Where the Wild Things Are

This took 2 minutes. I sent the kids to take showers and get in pajamas, while I finished preparing dinner. (chicken piccata. Yum. Recipe here.)

What you can't see in the shot are the dirty contents of the white basket, dragged to every room of the house, blood and bandaids in the kitchen, or the happily satisfied faces on my very naughty little heathens streaking behind me.

Yep. Streaking.

Somewhere between getting undressed and actually getting into the tub, a roll of wrapping paper was pulled down the hall and my (easily distracted) children realized they could "ice skate" on it in their slippery socks.
Socks were all they were wearing at this point. Classy.

All while I naievely oohed and ahhed over my stove top masterpiece in the kitchen, and even made a lovely facebook post about the lovely day and my lovely kids and the lovely giggles I could hear coming from them in the hall (red flag, meg! red flag!) and how lovely they are at Christmastime.

"Lovely ice skating" was actually naked "ice skating" and it quickly became naked "slip n slide", and naked "slip n slide" turned the fate of all activities that involve my son:

Wrestlemania and someone crying. Or as we call it: Kung Fu Corbin.

A wrapping paper tube fight broke out in the bedroom.
Reese appeared in the kitchen with a giant paper cut on her stomach.
Wrapping Paper Slip n Slide was banned in the Willy House.
Q screamed a lot.
Corbin "Hoooooooooy-YA! Hoy-YA!"d until the cardboard tube battle ended.

The children were fed dinosaur chicken nuggets, and went to bed without showering.
Aaron and I devoured the chicken piccata in silence, took this picture, and cleaned up a 2-dozen-paper-snowflake-mess inthe kitchen,
Then we wrapped a few presents with pieces of the "slip n slide".

How I managed to sleep in until 9am the other day

even though the kids were up before the sun. Many thanks go out to Calamity Jane for that one.

Speaking of Calamity Jane... if I could take Doris Day and and Julie Andrews circa Maria Von Trapp/Mary Poppins....(ok NOT Julie Andrews the person, but Julie Andrews as Fraulein Maria and Mary Poppins) and mash them into one person, the outcome would totally be my idol.

Thanks to technology, Doris Day was available to "whip-crack-away" my kids into a sweet television coma, and I got my own little coma on.

There are few things a mother cherishes more than an unexpected extra 3 hours of sleep.

It was Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Elf on the Shelf

We've officially "shelfed" our Elf in one of the zillion Christmas boxes, but I thought I'd share a few more of his tricks.

1) bugles and marshmallow ice cream cones for Elf and real ice cream sundaes for us.
2) Grandma Lynda gave us a copy of "What's Shakin' in Snowflake City?" and one morning, the kids woke up to find a snow globed Elf. He was tricky and sealed himself in a jelly jar, first, to stay dry. The wide mouth jar was filled with water, glitter, and "snow" to make a snow globe. As you can see from his expression, Elf thinks he is hillarious.


3) on Christmas Morning, Elf was reading the nativity story to the Little People nativity set.

Reasons to love winter break

Since it is Wednesday, we had a pizza party!

Quincy's pizza: mozzerella and black olives and 2 drops of marinara sauce

Reese's pizza: marinara, bacon, black beans, black olives and mozzerella

Corbin's pizza: marinara, pepperoni, olives, mozzerella

Meg's pizza: caramelized onions, pineapple, bacon, black beans, avocado, mozzerella, cilantro, fresh lime juice

Aaron's pizza: marinara, pepperoni, black olives, bacon, black beans, mozzerella

Excellence.

We are celebrating every day left of 2011.

Love Your Neighbor

because you don't have mine.

So yesterday, in the spirit of Christmas, the girls and I took some homemade treats over to Keith. When he saw us coming, he ran inside and shut the door.

The girls insisted on knocking, anyway.
Keith (obviously) did not answer the door.
I suggested we play, "secret Santa", and Keith could find the treats later, as a surprise.

Reese looked in the window next to the door. "Why isn't he coming to the door? I can see him, right there."

"Uhhhh....maybe he (hates us) is busy? Maybe he didn't hear us? Come on, he'll find the goodies later. Let's go."

"He's looking right at me...."
We left the treats on the doorstep, and left.

Aaron found them on our driveway, this morning.

7 Weeks

That, my friends, is jalapeno gouda and it was made from scratch.
Homemade cheese, from local milk, and pressed in a homemade cheese press made from locally grown maple.
Tonight, our Christmas Eve festivities included death by cheese.
It was Kasey, in the kitchen, with the cheese slicer.
I am happy to be her partner in cheese crime.

The cheese is incredible. Very mild, buttery, and only enough pepper in it to give a little flavor, but not enough to really be considered a spicy or pepper cheese. Delicious. I cannot WAIT to try the cheddar!

To quote Aaron as he stuffed his cheeks with gouda, "Finally, you have a hobby that I can enjoy! You need to make more!"

The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens

For book club, this month, we read The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens. It is 32 pages long and you can read it here, for free. I thought the piece was really touching, not just because of my personal relationship with the subject matter, but also because of the tone of the text. Charles Dickens wrote this specifically for his children, in words they would understand, with examples they could relate to. It is written almost like a letter, addressing the young children as children and testifiying of Christ to a young audience. Brilliant. One thing that my friend pointed out was that after all that Dickens wrote and was famous for, this was the legacy he decided to leave behind for his children. His testimony of Jesus Christ, Savior and Redeemer of men. It is the New Testament squished into a 32 page description, in the simplest of words.
It is full of wonderful advice from a wise father to his children.
Be kind. Be good. Be charitable. Be gentle. Be forgiving. Be like Jesus.

"Santaaaaaaa!!!!! I know him, I KNOW him!"

Reese: [whispers at the arrival of Santa] Uhhh Mom, don't you think I'm getting a little old for this?
Me: for what? Santa?

Reese: No! Just for sitting on his lap. I'll tell him what I want, but I'll just stand next to him.

Quincy: "I want an Astrid doll (which does NOT exist, by the way) and a Luna doll (which also doesn't exist) and a Jeannette doll from Alvin and the Chipmunks. Not Britney, Jeannette."

Quincy: That's not the right Santa. He doesn't have a cherry nose!

Corbin: [His reaction went something like this.]
Today:
Me: "Reese, tell me what you asked Santa for on your list?"

Reese: "I want a Eleanor doll and a Theador doll from Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakuel and a Harry Potter lego set, and a canopy bed and a canopy closet like Fancy Nancy's and a Ballet Barbie."

Quincy: That's a lot of things, Reese....[bursts into song] Joy to the World my men come home, let every spirit sing! And M&M nature sing, and M&M nature sing and M-MMM and M&M's and nature sing!"

Reese: "Hey. I was really bad last Christmas Eve and got in a lot of trouble for throwing a big fit. But Santa still came and brought me presents....how do you explain that? Can I be bad this year? Don't worry, I'm not going to, but like if I was naughty, would Santa just come anyway?"

Quincy: Hey, guess what, Santa----

Corbin: -----SAAAAANNNTTTTAAAAAA! Mom! Santa! Mom! MOM! Santa! Christmas trees! MOM! MOM!

Quincy: Ugh, be QUIET Corbin, I was talking! Mom, Santa brings us presents if we sleep good because to remind us of Jesus's birthday.

Reese: it's his birth, not his birthDAY

Corbin: Birthday!!!!! Santa!!!!!

Quincy: That's the same thing if it's his birth then it's his birthday. There is still presents.

Young Learners 13/14th I Can Give

Share: Bring something you received as a gift
Literature:
Book: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
This will always be a favorite of mine. I've had this book since High School, and I'll admit that I still have a difficult time getting through this book without crying. The Giving Tree is best friends with a little boy. The boy loves to come and climb and play with the tree and swing on her branches, eat her apples. But as the boy gets older he becomes unhappy. The tree gives the boy her apples, branches, and eventually her trunk, all for the sake of bringing her friend joy. The boy never thanks the tree for her goodness, and it seems that the trees gifts never seem to be enough to make the boy truly happy. The tree, however, is always happy. In the end, the tree fears she has nothing left to give the boy, but he is old and tires and all he asks for is a quiet place to sit. She straightens up her stump and offers it to him, and together they are happy. I love the lessons on unconditional love that can be taught in this book. It is also a great aid during the Christmas season to demonstrate that real happiness comes from gratitude and giving. Five stars.

Book: The Friendly Beasts by Tomie dePaola

This is a great rhyming book based on an old English Christmas Carol. The animals in the stable find gifts for the baby Jesus. The donkey gives Mary a ride to Bethlehem, the cow gives his manger and hay, and the doves coo from the rafters and sing the baby to sleep. I love this book because it teaches the simple lesson that everyone can give, even an animal or...a small child ;)

Book: Did You Fill A Bucket, Today? By Carol McCloud
This book is knocking my socks off lately with it's awesomeness. I love it so much, I think every home should have a copy....even if there aren't any children in the home. This book is for everyone.

Share: Bring something you received as a gift
Each of the children shared their gift and we talked about how it feels to receive a present from someone else.
Dramatic Play: Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer

Rudolf was different than the other reindeer because of his red, shiny nose. He used his unique gift to help others. What makes you special and what do YOU have to offer others?

Fine Motor: Christmas finger puppets
Art: work on our Christmas gifts! Shhhh!

Practical Life: I can give to others

Choose Helper
Calendar/Weather
Snack (cocoa, cheese, crackers, cookies)

Peace Center: Christmas books and letter Cc activity file folder games

Math: How Many Days until Christmas?

Language: Cc collage Music & Movement: Practice our Holiday Songs:

Must Be Santa
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Jingle Bells

Question: What are you giving for Christmas?
Question: How can you show Jesus you love him?

Games: Candyland Castle
Sensory: Playdough "cookies" with Christmas cookie cutters
Gross Motor/Outside Play: Kitchen Play-provide cookie cutters, baking sheets and chef hats and encourage the children to be a cookie factory!

Goodbye Friends

Young Learners: Brrr! It's Cold!

I haven't posted about preschool in awhile, but we've been having a lot of fun!

Dec 6th/7th: Brrrrr! It's Cold!

Book: One Mitten by Christine O’Connel George
Book: The Mitten by Jan Brett
Book: The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel

Dramatic Play: The Mitten Masks-provide the children with masks so they can act out the story of “The Mitten”.

Fine Motor: Mittens on a clothesline


Literacy: Mitten Match upper case and lower case letters


Practical Life: Weather Bunny-I can dress appropriately for cold weather
Choose Helper
Calendar/Weather/Job Chart
Snack

Art: Paper Chain Advent

Math: How Many Days until CHRISTMAS????!!!

Music & Movement: Holiday Songs
Sensory/Fine Motor: Lacing jingle bells for music time Gross Motor/Outside Play
Goodbye Friends

At Bedtime

Reese: Mom, could you bake something awesome tonight after we go to bed?
Me: probably not, tonight...why?
Reese: So the elf will copy you and make a miniature one.

On the Nice List

On Birthdays and the Christmas Season

"Another December Birthday?"

If only we could all be so lucky.
This girl: Turned seven last week!
When I was pregnant with Reese and would tell people I was due in December (Christmas Eve, originally), the reaction I got about the due date was almost always a negative one ("too bad it's so close to Christmas...").
Unfortunately, I believed those many comments, and developed a fear that her birthday would always be overshadowed by the holidays and she would feel less special, less important, and less appreciated.

Those people were wrong. Dead wrong. If you have a December birthday, and you aren't enjoying it, then you is missin' somethin'.
If you don't love Christmastime, you are also missing something.

The entire month is dedicated to celebrating the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. There is hope, love, joy, gratitude, tradition, charity, and holiday magic in the air.

Reese is one of my greatest blessings. She has given me the one thing I have wanted more than anything else in my life. On the day Reese was born, I became a mother. Her life is a gift that brings me so much joy and fulfillment that no other gift could even measure against it, save the gift of my Savior.
So it is only fitting that we celebrate her during the wonderful Christmas month.

I am glad that she already recognizes what a special and sacred time of year this is. I am grateful for fun holiday traditions, for holiday cheer, for Christmas carols, for charity drives, for warm fires, for hot cocoa, for shiny presents, for inspired sacrament meeting talks and Christmas devotionals, for glowing trees, and for selfless giving.

I am grateful for fattening goodies and egg nog, for exchanged gifts, for thoughtful musical numbers, for ugly sweaters, for naughty elves, flying reindeer and magical folklore, for decorations both ridiculous and sentimental.

I'm grateful for live nativities and Handel's Messiah sing a longs, for elves and gingerbread, for lists that need to be checked twice, for funny Christmas movies, for the Almond Box, for white Christmases, for sleigh rides at the square, for pretty downtown toy store window displays, for Christmas pageants, for school parties, for Festivus, for people dressed up in robes and bath towels on Christmas Eve, for the threat of coal in stockings, and I am especially grateful that through all the chaos and shiny hubbub, that I can still recognize that there is a reverence to this wonderfully busy season.

If there is one word I would use to describe the atmosphere shared between Aaron and I in the moment when we met our baby girl for the first time, it is reverence. Overwhelming reverence radiated from the newness of our baby girl and hushed the adrenaline driven chaos of the doctor and team of nurses rushing around us. She hushed our world.

I am not trying to be blasphemous and compare myself to Mary, or anything, and perhaps only the mother of a December baby can really appreciate the experience I just described.
I honestly feel that my first December baby gifted me a very real understanding of what took place on the most important night in the history of time, when a baby came to earth and hushed the entire world and reverence fell over all mankind.

I am grateful for December Birthdays.
Happy Christmas Birthday to my Reese. On the 14th, we celebrate you, and may you always enjoy your special birthday season. You are thoughtful, eager to please, obedient, organized, compassionate, funny, brilliant, beautiful, appreciated, and oh so very special.

You are a light in our lives. You bring us closer to Christ.
You are our Christmas Star and a breath of heaven.

We love you to the moon and back.

"I defy you to come up with a better name than Seven."

This year, Reese chose Candyland as her birthday theme.
It's amazing how easy it is to make decorations from a board game when you use a color copier! (Megan, Hannah, Jackson, Hayden, Reese, Madi, Quincy and Corbin)
Bunting and cake characters were printed out on cardstock and tada! Candyland Birthday party. I won't lie. I had a lot of fun making this cake. Probably more fun than Reese had eating it.
Actually, she had a lot of fun eating it, and so did her friends, so it's probably a tie.

I baked the cake in a large jelly roll pan so there would be more space to make the game board on it. There is a base layer of green and white frosting. The squares of the path are starburst. Queen Frostine is skating on pink coconut flakes, and King Kandy's Castle is made from purple ice cream cones that are filled with white bread and frosted. I thought the kids would throw them away, but the two that got cones on their cake piece totally ate them and were happy about it. Nasty. That officially eliminates any guilt I will ever have for using a boxed cake mix and frosting from a can. The kids did not care in the least how the cake tasted, they just thought it looked cool and they each wanted a character on their slice. I was happy to deliver.

A birthday wish was made and seven candles were blown out!

The kids decorated gingerbread cookies. This is the best recipe for cut cookies. Seriously, the best. The cookies stay soft and fresh for weeks (yes! really!) so you can use them for advent calendars or send them in the mail to loved ones (er...sorry loved ones...I didn't do that. But now you know I could do that, so harrass me next year and maybe you'll get a box of cookie mail)

mmmm sprinkles with a side of cookie.

We played a game I made that is like the Candyland Castle Game (which is what Reese wanted to play, but it is only a 4 player game) but a Christmas version.

Each player gets a gingerbread card that has 5 different decorative charms on it. Play is simple: players draw charm cards from a bowl. If they get a piece that matches part of their gingerbread man, they can keep it. If not, it goes back into the bowl and they have to wait unil it is their turn to draw again. Not very challenging for 7 yr olds, but the kids really enjoyed it, and it made for a great party game because the kids could joke around, converse, and not be serious or attentive when it wasn't their turn.
There was a candy buffet and the kids to pick prizes after they won the Gingerbread Cookie game that I made.

Then, I read the story of Candyland (yup, the one that comes inside the game box) and as each character was introduced, the kids got something to put in their goody bags. (candy canes for the candy cane forest, Dots for gumdrop pass, nutter butters from Grandma Nut, Twizzler ropes for Lord Licorice, etc)

What was fun is that one of the guests said, "let's do spotlight for Reese!" and the kids ended up each saying something they like about the birthday girl every time they got a treat. It was precious, partly because of the nice things they said, and partly because it was spontaneous. Reese loved all the validation.

After games, cake and presents, and the usual running wildly around the room that happens at a birthday party. The kids danced to Hoedown Throwdown and Freeze Dance and then the party ended/ Reese thanked her guests and hugged them enthusiastically as each of them left, then she and Quincy disappeared into a bedroom to play with new toys until bedtime.

I think she's already working on a theme for next year!

Happy 7th Birthday, Pieces! I hope your wish comes true!
(unless you wished for a guinea pig or a cat...)

"I just like smiling. Smiling's my favorite"

Tonight, Elf decided the children needed gingerbread graham cracker houses to decorate tomorrow. Then, he had a little fun decorating teeny tiny gingerbread houses made from Golden Graham cereal.

Rub a Dub Dub

Cheerio! It's Donut Day!

Meg's Wish List

It's that time again, folks!
I have made a Christmas list every year since I was old enough to write. In the Lawrence house, you made a HUGE Christmas list, because Santa liked to have options.

Translation: My parents are brilliant and saved themselves from last minute frantic shopping where they search for "the one and only" toy lest they shatter the dreams of a child on Christmas morning. Santa always managed to get me something from my Christmas list.

Before I go on, let's be real. Everything on this list is a want. All of it.
I have everything I could possibly need for the rest of my life right here with me.

1) springform cheesecake pan. I don't have one. I love cheesecake.

2) giant stainless steel pot for canning and cheesemaking
(Last month, I found one for like 70% off and jumped on it!)

3) 4 qt glass pyrex liquid measurer

I'd just like to point out that so far, all of these items would benefit the gift giver as well, since they would be used to create good things to eat.

4) beach cruiser bike with white wall tires, breaks (muy importante), a wire basket and maybe one of those cute little bar shelfs on the back. I don't own a bike, but I'd like one..but if I'm going to get a bike, I think a cute vintage inspired beach cruiser would suit me well.

5) a counter top compost pail. I often use a bowl, but this system a) looks gross b) can be stinky c) can cause major fruit fly problems in the spring and d) needs to be emptied at a minimum of once a day. THIS adorable countertop compost pail has a cabon pad in the lid to keep the stink in, and prevent attraction of gnats and fruit flies. It's attractive, convenient, and very affordable compared to other models I have seen.

I really super duper want one of these. It's a pain make a trip out to the compost pile for just two egg shells, an apple core, or 4 strawberry stems. I love the idea of just going out there once a day to empty the pail. I checked on our compost pile about a month ago and wooooweee! It's doing it's thing and come spring, we will have a lovely batch of nutrients for our garden. Yippee!

6) the Kindle Fire
reasons:
a) we want a 2nd computer, would love a touch screen but don't really need one.
2) Aaron has downloaded a few ebooks and I don't like sharing my kindle with him.
d) um, touch screen, color, wifi, movies, children's books----that alone opens up SO many possibilities for preschool---I could triple my library!

7) a trip to California. I haven't been home for Christmas in like 7 years. I haven't been to California in a year. It's been a year and a have since I've taken the girls. It is killing me. Literally. Something inside of me dies when I am away for that long. I seriously think I survived last winter because and only because of that 10 mile run in 70* San Juan Bautista.

8) Nothing would make me happier than a "Sold" sign...or even a "for sale" sign on the boat. I'm not opposed to having a boat anymore...I just don't like that boat. Also, our garage is stuffed to the muff. I'd love the extra space.

9) leaf removal. We usually do this ourselves, but dang. I'm tired. I've been tired for 8 months. I spent 2 hours blowing leaves one saturday, and now they're all in the back half of the yard, but I know that is where they are going to stay until next year. The pile is 2-4 feet deep and spans the entire backside of our home. Really. I'd LOVE to have a "professional" come out to do a one time leaf removal job and make all of it disappear, this year. Spring gardening/landscaping will be so much more enjoyable if it doesn't begin with loading and hauling 20 tarploads of leaves.

10) reflective running gear. I have a headlamp, but my little flashing light for my back is busted. I need to get another one if I'm going to do any night running this winter. There just aren't enough hours in the day to run when you have small children at home. Running in the morning is also not an option, since our day begins at 5:30am. I usually run on saturday mornings and one weeknight with a group of ladies after the kids have all gone to bed. It's a blast, but it's dark. I need a new flashy flashy light to pin on my back so I am a little more visible when it is pitch black outside.

11) A 20 ton gas powered log splitter---like this one. Ok...that one is a little fancy. We ordered a bunch of firewood this year, but we have at least 2 cords worth of cut logs out back just waiting to be split. I hate paying for firewood when I know we could have it for free for the rest of our lives if we had the right tools. And free firewood would not just mean saving on the cost of wood....it means a teeny tiny electric bill from not having to run the heater all winter. And now that the place we used to rent a splitter from has relocated and changed business to commercial rentals only...we don't have the option to just rent. But we could rent our own splitter out and get a little of the cash back. Just sayin', it would be a fun tool to have, a wonderful convenience, self reliant, and splitting wood with a giant hydraulic splitter is (incredibly dangerous and a quick way to lose a thumb if you aren't careful) a lot of fun and very rewarding work!

12) last, but not least, The Almond Box. Yeah, yeah, I know I got it last year, but hey...no one else (deserves it) is campaigning this year, so Mom, I hope you're reading this and will jump on board and support an imcumbent election.

Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

That's about it. I must be growing up. This is the first year I feel silly posting my ridiculous "all wants, no needs" list. Sticking with tradition, I posted it anyway. The kids' Santa letters are coming up, soon, along with Reese's birthday posts, preschool posts, a few crafty posts, recipes, more from our Elf, and most importantly, a celebration of the birth of our Savior, who is the real reason we enjoy this wonderful Christmas season.

On the 3rd Day of Christmas.

From the looks of it, Elf has joined Reese in wishing for a White Christmas.

Someone...

keeps making s'mores while the children aren't looking.

A Very Berry Birthday Party

Quincy requested a Strawberry Shortcake birthday party.
I told her that since she was turning 5, she could choose 5 friends to invite.
She chose Brightyn, Hannah E., Hannah G., Phoebe, Addison, Baylee, and Leah...which obviously adds up to more than five. I told her to choose only five and she simply shrugged and said, "I did, plus the other friends, and don't forget Reese and Corbin, too. I want them at my party."

Oh well. We ended up with 1o kids at the house, and it was pretty crazy, but they had fun and that's what matters.

I got her a pair of green and white striped tights to go with a pink and red dress she already had, so she could look like Strawberry Shortcake at her party. Minutes before the party, Quincy dressed herself and announced she was Lemon Meringue (complete with the hand mirror, just like her toy Lemon Meringue.) She asked to have her hair braided and then we put yellow flowers on her shoes, since she was sad that she didn't have any yellow shoes to wear. Funny girl.
The girls colored Strawberry Shortcake pictures while the guests arrived. Years ago, I mentioned to Lynda that I had loved Strawberry Shortcake when I was little, and was so excited to see it coming back. Lynda went into her magical Mary Poppins garage and then searched several fabric stored in Boise and gave me a collection of both new and vintage Strawberry Shortcake fabric. I used it to decorate Q's party and it was really cute. I also made the little bunting hanging above the food, a pillowcase for Quincy, crib set and tiny pillow for the baby doll crib that we gave her for her birthday present, and 6 cloth diapers for her babies with the fabric. She loves everything. I'll try to remember to take a picture of the pillowcase, and doll bedding and diapers later. I love that they look like toys I would have played with as a child because they have an old school Strawberry Shortcake on them. Thanks, Lynda, for the fabric! I have been saving it for years, waiting for the perfect thing to make with it. Quincy's birthday was berry-riffic!
I printed images from the Internet of all the Strawberry Shortcake characters and made little cupcake toppers with a craft punch. Quincy's friend chose Raspberry Torte, Plum Pudding, Orange Blossom, Lemon Meringue, Strawberry Shortcake, or Blueberry Muffin cupcakes.

Since the party was so close to dinnertime, we had a lot of snacks for the kids. We had pigs in a blanket, and Quincy chose strawberries, grapes, teddy grams, Cheetos, raspberries, strawberry soda and fruit shaped mini marshmallows. The girls watched a 10 minute Strawberry Shortcake movie, ate, had cake and presents, and played a Strawberry Shortcake Bingo game that I made with card stock and strawberry shortcake images that I found online and shrunk down to 1 inch, then printed and cut out to make stickers and game boards. Every time the girls got a bingo, they chose from Strawberry shortcake lip gloss and nail polish, snack mix, pencils, fruit snacks, bubbles and stickers to put in their party bags. Quincy was a gracious host and thanked each of her friends for coming. She is already planning next year's party. If I'm smart, I'll plan further ahead for that one ;)

For preschool, she took Strawberry cupcakes with strawberry marshmallows and strawberry frosting on them. Her classmates sang to her and she got to wear a paper crown (that she loved so much she slept with it on, at nap time.)

December 4th (her actual birthday) began with Quincy waking up in the morning and asking each of us how we slept. This was quickly followed up with, "Are you going to tell me, 'Happy Birthday,' now? Hey did you know that I am five, today?" I love her so much. She makes me laugh and smile every day. She is super awesome, creative, kind, and unique. And her laugh...oh her laugh! Everyone should get to hear it.

Happy Birthday, Quincy Brooklyn. I am so grateful for you. We love having you in our family and enjoyed celebrating your 5th birthday with you! You are a lovely little lemon scented gem.
I love you very berry much!