Echo Turns Six!

Today my first born turns six! It's happening so fast I can barely believe it. This has been such a big year for you Echo with so many changes. Little by little you are venturing further out in to the world but you are still my imaginative, creative, magical girl just as you ever were.

You have a fierce love for your little sister although squabbles have become more frequent as Clover has become more independent and outspoken. Still, the times when you play nicely together and I can hear your laughter coming down the hall are my favorite times of all. One thing's for sure, no one can make you laugh like Clover can!

This marks you second year of gymnastics and your first year of ballet. I love watching your strength and coordination grow along with your confidence. This year you also began your first drop of program at our homeschool coop. Being dropped off was a big deal for you at first but you have truly found a home among the other wild and free children at Wildings. When I see you with the kids there I'm happy because I know you've found your people.

 I'm truly inspired by your creative flair and passion. You can create vivid fantasy worlds and spin incredible stories. You live in a world that's all your own and the rest of us can only visit you there.

You can devour books like no one I've ever seen and I love sharing that with you. Once you can read to yourself there'll be no stopping you but I hope you'll always let me read out loud to you anyway.

You are incredibly intelligent, sweet, and courageous and I am so proud to be your mommy. I love you with all my heart sweet Birthday girl!

Echo's Underwater Tea Party

For Echo's Birthday this year she requested a mermaid themed tea party. It was fun to have a chance to get creative with a smaller party at home. Here's how it all came together.

We made homemade decorations mostly out of Echo's mermaid craft book. The girls helped me to make mermaid banners and mermaid crowns for each of the party guests. I decorated the table with fish nets from the craft store, sea shells and lace doilies as well as a vintage teapot.

For snacks we served goldfish crackers, fruit kabobs, starfish crackers (Ritz crackers with sliced cheese cut out in the shape of a star with a cookie cutter) and mermaid toast (cinnamon raisin bread toasted with cream cheese on top, the swirled with green and blue food coloring and topped with gold sprinkles), and of course a fabulous mermaid birthday cake! Echo requested a plum cake with mermaid decorations, I don't know where the plum cake idea came from but it turned out pretty well!

For a party favor and activity the guests painted small wooden treasure chests.

Echo got this sweet mermaid tail blanket as one of her presents. Overall it was a lovely party and sweet day with friends!

Echo is Five!

 My baby girl is turning five today. Five! For some reason there is something about that number that just screams big kid to me. Five feels like we are entering a whole new era.

Echo, I am beyond proud of the girl you are growing up to be. You are strong, beautiful and imaginative. You are also one of the sweetest most caring people that I have ever known.

You haven't always been easy on me. In fact you challenge me like no one else, but because of this I feel so incredibly close to you now. All of our struggles throughout the years have helped forge the wonderfully strong relationship that we have.

 On your Birthday each year, it's fun to think back on your early days. Your soft, fuzzy head of hair. Your tiny hands and wrinkled skin. The countless sleepless nights and the wonder and joy that we had created something so perfect. None of this compares to knowing you as you are now however, I wouldn't trade my days with you for anything.

I can't wait to see what this year has in store for you. You are a truly beautiful spirit and I love you more each day.

Happy Birthday my darling girl! I'm so lucky to be your mommy!

Clover Turns 2

My baby, my sweet Clover, is turning two! I recently read something online (I can't remember what) that described someone as "sweetness and light personified" and I thought, "that's Clover!" 

 Never have I met someone so joyful, sweet and kind. Her playfulness, her devotion to her sister and her mischievous spirit make her a pleasure to know.

I can't believe how much she has grown and changed this year. She's not a baby anymore and she reminds us every day by how clever, strong and independent she is. Even so, she will always be the baby of the family and holds a special place in our hearts.

Happy Birthday to my amazing little girl, you are beautiful inside and out!

September Photos

Many of these pictures have already appeared on facebook but I'm posting them again on the blog anyway. We had a fun month in September with lots of activity! In addition to lots of fun stuff with our home school group (which I have no pictures of) we went to the botanical gardens in Gainesville, and apple picking for Echo's Birthday.

The Gainesville botanical gardens are a branch of the Atlanta Botanical Gardens which we are members of so we got in for free! They are really lovely but very small at this point, I'm sure they will adding on though and it will be worth going back to.

They also had an awesome Lego exhibit that the kids really enjoyed with some pretty impressive Lego sculptures as well as activities for the little ones.

I'm also including a few extra shots from Echo's Birthday shoot. She has grown so much this year!

 It rained on Echo's Birthday which it often seems to do but we were determined to carry on with our apple picking plan! We had a great time in spite of the damp and even got to do the petting zoo which both girls loved.

 On the way home we stopped for Barbecue and the girls got to ride this awesome mechanical pig.

Then home for presents and chocolate. Echo requested a pile of chocolate like they have in a particular scene from Frozen (her favorite movie of course) so I made a cute little display with an Elsa cake topper and paper snow flakes.

That's it for this month but we have lots of fun things going this October too! Stay tuned for more.