Camp Grandma

It's that time of year again!  The kids are out of school, the weather is hot and I need a break from the kids.  It's time for Camp Grandma!  Woohoo!  This year things didn't go exactly as planned.  My dad landed himself in the hospital while my mom was visiting us for Boo's birthday and dance recital.  She flew back to Texas with the kids by herself and they spent the first few days of their vacation visiting Granddad in the hospital.  The rest of vacation was spent on modified activities since Granddad was laid up on the couch and couldn't help.  Sidenote: Granddad is not a happy invalid, especially when he's upset that his time with the grandkids is hindered.  Hubby and I drove down to visit and to pick the kids up two weeks later.  We had fun as always, but the kids plan on making up for missed activities next year.

Showing off the new barn kittens

I swear I have a picture exactly like this from when I was this age 

Mr. R loves this swing

Heading out to check the cows

Hubby was put to work cutting the hay

Cruising the pasture in style

Grandma sending them off with the breakfast of champions - homemade ice cream

Happy Birthday Boo!

For Boo's 5th birthday we had a joint princess party with two other families from preschool whose daughters' birthdays were within three weeks of Boo's.  We didn't want to take up three weekends with birthday parties, since the same kids would be going to all of them.  So to solve the party dilemma, we threw one huge party for all three girls.  It was crazy, but so much easier when you share the party planning with two other amazing moms!  Thanks to a group Pinterest board, we were able to put together a fabulous party for our girls with less work and WAY less money than if we had done it on our own.  Everyone had a great time!  Here's what three brilliant minds came up with:

Princess changing station

A table fit for princesses

The royal food table

Fruit wands

Belle's roses (chocolaté covered strawberries)

Ariel's underwater friends (chocolate covered marshmallows)

Princess cupcakes

 We decided on themed foods for our party and each of us made two different food items.  They turned out really cute.  We had tiara shaped sandwiches, chocolate strawberry roses, fruit wands, chocolate dipped marshmallows, and color layered cupcakes.  Everyone played outside for the first half of the party.  They had their choice of a princess castle bounce house, a double slip-in-slide, a small wading pool, a large dollhouse, and a plastic outdoor playhouse.  Before we headed inside we had a princess castle piñata.  My kids expect a piñata, so I insisted.  Once the piñata was torn apart, we headed inside for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  All the girls could dress up in various princess costumes and accessories.  The girls were allowed to have some fun makeup applied if they wanted some.  After everyone was dressed we headed to the table to eat.  The kids loved all the fun food and were excited to bite into the cupcakes and discover the layered colors.

The birthday girls

Group photo before the piñata 

Princesses ready to eat

Showing off the inside of her cupcake

After the food was eaten, everyone redressed and collected their goody cups. Well wishes for a fantastic summer were made and goodbyes were said to those who would not be returning in the fall to the preschool's Kindergarten class.  It was a great party and is going down as one of the easiest in my book!

Cinderella

Ahh, dance recital time!  This year's recital theme was Cinderella (a very loose interpretation).  Last year I got guilted into being a stage mom.  This year Boo asked if I would be backstage with her again so I willingly signed up for it (and then guilted two other moms into joining me).  Let's face it, the control freak in me loves it!  I can't stand to think of some random mom trying to organize the chaos that occurs backstage and having my little girl overlooked in the process.  Boo isn't one of those kids who would speak up and ask for something, whether it's help with her costume, a snack, or a bathroom break.  I can just picture her practically in tears because she doesn't want to ask someone for help.  Ok, so maybe I'm getting a little carried away, but just a little.  Besides, backstage at a large dance recital is one time when being a military spouse really helps.  The key is organization and communication!  This year we had a fairly large group and 3 dances to do, jazz, tap, and ballet.  The girls had a quick costume change after jazz and a SUPER quick shoe change after ballet.  You should have seen how fast those shoes were flying backstage.  Not sure what they were thinking when they wrote the show that way, but we made it and with time to spare.

Waiting to dance backstage

Jazz dance

Ballet/Tap costume

All the girls did wonderful and this year there were no costume mishaps.  I just love watching Boo dance.  I'm not the only one either.  This year Hiccup was apparently a very appreciative fan of the dancing.  I was told she even mimicked the girls' moves in her seat during several of the dances.

What's a dance recital without embarrassing your son a little?  When we all were leaving backstage during intermission we saw one of Mr. R's female classmates.  Hubby not so subtly pointed her out, and when she said hi Mr. R turned bright red and could barely mumble hi back.  I'm guessing he'll be able to point her out on the dance DVD when it arrives later this summer.

Backstage after the recital

Loving her roses for a job well done

After two years of traditional dancing Boo has decided not to continue.  She would like to switch to Irish dancing.  We've signed her up for a dance camp for her to try it out before we commit.  Even though the studio is farther away, I've got to say I'm really looking forward to her learning Irish dancing!