Alex and the Party

The party we had for Alex was a lot of fun! It was so nice having friends and family over to celebrate our little boy's first year. Alex has had a nasty runny nose cold for over a week now so I have not been able to take him outside for his one year photo shoot but hopefully next week or maybe this weekend, though it's not looking promising.

On Sunday we celebrate our 5th year with Marah and we'll be having a mermaid party. She is very excited! I have so much to do to get ready and as usual I am waiting until the last minute. My plan is to sew a mermaid doll for her so we'll see if I get to do it tomorrow. Eric is taking the girls to his sister's house for the day/overnight so that should give me plenty of time to get things done.

Alright, lots to do. Here are the pics from the party.

Ah September

As August came to an end I was highly anticipating September. I made a commitment to start the month off with a renewed spirit and a desire to soak up all the beauty of Fall because Winter will arrive before we know it and our chances to go out into the world are quickly coming to an close.

So with September comes a new school year and I was very excited to start things this year! I actually made an effort to plan out a curriculum plan for the whole month well ahead of time so I was getting antsy to get started. Marah was desperate to start doing her "homeworks" too, which made waiting until the 8th a little difficult. I wanted to start at the same time as the local public school though, so I pressed through the first seven days with encouragement to Marah that school would start soon enough.

This year we have Jenna in the third grade:


Marah in Kindergarten:


and Alexander in... well, he's just cute.


We have three birthdays coming up! Alex will be turning one in less than 2 weeks! Marah will be turning five in 3 weeks! I will be turning 30 in a month! Very fun and exciting time of the year for us! I've been busily planning the kids birthday parties and trying to be creative and fun with them.

For Alex we will be having a rainbow color theme with lots of fun, colorful decorations and rainbow cupcakes! I am very excited about it. I think it's going to be so cute! If you want to get Alex a gift and are looking for ideas, he has a wishlist on Amazon.com that you can check out. Link to Alex's Wish List

For Marah we will be having a mermaid party with lots of fish, blue and green and purple streamers, and, of course, mermaids. She has been begging for a mermaid party since about November of last year so she is very excited that I'm doing it for her. I even bought her a Mermaid Cookbook that I will be making items from for the party and then presenting to her as a gift so that we can make mermaid creations any time! She loves to cook so she should be excited about that. If you are looking for ideas on what to buy for Marah, she has an Amazon.com wishlist as well. Link to Marah's Wish List

And I don't know what I'll be doing for my birthday yet. It would be nice if someone *cough* Eric *cough* thought of something nice to do, but I won't be holding my breath. I know that no matter what I do, as long as I get to spend time with my friends and family I will be happy. It's more than many people get and I am very blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life who love me. That said, if you were thinking of getting me anything, I also have a wishlist. Link to Ashley's Wish List

However, we do not NEED any of these things. I am not asking for gifts, for any of us. I only wanted to put the ideas out there for anyone who was already planning to purchase anything for any of us. I will say that I am trying to break away from battery operated toys and shift toward the more natural, rustic toys. Handmade. It's a good thing. Also books. Books are ALWAYS welcomed by any of us Olson's. It is a happy day when I have to buy a new bookshelf because we have run out of room.

Anyway, I have things that need doing before I head off to the bedroom for the evening so I will say good night.