Tessa's Birthday Thursday

Tessa declared her birthday on Thursday to be the 'best day ever!' That's what every parent wants to hear.

We started the day with a few presents before breakfast, including earrings from Mom-mom. 

Then Tessa was allowed to have a small piece of chocolate chip cake for breakfast. A small piece, and a side of  yogurt was required!

It just happened to be 'beach day' in kindergarten so Tessa had a bit of a built in party. The teacher had moved all the desks and they sat on beach towels all day, along with some other fun activities. Because Tessa was wearing her beach hat, she had to fit the classroom birthday crown on top.

Charley and I delivered some mini-donuts for an early morning treat to the class.

In this picture, the class is singing to Tessa. She doesn't look like she's enjoying it or anything.

At lunch I surprised her again by showing up with a Subway sandwich. Tuna salad with cheese, olives and pickles, her favorite. I call it her stinky sammich. She was so excited and gabbed the whole time. We were like ladies who lunch...in elementary.

That night we went out to Bravo, Tessa's favorite restaurant. Maybe it's because kids get to play with pizza dough while they wait for their food. That or the pasta.

It's the first sit down restaurant that we've all been to together in over 6 weeks (for obvious reasons), and I enjoyed 3 ounces of Jeremy's pasta with chicken. It was so nice to be out with the fam, just enjoying a restaurant. I missed that kind of normalcy. I've also missed solid food! 

Tessa's present from us is a playground set which arrives next week, so it will be a bit belated. But she's looking forward to it, as well as all the kids in our small group. I know that thing will get a LOT of good play this summer!

Tessa's Pottery Party

I posted the other day about how we were trying to keep Tessa's birthday simple this year. I would say we succeeded with flying colors. Rather than a huge over the top party at our house that required days of preparation...we opted to take it on the road.

Tessa invited 6 little friends (and her brother as a bonus of course) to a local pottery studio, where they were able to pick and item and paint it. This week they will glaze and fire them for the kids to keep and treasure forever. Then we had snacks, cupcakes and opened presents. The kids all had a great time and it was so easy on our part.

I mean, I spent $20 at Target on some cupcakes and snacks. And then the lady who worked there cleaned everything up. Why hasn't anyone told me about this idea before?

I can't complain, though. We do like to have parties at our house. We're planning a huge summer bbq right now.

Best of all, of course, is that the kids really had a lot of fun. 

Charley made a blue shark with yellow polka dots and bloody teeth. 

The birthday girl made a rainbow whale piggy bank. 

This place has all kinds of houseware items like switch plates and vases and serving trays. I'm determined to go back sometime without kids and have some fun of my own!

Meet Sean Deer

Jeremy got a buck back in the fall and we've been enjoying the venison since. Apparently it takes a long time to taxiderm-ize the head, because it just arrived yesterday.

Yup. We have a buck head on our wall now. Specifically on Jeremy's wall actually, in his office where it will be staring at him all day and not at me.

If deer heads on the wall aren't fairly normal where you come from, you don't come from Indiana.

Thank you, Sean, for the delicious meat. I especially like you in lasagna and chili. 

I'm not going to say I love it, although Tessa really does. But if it makes Jeremy happy and boosts his points both as a man and a Hoosier, how can I say no? Plus I can hang ornaments from his antlers just like Papaw used to with his.

But really one is enough. If Jeremy's office turns into a taxidermy showcase, I might protest.

Birthday Plans- Dialing it Down

After lunch today, Charley and I made Tessa a card for her birthday tomorrow.I really need to do more art when I'm alone with this kid. Tessa and I used to do art things like every single day. I don't know...I guess he's never been as into it as she was. But he does like to paint!

This will be the first year we haven't had a big blowout-40 people to our house-themed with matching goody bags-amazing cake made by Erin-cheeseballs shaped like cartoon characters type of birthday party.

We are keeping it simple this year. It's not a new proclamation to keep it simple forever, just gauging the feel of our house and what we can handle at the moment.

So we are going to have 6 or so little friends and their Moms to a local pottery studio on Saturday, where they can paint a creation and take it home. Make art, eat cake, have fun, the end. I might even wait until Friday after school to pick out some store bought cupcakes and snacks with Tessa.

The day before. I'm going to purchase things the day before and probably only one bag full. Yes, yes I am. This is awesome.

Tomorrow, her actual birthday, she has requested mini donuts at school. Again, storebought. Done! Then I plan to surprise her with a Subway sandwich and have lunch with her. I really love having lunch with the kindergarteners. They are so funny, it's like a mini comedy show.

Then tomorrow night we'll got out to eat at the restaurant of her choice (which I know already she will say is Bravo), where I may enjoy 3 oz of soft cooked pasta.

Her present this year is a playground set in the yard, so we don't even  have anything for her to open. But I might rectify that with a small trip to Target so there's something to wrap and unwrap.

And that's it. My baby will be a whopping 6 years old! Insanely hard to believe and yet, I can't remember her not being here. I do love her age. 5 has been my favorite so far. Old enough to follow rules and listen, but young enough to be innocent and sweet and funny. 5 definitely was a treat.

Simple Spring Break

Last week Tessa had spring break. For the first half of the week I was still under driving restriction from surgery so we hung around the house. Later we got out a bit, but no huge day-long tiresome adventures to the museum or anything. A staycation.

I didn't even have a bunch of cool artsy crafsty plans like days of old. We just rolled with it. And even though some of Tessa's friends went to Disney World or camping, or on a road trip...I would say we still had fun.

We made the Barbies a nice hot tub.

We play Little Ponies outside. There's exactly one boy pony and Charley always gets that one while Tessa plays with the 20 girls ones.

We braided hair and did fingernails. 

We went to free-play time at the gymnastics studio.

We met my old college roomie Blythe down in Columbus and played on their amazing indoor playground which I forgot to take pictures of. But I've taken pictures there before, see?

It's a wicked cool playground and worth the drive.

We switched out Tessa's piercing earrings for some real ones.We also hit up the McD's playland, did some gardening, and watched Wreck it Ralph a few times. 

It was a pretty nice vacation. Now we've gone back to real life and I'm testing my energy abilities with a busy week and traveling husband. So far hanging in there, but missing the down time.

Carrot Planting, Photos by Charley

Last year Tessa had great success with her carrot patch, so today we put some seeds in the ground to grow another. A little bigger than last year, and with full sized carrots rather than baby ones.

We also got sunflower and lavender seeds in the ground while we were at it, and Charley took some pictures for us.

It doesn't look like much now but in the summer the grape arbor will be overflowing and the ground here covered carrots and lavender. This ground is normally where we put about 10 tomato plants but we are toning it down a bit this year. Only 6-8 Roma tomato plants in the raised bed, no more!

But don't worry...there will be lots and lots of basil. Lots.

Charley wears his cowboy boots every single day, by the way. And usually always gets compliments when we are out around town. He's kind of a stud.

Easter Cousin Retrospective

It would seem that these kids have been growing. I couldn't find one from Tessa's or second Easter....maybe 2009 was when we started the group shot tradition. 

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Easter 2013

Because our Easter was so busy, we hid the kid's baskets the night before. Yes you are looking at Jeremy's awesome hiding job. One on the fan and one 12 ft in the air on the chandelier. It took them a while to find them. 

Easter morning we went to church, then down the farm for the day. I packed myself a nice lunchbag of food options, but did pretty well with just the inside of some deviled eggs. 

The cousins know the drill by now. No Easter egg hunt until we get a picture of the whole group. Certainly getting easier than it was a few years ago when we were wrangling babies! 

Then we rode the 4-wheeler and 10 year old Mark tore it up on his dirt bike. Later they got out their archery stuff and shot targets while we sipped coffee and watched. 

We had some out of town family for the day, which was really nice. A big houseful!

A happy Easter was had by all!