Party Time!!!

After some thought and discussion with Dawson, we decided on a birthday party that was at the Art Studio (her favorite place) with a mini tea party. The perfect combination for a 4 year old party!

As we walked in, there was a beautiful sign hanging at the front desk. Dawson has been taking art classes here for awhile and loves every minute of it. I love it because it exposes her to all kinds of art materials and they provide very age appropriate materials.

The party started off with each child sketching what animal they would like to turn their clay bowl into. Dawson's choice was a kitten.

Next, she had to turn one ball of clay into a bowl and use the other ball for the animal parts.

It was amazing how focused all the children were on their work.

She is now scoring the clay so she can attach the legs to her kitten. Dawson is always so focused when it comes to art. After the animal was done, each child picked paint colors and painted away. This was probably everyones favorite part of the project.

Some of her friends at work.

After the bowls were finished, I scooted everyone outside for some beautiful arm paintings and chalk drawing. While they were outside, I was inside quickly setting up the tea party!

Grace and Dawson were discussing what they wanted painted on their arms. The idea of arm painting instead of face painting is that the child can see what is actually happening and how the picture is created. I never thought of that before but, I like the concept!

Friends

Just hanging out....

Mayna and Grace trying to decide what they would like to have painted on their arms!

The cake....picked out entirely by Dawson was made out of cupcakes. Great concept and easy to serve...mess free!!

Next, came the lunches, premade by me, and the teacups. I, along with my sister in law searched antique stores high and low for a variety of teacups for the past 6 months. We just barely had enough but, we did it! Teacups are harder to find than you think!

Sipping tea...(lemonade).

Loving the cupcake...

and finally passing out balloons and thanking our friends for coming to our party. It was a great 4th birthday!

One very happy girl!

Guatemalan Girls

Our good friends from Guatemala are in town for a few weeks. Yesterday we headed out for a train ride, some sightseeing and dinner. Unfortunately our train ride was cancelled due to bad tracks but, we still had fun just visiting in Peninsula and shopping with the girls. Dawson loved these girls so much she couldn't stop smiling! All three of them are so sweet and of course, beautiful!!!

Diana, Maria, Lucci and Dawson.

Mom and dad were here too! They were very kind to me when I went to Guatemala to pick up Dawson. Gus took us to Antigua shopping and sightseeing while we were there! Lots of fun! If you are wondering how we know these people....Gus was a high school exchange student of my sister-in-law many years ago. Since then, we have all stayed in contact and they have made many visits to the U.S. throughout the years!

Here comes the train we didn't get to ride! We were all a little disappointed the train ride was called off. The girls had never been on a train before!

Just chatting....

Laying on the tracks.....

and some art in the dirt.....

African Elephants

Wow are these elephants huge! We went to the new Elephant Crossing exhibit at the zoo yesterday. It was quite unique and tons of fun! I was so surprised at the size of the male elephant. This picture does not do it justice!

We saw four giraffes just hanging around. Every time I see these animals, I'm amazed at how graceful they are for their size and their skinny legs!

Then off to Dawson's favorite place...the greenhouse to see the butterflies.

Here she is actually touching a butterfly. I have no idea why it didn't even move! They are just very used to people.

Goodbye zoo!!!

A Play Date

We had a play date at our house with Grace. Her mom was busy for a whole day so we cut loose and had a little fun.

We rode bikes....

We ran......

We played with a new sprinkler Grammy bought the girls. Here's Grace running through the sprinkler....it was nonstop fun!!!!

Funny Bugs

Last night concluded our 10 week session at The Little Gym. Each child had 3 routines to perform for the parents. Dawson did the bars, beam and the floor. Here's a little background on how we got started .......The very first week Dawson came home from Guatemala, we were at The Little Gym. My friend Gretchen owned two at the time and of course, we had to join! Our classes started out as mom and me and then moved to just Dawson. Often times, Gretchen would watch Dawson while I ran an errand or two and they would just hang out at the gym and explore. We even invited our friend Grace and her mom to join us for a class one day. They fell in the love with the gym too! I really love the concept of their program because it provides an environment for kids to succeed at whatever level they are comfortable with. The program also bases it's teaching and skills on the United States Gymnastics Federation.

Look at Dawson on a regular high beam...on her toes. She does not really need anyone to hold her hand. She has no fear of this at all! She's just like her Aunt Kim!!!

Nice balance!

And the dismount!

Good friends chatting!

On her bar routine, she pulled herself up and was able to hold herself still. Not bad!

Following the routines, everyone gets a gold medal and the chance to wave to the fans! I never thought she would do it but, she surprised me and did!!!

The group photo....

And two Funny Bugs trying to strike a pose with attitude....I think Grace has this down!!!

Memorial Day 2011

We spent a fun filled, nonstop weekend at the lake. From camping to boating, we just never had any time to rest. Come 5:00 tonight, the house was quiet and our weekend came to a quick end!

Birthday Balance Bike

After much research and the dreaded idea of training wheels, I decided to try a balance bike for Dawson's early birthday present (actually from Grammy and Papa). If you look carefully, you will notice these kinds of bikes have no pedals. The idea is to scoot around and then eventually start lifting your feet and cruising along with balance.

Grammy also attached a basket for teddy to go along for the ride. They both love the new bike!

We just scooted along down the sidewalk. At first, it looks kind of silly walking along with a bike. Then, I noticed she was picking up her feet a little. She was feeling out the balance right away. I didn't know how this would work but, now I can see it's going to be a good thing!

And down the sidewalk we went.

This is fun mom!!!