auntie beth

there's this lady i know.  

i call her auntie beth...

i met her when i was 16, she was my leader at camp.

i looked up to her in so many ways then...and i still do.

the amazing thing is that now we're family!

we married brothers!

she's the auntie of my little girls.  we all love her!

auntie beth made these cupcakes:

 she made them for these munchkins:

they loved them!

thanks auntie beth!  you are amazing!

olaaaah...

mexico - for me, the land of rest and refreshing.  

smiles and drawn out ola's.

beautiful and delicious food.

time with the man i love. 

jude and i had the pleasure of celebrating 10 years of marriage by taking a trip to the mayan riviera.

it was amazing!

so nice to spend time with my husband.

no distractions.

nothing that has to be done.

just a few simple decisions to make each day: 

sun or shade, 

beach or pool,

sunglasses or hat,

margarita or mojito, 

rest or read...

you get the idea!

judah - i love you.  "it is a pleasure"

we were perfect for each other when we got married and now we've grown up a bit and changed over the years and i think we're still perfect for each other.  thank you for always loving me - 

i look forward to the 50 or so years ahead (hopefully they involve a few more trips like this one!).

so nice to be asked (more than once) if we were on our honeymoon!

dance

both girls started dance when they were two.  

selah does jazz and ballet, and emery does ballet and tap.

they have their classes at the community centre (close and affordable). 

their teacher is fantastic!  we love danielle!  she's so fun and patient...

i did not take dance as a little girl.  gymnastics, but not dance.  

i don't think i even wanted to when i was young, but now i wish i had.  

though it has crossed my mind since my girls have taken it up - i'm not brave enough to join in yet

(yes they even have classes for mommy's at the community centre).

what i love about these recitals is seeing my girls on stage, full of joy, confidence and focus!

i love that they are willing and comfortable being in front of so many people!

it amazes me. 

i just love this one!

it was dino-mite!

some pics from the party yesterday.

 we had fun!

 more pics on facebook...

thank you catherine for taking these!  love 'em!

birthday parties

what a day!  selah's 4th birthday party!  

so much fun - for me... and for her too i think!  

i love planning a party for my kids.  

i wonder how many more of these themed style parties i'll get to plan?  

so far we've had 

backyardigans (e-3), 

purple (s-2), 

flowers (e-4), 

little einsteins (s-3), 

rainbows (e-5), 

and today was dinosaurs (s-4)! 

i was tempted to ask emery today after the party was done, 

what she wanted for her next party, 

but i thought it would be best to hold off on that.

i'm a little crazy when it comes to birthday parties.  

truth is, i put a lot into them.  

about 2 months before the date, my brain starts whirling.  

first task is having the girls choose the theme they want.  

then i design an invitation with theme and colours in mind.

after that, it's on to dollarama and michael's for ideas for crafts and goodie bags...

there's also a great liquidation place near hear that 

usually has something surprising that fits my theme perfectly!  

and what did parents do before the internet - so easy to get great ideas for cakes and games online.  

purple sparkly dinosaur cake

when planning a party i think the main things to focus on are: 

games, crafts, cake, goodie bags and decorations 

(having a colour scheme makes all of those even more fun!).  

yes, it takes a lot of time, but for me the planning is energizing and fun. 

the key to success is lists...lots of them!  

to buy list.  to do list.  to plan list.  you get the idea.

and my favourite thing to do with a party is throwing in a few unexpected decorations 

(eg. origami dinosaurs).

a glimpse of some pre-party setup

oh, and something that i've had at every party so far 

(thanks to judah) 

is peanut butter chocolate chip sandwiches 

(cut into a fun shape: stars, flowers, hearts, dinos...).  

they seem to go over well!

i couldn't pull off these parties without judah.

on party day, he gets the girls out of the house for a couple hours so i can set up,

and he willingly does any job i ask during the party.

thanks hon!

more pics of the actual party will come another time.

hard to play mom and photographer on a day like today...

thank goodness for my friend catherine!