Blast from the past....

Hi guys... i hope everyone has had a great last couple of months.. things in cindyville have been productive. Now that little prince is in multiple sports, life after office is hectic. Fun, yet busy :)

As i prepare for Ethan's fourth birthday party, A PIRATE'S PARADISE,  i look over a few of his old birthday parties to see what i have made, decorated and served so that i don't repeat them. Desserts, dishes, candy, etc.

Here are a few pictures from his other birthdays..

1st Birthday: Welcome to the Carnival.

I purchased this awesome photo filler at orientaltrading.com and used tacky adhesive to glue the poster to a foam board so that it could be a lot sturdier for picture time  :)

My beautiful sister surprised her godson with pony rides, for all the kids to ride around the yard. It was a hit. Ethan loved them. He didn't want to get off of them, good thing their was a second pony :)

I also purchased potato sacks as one of the games the kids played. Ethan was still too little to participate however he was the perfect contestant. Potato sacks also purchased at orientaltrading.com

2nd Birthday Party also the first themed Ethan chose on his own: Disney's CARS

I covered the entire yard with hay, which i picked up at the local feed and supply store. It wasn't until my second purchased that i asked if i could perhaps rent the bales instead. Turns out, you could, at about half the price!

I also painted cardboard boxes black and white to look like checkered board and wrote ETHAN on a few boards. Also the big 2 !

As part of the festivities and with the help of a few family members, i created pixar look-a-like characters out of cardboard. I found the template as i was reading a blog on howdoesshe.com 

I'm sure the template is still up on that website :) Painting them was another story. Once i finished the first one, the rest just sort of happened :) 

 Towards the end of the party my little lightning McQueen wore his racer suit. He wore it to open presents and pass out pieces of his cake. The suit can be purchased at your local disney store :)

Well, this mommy has to get back to work.. i will be posting his Halloween parties and his third birthday up this week, i hope you all enjoyed the pictures as well as a few ideas for your little one's up coming birthday.

til next time.... cindy

Our First Trip of 2013

OH my gosh, its 2013!!

Happy New Year All! 

Ethan and i just took our first trip of the year. To San Francisco Zoo. He had a blast.. So many activities so many animals. It was amazing.

Went to bed early in order to conquer the world. He did not want to sleep he was excited.

First we started the weekend with the San Francisco Zoo.

The drive there was a little mission. Try taking a 3 year old on a 6 hour drive. Luckily, i had made snacks for everyone coming on this road trip. 

The Zoo was amazing. Ethan loves the LA Zoo so im sure he was going to love the SF ZOO. We took him when he was 1, two years later, it was just as amazing.

The staff was great, very helpful. I do recommend that you get there early. Parking was a little crazy. They offer parking outside of the Zoo, however you would have to cross the 1 freeway. Oh, did i mention, the zoo is directly across the street from the OCEAN! Ethan loved that. While you wait in line to purchase your ticket you have a view of the first exhibit. THE ZEBRAS. That started the day.

My sister, Stephanie, Ethan and I 

He loves holding the map and directing us towards every exhibit. 

Ethan thought that the Bear Mural on the Grizzly wall was the exact bear  from the movie BRAVE. I explained but later he still called the bear, Mordu. LOL

I love having Ethan wear my Alma Matter's gear.. He truly is the Loudest Aggie Fan. UCDavis all the way.

We ended the day at the beach. Enjoying our sunset and snacks.

Have you ever been to the SFZoo? Which animals did you like? Ethan loved the penguins and the Lions. 

Did you love the children zone? We sure did. I loved the petting zoo.  Well, i hope you are all having a great day!

Tis' the season

Tis' the Season, right? Some how i feel like its always the season, lol. Being the eldest in a family of six, there is always a celebration. Take for example today, December 6th. My younger, yet abnormally tall brother, turns 22. Forget the days where just cake and ice cream where sufficient. Today I find myself sending text, emails, voice mails just to make dinner reservations. Let alone make time to find the perfect gift. What do you get a 22 year old? The fast answer would be a gift card. After all, I do work full time, but no. Mamadalama never bought gift cards and she did just well with her jobs. For those of you who don't know, mamadalama is my wonderful mom. Its a nickname i have used for ages now :) Throwing that gift card idea out of the window i some how found time yesterday, after my son's gymboree class. Yay for Holiday hours ;) Note to all of you, avoid the Malls in December. I regret taking my 3 year old. Although we found some awesome friends for his room (new plush dinosaurs) I'm sure he was just as aggravated as i was. Macy's was crowded with people trying to redeem their 20% coupon. Thank you to a sweet man who saved me 20% by the way :) My brothers new coat and I thank you. (oops, I'm sure Chris isn't reading this though) Once you walk into the center of the mall, children screaming everywhere, moms yelling at those crying children. Men wearing excessive amounts of free sample Cologne and of course the scent of the food court. Is it just me or is there something in that air that automatically makes you hungry. My son and i shared a pretzel. The scent took over our stuffed appetite. i hope you all had a great 6th of december.. and until next time.