Face Book Taking The Place of Blogging

Sad, but true. It's so much easier to post a few pics on FB then do a whole post here. I'm getting a tad lazy with it! I just realized I started that Easter post below on, well, EASTER, but never got around to adding the pics and posting!  Been a very busy month here with parties every weekend and lots of activities. Love it! Spring has sprung! We are outdoors more and seeing the neighbors again. Ruby's Mermaid birthday party was 2 weeks ago and my 1st party planning gig was this weekend. Spa party for 20. Both were great! Just dying to see all the pics from these two parties!!! Waiting on the professional photog's and should have some shots soon to show you. I started my own business - Prettimini Parties - and got a facebook page up: www.facebook.com/prettiminiparties.  Please check it out and "like"! Hoping to have the website up soon, too.

Ruby and her friends take photos with Ariel

 Ruby's party went off without a hitch! One of my best yet. And I say that not for the decorations or food or fanfare (although nice, I hope!)  but because I stayed relaxed and laid back the whole time. I planned carefully so that every detail was taken care of and there would be no running-around-the-house rushing to put food out or get ready stress. I wanted the day to be happy and relaxed for Ruby. And it was. Such a great day for our family! She had so much fun and was surely feeling the love! It was so gorgeous that day. Mid 70's and not a cloud in the sky. We really lucked out with the weather. The grown ups hung in and out of the house as the kids laughed and ran and played in the yard. One of my favorite moments was when Ariel and all the girls chased the 3 boys around the perimeter of the house trying to "catch" them for a photo. Haha. It was all a bit too girlie for them. They preferred to have boyish fun on their own in the back yard...far away from the mermaidia taking place in the front yard!

Chasing the boys!

Another funny moment is when I caught Ruby and her friend Katie upstairs tearing into the kids plaster kit. Yea, the one I put up on the hutch and out of the way (along with the paint) thinking they'd never bother to climb up and get THAT. Let's just say I caught them just in time. Only a little mess on the carpet which could be easily vacuumed. They never got into the paint and thank God they didn't figure out that the plaster was to be mixed with water. Still, I had them put it all in a box and take outside to play with. I think there is still plaster powder on my brick sidewalk out front. :-) Here's my lil mermaid with plaster all over her face. 

Why is messy so much fun?

But hey, why not? All the pretty stuff went on earlier. They were greeted by the bubble machine on the porch. They admired glittery seashells as "waves" of blue fabric hung from the porch and danced in the wind. We did face painting, we dined at the Mermaid table. They met "Ariel" and did a treasure hunt. They found the magic seashell with a note leading them back to the porch where all their gift pails were waiting.

Treasure Hunt

Finding their goodie buckets

I set the stage. I lead them through the activities.We got beautiful pictures. My job was done. After 5:00, all bets were off. Shoes were tossed, powder was thrown, toys were everywhere. We found little white hand prints on my bathroom wall, children with little black bare feet, and a certain girls bedroom that looked like a bomb went off in it. And you know what? We LOVED it! The sign of a good party! Upon seeing Ruby's room, Jeff's reaction was the same as mine. "Wow, our little girl had a GREAT time."

Ruby enjoyed her party so much more this year. I think last year she liked it, but it was a bit overwhelming. This year, I only invited people she knew really well and we had more family here. So a bit bigger, actually (16 kids, 30 something adults) but more comfortable for Rubes. It was so amazing to see my big girl laughing and playing and loving her friends and party so much. We started at 2 and the majority of the guests left around 5 or 6ish. A few close friends and family members remained (including 6 who stayed over) and we partied way into the night. We officially opened "The Pitt", gathering around the fire with snacks and drinks. I wrapped my sweet Ruby in a blanket on my lap and we both enjoyed the snuggle time after a long, fun day. She was up far later than normal, but what a great way to end the night. She fell asleep in my arms and I carried my sleeping birthday girl up to bed. My mom was in the house at this point and ready for bed, so I went back out and sipped wine and chatted by the fire till the wee hours with the family. Such a wonderful time. A perfect day!

Me & my girl towards the end of the day

By morning, it seemed like little party fairies had come for a visit! Jeff had vacuumed up the powder and straightened up Ruby's room while we were all still down at The Pitt. My mom was up early the next day and cleaned all the dishes, the kitchen, even the outdoors! What a saint you are, mom! My equally fab MIL brought food and made us all brunch, bringing the weekend to a wonderful close. What a great family we have. How very lucky we are! And how thankful I was for the help. Thanks, guys!!!

Ruby is growing up and learning so much these days. I am proud of her more every day. We decided to move her up to Kindergarten next year instead of staying in her Montessori class. I think it's a bit boring for her. How amazing it is to see your kid thrive! She's SUCH a social bug these days. School has helped so much with that, and of course, our big-loud-social family may has had something to do with it, too! And oh, what a sweet sweet heart she has. She was in the middle of watching a movie last night and I was beside her on the couch with my computer. Out of the blue, she leaned over and put a pillow behind my back. "So you're more comfortable, Mommy". How caring is she? Man, does that girl melt my heart. She does stuff like that all the time.  I am filled to overflowing. Currently, she says she wants to be an animal doctor when she grows up. And a movie star. And the Easter Bunny. And let's not forget Santa Claus. LOL, better than what I said as a kid. I aways told my mom I wanted to be a go-go dancer and marry Michael Jackson! Yikes! Good thing THAT didn't work out. Not sure if I really had an inkling as to what a go-go dancer was, but mom said I WAS rather crazy for my go-go boots. (Ahh....and there began the shoe obsession). I was a glamour girl from the start it seems. :-)

But back to Rubes... is there anything more incredible then watching your baby transform into this amazing kid? So far, I am loving 5. She still small and sweet enough to snuggle with Momma, want me to hold her at night, and I can still pick her up. Yet she sleeps on her own, is growing more independent, and growing into a confident little girl. Kiddie music is being replaced by pop. Current fav is Selena Gomez but she still loves Bruno Mars. Yet, just when I think the innocent child songs are a thing of the past, she comes home from school telling me she sang my song Butterfly Moon for her class that day. How wonderful is that?

We met a wonderful Thai family that lives around here and goes to the temple. We have all become friends. They are such a great family. And they helped us make a great discovery! The dad is a great photographer and was taking pics of Ruby. He said to her "yim yim!" (Which means smile! smile!) and she DID. He spoke with her many times in Thai and she would answer back in English! How amazing is that? When I heard this across the room and exclaimed "Oh, Ruby! That's great that you remember Thai!" she almost looked she was busted. Like uh-oh. Now Mom knows. Too funny. We talked later about it being wonderful to know Thai and to never be afraid to be who she is. Thai AND American. She seems comfortable with it but still won't speak Thai with me. She even pretends not to know Sawadee ka, but I know she knows! That kids remembers everything! Lil stinker! But that's okay. I don't push it. She will speak it in her own time and that's ok with us. In the meantime, we will continue to love her like crazy, encourage her Thai heritage, and enjoy every minute of the joy she exudes.

Sorry for the long, gushing post, my friends. But I had much to catch up on here. And much to gush about. Life is good!