Frozen Party...or as the kids called it; the "Let it Go" Party

The Cake Table.  Yep...we go all out.

Looks like I'm not doing the greatest job at updating our family blog.  But that's okay.  In my defense, I've been founding a Charter School here in Sunnyside since July 2013.  It's a full time job in and of itself...I'll expand more on that someday when we get approved.  Or you can just go to our website and check it out if you're at all remotely interested: CharterSOS.org .

And also...I'm pregnant.  Yup.  Due in about 2 months.  Again, more on that another day...But for now, we are going to celebrate all things Lilly and Daisy with a combined birthday party "FROZEN" style.

The Frozen invite.  One of my favorite invitations I've designed so far. LOVE!!!!

We decided to combine the girls' birthdays this year because---well, Imma gonna be poppin' out a kid here soon.  And come Daisy's actual birthday in June, I won't be feelin' up to climbing ladders and decorating all fancy.  So I thought I'd just get it ALL out of the way.  Plus, Frozen themes are sweeping the nation these days.  I figured I had better get on board with this Elsa/Anna stuff before it got TOO old--am I right?????  So here goes:

So the invitation: Designed by moi!  I based it off of a few invitations from Etsy.  But, since I am kind of a graphic designer by trade, I decided to save a buck or two and do it myself.

Then we decided on the decor and food.  Whew!  I am glad I had my trusty friend Michelle around to help...cuz, she did most of the decorating and follow through.  Hey, at this point I am just a big waddling mess, who's pretty much useless.  So I owe it all to Michelle.  Here are some pics of the whole process:

This is before we decorated.  I went on a shopping spree to all the craft stores in the area.  Think I got enough?

What a mess!

I had my mom cut some vinyl wall art for me (www.morethanvinyl.com).  I just sent her the images I wanted and she cut them on her fancy machine and sent them back.  It took like three days to stick it all to my walls though.  I think we are going to leave it up till Christmas to get good use out of it, you know what I mean?!?! I'm just not really caring if my dining room looks like Elsa's wonderland at this point in time. Just gonna focus on growing a kid in my belly from here on out--oh yeah, and opening a charter school.

A little peak at the vinyl wonderland that is emerging.

Hello, Olaf!!!  Also, that tree has little crystal diamonds on it.  Just one of the many small touches to the party.

Oh, well now that's cute...

Another wall with more vinyl.  I love the quote.  So fitting for Lilly and Daisy

Party Favors:  I didn't want to burden ourselves with too many activities or things to do.  Just wanted to have some food, watch the movie, open presents, have cake, then go home with a cool party favor.  I looked on Pinterest and got the idea of the Frozen little golden books.  So that's what we gave out.  Super simple (not that cheap), but super cute:

The favors: Little golden books "Frozen" and some stickers wrapped in dollar store plastic tissue paper, and tied up with pipe cleaners and a Frozen ring.

Let's pause for a sec and and talk about a few things:

Like this cutie bug for one.  She just turned 4.  And this is Queen Lilly for a day at her preschool.  (Picture is blurry cuz she is too quick for my iphone to capture her).  But, she gets to be treated like a queen for a day at her preschool, when it's her birthday.  So fun.  And here's a video of her class singing happy birthday to her.  And, Holy Moly she is cute lip syncing along.

Then the very next day, we got to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day!  How cool is that?!?!  Not very many people realize that Lilly--who was born with Down Syndrome--was born one day before World Down Syndrome day. March 21st = 3/21.  Get it?????? People with Down Syndrome have 3 copies of the chromosome 21.  Pretty creative, I think.  Anyway...to celebrate, you wear socks.  Just rockin' some socks in any way you want.  Don't know why, but that's what the world does to celebrate.  We like to layer colorful socks.  So that's what we did. And for 3/21, I made Lilly a special snack for school with 21 pretzel sticks and 3 blueberries in her yogurt. (gluten-free and dairy-free, mind you) along with a mini gluten-free chocolate cake...just for fun. I like to celebrate with food whenever I can.

World Down Syndrome day was Friday.  And the day after that was the girls' combined party.  And this is how it looked:

Ta-Daaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Rear View

Side View

And a view with the birthday girls.  Daisy is posing for the camera.

By the way...those super cute outfits they are wearing can be found on Etsy.  Love them! Love them! Love them!  And, Jen, the lady who makes these is super awesome to work with.  Go on her site and buy some.  She has a whole bunch of different princess outfits--all handmade!  Here's the link: Ross and Rosie Designs .  Go there now!!!!!!!  You will die from all the darling-ness.

And we're hugging again.

The entryway.  We put the trees there so those nosy kids couldn't go upstairs and get lost.  But yeah, kids are smarter than you think.  That's where all of them wanted to be, and they found a way to get through those branches.

Another view of the entryway. Both girls had their pictures and little paper lanterns that represented their character from the movie.

The fireplace next to the TV.  Yes we find all kinds of places to add decorations.  

An arial view of the food table.

We had "Frozen" hot chocolate.  No one liked it...maybe cuz it was dairy free.  Not a lot of people like  dairy free foods...and kids are the first to detect these things.  You can't fool them. And frankly, I don't blame them either.  Also...that is not me in the background.  That is another pregnant lady, who happens to be pregnant with twins.  And guess what?  I am most definitely BIGGER than her already.  Not to mention a week behind her and only carrying one baby.  Whatevs...  This is why you aren't seeing pictures of me.  I am beyond huge.  Like a giant stuffed pimento olive on-a-toothpick kind of huge.  It doesn't look right.

And marshmallow men straws to dip in the hot chocolate???  We just thought it was cute, had to use it somehow.

More marshmallow goodies.  I came up with this idea.  I Just spray painted them in food coloring and then dipped them in sprinkles.  Yums!

And the blue jello is Kristoff's Ice.  Sort of pathetic ice, really.  It didn't turn out quite as I expected.  Ah well. But hey, Kristoff is the official ice deliverer; Queen's orders...so you can't complain about the ice now!

Sandwiches.  Cuz "we finish each other's...sandwiches"  And sandwiches are obviously Hans's favorite food, am I right?

The party:  The kiddos arrived...one million little tiny people running around all over the friggin' place. It was like trying not to step on ants.  Sheesh.  But here's some pictures of the festivities below:

As the kiddos arrived, we turned on the movie and then over in the play area adjacent to the family room with the television...the kids could sit and make an Elsa or Anna crown, or Sven antlers.  Again, thanks to amazing helpers we were able to have these pre-cut so the kiddos could just attach jewels or stickers to their heart's content.  Here's a link to the pin from Pinterest that I found the free template from.  Just click on the picture:

Ha Ha, she's cute.  That's my Daisy.

Cute little Karson.  She's Lilly's best friend at preschool.  She is like her body guard.  Won't let anyone hurt or tease Lilly.  She is a little angel...and a cute one at that.

Tanner is over there being fitted for his antlers.  Lookin' good, son.

Num num num...That's all that pops into my mind when I see this picture.  That Daisy girl is such a hot mess.  Love her though...And it is her party, so she can be as hot of a mess as she wants to.

Cutting the Cake:  After crafts, food and a little movie watching, we made our way into the party room for some cake.  Joreen, from Bon Vino's, always does a superb job at seeing my vision, and then designs such beautiful works of art for my babies.  This year she went above and beyond the call of duty.  She made three cakes: two barbie doll cakes for each of the girls based after their character, and then a regular 3 tiered cake with cute little Olaf on top.  She is a pro!  Order cakes from her, stat!!!!  She is the shiz!  Here is the link to Bon Vino's .

Anna cake, 3 tiered cake (notice the D and the L in the design????), and Elsa cake
(sigh) Life is perfect.

After that, we opened some presents.  Which I do not want to relive...EVER!  I am so glad I don't have twins for this reason.  How do they keep track of who gets what, and who gave what to which kid???  (I don't even know if that sentence made any sense at all)  Anyway, as soon as presents were over, so was the movie and so was the party.  The kiddos left as quickly as they arrived and I was left with a house full of Frozen stuff everywhere you looked.  We are still stepping on ice crystals from tree branches and it's been over two weeks.  But hey...it was worth it.

Daddy promised to make a GoPro movie about the party.  He took video of the blowing of the candles and even strapped a camera onto Lilly's chest throughout the day.  So we will see what he comes up with.  But, I'm posting what I have so far until he's finished with the editing.  So check back soon if you want to see the live action portion of our fantastic Frozen party.

Thanks for stopping by!

CAL--EE---FORN--I--A!

I'm ready for my close up.

Here is a photo montage of our trip to California.  Not much to talk about really.  I'm sure you can imagine what it's like to cram in all of this in one week with three small children: Disneyland, Legoland (twice), Family pictures on the beach, visit cousins, play in the sand all day, and then clean sand out of a rental house on the beach that will charge you an extra fee if there is extra sand on their floors.  Which I don't get...You're a beach house for crying out loud.  Beach houses get sandy.  So yes...a lot to cram in.  I'm already exhausted and haven't even posted the pictures yet.  Here goes...

Lilly's favorite spot.  She did NOT like the ocean.

We even tried putting her in a kiddie pool by the ocean.  You can see how she felt about that.

Tanner on the other hand is a fish.

And Daisy?  Well she just liked sitting on her potty (which she affectionately called "My Crap"--or my crab.  It was actually a pink frog potty, but she thought it looked more like a crab.  We found it in the garage of the rental house.  How gross is that?

Here's another picture of her clothed.  Yes her eyes are really that blue. Wowzahs!

I got lazy...and life got ahead of me.  So a year later, I just made a photo book of all our adventures.  You can view that photobook right here to get the full experience:

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo books are the perfect gift for any occasion.

Once Upon a Time...

The Princess, Ballerina Room

Once upon a time, there was a princess named Lilly.  And she lived in a magical land where everyone danced and wore pink!  And Today, was Princess Lilly's 3rd Birthday party.  So her crazy Queen mamma and really nice babysitter--Lady Michelle, put together the most grandest party there ever was. And the kingdom rejoiced.

(Ok.  Here are the pictures.  It really was a "grand" party.  That tu-tu table cloth alone cost me about 340 yards of tulle and 3 days worth of my time.  But hey...anything for my little princess! ((enjoy))

First of all, I need to send a shout out to Joreen at Bon Vino's Bistro and Bakery .  She made this cake for Lilly.  She's the best because she did while in her 3rd trimester of pregnancy.  And it looks AMAZE-balls.  Let me attach the picture that I got the idea from.  I can't remember the actual website unfortunately.  But I took a screen shot of it on my phone months ago.  So here it is.  I love how Joreen puts her own twist to the cake, making it her own work of art. She's a talented lady.

Joreen does Lilly's cakes for us every year.  It's sort of a tradition.  She has a special place in her heart for Lilly because they are both from Holland.  Let me clarify:  Joreen is "literally" from the country of Holland and she makes all kinds of Holland desserts from recipes passed down by her grandma.  AND Lilly is "figuratively" from Holland.  Meaning, she has Down Syndrome.  If you're new to the Down Syndrome world check out this poem "Welcome to Holland" by Emily Perl Kingsley  It'll explain why we say that Lilly is from Holland.  Joreen brings back all kinds of jewelry and trinkets for Lilly whenever she goes to Holland to visit.  She's a pretty neat lady.

Ok.  Onward!!!

So, did I mention that this dang table skirt took me forever to make?????  Why. Do. You. Even. Do. THIS. TO. Yourself.  you ask?  I don't know why?  I have some weird addiction to planning parties for my kids.  I don't do it for anyone else (anymore)...just my kids (and my husband, occasionally---ok, and my babysitter too.  She does the grunt work for most of these parties, so she deserves a little party of her own every couple of years. I'll be doing her wedding one day).  Anyway, don't go getting any ideas. I'm not making this into a day time job or anything.  Here's the link to the Pinterest pin that I got the idea from for the table cloth. Called "Oh One Fine Day"  Theirs looks better, I think.

I don't think there's a tutorial on how to make this table skirt on her blog, so I'll just tell you how I did it.  I basically safety pinned a rope onto a table cloth.  Then looped strips of tulle around the rope, just made sure there was enough safety pin reinforcement so that it didn't sag in the center.  I probably used three bolts of tulle and about 100 safety pins.  That thing is NOT coming off.  We might have to use it for Daisy's birthday too.  ((Tinkerbell party--in June)) 

You can see the safety pin here.  But I found that it looks better if I put the safety pin in back of the material, behind the table cloth, so it's hidden. You'll get lots of pin pokes if you're not careful. 

Here's the front.  I did it in sections.  And would pin about every 5-8 loops of material. 

So here's the invite that I sent out.  Like all my ideas, I took this from a party that I saw on Pinterest. So I made my own invite using the same concept.  I bought the little carriage image at VectorStock .  Then I just changed the colors to look more gold-ish.  Photoshop is my friend.  Probably my best friend at the moment.  OK, I am in love with Photoshop.  Then I just found free fonts that I liked at dafont.com and made it look all princessy.  Turned out cute.  Here's a pic of the final product:

And here's a picture from the party on Pinterest that I got the idea from. Celebrations at Home blog.  Again...their stuff is ALOT cuter...but hey.  I'm getting there.

Oh, and while we are talking about the above blog...we also stole some other ideas from it.  Just freakin' visit this blog, that's all I'm saying.  It is like an explosion of eye pleasing images.  I die everytime I visit that blog.  SO. STINKIN'. CUTE!!!!!  Just go and you'll see what I mean.  Here's the link again: Celebrations at Home .  

The party girls got to wear tutu skirts from Lilly and Daisy's dress up closet. Tanner helped with that.  What a guy.  Always surrounded by women...and has no problem with that.

Jaxon decided to dress up as a "prince" to get into the party mood.  He just came as the Prince of Darkness.  No prob.  Lookin' good!

Clockwise:  Party goers getting their food while Lilly was playing dodge the camera; The inside of the cake as Mariel (Lilly's little Holland buddy) and Charlie looks on; All party goers got a crown.  Found the ideas from this pinterest link: DIY lace crowns .

We even had a dance class, taught by a professional dancer.  ME! (hahaha)  Well, yeah...it wasn't that great of a class.  But the kids look cute in this picture.  We used these to dance with.  Michelle made them from another pinterest pin.  Imagine that.  Here's the link:  Party Craft Secrets

Yep.  There I am in all my glory.  Thanks Cori, for this shot!  I'm actually demonstrating a very important move in the world of dance.  And that is the "Popcorn" step.  So basically you crouch as small as you can on the floor, count to 3, then jump as high as you can and yell "Popcorn".  The kids actually love it.  Believe it or not.  Except for Jane, who's frowning over there to the right.  She was too busy being princess Jane and didn't want to get involved.  Love ya Jane!

Ahhhhhh...cake time.  Yes the candles were "Trick" candles.  Lilly got frustrated.  Because she prides herself in being able to blow out hot things.  But they were the only candles I had.  I'm always forgetting some small detail.

Yey!  Candles!!!!  Wait a sec...these things aren't going out!  daggumit!

1. Present time!  I love how Lilly opens presents.  So intense!  2. She loved looking at her homemade cards from friends back behind her wardrobe when most of the guests left.  She was so content.  3. "Ooh! Look at my pretty new crown!  Thanks Charlie!" and thanks to Solomé and Mariel for the cute hair clip!!!!!!!

  

And this shot is sooooooooooooooooo precious!!!!!!!  She really loves her crown. Looking at her self in the mirror.  What a princess! Thank you Cori, for capturing this beautiful moment.  What a doll!

Bye Everyone!  Thanks for coming!!!!

Then Mom-mom and Papa called to sing happy birthday to Lilly!  Look at her expression.  She is not impressed.  Even though they did harmony and everything. Long day, I suppose.  By the way, that lady singing in that picture is my mom.  And she is the one that does all the "vinyl" stuff for me, for parties.  She's a genius with that stuff.  So, I'm gonna throw in a plug for her business: More than vinyl .  She'll do anything you want!  She's super good at it.  Here's a picture below, of one of the princessy things we did for the party.

The End.  Whew. This post was long too....  It's cuz Cori took so many amazing pictures.  Wow.