Monday, June 18, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Season of Summer-Week 1
Summer is finally here! The big boys last day of school was last Monday and we are so excited for some fun. Here's what we were up to the first week of summer break.
We had a lego party! It doesn't look like much, but we didn't have time to finish the ferris wheel.
We went to the zoo. Turns out, we have a really awesome zoo.
Fly High Safari at the zoo. It's a 3 story rope course. That's Jacob at the top!
We spent some time at our pool!
.
We spent the weekend in Myrtle Beach!
1. playing simon says waiting for dinner
2. what will forever be known as the $62 breakfast. We stayed at this amazing resort with an amazingly expensive breakfast! HA! And we all had the buffet. And the kids all ate just a bowl of cereal! We had no idea, we had Hardees the next morning! lol
3 and 4. the boys riding the waves.
5. little peanut walking off in to the ocean, again.
6. awesome baby sling for the water
7. sweet moment
We had a lego party! It doesn't look like much, but we didn't have time to finish the ferris wheel.
We went to the zoo. Turns out, we have a really awesome zoo.
Fly High Safari at the zoo. It's a 3 story rope course. That's Jacob at the top!
We spent some time at our pool!
.
We spent the weekend in Myrtle Beach!
1. playing simon says waiting for dinner
2. what will forever be known as the $62 breakfast. We stayed at this amazing resort with an amazingly expensive breakfast! HA! And we all had the buffet. And the kids all ate just a bowl of cereal! We had no idea, we had Hardees the next morning! lol
3 and 4. the boys riding the waves.
5. little peanut walking off in to the ocean, again.
6. awesome baby sling for the water
7. sweet moment
Friday, June 1, 2012
Harry Potter Birthday Party
I love a good chance to stretch my creative legs and what better opportunity than one of my babies birthdays. I love to celebrate their birthdays, it's bigger than any other day to me. A day set aside just for them, to celebrate the day they came into our lives. And I like to do it big! My oldest baby is 10 now!! That's an epic birthday and needed an epic birthday party! So here it is, Jacob's Harry Potter birthday party...
*make sure your volume is on too, for some Harry Potter music*
*links for etsy below post*
If I could have had the invitation delievered by owl I would have!
*printed at home on parchment paper using a free harry potter font found online. Hogwarts express tickets printable purchased from etsy, wax seals with Hogwarts crest purchased on etsy*
Invitations read...
Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, first class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. *insert last name here*,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please
join us on the ninetenth of May at 2 o'clock to celebrate
Jacob's 10th birthday at xxx xxxxxxx xxxx xxxx, xxxxxxxxxx.
We await your return owl no later than May twelfth.
You may also respond by muggle telephone, xxx-xxxx.
Yours Sincerly
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Upon arrival with their train tickets students first stop was their vault at Gringotts, wizards bank
*made with scrapbook paper I had on hand and free harry potter font found online, taped to front door*
br />
*gringotts sign made using poster and paint, "wizards gold " and cauldrons purchased from oriental trading co. and then I painted on names*
From there all students needed to purchase thier school supplies, school robes and a wand.
*signs made using poster board and paint, robes are mens xl black tshirts, I cut the middle up to collar, hanging up using command hooks. purchased unfinished wands on etsy and painted them.*
School supplies purchased, it was time to pass through the platform and on to Hogwarts.
*sign made on computer using free harry potter font found online and printed, brick wall is a roll of paper found at Michaels craft store, bottom half is cut in the middle and taped to allow passage*
br />
*Hogwarts banner purchase on ebay, Jacob was Harry Potter for Halloween the previous year so he had an official robe*
First at Hogwarts, the sorting ceremony....everyone had an official Hogwarts picture taken and they were sent to them in their thank you note. Alex has a mini sorting hat that is sort of like a magic eight ball only instead of yes or no it you shake it and it tells you what house you should be in. We used this to sort everyone into their house and then added appropriate house crest to their robes.
*sorting hat purchased on ebay, house crest printable stickers purchased from etsy.*
Our first class was Divination. We learned how to read tea leaves to "see our future". I forgot to take a picture, but our guide to reading tea leaves was printed inside the book.
*used tea cups I already had, added tea leaves and a tiny bit of water to wet the leaves and so we could swirl them around. sign made using packing paper we had from moving and paint and a wooden stick I already had. old book with a picture I printed of the cover of unfogging the future. guide to reading tea leaves made using free clip art, printed and taped in book.*
Next was Defense Against the Dark Arts, where we had wizard duels.
*sign made using packing paper I had left over from moving, paint and a wooden stick I already had*
Then we ventured into the forbidden forest for Care of Magical Creatures class, greeted by Aragog, the giant acromantula spider.
*sign made using packing paper I had left over from moving, paint and I used a lighter to burn the edges and add some holes, hung up using twine I already had. giant spider is a Halloween decoration we already had*
In Care of Magical Creatures class students had to draw a hippogriff on parchment paper with quills. Also, there were dragon eggs hidden in the forest and everyone had to find atleast one.
*blast ended skrewt "crate" made by cutting up a box I had left over from moving, a sharpie and a hot glue gun. there is also a big furry animal inside. text books I already had. dragon eggs are real llama eggs that had been emptied provided by my Mom's awesome new husband. found how to draw a hippogriff directions online, drew each step on parchment paper mounted on cardboard pieces for stability. quills are black craft feathers, purchased at Michaels craft store, and then I used the hot glue gun to attach colored pencils. table cloth is electronic packing paper left over from moving*
We went down to the dungeons for Potions class. We made polyjuice potion. Again, forgot to take a picture of the inside of our book, where the directions for making the potion were printed.
*sign made using packing paper left over from moving and paint, sitting on picture easel. old candles I had, table cloth made using electronic packing paper left over from moving and "messed up" using paint and tearing some holes. we used a slime recipie I found online for the polyjuice potion and just called the ingredients harry potter stuff. potion bottle made from various items, paint, twine, sharpies, lables are packing paper. ingredients range from water with food coloring, to glue, pepper corns grass and leaves from the back yard, baking powder, olives. only 3 of the bottles were purchased from Michaels craft store. others are ones I saved over a couple of weeks. potions book is an old book with the cover a picture of the text book I found online and printed.*
Next we went to the "Great Hall" for the feast.
ok, so don't make fun of my cake, it suppose to look like that! lol In the first movie/book Hagrid makes Harry a birthday cake just like this, but it of course said Harry and not Jacob!
*sign made using cardstock and twine I had, using a free harry potter font found online. plates, cups, forks, etc purchased at Michaels craft store and Nobbies party store. centerpieces: mini brooms made using rubber bands, stick and pinestraw from the back yard. colored jars with tea lights are just jars I saved over a couple of weeks, drew on with red and yellow sharpies.*
Last students got to go to HoneyDukes sweet shop to purchase sweets with thier wizards gold. We had butter beer, Bertie Botts every flavor beans, cauldron cakes, licorice wands, chocolate frogs, and Droobles best blowing gum.
*sign was made using sharpies, scrapbook paper and cardstock I had. colored goodies bags from Party City. Berti Botts every flavor bean boxes are printables bought from etsy and filled with jelly beans. Butter beer was made from recipie in the Harry Potter unofficial cookbook in mason jars, labels printed on parchment paper using free harry potter font found online. cauldron cakes are chocolate cupcake with middles cut out and replaced with chocolate icing, cupcake holders are printables purchased on etsy. licorice wands are just that, licorice. lol label is cardstock and sharpies. chocolate frogs boxes are printables purchased from etsy, chocolate frogs I made using frog molds found on amazon. Droobles best blowing gum is just bubble gum, label is cardstock and sharpies.*
.br />
Everyone took home their cauldron and wizards gold, their robe and wand, a quill, a dragon egg and their HoneyDukes sweets.
Thank you notes...
*made using carstock and Hogwarts crest sticker printables purchased from etsy.
I had an absolute blast creating this party! It was a lot work, but I enjoyed all of it. I knew Jacob wanted a Harry Potter party and had looked online a bit and just wasn't seeing anything like what I was wanting to do. We had gone to visit family and while driving the 6 hours back home, it just fell into place in my head. And then it all just came together! I spent about a month planning and 2 weeks putting it all together. The end result was worth every one of the 100 trips to Michaels, glue gun burns, and late nights. And the kids enjoyment made it priceless.
Etsy.....
Bertie Botts every flavor bean boxes, chocolate frog boxes, sorting house stickers, cauldron cake labels
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BrittaBlvd
Wands and Hogwarts express tickets
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PartyScribbles
Wax seals for invites
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LegendaryLetters
*make sure your volume is on too, for some Harry Potter music*
*links for etsy below post*
If I could have had the invitation delievered by owl I would have!
*printed at home on parchment paper using a free harry potter font found online. Hogwarts express tickets printable purchased from etsy, wax seals with Hogwarts crest purchased on etsy*
Invitations read...
Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, first class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. *insert last name here*,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please
join us on the ninetenth of May at 2 o'clock to celebrate
Jacob's 10th birthday at xxx xxxxxxx xxxx xxxx, xxxxxxxxxx.
We await your return owl no later than May twelfth.
You may also respond by muggle telephone, xxx-xxxx.
Yours Sincerly
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Upon arrival with their train tickets students first stop was their vault at Gringotts, wizards bank
*made with scrapbook paper I had on hand and free harry potter font found online, taped to front door*
br />
*gringotts sign made using poster and paint, "wizards gold " and cauldrons purchased from oriental trading co. and then I painted on names*
From there all students needed to purchase thier school supplies, school robes and a wand.
*signs made using poster board and paint, robes are mens xl black tshirts, I cut the middle up to collar, hanging up using command hooks. purchased unfinished wands on etsy and painted them.*
School supplies purchased, it was time to pass through the platform and on to Hogwarts.
*sign made on computer using free harry potter font found online and printed, brick wall is a roll of paper found at Michaels craft store, bottom half is cut in the middle and taped to allow passage*
br />
*Hogwarts banner purchase on ebay, Jacob was Harry Potter for Halloween the previous year so he had an official robe*
First at Hogwarts, the sorting ceremony....everyone had an official Hogwarts picture taken and they were sent to them in their thank you note. Alex has a mini sorting hat that is sort of like a magic eight ball only instead of yes or no it you shake it and it tells you what house you should be in. We used this to sort everyone into their house and then added appropriate house crest to their robes.
*sorting hat purchased on ebay, house crest printable stickers purchased from etsy.*
Our first class was Divination. We learned how to read tea leaves to "see our future". I forgot to take a picture, but our guide to reading tea leaves was printed inside the book.
*used tea cups I already had, added tea leaves and a tiny bit of water to wet the leaves and so we could swirl them around. sign made using packing paper we had from moving and paint and a wooden stick I already had. old book with a picture I printed of the cover of unfogging the future. guide to reading tea leaves made using free clip art, printed and taped in book.*
Next was Defense Against the Dark Arts, where we had wizard duels.
*sign made using packing paper I had left over from moving, paint and a wooden stick I already had*
Then we ventured into the forbidden forest for Care of Magical Creatures class, greeted by Aragog, the giant acromantula spider.
*sign made using packing paper I had left over from moving, paint and I used a lighter to burn the edges and add some holes, hung up using twine I already had. giant spider is a Halloween decoration we already had*
In Care of Magical Creatures class students had to draw a hippogriff on parchment paper with quills. Also, there were dragon eggs hidden in the forest and everyone had to find atleast one.
*blast ended skrewt "crate" made by cutting up a box I had left over from moving, a sharpie and a hot glue gun. there is also a big furry animal inside. text books I already had. dragon eggs are real llama eggs that had been emptied provided by my Mom's awesome new husband. found how to draw a hippogriff directions online, drew each step on parchment paper mounted on cardboard pieces for stability. quills are black craft feathers, purchased at Michaels craft store, and then I used the hot glue gun to attach colored pencils. table cloth is electronic packing paper left over from moving*
We went down to the dungeons for Potions class. We made polyjuice potion. Again, forgot to take a picture of the inside of our book, where the directions for making the potion were printed.
*sign made using packing paper left over from moving and paint, sitting on picture easel. old candles I had, table cloth made using electronic packing paper left over from moving and "messed up" using paint and tearing some holes. we used a slime recipie I found online for the polyjuice potion and just called the ingredients harry potter stuff. potion bottle made from various items, paint, twine, sharpies, lables are packing paper. ingredients range from water with food coloring, to glue, pepper corns grass and leaves from the back yard, baking powder, olives. only 3 of the bottles were purchased from Michaels craft store. others are ones I saved over a couple of weeks. potions book is an old book with the cover a picture of the text book I found online and printed.*
Next we went to the "Great Hall" for the feast.
ok, so don't make fun of my cake, it suppose to look like that! lol In the first movie/book Hagrid makes Harry a birthday cake just like this, but it of course said Harry and not Jacob!
*sign made using cardstock and twine I had, using a free harry potter font found online. plates, cups, forks, etc purchased at Michaels craft store and Nobbies party store. centerpieces: mini brooms made using rubber bands, stick and pinestraw from the back yard. colored jars with tea lights are just jars I saved over a couple of weeks, drew on with red and yellow sharpies.*
Last students got to go to HoneyDukes sweet shop to purchase sweets with thier wizards gold. We had butter beer, Bertie Botts every flavor beans, cauldron cakes, licorice wands, chocolate frogs, and Droobles best blowing gum.
*sign was made using sharpies, scrapbook paper and cardstock I had. colored goodies bags from Party City. Berti Botts every flavor bean boxes are printables bought from etsy and filled with jelly beans. Butter beer was made from recipie in the Harry Potter unofficial cookbook in mason jars, labels printed on parchment paper using free harry potter font found online. cauldron cakes are chocolate cupcake with middles cut out and replaced with chocolate icing, cupcake holders are printables purchased on etsy. licorice wands are just that, licorice. lol label is cardstock and sharpies. chocolate frogs boxes are printables purchased from etsy, chocolate frogs I made using frog molds found on amazon. Droobles best blowing gum is just bubble gum, label is cardstock and sharpies.*
.br />
Everyone took home their cauldron and wizards gold, their robe and wand, a quill, a dragon egg and their HoneyDukes sweets.
Thank you notes...
*made using carstock and Hogwarts crest sticker printables purchased from etsy.
I had an absolute blast creating this party! It was a lot work, but I enjoyed all of it. I knew Jacob wanted a Harry Potter party and had looked online a bit and just wasn't seeing anything like what I was wanting to do. We had gone to visit family and while driving the 6 hours back home, it just fell into place in my head. And then it all just came together! I spent about a month planning and 2 weeks putting it all together. The end result was worth every one of the 100 trips to Michaels, glue gun burns, and late nights. And the kids enjoyment made it priceless.
Etsy.....
Bertie Botts every flavor bean boxes, chocolate frog boxes, sorting house stickers, cauldron cake labels
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BrittaBlvd
Wands and Hogwarts express tickets
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PartyScribbles
Wax seals for invites
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LegendaryLetters
Sunday, April 15, 2012
9 months
He turned 9 months this week. He is alseep in my arms as I type this.
He is still nursing, but has started solids. He is in size medium diapers and 9-12 months in clothes. He loves to climb-he has been caught at the top of the stairs in the boys room twice! There's a baby gate up full time now. He likes to jump on Alyssa's trampoline and play in Alyssa's room. He loves to sneak into Daddy's office and play the drums. His toes are tickleish. The pictures with the bear are getting harder, I had to bribe him with my chapstick.
I love his silky little noggin, his squishy little self, sleeping snuggled up with him every night, the way he puts his head down when he wants to crawl faster, when he smiles at me as he nurses.
He's still so little and yet so big. I miss and cherish the little, but enjoy the big. He took his first steps this week. He will be a year old in only 3 months. I hope it's a slow 3 months.
He is still nursing, but has started solids. He is in size medium diapers and 9-12 months in clothes. He loves to climb-he has been caught at the top of the stairs in the boys room twice! There's a baby gate up full time now. He likes to jump on Alyssa's trampoline and play in Alyssa's room. He loves to sneak into Daddy's office and play the drums. His toes are tickleish. The pictures with the bear are getting harder, I had to bribe him with my chapstick.
I love his silky little noggin, his squishy little self, sleeping snuggled up with him every night, the way he puts his head down when he wants to crawl faster, when he smiles at me as he nurses.
He's still so little and yet so big. I miss and cherish the little, but enjoy the big. He took his first steps this week. He will be a year old in only 3 months. I hope it's a slow 3 months.
Monday, April 9, 2012
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