Happy Birthday Anastasia!

Yesterday was Anastasia's third birthday party and we celebrated with about 20 friends in Scooby Doo fashion. As our friends arrived, Scooby Doo was playing on TV, so most of the kids camped out in the living room.



Meanwhile the adults got drinks and started in on the snacks. Once everyone had a beverage in hand, it was time for some craftiness. The masks Annie and I made with papier mache were set up to be decorated and painted by the kids. We had a whole painting station set up in the back with washable paints and markers, and a mask for each of the kids. I'm generally pretty freaked out by the mess that comes with crafts, but with a drop cloth on the floor and a plastic table cloth taped to the table the mess was a relatively easy one to clean up.



We served a menu inspired by Scooby Doo, who loves pizza and hot dogs (though without Scooby's fondness for chocolate sauce and other strange toppings.) There was Buffalo Chicken dip, thanks Nathalie for the assist on that, honey barbecue wings, pigs in blankes, salad and a veggie platter and cheese pizza. Must have been well liked because by the end, there wasn't much left over.




Grown ups also got to enjoy a sparkling cocktail with champagne, strawberries, lemon and sugar, while the kids had juice boxes at their disposal.



When everyone seemed to be finishing up their food, Anastasia's best buddy Lily came to me and told me that she thought it was time to get the party started. I asked her what she meant and she explained as only a 3 year old can, that in order to really start the party, we needed to put candles in a cake and sing happy birthday to Anastasia who would then blow out the candles and everyone would get cake and then the party would be started. I so wish the video camera had been rolling for that precious moment.



At Lily's urging, we brought out the treats and sang to Anastasia. She was so proud and excited when we were singing to her.



Once cupcakes and rice krispy treats had been passed around and everyone was sufficiently sugared, it was time for us to say thank you to all of our friends. Anastasia did a great job passing out goody bags to all the kids that came.



Stasia even shared a goody bag with Uncle Mark, who posed for a couple pictures in the super stylish sunglasses.



After we said thank you for coming to all of our guests, it was time to start opening presents. Among other things, Annie got some classic board games, a bunch of new books, a computer for her room, and a new bike with training wheels.



Considering that Annie had been battling a high fever and unrinary tract infection, she did great during the party and predictably was exhausted when it was all over.

Ready for School

Today we went shopping for Anastasia's school supplies. There were suprisingly few actual school supplies on the list: 2 big pencils, a composition book, two folders and a binder. The rest of the list looked a lot like the list of supplies for daycare: change of clothes, crib sheet, blanket, toothbrush, hand sanitizer, etc. It's all now in a bag waiting for the first day of school, a week from tomorrow.

And today we tried on Annie's school uniform for the first time, too. She looked very cute. Little one has three different options for school.


Plaid Skirt


Gray Skirt


Plaid Jumper

I know I said she wasn't going to get a jumper, but I managed to find it for significantly less than the $40 it cost on Land's end, so we got one in addition to the two skirts.

Once I got a few pictures, Anastasia was very eager to get back into the dress she'd picked to wear today. Hopefully, she'll be a bit more excited to wear the uniform when she's actually going to school.

Why is 6 Afraid of 7?

Last year, our friends Eric and Gayle gave us a copy of the Barenaked Ladies children's album, Snacktime. The first song on this album is a tribute to the old joke "why is 6 afraid of 7? ... Because 7 ate 9". Anastasia loves the album, and she loves that song. So, while we were singing songs on the patio, this one came up, too.



The line she keeps singing in the video:

Oh, the cat will have to live with 8 lives now, without one he'll have to make do
Ever since 7 ate 9 seems I've got an extra finger and an extra toe, too

Two Songs About Monkeys

The other evening we were hanging out on the front porch because it was nice out and Anastasia started singing songs for me. After a short instruction on the proper way to take a picture, she sang Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.



Next, we did the other monkey song. This one was new to me when she started singing it a few months ago.



The words:

Four little monkeys, swinging in a tree
Teasing Mr. Aligator "you can't catch me, no you can't catch me!"
Along comes Mr. Aligator, slow as can be and
Snatch that monkey right out of the tree.

It's maybe not the nicest song in the world, but Annie seems to like the last line the best.

Party Preparations Begin

In the last few months, Anastasia has gotten very into Scooby Doo. She really likes the live action movies from a few years ago with Freddie Prinz, Jr, and she loves the original animated series "Scooby Doo, Where Are You". Orlando has quite a few episodes downloaded on his phone, and many mornings we're roused by the theme music before our alarms start. Then a few weeks ago she picked up a piece of mail and said "look, I found a clue. And look, more bad stuff".

So, when it came to planning her birthday party, it seemed pretty simple to do a Scooby party. Orlando and I were talking about it, and it was a logical next step to have the kids paint scary masks during the party. So, today, in preparation for this (possibly ill advised) activity, Anastasia and I covered baloons in papier mache.

We started by ripping lots of newspaper into strips.



I had hoped to get a picture of us working with the goop, but it was altogether too messy for me to even consider picking up the camera. We covered 4 balloons, which have now dried and will be painted white and cut in half to be turned into masks for the kids to paint at the party on the 23rd.

Splish Splash

We've had a very mild summer this year (only 4 or 5 days over 90 degrees so far) so now that it's finally hot, I decided a couple weeks ago to fill up Annie's little pool in the yard. It's just a little inflatable pool, not the fanciest, but Annie loves splashing in it and she had a lot of fun.



Some time in before labor day I'll find us an outdoor pool where she can get to experience some deeper water.

Growing up so fast

Little girl is getting so big and smart and grown up that I kind of feel like I'm in a bit of a timewarp lately. Yesterday, she said to me, "Mommy, you alright? Come here, I give you hug then you be all better." It had been a really stressful day and this was about the sweetest, most thoughtful thing she could have done.

She then went upstairs, got the Desitin out of the bathroom drawer and spread it all over both legs and announced that she'd put on her "lotion". Laughter and bathtime ensued.

Maybe not so grown up afterall.