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Buby's predictability paired with Bleu's UNpredictability. Buby will always stop around this point in our walk to remove a rock from his shoe.

Spring Abstract

Flowering tree by Buby.

Bleu's Butterflies

Today our baby girl turned 3. I'm having trouble even saying it. It doesn't seem real.

In addition to two shindigs in her honor last week {my mom made dinner and baked red velvet cupcakes, and my mother-in-law surprised with an ice cream cake and party favors for all the grandbabes!}, Bleu hosted a butterfly-themed lunch at our house this afternoon. We wanted to mark the day with her nearest and dearest instead of having a big blow-out event over the weekend. Intimate suits Bleu best. She opted for girls only. Here are a few notes on the day.


THEME:
- A couple of months ago our daughter asked for a strawberry party, and then a raspberry party, and finally a butterfly party. We told her she could have any color/theme she wanted. I'm not quite sure how she landed on butterfly, though I suspect her big brother planted the seed during one of their unauthorized late-night chat fests. He fancies butterflies that one.

- Once I knew she wasn't wavering I kept my eye out for random butterfly decor at the craft shop, dollar store, Target and online. It turns out Spring and Easter are perfectly timed to our theme. I purchased several weeks ahead and then put everything out of sight/out of mind until close to midnight the night before. Oops.

- Flowers. When it's too early for fresh cut, I take advantage of the make-your-own-bouquet deal at our local market. Three bunches for $12. I always go monochromatic with no filler. BTW, nobody appreciates a set table more than Buby. It's sort of his thing. I tie grosgrain or satin ribbon around all the mason jars or vases. It's sort of my thing.








GUESTS:
- We kept the guest list short and sweet {number of guests = number of years you are turning guideline... I'm a fan}. Three girls plus Bleu. My Sweets took off from work {LOVE him for that!} and brought Bleu to her morning gymnastics class.

- Ella and Ava are our every Wednesday lunch mates, so they followed Bleu home after gym while I prepped like a FREAK with a baby strapped to my belly. So much to do, so little time. Grace arrived separately. Gilly and Natalie had a school trip to attend and could not join. With siblings there were 7 kids and 5 adults at lunch. By all accounts it was a teeny tiny gathering, but it still felt BIG. I guess anything you accomplish when you have three little ones seems BIG.


MENU:
- Lunch was comfort foods. I found a new Alton Brown baked mac & cheese recipe online around 10 p.m. last night, and My Sweets kindly offered to make it as soon as I returned from the market. Yes, it was last minute. That's just how I roll these days. We put it in the fridge and baked it this morning. Not all the children liked the recipe, unfortunately, but I must say the Panko bread crumbs were delish! I'll never go back.

- Other edibles included steamed green/yellow beans and carrots, strawberries, blackberries, fresh salad {an organic mesclun and baby spinach mix tossed with Tom's freshly toasted almonds}, and a Tuscan loaf. We also had green apples and baby bananas out, per Bleu. Pretty simple.


PLAY:
- 15 red balloons flying to and fro. 4 butterfly wings ordered from Hearth Song. 1 bumble bee dress-up from Grandma M. Bamboo butterfly nets for all. Open playroom. Doll-sharing mayhem. I also had a bucket of butterfly-shaped chalk that never made it out to the driveway and a table full of fantastic paper crafts {3-D butterfly stickers, stamps, cards and stencils} that I never executed. Best laid plans, right?

- Toddlers can be a tidal wave of emotions. Some days parenting them is easy breezy, pure magic. Other days it's a delicate, exhausting balancing act... a tightrope walk on egg shells while holding your breath. If one tot in a room is having an "off" day {and they all do} it can easily cause a ripple effect. Today there were little girl tears lost over baby dolls, balloons and swings. 'Tis the season of our lives. An hour later all was forgotten.








ORNAMENTS:
- We typically decorate the potted tree for every birthday and holiday, but the children were still enjoying our Easter ornaments from the weekend. So I hung Bleu's favorite birthday ornaments from a 9-clothespin frame above the tree. {Grandma DJ still owes Bleu her #3 ornament... hint hint.}









CAKE:
- This is the Colossal Cupcake from Crumbs NYC. My Sweets picked it up Tuesday evening so that it would be fresh for Wednesday. A delicious vanilla-flavored treat for about 10 people. I added the butterfly picks and the #3 Spritz candle.

- Bleu had "Happy Birthday" sung to her three times this year. I think it was a bit overwhelming. Her instinct was to duck down below the table until the song was over. {Notice "Teeny Tiny Baby" tucked under her arm pit.} Then she invited her girlies to assist her in blowing out the candle.

P.S. Thank you to everyone for the lovely gifts and phone calls and texts. Aunt Mary... we opened your package today, and it was AWESOME. Bleu definitely feels the love.

Shrinky Dinks

Have you ever heard of Shrinky Dinks? I hadn't seen this type of color/bake/shrink/play set until the other day when a birthday package arrived from Bleu's God mother Debbie. {P.S. She always finds the cutest things.}


Buby and Bleu spent the whole afternoon coloring all 50 pre-cut garden accessories using the Faber-Castell EcoPencils that came in the box. The colors were so rich and saturated. I baked them at 350 degrees for about two minutes et voila. The pieces magically shrunk, solidified and turned 3-D. I never took an "after" shot, but trust when I say they turned out beautifully. We attached as many pieces as we could to our pop-up fairy garden for hours and hours of make-believe fun.


You can find the set we used here. I was shocked to see the manufacturer's recommended age for this craft is 7-15, because my 3 and 5 year olds totally rocked it no problem. In fact, I think they are the perfect ages for it. {I handled the baking, obviously, and they know not to put tiny figurines in their mouths.} Thanks again, Debbie!

Scenes from Easter {final}

Sleeping blue bunny we discovered in our garden... wonder how many years he's been there.



We attended church Saturday evening so as not to rush our pajama-clad egg hunt the next morning; seeking 3 baskets, 20 eggs with healthy treats, 1 golden egg, and 1 money egg.



A little bit of green along our garden walkway. Alas.



The golden egg; Bleu comforting Ollie while I grab my camera; I cannot believe this is the only shot I have of Grandpa J; Bear's eyes sparkle as always.




Easter magic; that yellow poncho she loves so much; an inherited birdhouse.







I love assembling baskets; awesome melted crayon eggs by Rachel; a new dollhouse family for Bleu.



Bear tries his very first organic Mum Mum, which might as well be called Mess Mess.



Ready for egg hunt #2 at Ava's; blackberries were the hit of the day; my handsome boy.




Buby was quite considerate in his egg gathering; Bleu's friend E loves the camera.




I adore this shot of E spying eggs through the window; Buby can't resist either; bunny craft.



This one was soooo happy to have her playmates over. She was beaming.



Bleu scares me... she looks like a tween in this pink dress.





Simple egg dyeing at home on Saturday morning... nothing fancy.





Orange rolls {my secret indulgence} for the adults; Buby's finger puppets and fort clips.