really didn't think I was going to dig this book. Even so much as to return it to the library unread the first time I checked it out. "Present Over Perfect" really ruined me I guess. That and the summary of "The Night Circus" just didn't grab me. 

But once I started reading the book hooked me quickly and it was a pleasure. There is an air of mystery throughout the book, as though you're never quite sure what is real, which evokes the spirit of the circus through words. It was very cool. I love the somewhat open-endedness of the book, that the circus can be whatever you want it to be. Morgenstern is a wonderfully descriptive author and I really felt this book on a deep level. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. This isn't a life changing book or the greatest literature, but it is solid entertainment. 

I was on such a high after finishing "The Night Circus" just after rest time yesterday that I decided to buy Bunmi Laditan's new book on Kindle last night. 

Husband is gone again for work and I figured since I was in the reading groove I may as well let it continue. I read this in one fell swoop, starting shortly after my kids were in bed and finishing around 12:30. I did take a break for a shower and a phone call with Husband but it was a pleasure to read and I couldn't stop. 

"Confessions of a Domestic Failure" kind of says everything any stay-at-home-mom would want to say. It reads just like Bunmi on Facebook/Instagram/articles so it's real and has a familiar voice. The book starts out more like one of her rants but then a plot is discerned, while kind of an obvious one, is just so funny and real you can't help but love it. Does it all wrap up with a nice little bow? Sure. Would you want these characters to end any other way? Not one bit. 

The book is refreshing because it hits the nail on the head with motherhood. It's messy, lonely and hard. But it's also good. Having a book describe that so well gives readers permission to feel like that and to not be #soblessed every waking second. This is going to be the feel-good book for 2017 and a sure fire hit. If you are looking for a gift for a new mom that is for them and not the baby, this would be a good choice. I laughed out loud several times and also found myself nodding in agreement occasionally. 

It's a solid 4 stars. It loses a star for it's predictability but truthfully it is the predictability that makes this book so comforting. "Confessions of a Domestic Failure" is not putting on airs or pretending to be "literature" it feels familiar and wonderful. And I mean, it came out yesterday and I finished it already. Partly because Husband was gone sure, but I still chose it over Netflix so that is saying something I think. 

So that's what I have been up to in May so far. Real life mixed with a lot of reading the past three days. I'm going to log on to our library site right now to try and get something else to read.