M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!!

Finally!! Olivia's birthday party!! (For the record, I had planned to spend today just editting photos for me... no one else... just me....... and I fell asleep on the couch. >.< But I'm hoping that this weekend will be a lovely weekend with me bonding with my photos... so there might be a blog explosion) But back to Olivia's party!! So far every year, my sister-in-law and I combine Olivia and my nephew Niko's birthday parties. Their birthdays are only 2 days apart, so really it just makes sense to. We like to rent a local shelter, so that we can just bbq outside, and let the kids run. They love the running.

So I made their invite on the fly. Like literally unintentionally waited until the last minute, and then realized that I had 2 hours to make the thing and get it ordered, or we were going to have to just buy something. But I like what I came up with.

The day before the party, I made their cake. I'm not going to lie... I love making their cakes. Something about baking, I just really like it. Must have some of my grandma in me or something (though I don't remember her as the birthday cake baker type... more just a general wonderful baker)

157 of 365: Let there be Cake

The actual day of the party, like always I didn't really take all that many images. I don't really know how to describe why I don't like to photograph my own events. Maybe it's because I get sad that I'm not in any of the images. Maybe it's because I'd rather just enjoy the moment, then have to worry about capturing it. Maybe it's because I'd just like a day off from it. But in any case, I don't have a ton of images from the party.

Birthday Girl


Birthday Boy


A bunch of Claire (the balloons were a giant hit with all the kids)




158 of 365: Loving my Aunt


Better shots of the cake




Grandpa swinging with Jacob

Tim took my camera while I was with Olivia for blowing out the candle. He did a very good job! I think it was one of the first times Tim used the camera out of auto mode and actually got successful images. I even think he made me look good :)

Waiting while Aunt Wendy lights the candles


Blowing out the candles


Contimplating how many pieces she wanted (turns out, two pieces)


Diving in

And when the party was just about done, Wendy's nurse came with her four kids. All of her kids are adorable, but her youngest has these eyes that are just unbelievable. I just had to capture them. So watery and pretty.

Wow, what a picture overload! I guess it's just me trying to make up for lost time. Sorry about that!!

here we go a coloring...

So the Friday before Easter, we colored eggs. And it went really really well! I completely attribute that to Haley and Aunt Sue coming over. For some reason, when its just me and the girls, I have a hard time getting the girls to understand what I'm trying to get them to do (like color Easter eggs.) But Olivia idolizes Haley, and will do anything and everything that girls does (coincidentally, like color Easter eggs.)

So here was the set-up... I was at the end of the table, between Claire and Olivia... Olivia spent the entire time on Haley's lap, completely enthralled with every move she made... Claire played with her new pinwheel (good call Aunt Sue!) and a yellow egg that we let her beat the hell out of... and Aunt Sue and I Ooooo'd and Aaahhhhh'd every new egg.

See Olivia... you dunk the egg like this....


I SCARED!


No it's ok, look its colored!


WOOOW! IT'S PWEEEETY!!!



The aftermath..... colorful cups


And colorful eggs






And the best egg, that was as we called, the mystery messed up egg, because the cup of coloring we used had many capsules of color, only some of which actually disolved. It was such a cool egg, that I made it my day 100!

100 of 365: Accidents can be just as cool, if not better, then things done on purpose