Friends and Fun

Last weekend we got together with friends. Paul and Charlo came over on Saturday. Ally loves it when they come over, because they always play with her. This night Paul and Ally got really into dinosaurs. It turns out Paul knows a lot of dinosaurs, but he was hard pressed to stump her. After dinner Ally and Paul worked on a dinosaur game project they created.

Then Charlo read a book to Ally before bed.

The next night Carly and her family came over for dinner. They brought dessert and the girls had a blast decorating their own cookies.

 

Can you guess what this is a picture of? My attempt at purple pancakes. They turned out black and were quite un-appetizing in my opinion but Ally dutifully ate them. She commented to Becky that maybe next time plain would be ok.

After school one day Ally had her nature class – and she was so cold when she got home that she bundled up in her pajamas, robe, wool socks, slippers and kept her hat on all thru dinner!

Birthday Party #19–Ally’s

Birthday party #19 was Ally’s party. All morning she kept telling me “I am so happy I am 6”.

Ally was so excited to see all the balloons hanging up in the windows when she got up in the morning. Our hard work while she was sleeping paid off! After her 2 morning TV shows Ally got right to work on more of her new Lego sets. Aunt Beth helped her as needed while Becky and I got every thing ready for our guests to arrive.

Ally got flowers delivered just for her from her friend Stella who was unable to come to the party. Aunt Beth braided Ally’s hair.

 

Waiting for the girls to arrive we took family pictures.

The dining room all decorated!

The living room – Aunt Beth and Mama under the mural Ally painted.

When the girls arrived they all worked on a craft project making paper flowers. Mama made flower pancakes for the girls to eat. Becky is laughing here because at this point all the moms were gathered in the kitchen watching her – 4 moms lined up in a row in rapt attention. It was a funny site.

We also had fruit skewers that mama made. The girls sat a little table in the living room room and the grown ups ate in the dining room. There was lots of laughter and chatting in each location.

One of the kid’s plates – a flower pancake, syrup, fruit skewer and bacon – all of Ally’s friends loved the bacon – Roxie especially.

After lunch, Aunt Beth made each girl a flower head band.

Then it was time for musical chairs. They requested the song Call Me Maybe. Before the game started all 5 of them sang the song together.

I think it is possible we broke a sound record. Every time Becky took a chair away they all squealed/screeched.

Gabi won the first game and Alice was the winner the second game!

Gabi, Alice, Willow, Ally and Roxie.

Rosa was unable to come and we missed her and Julie her mom very much.

After the game it was time for cake. Ally blew out her 6 candles.

Ally ate all the cake in her piece and left most of the icing behind. But she loved it and was having a blast at her party. At right are the goody bags – I hand stamped the front and back of each gift bag, Ally helped a little last weekend. And next to the bag is the craft project; paper flowers and a foam vase. Inside the bags were the chocolate flower lollipops we made.

Then it was time to open presents. The girls surrounded Ally and her gifts like bees to honey. There was no personal space for Ally but she was a good sport and a gracious host. Ally was fortunate to receive lots of nice presents; arts and crafts supplies, a new Lego kit and a Tinkerbelle nightlight.

After presents the girls played for a while. Ally was getting pretty tired and ready for the party to be over, so I encouraged the girls to all color a picture (of flowers) and then it was time for everyone to go home.

The girls coloring, and Willow modeling her new flower headband.

After her friends left Ally finished her picture and started in on a new craft project.

After a bit Ally had some more lunch and watched the new Tinkerbelle movie.

Ally had so much fun at her party.

We all did – it went on and one – over 3 hours! The moms were enjoying themselves chatting and laughing that no one wanted to go home.

We are so fortunate to have this wonderful group of friends in our Guatemala Girls Group and Willow and her mom Kelly fit right in.

Happy 6th Birthday Ally

Ally woke up to the house decorated for her birthday. Becky made that banner for Ally’s first birthday. After a breakfast snack of cheerios and chocolate milk on the couch with her favorite special things; Pooh, Coconut, Softie and Kitty while watching My Little Pony on TV it was time to get dressed.

I had been saving this outfit not sure why, but I got it out since the flowered shirt fit this year’s birthday theme so well. Ally was pretty happy for school. We brought mini muffins as a treat to share with the other kids at before school and it was a field trip – to a farm during school today.

I went to school in the afternoon at the end of the day to bring cupcakes for snack to celebrate Ally’s special day.

After school it was time to open presents!!!

Mommy and Mama gave Ally the new Tinkerbelle movie and a really cool Lego camping set.

I think she liked her gifts from us.

Opening Grandma Debbie’s (and Poppy) gifts, a new outfit and a Pillow Pet!

A new Pinkalicous book, Silvericious and an embellished Owl shirt.

Aunt Louise came thru with a 6 year story book – Ally has volumes 1-5 already and was thrilled to get another one. Then Ally took a break and laid down with her pillow pet before opening her birthday cards. There were so many cards. Ally is loved so much.

Gruncle and Aunt Suzie sent 6 dollars in their card. Ally was so excited to get some money. She told us before she opened the cards “sometimes there is money inside” every year Gruncle sends her money the same as her age, and Ally remembers.  Thank you everyone for the cards and presents.

After opening all her cards and gifts Ally got right to work on putting the Lego set together with Becky.

Then it was time for dinner. Becky asked Ally earlier in the week what she wanted for her birthday dinner. Ally replied “I don’t know, awwwwwww, dinner? Do we have to?” Then Becky explained that usually on your birthday you get to choose the meal and it’s a special meal. Ally thought about it for a bit and then said CEREAL – I want cereal for breakfast and you and mommy will eat it too? All of us?

So we did. Becky made the best of it – it was Ally choice after all.

Then I had to deal with a bit of a cake-tastrophe. For the first time in my life a cake stuck to the pan and came out in pieces. I had this happen once with a Bundt cake, but never with a layer cake. UGH but Ally liked eating some cake plain. Luckily I had another box in the pantry so I made 2 more layers.

I baked the new layers while Becky and Ally went to the airport to pick up Aunt Beth. Then when Aunt Beth arrived we decorated the house with some more paper flowers and then Ally opened up her gifts from Aunt Beth.

The gifts were a HUGE hit – 2 books on bugs (science books was one of Ally’s gift requests) and a bug aspirator. A bug aspirator for those of you who don’t know is what scientists use to catch bugs in vials so they can study their specimens. You suck in on a special piece and it works like a vacuum on the tube to suck things in. There is a special filter on the mechanism that blocks bugs from getting into your mouth while you suck in.

Much frivolity followed, Beth declared our house was too clean, since we have no bugs. So let Ally look for lice on her head and suck up on her scalp. The good news is that Beth was lice-free.

Becky let Ally suck in her cheek – and her belly. Ally was loving it. Again…again…again it was so much fun. Then it was time for special birthday cupcakes we made as a surprise for Ally.

Flower cupcakes!

6 years old!

After birthday cupcakes it was time for Ally to go to bed. I made frosting while Becky did bedtime with Ally, then we swapped. Beth frosted the layers; all 3 of them! Since I had 1 good one from my first bath and 2 good ones from the second. Becky took over frosting the sides of the cake.

Ally and I came to see what all the commotion in the living room was – cake decorating by the sisters! It is pretty special that Beth has been here for every one of Ally’s birthdays. And she has had the honor of helping to decorate the cake, cupcakes and house for every party.

We are so thankful for Aunt Beth.

After clean up and bed time wrap up Becky, Beth and I sat down to do some late night (9pm) decorating – balloon flowers!

6 years old seems very grown up. Ally seems so much more mature, and yet is still our little girl. It is our gift everyday to have her as our daughter.