Back to the 80s?

My mother loved saving things from our childhood. I can't tell you the number of toys my children have inherited as a result. She also saved several outfits that, though outdated now, are so precious to see on my own children. 

One day a couple weeks ago, Hadley wanted to try on a little red dress that used to be mine. As I helped her put it on, I also remembered that I had an outfit of Dave's that his mother had given me when Caleb was little and wondered if it would still fit Reid. Though it was a bit too small, the handmade little suit pieced together with love by Grandma Swan was so cute on our little guy. 

So enjoy our flashback to the 80s fashion show as my cute models don Mommy and Daddy's hand-me downs:

Caleb is six!

Caleb's actual birthday this year had a couple unexpected turns of events. Originally, Dave wasn't supposed to be taking the day off, but little Miss Hadley woke up in the middle of the night with a stomach bug, and by morning Mommy wasn't feeling great herself. While it was a bit unbelievable that we'd made it this far in the year without any of us getting the bug, what was even more shocking is that Hadley came down with it on Caleb's birthday last year too! Nonetheless, he still got to have a special day and do all the things he'd hoped to.

The morning started off with a few gifts. I held back our presents from the party ones so he'd have a few to open and was glad I had.

The last book in a series he had - I didn't even know this one existed until recently.

While Grandpa McKinstry bought the K'nex set Caleb had been dreaming of, Mommy and Daddy bought another he'd never seen before focused on building simple machines using gears.

I think more than anything he was impressed with this cap pistol. Reid, who normally is the one who loves toy guns, was actually afraid of the loud bang noises, but Caleb couldn't get enough of it and used up pretty much the whole pack in two days. Comically, Hadley liked the empty rings to use as jewelry.

Dave knows how I usually roll on birthdays and started up a batch of pancakes - but with a twist. He decided to try to make one in the shape of a six,using aluminum foil for a mold. It worked well enough. Bonus points for you, Daddy!

I initially suggested to Caleb a trip to the Lego store maybe as a special birthday treat, but he had a different idea - Subway and Cracker Barrel. He cracks me up because whenever we go on a special day out, he typically would much prefer a restaurant to an activity. He definitely has a heart for food, so it should have come to no surprise to me when that's what he wanted for his birthday too.

First, Dave took him to Cracker Barrel for lunch, which was exciting enough for Caleb who had a hankering for some dumplings and glazed carrots. The bonus surprise was that NaNa showed up to meet them. She even bought him a few little treats from the country store. I had to laugh when Dave told me what he picked out - wind up teeth and a loud, light up toy gun that his little brother coveted all day.

Mommy let him have the day off from school for his birthday (homeschooling perk!), so he spent the rest of the day playing until it was time for t-ball practice. Dave took him and Reid to Subway beforehand and then off to the ball fields they went for what Dave said was one of his best practices so far.

In some ways, I wish I could have done more to make his day special, but he seemed pretty pleased and satisfied just the way it was.

Now if only he would quit growing up quite so fast.

Caleb's Art Party

With Hadley's party down, we weren't done with our celebrations for the weekend. Caleb wanted an art party for his birthday this year, so it was time to get creative!

I really had a lot of fun planning this one. I saw a friend post pics of her daughter's art party a couple years ago and thought it looked so fun. Needless to say, when Caleb liked the idea and decided to go with this theme, I was excited to get started. Pinterest was super helpful with ideas too. Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and Oriental Trading didn't let me down either.

This spilled paint idea on Pinterest was one of my favorites.

One of the easiest cake ideas ever!

Caleb looked through the Oriental Trading book and begged me to buy these paper fans. I was trying to keep him out of the pack for weeks leading up to the party so they'd still be in one piece!

Paper chain decor courtesy of Caleb - a homeschool art project

This was one of the few crafty things Mommy and Caleb worked on in advance. It cost me a pretty bad burn on my hand from the hot glue (which still hasn't completely healed), but they turned out cute.

Caleb and Hadley were excited to get the party started.

The first thing the kids did was a little sidewalk chalk painting. Walmart had these kits on clearance maybe a year or so ago, and I picked them up thinking they'd be great for this purpose. Sure enough, they were a hit!

In my last post, I told you about my friend Nicki and her daughters, Hannah and Sarah, who attended Hadley's party. Well, her son Ben goes to Awana with Caleb as well. Thankfully, Ben and Sarah were able to make it for the festivities again Saturday. 

Next, everyone went to work painting their own personal canvases. Lots of little artists.

Well, everyone but Dan and Caleb went to paint canvases I should have said. Those two were still enjoying the sidewalk paint and couldn't be persuaded to move on to something new quite yet.

As the kids finished up with their paintings, another table with clay and playdough awaited creative little hands.

The Burrus' moved away at the end of last summer, so we hadn't seen Max or Nick since last year. It was so nice to visit with both them and their parents again, and we are looking forward to Max's party in a couple weeks.

Meanwhile, Caleb and Dan finally decided to paint their canvases.

...and then join the others.

I love his authentic smiles in these photos!

Sarah made the veggies out of her clay. How cute!

Next up was a messy adventure. I saw on Pinterest that you could cut holes in egg shells, drain the eggs, and then refill them with paint for this unique canvas toss game. Not only did we get a pretty neat painting in the end, but we got a lot of scrambled eggs for breakfast too.

Go, Caleb!

Nail it, Dan! Some of the kids had trouble reaching the canvas or throwing hard enough, but not this kid.

Smash it, Ben!

Proud of herself

Anabella threw hers so daintly we had to pick it up a few times and hand it back to her. Sweet girl.

The wind up...and the pitch!

Masterpiece

Even the cupcakes became part of our artistic endeavors. I debated icing them myself in advance but decided to let them use a little white frosting to make their own blank canvases (a time saver for sure!). Since I had several frosting bags in a variety of colors made up from Caleb's cake, I just added different tips and let the kids go at it. Sprinkles abounded as did the smiles. 

Cute cupcake, Celia.

Squeezing as was little tricky for those little hands, trying  to get the technique of grabbing the bag at the top and squeezing down.

Maybe I shouldn't have filled them so full! Caleb giggled like crazy when the icing came spilling out the top by accident. 

Taste testing is a must!

Whoa, Sarah! Now that's a cupcake!

Our sweet tooths got a double treat actually - cupcakes first and then a giant cookie cake!

Caleb requested mini bags of chips at his party, and we had a ton of teddy grahams and PB&Js leftover from the day before, so everyone stopped for a snack break. Meanwhile, a train came by again to add a little excitement.

After getting their bellies full, the kids drew and colored on some paper that was rolled across one of the tables while we waited on everyone to finish up.

Then it was present time. I absolutely love Caleb's expressions in these photos! Glad I was quick enough to capture them.

From our field trip to the Rt. 11 Potato Chip factory we took recently, Granny knew Caleb loved the dill pickle chips and picked him up a bag. Was he so excited! That boy started eating them immediately, and Mommy even had to confiscate them for a little bit so he would finish opening the other gifts.

When visiting Grandma Swan last fall, we bought some K'nex to keep there so we don't have to pack toys next time. Since then he has been longing for a set of his own, so again Mommy gave Grandpa a suggestion. He was so thrilled that he wanted to go inside and play with them immediately. It took a little convincing that maybe he should stay at the party until his guests left.

The kids just played after that until their parents made them head home. My friend Nicki's kids stayed a little longer than the rest; they all had so much fun chasing each other and making up games until finally they had to head home too with the promise of a play date in the near future.

These photos melt my heart.

He might be six, but he's still a little boy.

While there was a lot of transition to do from one craft to the next, overall, Caleb's party was less stressful for me than Hadley's. While I was disappointed I didn't get to savor her a little more during hers, I definitely felt more laid back to take it all in at the art party for which I did a lot less food and do it yourself crafts ahead of time. (Live and learn, right?) Reid napped most of Caleb's party too, which helped quite a bit. Plus, Caleb only had 25 guests which made it much easier to get around to chat with everyone - but it was still a great turn out.

Now a six month break from party planning until my sweet Reid will be three in October.:)