Hello Birthday Girl

Isabel had her first friend party today (she turns 4 on Sunday) - what fun! She had 9 little girlfriends at her party, and we did a Hello Kitty theme. Hello Kitty is so stinkin' cute I can hardly stand it.

Hello Kitty greeted the party guests as they arrived-

And a VERY excited birthday girl awaited their arrival-

We decorated with pink and yellow streamers and tissue paper flowers, and Hello Kitty plates and cups-

I made each of the girls a flower hair clip (with a little bling in the center!), and they wore them at the party-
As the girls arrived, they each colored a Hello Kitty picture-

And then they sat in a circle and played a little "Hello" get to know each other game-

They played hot potato, but with a ball of pink yarn (because little kitties like yarn of course). The girls passed the yarn while I played music, and when the music stopped, the girl holding the yarn was out until there was a winner.

I had made a Hello Kitty face out of poster board-
and made each girl a bow. We played pin the bow on Hello Kitty - blindfolded, naturally. This was a big hit, and highly entertaining!

Not my best cake work, but it got the job done!

Present opening was nothing short of crazy chaotic fun. She seriously loves all of her presents, and has been playing with them all day.

She has loved sitting in her new princess tent with her new treasures-

Such a fun, cute girl I have-

who in turn has such fun, cute friends!

The guests each brought home a bag with little pretties and sweet treats: Hello Kitty candy bracelet, Hello Kitty lipgloss, Hello Kitty stickers, a lollipop, and of course their flower hair clips:
Isabel has been on a sugar and excitement high since the party, declaring it the "best party EVER!" I think I just heard her bedroom door shut for about the 50th time tonight; she's clearly having a tough time winding down tonight.

A fun day indeed.

Weekend update

On Saturday morning we went to a Home Depot Kids' Workshop. Have never been before, and it is very cool! It's totally free, and kids get to make and take a do-it-yourself project; they also get balloons, a certificate of completion, and a nifty orange apron (which, I must admit, was one of my ulterior motives for going; I need those aprons for an upcoming Primary activity later this month).

The project was a wooden firehouse bank, which is about as Connor-centered as can be, him loving rescue vehicles, coins and building things.

Most of the remainder of the weekend we hunkered down and watched General Conference. I was in serious need of some uplifting and fortifying messages, and it did not disappoint. I love conference weekend. I feel renewed to serve, love others, stay close to the Spirit, and be obedient to the commandments.

Sunday was spent in our PJs. Isabel was thrilled to discover hers matched her Share Bear, and demanded I take a picture.
I made monkey bread as a treat, to remind the children not to make any monkey business while we were watching conference. It worked for about 20 minutes, as long as it took them to eat it. In truth, though, they were generally very good.
Monkey Bread
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 (11 oz.) cans refrigerated biscuits
1 cup chopped pecans

Topping:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a large bag and shake to combine. Cut biscuits into quarters. Add biscuit pieces and chopped nuts to bag and shake. Make sure biscuit pieces are covered. Empty contents into greased bundt pan. Melt butter on the stove, then add brown sugar and vanilla; heat until mixture is combined. Pour over biscuits. Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes. Place pan upside down on large plate or platter, let sit for a minute. Then remove the pan, slice and serve the monkey bread. Yum!

A day on the farm

On Tuesday we went on a field trip for Isabel's preschool group to a fall festival at a local farm. We combined with another preschool group, plus a bunch of other moms, and ended up with quite a group! We had a great time doing mazes, playing on the playground, seeing animals, riding the barrel train, seeing some replica Cars characters (so cute!), and riding around on a huge wagon pulled by a tractor, which stopped at 6 different fields while we picked potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, beans, pumpkins and corn. It ended up being a hot and hard-working day on the farm, but Isabel and Lucas were super troopers and had a fabulous time. Isabel thought picking vegetables was the bomb! We had steamed beans for dinner last night, and I can't wait to make a stew with all of our fresh veggies. What a great field trip!