Megan's Ariel Party!

Megan has been in love with The Little Mermaid for as long as we can remember so it was only fitting that she REALLY wanted an Ariel party.  We came up with a tiered cake for it including all the movie characters "except no Ursula, because she's evil."

We made "crab" sandwiches.  I was trying to come up with something cute that was still kinda under the sea themed.

We cut seahorses, starfish, and clamshells out of watermelon.  Perfectly-sized portions, I am so doing this again in the future!

All our little mermaids having lunch together.

Taylor and Gracie

Megan and Mikayla

Mikayla and Kendra

Qelsi and Meredith

Then, each girl got a bucket and we went outside to search for "gadgets and gizmos aplenty" and "whoozits and whatzits galore."

When trying to come up with party ideas the treasure hunt was Mikayla's idea--smart girl!

All our little mermaids posing in their mermaid skirts!

I had leftover scraps from their skirt and some easter basket grass lying around so after painting some big styrofoam bowls, I hot glued the scraps inside the bowls and we had beautiful jellyfish.

We hung them all around the house and they were by far my favorite decoration.

Then we had mermaid dance party time.

We turned on the music videos for "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" and the girls danced their little booties all over the place.  Even Trent got in on the fun and joined in the conga line.

Megan loved her princess musical instrument set.

She got many Ariel dolls and toys.

Megan wants to be a photographer when she grows up, so this digital camera with carrying case from Grandma and Grandpa D was just perfect.

We got Megan a power wheels car and though she was an awful driver her first day, we've taken it out once or twice a day for a week now and she's really getting quite good and quite fast!  It is so much fun!

As soon as we finished the song, Kendra blew out all the candles, so we had to relight them and try again.

Make a wish!

Megan and Magaw

Some Merm-Ade punch, I'm so punny, I know, I know... :)

Some of the 7 mermaid skirts I sewed!  It was a long week of shopping for material, cutting it, sewing skirts, attaching tulle around the waist to tie them closed.  Whew-glad that's over!  Happy birthday sweet Megan.  It's hard to believe you already 5 years old!  I can't believe how quickly my baby Megan is turning into a big girl getting ready for Kindergarten and learning to ride a bike without training wheels and writing her name and letters.  We just love Megan's sweet, affectionate, easy-going personality and she is such a great addition to our family!

I need a photographer who's more than 4 ft tall...

on second thought, I look taller from this angle! lol

Wrong Again

While helping Kendra with a shape puzzle, I pointed to a piece and told her it was a pentagon.  "No, it's a house-agon," she told me and went back to work.  How come I'm never right?

Cinco De Mayo!

 The girls wore a combination of shirts and dresses that Josh and Chloe and Magaw and Papa brought back from their respective trips to Mexico.  Glad they're roomy, we wear them every year!

 For some reason, I said "smile" and she said "No, I'm a chicken!  Bock, bock!"  I've just learned not to argue...

 Mikayla wanted her hair up and pinned with this huge rose "to look like a Mexican girl."

 We had a ward taco dinner at church that was a lot of fun with a silent and live auction for YW girl's camp.  Fun, fun night!

Chico Outing

 Last weekend the girls and I went to Chico and had fun with Magaw and Papa.  We rode our bikes downtown and watched the Pioneer Day parade--a 1 1/2 hr parade, holy moly it was long.  Then we walked over to Pita Pit for some yummy chicken pita wraps--so, so good!

 Then Magaw and Papa treated the girls to Cold Stone ice cream.

 Then we rode our bikes back home through the park.  The younger two enjoyed the trailer carrier.

 Mikayla biked the 10 miles round trip and did great.  Here she is realizing we're on the home stretch!

 Our morning was obviously too eventful for these two.

On our way back through the park we saw an endangered species fair going on and stopped to see all the hippies and their parade of endangered animals, unkempt hair, and natural food booths.  Educational.  Mikayla declared it one of the best days ever though!

Big Helpers

 We did a LOT of pruning and trimming and enlisted the girls help to sweep and rake it all up.  They, of course, had to get their cute sunglasses on to work.  In their defense, it was stinkin' hot outside.  We really appreciated their help--all 8 minutes of it.  They found a frog in the garden and spent the rest of the afternoon watching over Bob the Frog in his Rubbermaid tub habitat.