Saturday, March 19, 2011
birthday party!
Ahhhh. I feel immense relief having survived Evelyn's birthday party! We had 12 kids here - 10 happy, screaming girls plus 2 brave little neighbor boys running through our house. It was fun. I admit I got a bit obsessive with planning out the details of this event. In part, it was nice to be able to focus on a specific something to distract me from Steven's traveling absence. But also, I really love birthdays and making my girls' celebrations extra special.
This year the theme was mermaids and under-the-sea. Lots of blues and greens.
After cleaning and decorating, the little people started arriving. We started out with mermaid tattoos and fish face painting (a HUGE thank-you to my mom and katie for their help!!!) We had 2 super bubble machines filling the sky with happiness. The kids then had a picnic pizza and pink lemonade lunch and were hysterically laughing at Evelyn's knock-knock jokes. I should maybe mention that she tells the most random of jokes that make no sense whatsoever, but apparently for 5 and 6 year olds they really
ARE funny.
After lunch the kids rotated fishing for goldfish behind a dolphin shower curtain and making necklaces with glass fish beads.
We took photos of each kid being a mermaid with the mermaid screen I made. I LOVED painting this, by the way, and think it's adorable. The plan is to include a picture of each girl along with their thank-you note later.
After that, cupcakes and the happy birthday song were in order along with present opening.
Finally, with a sugar rush energy unlike any other, the kids went crazy attacking the mermaid pinata. And then parents started showing up! We said our goodbyes to the littles with their goody bags in hand. What a fantastic 2-hour extravaganza! I think everyone had fun and I loved putting the whole thing together.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Evelyn's Raccoon Photo Series
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585167875343735138" />Evelyn got a raccoon for her birthday AND a new camera. This photo series she has been working on bring a smile to my face. I love the world of my six year-old girl.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Evelyn's 6th Birthday
I went to Casa Bonita for the first time with the girls today as a celebration for Evelyn's 6th birthday. Nana, Papa and Grandma joined us. It was tons of fun. And yes, I agree with everyone that the food is not so great. But, I think I'm in the clear for food poisoning! We all loved the place and watching the divers. Ivy was pretty darn scared of the gorilla, though, and I can't blame her. Evelyn, however, liked him and there's a photo where you can ALMOST see him next to her. Happy birthday, Evelyn!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Canada Fishing
(Note: There are 3 blogs in a row with pics from our Canada trip. Check Older Posts)
This summer we got the chance to do a fly-in fishing trip in Ontario. It was AMAZING! My dad funded most of the trip for the three daughters, our husbands and our youngest kids.
We left Evelyn at home in the good care of Grandma. She got to go trout fishing with Grandma while we were gone and apparently was a natural at it! It was our first time away from her, but she did great.
We left at the end of June, flying first into Minneapolis and then taking a flight over to International Falls. From there we drove up to Nestor Falls and stayed a night right on the beautiful Lake of the Woods. The next morning we hit the bait shop and then the real adventure began! We had to take two planes out to OnePine, about an hour and a half flight north of Nestor Falls.
Steven, Ivy and I rode in a tiny Otter plane. It was AMAZING! I have never been in that small of a plane before, but with all the water below us I knew that with the pontoons we weren't in TOO much danger.
The views from above Ontario were entirely striking. I do believe it was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen and for the entire length of that trip I was in utter awe of what I saw. There is an expanse of deep green forests and shimmering lakes for hundreds of miles with no more than an overgrown old logging road here and there. Totally untouched and magnificent. I love Canada!
We landed on OnePine lake where we unloaded our gear and said goodbye to the pilots for an entire week. We were completely isolated with the nearest road miles upon miles away. The lake itself was a good 3 mile stretch with little inlets and bays to explore.
Our cabin was cozy and new and we were set with all the groceries we flew in and boiling the lake water for cooking. We each had our own boat and spent most of the day cruising the lake and casting our lines. I was jinxed for days about catching fish. Even 2 year-old Ian caught way more than I did! It was so relaxing, though, and cleansing to simply be out on a boat in the middle of nowhere, watching bald eagles soar above and a beaver going about his work.
There were a few good catches of the trip. Perhaps not the 50 pound northern pike that are known to be in those waters, but plenty to feel like we got our fill of fishing. It was an extraordinary experience and I sincerely hope I'll be able to do it again.
This summer we got the chance to do a fly-in fishing trip in Ontario. It was AMAZING! My dad funded most of the trip for the three daughters, our husbands and our youngest kids.
We left Evelyn at home in the good care of Grandma. She got to go trout fishing with Grandma while we were gone and apparently was a natural at it! It was our first time away from her, but she did great.
We left at the end of June, flying first into Minneapolis and then taking a flight over to International Falls. From there we drove up to Nestor Falls and stayed a night right on the beautiful Lake of the Woods. The next morning we hit the bait shop and then the real adventure began! We had to take two planes out to OnePine, about an hour and a half flight north of Nestor Falls.
Steven, Ivy and I rode in a tiny Otter plane. It was AMAZING! I have never been in that small of a plane before, but with all the water below us I knew that with the pontoons we weren't in TOO much danger.
The views from above Ontario were entirely striking. I do believe it was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen and for the entire length of that trip I was in utter awe of what I saw. There is an expanse of deep green forests and shimmering lakes for hundreds of miles with no more than an overgrown old logging road here and there. Totally untouched and magnificent. I love Canada!
We landed on OnePine lake where we unloaded our gear and said goodbye to the pilots for an entire week. We were completely isolated with the nearest road miles upon miles away. The lake itself was a good 3 mile stretch with little inlets and bays to explore.
Our cabin was cozy and new and we were set with all the groceries we flew in and boiling the lake water for cooking. We each had our own boat and spent most of the day cruising the lake and casting our lines. I was jinxed for days about catching fish. Even 2 year-old Ian caught way more than I did! It was so relaxing, though, and cleansing to simply be out on a boat in the middle of nowhere, watching bald eagles soar above and a beaver going about his work.
There were a few good catches of the trip. Perhaps not the 50 pound northern pike that are known to be in those waters, but plenty to feel like we got our fill of fishing. It was an extraordinary experience and I sincerely hope I'll be able to do it again.
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