A Fun-Packed Week

Last week was so much fun!  After coming home from camping, I felt refreshed, rejuvenated.  I'm not sure why but it was so fortunate because I had a LOT to do in the week ahead.  We had dentist appointments, birthday parties, field trips, dances and special dinners to prepare for (and let's not forget earrings to change!).  A trip to the party store got me started.  Morgan was happy to model some of our new goodies for me.


So was Taylor.  She had decided on a Dance Party for her birthday so she was getting into character.




On Wednesday, my little girl turned seven years old.  Taylor request chicken wreath (a modified pampered chef recipe) for her birthday dinner.




Then she opened presents from the family.


She was very excited to finally get a 'real camera'.


I must say, I was too! I can't wait to teach her a thing or two.


On Thursday, Charlie had a field trip to a local farm.


He got to pick out a pumpkin,


feed a cow,


feed a donkey, and learn about the crops.


The kids also had their dentist appointments that day.  Morgan ended up taking her nap at Aunt Jessica's, but I don't think she was well rested.  I found her like this on our kitchen floor later in the day.




On Friday, Taylor was the Star Student at school.  She got to share a poster all about her.  I also got to come in and read to the class.  It was cute because that morning Taylor informed me that she was excited for me to read to the class but she was 'an inch more excited' about her party that night.


Morgan loves going to the kids' school with me and rarely wants to leave.


Grandmama came over Friday afternoon and took Charlie to a birthday lunch and trip to the toy store.  He picked out legos for himself and helped pick out this bike for Taylor.


She was very excited when she got home!


We decided that it was a tad too big so I took her back on Saturday to pick out a smaller one.  She is extremely excited to have a brand new bike!


Here's what I came up with for a cake for Taylor.


Here's the ensemble she came up with for the festivities.


Her shirt says 'Dance, Dance, Dance' and that she did.


We invited all the girls from her class and of course, cousin Grace.


My friend, Katy, has just started a new venture of doing birthday parties.  She came and did dance games with the girls and then taught them a dance to "Call Me Maybe".




The girls loved it.  I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a fun party idea.  (Here's her website.)




I borrowed an idea I'd seen at other parties where the kids sit on the floor and take turns sitting by the birthday girl while she opens her presents.


Taylor got some new earrings and shoes from her cousin, Grace.






This was Taylor's first party inviting friends from school.  I didn't know what to expect, but it ended up being loads of fun and surprisingly stress-free.


The next day it was time for the Father Daughter Dance at school.  They have a different theme each year and this year it was The 60s and 70s.


I'm told they had a great time and even got to break out their Call Me Maybe routine.


Sunday felt like my favorite day of the year (Dec 26th), because the kids loafed and played with their new toys. They all three really enjoyed Twister.  Here's Morgan taking a break in the action to fix her necklaces.


Before long, she was back in the game with her little foot up (her standard Twister pose).


That night we invited more grandparents to dinner for one last birthday celebration.


If the morning felt like December 26th, that evening felt like December 25th with more presents to open.  In fact, neither grandparent could resist giving Morgan a little something too.  Here she is sporting her new elmo slippers.


Finally, Monday felt like a huge let down.


I'm kidding.  I was just experimenting with window light with Charlie.  He was not quite in the mood to be my model, but assured him that he didn't need to smile.  I told him it was going to be a dramatic photo.  When asked what dramatic means, I was a little lost for a simple definition.  Any suggestions?

Well, that was our fantastic week.  I'm on a high just writing about it.  Eight more glorious days left in October.  Get out there and make the most of it!!

Another Camping Trip

It's been a busy month.  I've had a lot of work related activities and a lot more lined up for the rest of the month.  I even found myself thinking that I'll be glad when October is over.  Then I nipped that thought in the bud.  October has always been my favorite month, and I am determined to enjoy it as much as ever.  That's why I welcomed our annual camping trip which we had switched from summer to fall this year.  As I realized in July sometimes it's the times when we are the busiest that a family getaway is most needed.

This year's camping trip was taking place over Charlie's birthday so we prepared for our trip by baking his cake.  I decided to let the kids help again.


Charlie told me he wanted a batman cake.  This was somewhat of a surprise,  because batman is pretty far down on his list of interests.  However, once I realized how simple it would be, I kept my mouth shut.  This was the finished project.


This year's camping trip included the Williams family,


the Wells family,


my step-brothers and their families,




and my dad and step-mother.


Together we made one large, noisy, fun bunch!




One of my favorite parts about these camping trips is watching my kids interacting with other family members.  Sure, they see some of them a lot, like the wells family.


But others are only seen once or twice a year which makes it so special to spend an entire weekend with them.




This year Uncle Danny brought his new toy- a metal detector.  It was a big hit with the little ones even if it only yielded 'a lot of garbage' as Charlie put it.


I did not see much of the big girls this year.  They had a slumber party in their grandparents' cabin both nights.  Here they are serenading Morgan after dinner.


This was Addison's first appearance at a Damon Camping Trip.  She had a wonderful time.


It was a little chilly the first night but the fire warmed us up.






Saturday was Charlie's fifth birthday.  I decorated our cabin while he was sleeping.




I even remembered to pack chocolate pop tarts after a conversation we had weeks ago.  He very sweetly asked me if he could eat one when he turned five.  He said it was delicious.


More on Charlie's birthday later.  Here's one of Daddy and Morgan in the morning, not quite awake yet.


We all enjoyed breakfast in the roomy two bedroom cabin that my step brothers shared.


Then we started our day together.  Morgan especially liked her new coloring book.


So did Charlie.


I did my best to make him feel special on his birthday.


Grandma was feeling very brave and took all seven kids to the playground with Heather.  Unfortunately, they had to cut their playtime short due to some knife yielding hooligans.



I especially enjoyed our hike on Saturday.


We took our time and stopped to explore many things along the way.


Uncle Chad and Grace cut their hike very short in exchange for some fishing.








Finally, that night it was time to celebrate Charlie's birthday properly- with some cake and ice cream!


We put all the children together for a photo before we sang to him.  This might be my favorite photo of the weekend.  Addison grabbing his head and his subsequent expression cracks me up.


I like this photo, too.  Taylor was very concerned when the wind blew out his candle while we were singing.




Charlie got to open some presents after cake.  The boy loves games.  Luckily, he got quite a few of them!




It was a fun whirlwind of a weekend, and I'm so glad we did it.


 I don't think it's very common nowadays for big families to get together like this year after year.  Our world moves so fast, and everyone seems to be busy all the time.  That's why I'm so grateful to have established this tradition that each family respects and prioritizes year after year.  I smile when I think of all the childhood memories my children are creating.  Not to mention my memories.  After all, they are only this young once.