The End of the Lucky Green Hat

It's had a good run.
And I think after this St. Patrick's Day, it's time to hang up the lucky green hat.
So, let's see it one last time.
Take it away, Mina...

Good-bye you silly green hat!

Thanks for five years of cuteness!

(2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and now 2014)

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Aubrey 4.5

It's hard to go from being the one and only child, to instantly having to share the spotlight.
And unlike most families who bring home a sibling who just sleeps, eats, and poops -- we brought home a sibling who walks, talks, pinches, and steals toys.
All this change has been pretty hard on Aubrey.
While adding to the family is a normal part of life, Daniel and I decided to show Aubrey she is and always will be loved and treasured deeply by her mom and dad.

On March 17th, Aubrey turned exactly 4 and a HALF.
Which also happened to be St. Patrick's Day.
And as luck would have it, rainbows are among Aubrey's most favorite things right now.
All the stars aligned for a perfectly magical Aubrey-centered weekend.

Saturday started off with Daniel packing up a picnic lunch and taking his outdoor-loving girl to the Wildlife Refuge. She has been begging to go to the "Rocky Mountains" again. It turned out to be a perfect day for it!

On Sunday, Aubrey's official "HALF" birthday, she woke up to us singing, "Happy Half Birthday to YOU!"
Then we went into the kitchen for a sprinkled cinnamon roll breakfast.

Then after church and putting Mina down for a nap, we escorted Miss Aubrey upstairs where balloons, rainbow cake, and a few presents awaited!

She absolutely loved it! 

It was a fun afternoon just reminding our oldest girl just how much she is cherished!

Now can someone explain to me how I'm going to have a full-blown 5-year-old in less than six months?!

The Return of the Lucky Green Hat!

Some of you who have been readers of this blog for several years know that around St. Patrick's Day I have taken pictures of Aubrey wearing a green hat {click on the following years for flashbacks: 2009, 2010, and 2011}.

Once Aubrey reached 3, I thought it was about time to end it with the hat. I was afraid if I didn't stop then, I'd wind up taking her picture with that silly hat wearing nothing but a training bra and smiling with a mouth full of braces. I decided that once my daughter was out of diapers, I should stop. It was about to border on creepy/inappropriate.

With that being said, we have a new diaper hiney in the house!
The hat is making a comeback!
Hooray!

Here's our newest little lucky leprechaun...

I knew this was going to be tricky considering Miss Mina doesn't like ANYTHING on her head.
Not to mention the girl is all kinds of stubborn.

While I didn't get the looking-at-the-camera-smiling-while-wearing-her-hat photo that I hoped for, I still think she looked downright precious...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patty's Police

Beware -- if you aren't wearing green today -- she will give you a pinch.

It's the law.

{Rainbow} Bright Ideas

We are SO close to Spring I can smell it.
(Which, come to think of it, explains my 10+ sneezes a day...)

Even though we've had a pretty mild winter this year, I feel like I've exhausted all my "indoor" activity ideas with Aubrey. Not to mention we've played with every single toy, read every single book (over and over and over...), played every single game, watched plenty of movies, etc.

So with St. Patty's Day just around the corner, I thought I'd try my luck at finding new things to do in order to not just survive the last of winter but to actually ENJOY it!

Here are 5 Bright Ideas that have helped us get through the last bit of Winter Blues!

1. Rainbow Color Pasta
This is super easy:

• Put a scoop of pasta in a ziplock baggie
• Add a splash of rubbing alcohol
• Drop a few dashes of food coloring (depending on how vibrant you want the pasta)
• Squish it all around and let it sit for a bit. (Like 10 minutes, if that.)
• Then just spread it out on a covered baking sheet to dry. (I highly recommend wearing latex gloves during this process if you have them.)

Once you have the pasta all ready to go, you can do all sorts of things. For Aubrey, I printed out the word RAINBOW and scooped out a cup of pasta for each letter. Then, I had her find the corresponding color pasta for each letter. She LOVED it. She did, however, think I was trying to trick her with the "B" and "O" letter colors being so similar (I blame the color discrepancy on our low cyan cartridge. :)).

You could also use this pasta to make fun necklaces or bracelets. Aubrey has also enjoyed doing patterns with the shapes/colors and making art pictures. There is seriously SO much your toddler can do with these. Oh, and the Dollar Store has lots of fun pasta shapes and food coloring, just fyi...

2. Bathtub Paint

This is actually the third time we've done this little activity. Just add a few drops of food coloring to shaving cream, stir it up, and hand it over to your munchkin with a paintbrush. Aubrey thinks this is the most wonderful thing ever. She'll look up at me with those, "Are you sure it's okay that I'm doing this cause it's so fun I think I might get in trouble."

After the tub has been thoroughly painted, Aubrey has just as much fun wiping it all off (the girl loves to clean), we plug the drain, run the water, add a bit of bubbles, and switch on the jets. It's such a hard life for toddlers...

I used to put the shaving cream in a muffin tin, but then decided it was much easier to just put it in mini plastic cups that I could just toss in the trash when she was finished. It is also easier for Aubrey to paint with without having to juggle an awkward muffin pan.

Number 3: Window/Door Coloring

Now, of course Aubrey colors with her crayons but it's much more fun when you get to color on the windows and doors! Allow me to give a bit of advice...window crayons are messier than window markers.

4. Homemade Playdough

In the spirit of St. Patty's Day, I coined this playdough: St. Patty's Pinch-able Playdough. 

It's seriously the softest, squishiest playdough EVER. 

{You can find the recipe here. I added a bit of baby oil to give it the smoother texture.}

 Oh, and here's the recipe if you want to make a large batch. This is what Aubrey and I made to hand out to at our St. Patty's Day Playgroup. It makes well over 12 small containers of playdough.

{free printables found here}

5. Pot-o-Gold Jello

Have you heard of Jell-O Mixchiefs? You just add your favorite juice to the gelatin and you have a nice, refreshing snack! And after all that playing...you deserve a fun little treat!

{free printable found here}

Hope this little list gives you a burst of energy to make it through till Spring!

St. Patty's Day Playgroup!

Aubrey and I hosted a little St. Patty's Playgroup on Friday.

(Yes, I know St. Patrick's Day was on Thursday, but the munchkins were none the wiser.)

Here's my little hostess (along with her baby, of course).
She was beyond excited to have all her friends over for a party!

So...come on in...and...
Welcome to the {Post} St. Patty's Day Party!

Help yourself to any of the treats you see!

Chocolate-dipped Marshmallows
Chocolate-drizzled Rice Krispie Treats
Rainbow Lollipops, Skittles, Twizzlers, Rolos, & Chocolate Coins

Now, what can I get you to drink?

A bottled water? Soda? Lemon/Limeade?

We also have a rainbow assortment of juices...

Who's ready for a little leprechaun lunch?

Mommy Menu:
Loaded Potato Soup
Beer Bread
Mini Quiches

Munchkin Menu:

Shamrock Sammies
(bread + peanut butter + shamrock cookie-cutter)
Ham/Cheese/Crackers
Rainbow Goldfish

I hope you saved some room for dessert...

Here's a slice just for you!

Now please, feel free to have a seat and color while your food digests...

And, before you go, don't forget to take your little pot-o-gold!

For all the little munchkins:

A mini Pot-O-Gold filled with Chocolate Coins, and a Rainbow Crayon.
The littlest leprechauns (1 and under) took home a little "Lucky Duckie". :)
{Andrew had a bonus gift -- his 1st birthday is today!}

Oh, and here's a lollipop for the road...

*******
The St. Patty's Day Playgroup Party
was packed with sugar and pure sweetness!
We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends!

My friend, Bethany, took this last picture.

I love all the little green leprechauns frolicking around in the backyard!

It was a magically fun day!

My Little Lady Leprechaun

She is charming...
Sweet as can be...
Full of mischief... She's Once...
{2009}

Twice...
{2010}

Three times my little leprechaun baby lady...
{2011}

And I love her. :)

*******
Happy St. Patrick's Day!