"Party! Party!"

Last night, Mallory and I headed over to Colleen's house for her Annual Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party. It was our second year going and just as much fun as I remember. Even monster was pumped up on the drive over chanting, "Party! Party!" from the backseat every few minutes. Have I mentioned how adorable she has been lately; I love hearing her mind speak!

We got a little more creative on the costumes this year than last. Last year I put her in some pajamas that looked like a ladybug and called it good, and didn't even take the time to put myself in anything other than comfortable clothes. This year I at least used some actual costume-type props to make her look more like Minnie Mouse, though I can't take all the credit as the ears were a gift from Nama and the tutu was recycled from her one year birthday party. I'm cheap, what can I say. For myself, I took an idea from a Google search of 'DIY Halloween Costumes' for a Mad Scientist. Most of the items I needed I found around the house, and picked up the rest for less than $10 at Target.

We brought along with us a platter filled with cute, Pinterest-inspired mummy cupcakes to share, of course partaking in some ourselves. Colleen made her famous chili which was even more yummy than I remember. Monster and I didn't do any pumpkin carving - we had our fill last weekend - so we enjoyed watching others get dirty with guts and seeds instead. She was having fun being the little entertainer for those standing around, dancing and jumping on laps and playing hide-and-seek. When the carving was complete and the pumpkins were lit, Mallory broke out in the 'Happy Birthday' song; fitting I guess considering it's that particular pumpkin's first Halloween. Mal was acting like such a rockstar that we ended up closing down the place and were the last ones out the door. We had a lot of fun and look forward to next year's festivities.

 

All Sorts of Smiles

Monster was filled with all sorts of smiles the other evening when we were at the park. It's rewarding to see your child so full of joy, especially when it's because of something so simple. And I love that in watching my daughter play, I am reminded once again that I absolutely love being her mom.

Pumpkin Farm

Last Sunday was niece Kaylee's ninth birthday, and to celebrate we all ventured down to Wilton to visit Fog Willow Farms. I had never heard of this pumpkin farm before which somewhat surprised me considering I grew up near the Sacramento area and it's not really that far away. Everyone usually always talks about Bishops or Apple Hill, which are great spots but very, very crowded making it almost impossible to really enjoy if you have to go on a weekend. And even though Fog Willow was busy, there was still plenty of room without feeling like a sardine. The only line we waited in was for a tractor ride. Mallory was all about the tractors that were freely roaming around the farm; the whole time were looking at the animals she kept mentioning the tractor. As for the animals, she wanted nothing to do with them. She was somewhat afraid of the goats when we went in to feed them. She kept hiding behind my legs, but towards the end I was able to talk her into petting one for a second. When she realized there were fun horse swings on the playground, she of course didn't want to leave them. I literally had to pull her off and bribe her with some hay stack climbing. After playing in the hay and getting it all over ourselves, we went on the hunt for some perfect pumpkins. Pumpkins that were way over priced in my opinion, but it's all worth it when you know the kids are having a blast!

A Little Curious

My Birthday Monster

So unfortunately I had to leave early this morning to travel for an event, which means that I was only able to spend less than an hour with my birthday monster before heading to the airport. I was able snag a couple pics of the birthday girl as she was eating her breakfast, though it was early and she wasn't in the mood to pose for the camera. And when I started singing "Happy Birthday" to her, she cut me off and told me, "No mommy." That's my 2-year old!

Pancakes & Pajamas

We had Mallory's second birthday party on Sunday morning, where the theme was 'Pancakes & Pajamas.' I don't remember how I came across this idea for the party, but as soon as I did I was in love with it. I wanted a more toned-down version of her first birthday party, but I also knew myself well enough to know that I still had to plan a fun party. I mean, I am an event planner and all - and who wouldn't want to throw a party for kids!

I feverishly cleaned and disinfected the house a little more than usual on Saturday, feeling good with the fact that not only was I doing it for the kiddos but also to give the house one of those 'deep cleans' that I should be doing once in awhile anyway. Having a clean home makes my OCD happy. The decorations were simple - sheets for tablecloths, pillows and stuffed animals strategically placed, and lots and lots of balloons. I set up a kids table in the garage that acted as not only a place for them to eat, but also where they got to do arts and crafts.

The hardest part of the party was making the pancakes. I had waited until most people arrived before I started cooking them, and while my intention to have fresh pancakes was good, it required my full attention and took me away from having fun with the kids. I should've cooked them right before people got there and then put them in the oven to keep warm. Lesson learned. I also realized half way through the party that I hadn't been taking pictures, so there were some moments that I missed capturing that I'm a little bummed about. I'll just have to steal those pictures from those who did remember to use their camera.

Mallory was super sad when the last party go-er left, but nap time had already been delayed for extra play time, and sure enough she was out within minutes of putting her down. Overall, the party was a huge success and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Mallory have a blast with her friends. 

The invite

Arts and crafts

The pancake bar

My silly monster

Bubbles

Modeling her Minnie pj's

Annoyed that I wanted to take her picture

Being carefree

Playing with her presents

Birthday girl