The Red Robe

Alternately titled, "Why Jackson should be grateful his mother did not put on clothes before taking him to school today."

Jackson has had a loose tooth for a while now.  I thought it would be out by Monday or Tuesday it was so wiggly.
He however, refused to let anyone near it, so it wiggled, got into odd positions, and was overall a 9 on my grossness radar (teeth out of mouths, finger nails clipped, and cut hair....YUCK).
This morning as he was brushing his teeth, he hit it and the tooth turned sideways and he starts screaming.
Bart and I get him onto the couch, try to calmly get him to let us look.  No dice.
Try to pry his mouth open to wiggle it or pull it.  Nope.
Finally, through some fancy two on one parent vs. kid action, we managed to get his mouth open, get the tooth out and hopefully move on with our day.
Nope.
 He bit me twice.  TWICE.
We got the tooth out.
We cheered and said all the nice and fluffy thing people say when one loses his first tooth.
But Jackson screamed.
And he cried.
And he threw the world's biggest fit because he was "scared".

By this time, we are all late for everything.  Too late to eat breakfast at home, Bart was too late to walk to work, late, late, late.
So, we piled into the car, and Jackson very unwillingly gets in.
We drop Bart off at work and head to school, where I tell the boys they will be eating breakfast. No big deal, they do it at least once a week.
Jackson screamed.
And he cried.
And he refused to get out of the car.
A timer begins in my mind.  For every minute Jackson made me stay at school, he would lose that much time playing video games tonight.
2 minutes
3
5
Finally, I declare he won't be eating breakfast today as it is really too late for him to even get in there and go park in front of his drop off zone.

He cries some more.
He declares he is scared.
He hides his face with his backpack.
He does not get out of the car.
I am trying so hard to be patient and Christlike and loving and understanding...it was hard, but I think any mother would have appreciated how hard it was to restrain myself from lashing out and being negative.  :)

Here is where the red robe comes into play.  See, I'd not gotten dressed before the tooth situation came up.  I am wearing a sweat shirt, shorts, socks, and a big ugly red robe.  I have morning breath, wild hair, and a anger deep in my guts that this morning had not gone according to plans and that Jackson was being such a whiny boy over this.
If I'd only had on p.j's and slippers, it would have been okay.  I'd have sucked it up and dragged that screaming monster to his class, to let his teachers deal with him.  I would have gotten out of the car, pulled him out, and drove away.  (Just far enough to make sure he got in safely).  I would have acted.  It might not have been pretty, but it would have been quick and we would have been able to move on.

Instead

I had to sit there and at first nicely try to get him out of the car and in to his classroom.


Then the niceness wore off.

I was hungry.

And getting annoyed.

And ready for Jackson to just calm down already.

I finally got him out of the car...but then he latched onto the door handle like Megan with Grey Goose on an everything's-gone-to-hell kind of day.   There was no shaking him.  I was in quite a pickle.  I mean, I can't drive off and run over his feet.  And what if he runs after me?  I can't get out of the car.  I am only in a red robe and hot pink socks.  I can't just sit there all day.  Oh, and the temperature outside?  Maybe ten degrees.  Yet he stood outside my window, banging, crying, and just overall not being happy.

No parents I knew walked by where I could explain what was going on and have them carry a screaming Jack up to school.  No teachers are down by the cars to help.  My husband at work was in a meeting so I couldn't go get him to come help (his work is maybe 1 minute from the boys school).

It was a nightmare.

Finally, right before the second bell rang (having wasted 20 minutes of time, missed breakfast and bell work, and lost video games for the night), he runs up the walk, screaming and crying all the way.  The only reason he went (unless he had an divine intervention from God and realized that Mama was about to say RED ROBE BE DAMNED and drag him into class) is because I told him he'd be locked out of that door and have to go to the principal if he didn't get into school that second.

Now, being the good mother that I obviously am, I had quickly written a note to his teacher to alert her to Jackson's issues, so hopefully the hot mess that stormed into her classroom will get a little sympathy.  Or an extra graham cracker at snack time.  Or a time out to calm down.  Something to help him be excited about this BIG STEP towards growing up.  This change.  Because as some of you know...Jackson HATES changes.  Especially those concerning him.  He needs a lot of time to get used to new situations...and I guess even though he'd known this tooth was loose for well over a week, he was not ready for the change of having it out of his mouth.

So, I am writing this post, not so much to entertain you all, my lovely readers, but to have it documented so that one day, when I scrapbook this event, I will have all the details down correctly.  Because yes...I have a before the tooth came out smiley picture.  I have a him throwing a fit flung on the ground after the tooth came out picture, and I will get (once he's calmed down and happy) a "look I lost my first baby tooth now I am a big boy!" picture.  And I think this post will be an important part of that visual story.  Maybe I need to snap a picture of this ugly red robe that Bart hates so much but that saved Jackson today.

Monday

Monday OPS goes back to school.  It's a day I've been anxiously awaiting and also dreading.
Today MPS went back to school.
And Joss started kindergarten...one of Jackson's earliest friends.

Jack and Joss were JUST tiny babies yesterday.  Just thinking about Jackson going to school ALL.DAY.LONG makes me so weepy.  And I hate weepy. I want to punch weepy me in the face.
I was not like this with Brennan.  I wonder if it is because he was the oldest?  Or because he'd already done 1/2 day preschool.  It was during naptime so I basically didn't even miss him.  But Jackson going all day?  That is going to leave a big gap in my heart and the home.  Poor Ethan isn't going to know what to do with himself.  Poor ME isn't going to know what to do with MYself!  I am getting weepy just typing those sentences!
Maybe it is because we did "homeschool preschool" last year?  Maybe it is because he has the cutest smile with perfect little teeth?  Or maybe it is because he is so darn accident prone and I worry about him on the play ground with others.  Maybe it is the because I will miss the way he tries to comfort Ethan, even when Ethan is the one causing his own pain and frustration.  Whatever it is, it's going to be tough.
I am going to try and be brave.  Jackson says he is "99% excited and 1% not excited" to go to school.  He's already told me many, many times he is going to miss me so much each day.  I don't want him thinking him going to school is a bad thing.  It really is great and amazing and aren't we so lucky we live in a country where the children can safely (for the most part) go to school each day to learn and grow and blossom?  And, I don't want the other mom's thinking I'm a wuss, either...maybe I can just keep thinking about sneaking to Brennan's room and snapping a picture and how he will hate that and that will help me smile and get through those moments as Jackson walks from my arms into his big boy chair at a table full of new friends and adventures.

But...Monday morning will be a rough one for me.
I set up a lunch date to help ease the lose of my "junior kid".  Because I think Jackson will have a valid arguement against Brennan that he is now officially a " real kid".  I am getting so panic-y and my chest gets tight thinking of having to walk away from the school Monday morning.  It could get ugly.

Jack on Bren's first day of prechool, 2007

The only reason I cried when Brennan went to school is because as we walked about from the building, Jackson started asking why we'd left Brennan.  And I blamed it 100% on pregnancy hormones.  If Ethan even THINKS of doing something like that, I am giving him a bottle of hot sauce to suck on ;).   And if any of you even THINK it is pregnancy hormones, my dears you are WAY mistaken (it's just fat, trust me!)   Every time we drive past the school, Ethan points to it and says, "Jack go kindergarten there."  He has no idea how that is a tiny knife in my heart.
Man, having your kids grow up is hard on a mother's heart!  (Though let's be honest, if Ethan were going, I'd be doing cartwheels.  Which means I'd have learned to do cartwheels.  I love Ethan but man alive, a break from him would be great.)

What hard things have you had to do lately?

One TIme

You might not believe it, but this innocent, sweet, peas and chicken-n-dumpling eating boy is not always so cute and innocent.
As a matter of fact, lately he's been down right rude!
The biggest infraction he has is his response to anything he doesn't want to do is "NO" in a super bratty, brings my blood to a boil in a nano second tone of voice.  Seriously.   Then, when you ask him to please respond nicely, the tone gets ever worse, he gets a "like hell am I going to do what you want" manner.
Since I am trying to teach the boys GOOD manners and to be polite and kind, this little bit of impulsive extreme defiance...didn't sit too well with me.
So, I reached way back into my memories...and remembered an old stand by that always worked on my brothers, sister, and myself if we were back talking, saying naughty words, etc.  Now, I only remember this actually being used (on me) maybe one or two times total, but if that is all it was used, the threat of it was enough to nip future offenses in the bud if this punishment was mentioned.

When I happened to have a bottle of the stuff in the kitchen.  I pulled it out, showed it to Jack, had him smell it.  I told him it did not taste nice and that the next time he said "NO" in that tone of voice he'd just used, he'd get to see what hot sauce tasted like.
Well, he sort of laughed but didn't say "NO" again.  The next day he said it (this had become a frequent habit of his) and I gave him one last warning.  "Jackson, if you can't talk nicely, I will let you taste something that is as yucky as your words."
Well, the next time comes.  He says his "NO" and throws a fit over whatever it was he thought was worth throwing a fit over.  I calmly approach him, let him know he had lots of chances to change his ways.
I open the bottle of hot sauce, put my finger on top of the bottle and turn it over.  He is watching me..."is she really going to do this?  I bet not" is what he is thinking.
I turn to him, rubbing off almost all the hot sauce I had just put on my finger (it was a teeny tiny drip so this made it miniscule).  I ask him to open his mouth or his punishment will be much worse.  Surprisingly, he opens.
He tastes.
He cries.
He spits.
He now no longer says "NO" in a sassy tone of voice.
AND...if he does start to slip back into that form, all I have to do is hold up a bottle of hot sauce (thank you Popeye's wicked chicken for providing us with enough to store all over the house, car, my wallet, etc, etc) and BAM, he and all other children in the room are suddenly good as gold.

I wonder if this works on 8 year olds who think they need to have the last word???

A true gentleman

Jackson did the sweetest thing today.  It really just melted my heart and reminded me how much I love this boy.  As we were leaving the park, he ran ahead to the car.  Mia called out, "Mia's first!" (to get into the car, because her car seat is situated in such a way she needs to get in first) as she always does.  Most days, Jackson will respond with a snippy, "I KNOW MIA!" as he waits for her.  Today, though, was different.

Today I said, "Mia, of course he will wait for you.  Jackson is a gentleman after all."

Jack and his birthday cake that HE designed 100%.

It was just loud enough that Jackson heard me, too.  As we approached the car, Jackson opened the door and held it open for Mia.  He held out his arm to welcome her in, then used his arm to support her back as she climbed in.  Then, once she was in...HE BOWED.  I almost melted to a puddle at the sweetness of that moment.

His birthday cake:  White but dyed slimer green and teal blue.

Enjoying the birthday supper of HIS choice:  homemade fried chicken strips, peas, tator tots (b/c he does not like fries) and shells and cheese.

It just goes to show you...children are little sponges.  I have no idea where Jackson got the idea that this was a nice or gentlemanly thing to do (I don't believe they bow in Pokemon, lol), but he did it with perfection.
It also proves that positive reinforcement is an amazing tool sometimes.  How would the scene have unfolded if I had yelled to Jackson, "Jackson, you KNOW you wait for Mia!" or something along those lines?  Not nearly as sweetly or memorable as it did.

Growing Up, Even When I am trying not to let him...

Today is Jackson's FIFTH birthday.
Usually months before a party, I start dreaming of a theme, favors, decorations, etc. (Bren's 8th: MAN party Ethan's 3rd: probably super heros...not 100% yet)
This time I didn't. I could say it is because the craft fair got in the way, but that is not true, I'd have had time to do it all.
It's just that...even though Jackson is the MIDDLE child, meaning Brennan's done it all already (JACK starts school in AUGUST!) and Ethan is the LAST to do it. Doesn't the middle child get lost? But...I do not feel this is the case.
Here is the thing. Of all the boys, Jackson is the one I cherish as a young child the most. Does that even make sense? It's like we have a connection, and I fear as he gets older, maybe we will lose it? IDK.
SO...because I was feeling desperate and worried (how could Jack NOT have something awesome on the day of...would he realize it was lame compared to last years?), Jack and I went to the store. And he picked out balloons (lime green, baby blue, and silver...GREAT color combo!), party favors, and a drink (Root Beer). He decided his birthday dinner (GeeGah's famous fried chicken, fries, shells n cheese and peas). He picked the birthcake ice cream from the freezer section.  Oh, and his cake?  A green and blue SLIMER cake (Ghostbusters)...lucky for me he has a Slimer shirt, so I feel less guilty about not whipping up some sort of awesomeness in that department :)
I let him be a big kid. And he loved it and is SO EXCITED for his party tonight. Even though I didn't do anything fancy.
Sigh.
Even when I tried to avoid him growing up by ignoring the fact that his birthday was coming...he still grew up on me.  And me...I think I grew up a little, too.  (Cause, yeah, letting HIM pick that stuff out...HUGE deal.  Like, I am usually 100% in control of ALL aspects of birthdays, including themes that I convince birthday child will be "just perfect!" for them...though usually, I am right ;) )

Jackson and some silliness

A few pictures of Jackson at the Labor Day Parade held as part of Septemberfest in Omaha.  As you can see, he was VERY excited to be there.  :D

Just a note:Jackson got his hair cut the VERY NEXT DAY!  I could not take that shaggy mop any longer.

Hallelujah...do you hear the bells ringing?

Jackson has been walking around singing the hallelujah  chorus (I believe that is what it's called) for months now.  It is really quite funny.
Monday, though, I was singing it, too!
SCHOOL STARTED!
Brennan got the teacher he'd hoped for, I got some relief from the fighting, nagging, whining that had been going on all summer.

Jackson was so excited.  He is getting to "go to" preschool.  By "go to" I mean that I am homeschooling him.  He is too smart for public preschool (go figure) and we are too broke for private (when you already had bills and you get more, it just takes that extra money away) preschool, so I decided to put my college degree to use and home school him this year.  He is loving it so far.

Once life settles down (4 cakes and a wedding cake in two weeks!  Yikes!) I will study the NE state curriculum for pre-K and do proper lesson plans.  This week we are just learning about Jackson, the letter A, and counting to 20. 
I am kind of excited to do this.  It is allowing me to spend quality time with Jackson, something that I sometimes find myself skimping on.

Plus...it means that I can call all play dates "field trips" now and not feel guilty about them :)  I have a field trip planned to the Omaha Children's Museum next week, Ditmar's Apple Orchard in September and Vala's in October.  It's fun to be excited to spend time with my children...sometimes I feel so trapped, but lately I've felt happy to be at home so much.  Granted today's lesson was less then stellar, but Jackson didn't seem to mind and while Super Why was on, I started working on cake stuff, while still pointing out letters and such to Jack...he, he...yep, I used the t.v. as a babysitter AND teacher today.  But I'm okay with that, because it won't be on every day. 
So, here's to a great school year, with routines, less fighting, and more fun!

I Made Those

I made those.  And I am darn proud.  Of both the boys AND their LEGO MAN TEE SHIRTS (of which I painstakingly made both).  I used my Make the Cut program, Cricut, freezer paper, and fabric paint.  I used what I'd learned from the zillion and one freezer paper stencil tutorials I've read and created these for Bren's birthday.  I just put a curved square w/ two rectangles and welded them in MTC, added the name just right and went to town.

Boys, Barbies, and Bo-Bo's

As we all know, Jack is a bit accident prone.
He'd been doing really well, not needing a band aid in weeks.
Then...
He played outside.
In flip flops.
On a downhill driveway.
With lots of fun outdoor riding toys.

And

All

Hell

Broke

Loose

He scrapped both knees and one elbow (twice) and required bandaids, which his doting "ambulance crew" (A&S) applied.
He even fell once, scratched his arm again, and needed a bandaid ON TOP OF the bandaid he'd already gotten there (it tore in the fall)
Well, 4 of Sarah's 5 kids, who I am babysitting this week are girls. So, lots of pink, girliness abounds. Including...BARBIE BANDAIDS.
Jackson did not put up a fight when they placed the bandaids on freshly received wounds, but later on, once he'd had time to think about it, he says, "Mommy, can you give me a bath tonight?"
Me: Sure, Jack, you are dirty. Daddy might do it though.
J: NO! Daddy CANNOT do it.
Me: Why not? (very puzzled indeed)
J: Because, MOM, he CAN'T see my Barbie bandaids!


Needless to say, today I brought some plain ole "beige" bandaids, just in case...and good thing, because he fell (only once so far) and reopened an old wound.



***Disclaimer: I have NEVER told my children that Barbies are only for girls and trucks (or whatever) are only for boys. Brennan never cared what he played with or what color he wore, ate food off of, etc. Jackson does. He does not like to eat off of the pink IKEA plates, though his favorite drink is "pink milk" (aka strawberry milk) He is often telling me MY favorite colors are pink and purple because they are GIRL colors. I just respond, "Everybody likes different colors, Jack. I like black and I like green." I just wonder where he got these ideas from???

Only Remnants Review and Giveaway (ends April 20)

One of the really cool thing about robots is that so many of them are "recycled"...bits and pieces of junk that nobody else wants and somebody figures out how to use them (think "Robots" the kids movie).
An etsy shop I found takes this idea to the max! Remnants-Recycled and Found Object Art by onlyRemnants.
When we got these little cuties in the mail, Jackson actually lined them up and had them watch t.v. with him (so yes, you are going to win something that Jackson played with a tiny bit. :) He walked them around and made them talk in robot voices. And then...I was a mean mommy, took them away, and hid them until his party. Then they got to come out and play and decorate the goodie bag table. They were the perfect finishing touch to that area, too.

On her shop: At Remnants, you will find art made mostly from recycled and found objects. About a year ago, I began experimenting with different objects and textures and have found that I like to make many different things--from mosaic artwork and frames to steampunk jewelry and robot sculptures.
So...go check out Remnants collection and see if there is a robot that needs to join your family! If robots aren't your thing, look through her steampunk jewelry...I want some!!!!
If you'd like to own the two itty bots pictured above, leave me a comment telling me your favorite item at Remnants!

Extra Entries: (leave a separate comment for each)

• Become a fan of Remnants by RJ on facebook.
• Follow the blog Remnants by RJ. Leave a comment on a post there and then in the comment here, tell me which post.
• Follow my blog (on the left)
• Post my button on your blog (leave a link so I can see it :)
• Follow me on Facebook (upper left corner)
• Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway (jessremington...make sure to @jessremington the tweets so I know you did it...oh, and you can do this up to three times a day BUT it must be AT LEAST one hour between tweets.
  
• Share one thing you'd love to have a robot do for you, if you were smart enough to invent robots that could do all the work.

Contest ends April 20th. FYI: There is FREE shipping until the 17th on the etsy shop!!!!

• 
  

Robots Attack! Jack's Party

It finally arrived! Jackson's fourth birthday party! Robots have been slowly taking over our house for weeks, in the form of shirts (found a great one for Bren at Gymboree, then I made Jack's and Ethans...I will do a super easy tutorial on Ethan's later on), bean bags and bean bag robot boards, party favors, banners...the list goes on and on!

Warning: Before you begin reading this, do not think I spent a ton of money on this birthday. I did not. Not including the goodie bags (more on that later) and cake (to bake and cover in fondant always costs me about $7-10 for the supplies), I spent maybe $25 on everything!

I used my cricut to create the images, but you can use ANY electronic paper cutter. Thanks Diana for letting me borrow the cartridge. If she had not had that cartridge, I would have just utilized my Make-The-Cut program and created my own image to cut out of gum paste.
I used the MTC program to get some "robot" lettering. The same font is on both the cake and the banner...and that makes me happy. :)

A quick tip on adhering gum paste: There are a couple of different ways out there to do this. For this particular cake, I used a tiny paint brush and dipped it in a tiny bit of shortening. I then "painted" very very lightly the back of the gum paste items just like glue. It worked much better then using water (the red was destine to run if I did that) and I don't own "gum paste glue".

Fondant and gum paste make it so easy to create a beautiful cake! I love all the skills I've learned from my mom. If you've ever wanted to make a cake for your little one's party or a baby shower or just because but have been intimidated...DON'T BE! Working with these two mediums is so easy. I was so scared for a while, but once I tried it, I LOVED it and am hooked! Even before I did anything with gum paste and my electronic paper cutter, I was having a lot of fun using just fondant to decorate. A tip on using fondant: DO NOT USE THE STORE BOUGHT KIND! It smells and tastes awful. Find a recipe online and go from there!
But...I digress. Back to the PARTY!

DECORATING DETAILS:

I am LOVING the current trend to make beautiful fabric bunting banners. However, I was a bit burned out on sewing from a big order I had. Then, I found some adorable robot papers at Hobby Lobby and knew I could make the same thing quicker with the papers. So, I cut my paper into triangles (I think i got 6 per 12x12 sheet), taped ribbon to the back and BAM! I had some cute decorations. TIP: I made the bunting in various lengths, hanging them by the goodie bags, over the kitchen door, by the gift table, and outside. I then reused one of the buntings in some silly pictures I took of Jackson after the party (see first picture). I LOVE my buntings and am so glad I made them. (If bunting is not the word, please feel free to leave a comment and correct me).

The food was simple...water bottles with cute stickers on them, apple juice with "ROBOT JUICE" or "ENERGY DRINK" labels (complete with a robot stamp over the wording) and NUTS AND BOLTS, a mix of pretzels, cherrios, m&m's, marshmallows, and cheez-its. It was a cute mix and the kids seemed to gobble it up. I also used a great printable to make snack bags of Nuts and Bolts for the goodie bags. (she has other robot printables as well, check her out!) I baked a LARGE cake and I didn't want kids getting full of grapes and finger foods before it was time to dig in to the good stuff!

Our activities were fun and simple. At first I planned a coloring station to color this cute robot, a station to create robots out of toilet paper rolls and other crafty items, a robot mask station, etc, etc. Then I thought of how much work that would be and how frustrated the kids would be when they poured too much glue for their robot eyes, finished their robot picture before everyone else, and had to sit still when they wanted to wiggle and giggle.

So, I scratched my first set of ideas and started thinking of what I could do that would be fun, keep kids attention, and not cost an arm and a leg. I came up with doing the Robot dance (check out the pics...Bart taught the kids to do the Robot...got a few robot songs from Yo Gabba Gabba, Phineus and Ferb, and another band whose name escapes me but is not a kids band...will post that when Bart is awake to tell me...we bought ours for 99 cents from Amazon.com), Hot Bot (think Hot Potato but with a bean bag I made that has a Robot on it with flannel from Joann's), Pin the Robot on the Robot (I really need a better name for this one :) Also, I used some vinyl rub ons I will be reviewing this week...I could have easily created a robot by drawing squares and rectangles on a poster board and letting the boys color it in), and a bean bag toss whose basic concept came from another blog.

Bean Bag Toss Tutorial:

1. Beg, borrow, or steal a wardrobe box. This was perfect because it is about four foot tall (the kids are all less then 4 ft. tall so they think it is huge), has its own base, and gives you a large surface to work with.
2. Either use the back side of an ugly roll of wrapping paper that came with some adorable wrapping papers OR buy some white paper on a roll.
3. Sketch out what you want your robot to look like. Robots are so easy to recreate because they are basically rectangles. I used the image from the blog and my own imagination.
4. Use some cheap craft paints that you have lying around to paint your robot with sponge brushes and small tip brushes for the tiny parts.
   
5. Once dry, cut some holes in various spots to create targets for the bean bag toss. I then used packing tape and went around my edges so that the paper would not rip.
6. Hand your kids some bean bags and let them go to town!

(email me if you want exact dimensions)

Bean Bag Tutorial:

1. Find a cute fabric you love or use some of your stash. The kids really won't care if there are robots on the bean bag...since I'd already purchased 1/4 of a yard of robot fabric from Joann's, knowing I'd find a use for it, I used that.
2. Find an old c.d. that is all dusty because you only use your MP3 player now.
3. Trace the c.d. on the backside of the fabric a circle around the image on the fabric you want to cut.
4. Cut it out.
5. Repeat twice for each bean bag you want to make.
6. Sew with the right side up and down (does that make sense? So that they wrong sides are touching in the middle), back stitching a few stitches at your start. I had my needle in the middle position and used my presser foot as a seam edge guide. Go almost all the way around (I left about a 2 inch opening), back stitch, pick up your presser foot, turn your circle around and sew back the OTHER way...meaning, sew around your circle, then reinforce your stitches by sewing around again. I found this necessary when an out of town guest tried out the bean bag toss last week and beans went EVERYWHERE!
7. Find some dried beans from your food storage and stuff until about 3/4 of the way full.
8. Carefully place your bean bag under your sewing machine again and seal the gap you left. I sewed over the open edge twice, once again for reinforcement!
9. Enjoy tossing your new custom made bean bag at your targets. Overall I'd call the party a success. Jackson got enough money to buy the rocket he wants, the kids all left with smiles on their faces, and my boys didn't stop talking about playing with friends, doing the robot, and "winning" the pin the robot game for hours afterward!
   

TIP: If you really want to get fancy, you could use heat n bond and decorate the bean bag (before it is sewn) with an initial, number, coordinating fabric, whatever.

Stay tuned this week for an easy tutorial to make a shirt like Ethan's, reviews of some robot products, a few giveaways, and a run down of the goodie bag loot! This post is long enough :)

Happy Birthday Jackson (The Family Party)

Jack's birthday was April 6. He was so excited to turn four.
When he woke up that morning he said, "I am four."
Me, teasing him, said, "No, not until 9:20, that is when you were born."
All morning, until 9:20 came, he'd ask, "Am I four yet?"
I made a yellow cake with pink candles in order to fulfill Jackson's request of a pink and yellow cake. I am not a huge fan of yellow cake, but that is okay, it is not about me on Jack's birthday.
His party is Saturday and I am so excited to share all the details and great things that I have for reviews and giveaway!The shirt Jackson is wearing is from KidJovial on etsy. Very cute...look for a full review as soon as I wash and dry it a few times to test it out :)

Jackson's Birthday Bash Part One, complete with fireworks!

The birthday cake. I used my cricut to cut the characters out. It was vanilla with yellow accents...Jack loves LELLOW. BTW, I will be buying a skinny straight tip for writing before I do my next cake.Jackson hanging out with Mickey Mouse...MM even sat at the dinner table with us. Thanks Kristen for letting us use him...if any of my blog readers in the Omaha area would like to own MM, let me know and I will put you in contact with Kristen, who is trying to sell him.The birthday boy and his birthday crown.Everybody loves a party...even baby Ethan.

Donald does not look like he liked the party.
Notice Donald's seared BUTT FEATHERS? Yep, Bart accidentally caught it on fire. It was pretty dang funny, if you ask me.
Next time, keep the candles AWAY for the paper decorations on the cake.
Oh, and don't you just love the expression on Donald's face? It's like he knew what happened.


Some of the decorations for the party:
The presents and the banner (made by me)

I hung MM heads and the #3 from our ugly dining room light fixture.Mickey waiting for the party to start.