Bean's Birthday Bash

It is the most cliche thing that parents say, but...

I CAN'T BELIEVE BEAN IS FOUR!

Because really, if you think about it, if the next four years go by as fast as the last four years then she will be eight and then she is only halfway to turning 16 which seems like a far way off but I think back 16 years ago and...I was 16 and it only seems like I was learning to drive (and getting in an accident my first day of driving but that's another story altogether) so really she's going to be leaving for college so soon!

Phew.

We decided to have a low-key family and close-friend barbecue.  I loved throwing Boy a themed party but it was a lot of work and there's something to be said about grilling up hot-dogs mid-August and kicking back with your favorite people.  Plus, Bean really wanted hot-dogs.  And it technically was her party, even though it technically it was the day before her birthday (which confused her more than I thought it would.)

As promised, I made her a Dora the Explorer cake, 'Just like the one on [my] phone.'  I introduced Bean to Pinterest awhile back and let her pick her cake off of my 'phone.'  Also, a friendly tip: keep your cake in the refrigerator until it's time to serve it.  Especially on a hot day.

This cute little stinker actually ate more of Bean's birthday cake than he did his own.  I guess I should have made him chocolate.  Silly me.

Also, thanks to my good friend S for taking so many of these pictures so that I could actually be in them!

Present time!

She put on her new backpack and she suddenly seemed like such a big kid.  I'm not ready for this.

In my opinion, the best part of the party was as the sun started to set.

A game of football broke out. 

The cousins started playing with Bean's new princess dollies.

It was a great evening.  The kids were way up past their bedtime but it was well worth it.

The next morning Bean went and started raiding her present stash.  (Do you remember doing that when you were a kid?  Having to go to bed the night of your party and knowing you'd wake up to all of these new toys?  I loved that!)  She even let Boy take a turn with her markers (caps on.  I'm not crazy.)

Then she made me a cake with her new playdough.

S and I decided to have her party on a different night so that we could take just her out on a date--sans little brother. We told her she could choose the place to eat and the activity.  She remembers Midvale Mining Company for their awesome coloring sheet so naturally that's where she picked to eat.

It was so great!  She quietly colored and ate her food so it really felt like S and I were out on a date and Bean just happened to be tagging along!

Her activity of choice was mini-golfing.  We had to change our golf-course to dodge some rainstorms.  When I got out of the truck I noticed this rainbow!  Bean happens to love rainbows so she was really excited!

There was obviously a bit of a learning curve trying to teach Bean how to play, but she actually picked it up really quickly and even ended up parring 2 on one of the holes!

What's a birthday date without dessert?!  We gave her the option of Frogurt or Arctic Circle.  Thankfully she chose Frogurt.

We had one more surprise for her when we got home.  We saved her two big presents for her to open that night.  She has seriously been asking for the Dora the Explorer Backpack all year.  Even the day of her party she told me she thought she would be getting it for her birthday.  Thank goodness I'd been listening.

Picture, Picture

I've been saving up lots and lots (and lots and lots and lots) of pennies to get this:

I've been drooling over DSLRs for a really, really long time and finally decided to start saving up late last year.  It mostly came down to the fact that I had a very active daughter and every single picture I took of her turned out blurry.  I chose a Canon Rebel T3i.  I did a lot of research and found that the Canon and Nikon cameras are both really good cameras and it mostly came down to personal preference.  My dad had a super nice Canon growing up (film--though he was holding my new camera wistfully so maybe he'll splurge on a digital too!) so I was already a little biased. 

I'm lucky to have two 'eager and willing' guinea pigs to practice on.  On one of the evenings of the week it arrived, Bean told me specifically that she wanted to go outside and run around while I took pictures of her. 

Err, mommy possibly spent a little too much time behind the lens that week!

Here are some of my favorite portraits:

(This next one is possibly my favorite picture ever!)

I had to test out the macro feature.  I didn't know I liked photographing flowers.

And lots of pictures of our life.

I have not been disappointed at all.  I have also not broken out of auto yet.  I hear the fun comes when you learn to manipulate aperature and exposure and whatever other film jargon there is.  Stay tuned!

Days of 47 Parade Float Preview (July 23rd 2013)

S's mom did me a favor and watched Boy while Bean and I went to get our hair done one afternoon.  She invited us to all go with them to see the parade floats that evening--I loved this idea!  S was working and it would give me something to bribe Bean with the rest of the day!  I had no idea just how great it would be, though.  I think I sense a new tradition coming on!

I expected there to be tons and tons of people there (admission was free, after all) but the crowds weren't bad at all.  Plus it was airconditioned.  Plus Bean could get up super close to the floats.

It's hard to see, but in the very back of this picture you can see a fireman 'flying' on a stick.  Obviously I had to take a picture to send to S.

The back of my in-laws' Stake's float for the parade this year (this was the whole reason we went.)  Of course I voted for it to win.

Now that is a good looking float.

Props to the hometown. 

My true favorite float (as well as Bean's.)  It was a caterpillar on a roller-coaster track.  What's not to love?!

I say a new tradition was born because we were essentially able to see the whole 'parade' in under an hour.  Someone mentioned not having bands there and, just then, a Scottish Bagpipe Marching Band started marching around the display.  So there you go.  Plus no cranky kids from waking up early and sitting in the sun for hours on end.  We watched the parade at home in our pajamas.  And everytime Bean saw a float on the TV: MOM!!!  That's the one I saw yesterday!!