Hazel's 6th Birthday Party

 

And, just like that, we've got a 6 year old!  This past weekend we celebrated Hazel's sixth birthday with her first kid party and, surprisingly, we even had some of her school friends join us. Just a few months back we received our first party invite from school for Hazel and I was so excited to see that families were ready to start doing events like this again.  I've mourned for Hazel this whole year, being that her Kindergarten experience was so very different than we'd have wanted it to be.  I just kept telling her that it's not always like this - that someday soon things will be different and she'll be able to play tag with her friends and use balls and bats and scooters and actually see all her little friends faces...and ride a bus and eat lunch in the lunch room and rotate classrooms for things like art and music and computer.  

Ok - enough about COVID Kindergarten, that's not what this post is about...it's about the sweet little party we had for Hazel at the bowling alley followed by family and close friends back at the house for what was a planned pool party that got mostly rained out.  Above you can see the adorable little bunny cake that Erin picked up for Hazel.  She started getting small cakes like this vs. the cupcakes Ellyn started years ago because this way we can all have a little bit.

More than anything, Hazel wanted an "Uliv Bune" for her birthday (alive bunny). And, well, we're just not there right now.  Maybe someday when we figure out how to get a year round outdoor hutch I'll bite on this request, but for now I hope the bunny cakes and sweet bunny stuffed animals and bunny dresses will suffice.  

I just love this picture so much!!  Looking back on the crazy wild year 2020 was, there is something so heartwarming about seeing a little kid blow out their birthday candles with all their might!

It wasn't quite warm enough for anyone to swim (except Stella) but the kids loved the water balloon fight the daddy's hosted!  

And, let's not forget about Auntie's gift, which was a trip to Build A Bear for both girls.  They picked matching unicorn's and these boxes were the highlight of the last few days.  They've been coloring and decorating them since Sunday.

Dear Hazel (Age 6)

Happy 6th birthday my sweet Hazel girl!!!  I can't believe it's been another year, another trip around the sun, and here I am writing your birthday letter.  A letter to my SIX year old.  My soon to be first grader.  My baby who isn't a baby anymore.

Favorite Color: “Purple – and green”

Yep – purple.  It’s been purple since you were old enough to decide.  But, I wonder how much of that is because we would encourage it (buying purple things…purple clothes etc) and how much is because that’s really what you like.  I suppose I know better…if it wasn’t true, you, of all people, would let us know.  

Favorite Food: “Bagels and cream cheese and Bubby pancakes”

At some point this year I gave you a bagel with cream cheese just to see if you’d like it and I have to agree, this has become one of your favorite foods.  It probably helped that I asked you these questions AS you were eating breakfast (a bagel) but you do eat them nearly every day now.  I’ve always felt like you are a more adventurous eater than your sister and I think that’s still true today.  You’ll try just about anything, and while you don’t always like the new thing, you do pick for a wider variety of foods than your sister and I love ya for that!  You do well with most vegetables, though you’ve decided you hate peppers for some reason.  

Nicknames:

• ·        Franny – the most common and longest standing nick name we use for you.  This one will probably stick for a long time!
• ·        Hay Hay – honestly though, I listed this one second, but it might be the only name Abby uses for you.  Well, she screams “Hazel” when she’s mad, but otherwise, you are Hay Hay in her book and I think it’s adorable that she’s given you this name.  Might not be what I’d have picked, but I think that’s not really how nick names work I suppose. 
• ·        Booby Moopy – or really any other silly rhyming name depending on how the mood hits.  “Flippity Floppity”…“Boobity Moopity”….”Wiggle Waggle” – so many options.  

Favorite Toy:  “Stripes” 

You said Stripes (a small soft baby the Easter bunny brought a few years ago) is your favorite toy and I’d have to agree that she really is up there!  I’ll have to get a picture of you with her so I can include it here for posterity.  Stripes and your dollies are some of your favorite toys.  This past Christmas Daddy, Auntie and I worked really hard to make you a special wardrobe for Dolly’s clothes and I think you really do love that.  I hope it’ll be a something you treasure for a long time and maybe something that gets handed down through the years.  Only time will tell.

 The other thing that you really love is to make “books”.  Markers, tape, paper, these are a few of your favorite things.  When we were in quarantine last spring you went through so much paper and tape I started hiding it from you on really high shelves so you didn’t use it all up.  You’d cut paper into tiny pieces, you’d tape together the strangest (coolest) things and you’d go through a while ream of paper if I’d let you.  Even today, when we’re watching TV before bed you’ll often go grab some paper and markers and sit on the ground making all kids of art.  It’s so cool to see your creative heart and all the things you make.

Favorite Outfit:  “My Packers shirts…and my purple Charlie and the Chocolate Factory shirt”

I’m honestly not sure how these two somewhat random items made it on the list here, but, that’s what you said when I asked.  If I was answering this I’d say “anything with a skirt”.  You love dresses and skirts and they’d be your outfit of choice no matter the weather or the season.  It’s funny, because I wouldn’t necessarily call you a girly girl if someone asked me, but dresses are your jam.  And shoes!  You love shoes!

Some firsts this year:

• Writing full name with correct letters (Capital M, G):  Kindergarten is such a year of growth and exploration....I'd forgotten how far Abby progressed in just that one year.  This year you mastered writing your full name correctly, with all the capitals in the right place.  You know how to write all the capital and small letters, do pretty well with your letter sounds, write phonetically, read some works (we're working on sight words this summer).
• Showers:  We moved Abby up to taking showers sometime during the summer she turned 7.  I was tired of kneeling and running baths and while you two could play nicely for quite some time in the bath together, more often than not it ended in a fight so we moved on to showers.  Plus, your hair is cleaner when you aren't sitting in dirty bath water.  Anyways, you started taking showers independently this year and this Momma is so happy to have another job (mostly) off her list.  You still need some management (showers can take way too long if I'm not rushing your through the steps) and sometimes your hair comes out more tangly than when you went in, but overall this was a big win for us this year and I'm proud of you for doing it nearly 2 years before your sister. 
• Lost tooth:  You have been very excited (and brave) about losing your first tooth since seeing all the dramatics your big sister goes through for a loose tooth.  You vowed that you wouldn't be scared and couldn't wait to lose your first tooth and baby girl, you weren't wrong.  One random afternoon you said your tooth was hurting a little and one bite of string cheese later your tooth was nearly out!  You wiggled it and wiggled it for the rest of the night and while you didn't lose it that same day, it was out by....  
• Car seat updates:  This year we had some car seat updates too!  Earlier in the year (probably last summer sometime) you started being strong enough to put down your “bottom buckle” in the car seat meaning you can finally unbuckle yourself when we get somewhere.  But!  Just as school was ending I decided to switch you to a big kid car seat.  I think we’ve upgraded you about a year earlier that we switched Abby, but, I think that’s how it goes for #2’s.  You do everything a little sooner than the first kids.  With all the travel we have this year (Yellowstone in just a few short day!) it’ll be nice for you to have some more dexterity in the car.  To be able to reach your toys and the other things you’d need will certainly make my life easier too.
• Skiing:  A first for both you girls this year was skiing!  Daddy’s been wanting to go for a few years now and we finally made it happen back in Feb with a much needed long weekend away.  Honestly, sweet Hazel, you were the best skier of the kids and I’m excited to see what a few more times on the hill will do for your skill and confidence.  We promise to get you and your sister on the hill again this winter….but, we’re going to enjoy the hot summer weather for a while before we start thinking about that.

Fears:  “The bad pigs”

At some point –maybe in the last year, maybe longer ago, you had a dream about “bad pigs” – you might have even had it more than once now because whenever you talk about “nightmares” or what you are afraid of, these bad pigs always comes up.  I’m not sure what exactly happened in your dream or why pigs were the thing, but when you answered with this I wasn’t surprised in the least.

I remember very clearly two nightmares I had recurringly as a kid and I wonder if this will be the just like those dreams are for me now, 30+ years later.  

 

A sweet story about you: 

Age 5 has been the year of lists for you! It all started back at Christmas time when we did our tradition of cutting out pictures of toy catalogs of all the things you wanted to ask for from Santa.  But, it didn’t end after one list session!  Your list grew and grew until it included two pieces of giant craft paper covered with pictures and drawings of the things you wanted.  For weeks (from maybe even before Thanksgiving, right up to Christmas) you thought and thought and added to your list.  At first I was frustrated with you, thinking we’d raised materialistic kids who didn’t understand the true meaning of Christmas, but now, looking back, I don’t think that’s really what was happening.  I think for the first time you understood that you could ASK for things and maybe, just maybe, you’d get them.  You aren’t selfish and you aren’t upset if you don’t get what’s on the list…you just want to be sure we have lots of choices.

But, while I thought Christmas day would be the end of your list making, I couldn’t have been more wrong.  One of the gifts we gave you were some blank board books – you love making books so much, and coloring and drawing, I thought for sure making some “real” books would be a hit!  Little did I know, they would be a hit…but not for the reasons I’d hoped.  It didn’t take long, maybe even the day after Christmas, and you’d turned your attention to your Birthday Books (lists upon lists of things you’d like for your birthday).  You’re lists are extensive and more often than not include “uliv bunees” (Alive bunnies) or other animals you’d like to own.  I bet we have at least 4 or 5 birthday books laying around the house with all your wishes listed for us in full color.  

Bears or Packers?  “Packers” (in a very quiet whisper)….though, I basically like both.”

I wonder if Ryan asked if you’d give him a different answer.  Maybe it’s not fair for me to ask you this each year, but it makes me laugh and it’ll be interesting in 20 years to see where you actually land.  Both you and your sister will probably end up saying “I don’t really watch football” or something funny like that.  But, for now it looks like I’ve got at least one other team Green and Gold on my side!

Favorite TV show: “Bluey”

I’m pretty sure you said this because it’s the show you and your sister are currently working through on Disney+ (a COVID addition to the McGrath household).  But, honestly though, you guys really do love this show and even I think it’s cute.  The parents in the show set a high standard and I’m not sure that Daddy and I quite live up to all the fun adventures and play Bluey’s parents create for the kids, but I promise we do the best we can! 

 Some other shows you like this year are Tangled, the Barbie cartoon series, Puppy Dog Pals, and really anything that plays on Disney Junior.

Favorite Movie: “Raya” – even though we haven’t watched it yet

I honestly have NO IDEA why you picked this movie – we haven’t even seen it yet.  But, Abby does know that it’s coming out soon and has been talking about it so it’s probably top of mind these days.  We’ve watched some real classics lately, like Free Willy and Black Beauty on top of the new cartoon movies that have come out this year.  Those old classics stand up to the test of time – or maybe it’s just because I’m nostalgic about it – but us three girls really enjoyed some of those older movies. 

Height/Weight:  44 inches (Same as Abby when she turned 6) and 40 lbs

A Quick Trip to Florida (and the ocean!)

Summer is always a fun busy time for us with lots of activity which means there's lots to share here on the blog.  And, this summer is no different.  I'm finding myself trying to quickly get in the posts from our June adventures before we embark on our big trip of the year - a round-trip to Yellowstone!  But, I'll have plenty more to share on that here soon....for now, our trip to Florida!

15 ish months after we all found ourselves shuttered into our houses the girls and I set out on our first post-pandemic flight to Florida to hang out with Ryan for a few days.  He's been traveling nearly every week for almost 2 years working on building Restoration Hardware storefronts and while he's been traveling to places like Columbus, Charlotte, Dallas, San Francisco and a few random cities in between, Jacksonville felt like the first time it made sense for us to come and visit him.  School ended the day before and the girls and I kicked off summer vacation with a 4 day trip to visit him.  

The accommodations were perfect for our family of four.  While most of the time the guys have been staying in regular old hotel rooms, figuring out how to piece together meals during the pandemic without full kitchens (or with access to the entire hotel kitchen...that sounded crazy!), in Jacksonville Ryan had a two bedroom condo with 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, a community pool/game room etc.  It was the prefect place for us to join him!  Oh, and!  How could I forget?  It was just a few minutes from the ocean!

I mean - the ocean!!  Sand dunes, boogie boards, boardwalks....alligator bites, sand in our hair (everywhere), reading on the beach...the sound of the waves, the whole thing.  I said it in an earlier post how I'd convinced myself I might not see the ocean again, and feeling like you can't do something makes you want to do that thing SO MUCH more...and appreciate it more when you do.  That is 100% the lesson here!

It really was the perfect getaway.  I was pretty sure the kids and I would be fine flying alone and I was right on that!  We had delays on both flights but the excitement of travel and the iPads helped power them through.  We were tried by the time we got home on Monday - we drove directly from the airport to get the dog at the kennel, stopped to pick up groceries and finally made it home around 8...I was pooped and they were too, but that's what summer is all about!

On Saturday we visited Amelia island, about an hour drive from where we were staying and we're so glad we did.  While there we stopped at two different beaches, both very different, had a stop at Walmart to grab a cooler, boogie boards, sand toys and a small umbrella for me (oh, and a 6 pack of beer and snacks!).  We ate at a restaurant called the Salty Penguin (go there if you're ever on the island!).  I ordered myself a pound of peel and eat shrimp and it might have been the best decision I made all weekend.  Well, also my new sunglasses.  Those rank pretty high as well!

The kids both tried to boogie board.  Abby liked it better than Hazel but they both did it.  Hazels favorite thing to do in the ocean was to jump the waves, and to pile sand all over herself like she's doing here in this picture.  She'll learn!  

Oh!  And the milkshake!  How could I forget this.  I think the kids will remember the Salty Penguin.  It'll be the memory of the first time they ate alligator and the biggest milkshake of their lives.  We saw another table get bloody mary's in these big cups and the kids menu had a milk shake 'in a souvenir cup' listed.  So when I asked the waitress if THAT was the cup, she said no, but she could make it happen for us.  You should have seen the kids faces when this thing arrived.  The looked at us, and must have assumed it was for Ryan and I because Abby asked "That's for us!?"  That was a lot of ice cream.  And honestly, between the 4 of us we still had to dump some of it out.  But we tipped our waitress well and that cup will be sitting on one of our nightstands for a long time to come.

Amelia Island is known for the number of shark teeth that wash up on its beaches.  While we were walking around the little town waiting on our lunch reservation we found a visitors center.  Inside the lady said "everything in here is free, take anything you'd like".  Hazel's eye lit up and she asked "Can I have a bag" (my little pack rat).  She loaded up on pamphlets and papers and maps and while we tossed most of it a few days later, one little paper was super helpful....a guide to shark teeth.  

Earlier in the day I'd found a shell that sort of reminded me of a tooth.....it wasn't black like I'd expect most shark teeth to be, more white/shell colored.  I handed it to Hazel saying "this might be a shark tooth!  Go show Daddy".  I knew full well it likely was not, but was hoping I could convince the kids we'd found one.  Well, thanks to Hazel's handy dandy free paper, we found out that I had in fact found a real shark tooth - from a Hammerhead shark.  

Now, my story would only be better if I had a picture to show you of the tooth, OR the tooth itself, but somehow when we got back to the condo, I remember putting it in a very safe spot, thinking that the girls would want to keep it and show friends.  Turns out the spot is SO safe, that even I can't remember what I did with it.  We've searched high and low and maybe it'll turn up somewhere random, but for now all we have is the memory.  Wah wah!

Day 2 took us to the ocean right in Jacksonville.  We hiked through a small nature preserve to show the kids how the trees and vegetation are very different from back home.  We saw tiny crabs, looked out over the back waters, stumbled on a guy looking at Great Horned Owls (we didn't see them)...and even tried to find a geo cache - that is until I read that you'd need pants and a machete to get to it.

After our hike we hit the beach until we were tired of sitting in the sun and then went back to the condo to play in the pool and grill up dinner.  I think this trip was the perfect mix of activity and relaxation.  We had a rough idea of what we'd want to do and armed with that we just winged it.  Very unusual for me!  I'm not great at winging it!  But, I vowed back in early 2021 that I was going to live life with whimsy this year and while I still have a long way to go...I'm trying to keep that as a reminder in the back of my head.  I think that mantra will do me well on this big road-trip to Yellowstone!  That's a lot of driving and a lot of windshield time for little people.  

 Oh shoot, I forgot about the lizard too.  Ryan had been telling the girls about the lizards since he went down there and the day we told the kids we were taking them to Florida Hazel exclaimed that she was going to catch a lizard.  Nobody thought she'd actually be able to do it.  Those little guys are fast.  But, I gotta hand it to her.  Her persistence paid off and she caught this one on the very first night.  She continued to try to catch more of the remainder of our trip, and in the end, this was the only one she got...but I'm proud of her!

1 Family x 12 (June)

 

Guess where we went!!!  Florida!  And what better place to take our June family photo than at the beach with the ocean behind us?  Back when we were all forced into quarantine for COVID I (probably irrationally) worried that maybe I'd never see the ocean again.  I mean, I wouldn't call myself an "ocean person" - but, you never appreciate something more than when you think you might not be able to see it (or do it, or have it) again.  So, when Ryan was working in FL and staying in a two bedroom condo, we knew it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up.  The girls and I flew down for a short trip, just Friday to Monday but it was perfect and exactly what we all needed. 

Sugar Cookies - Summer Edition

Did you know that I add tags (or labels) to each of my blog posts so that I can search things more easily?  So, for example I can search for any post that has Abby in it, or Holidays.  Who could have guessed back a year ago that I should have created a tag called Cookies?  Well, I think I'm going to have to go back through and tag quite a few posts now because I think pandemic sugar cookies are here to stay!

And, not only are they here to stay, but I've had to start doing cookie round up posts instead of a dedicated post for each batch.  LOL!  If nothing else, we're becoming pros and thoroughly enjoying the fruits of our labor!

So - this post includes our latest two batches - "summer" and "patriotic".  We made the summer batch at Hazel's request because her Kindergarten teacher loved the cookies so much she wanted to give her one last set before summer vacation.  We sent LOTS of cookies to school this year because, well, if they stay here at home, I'll eat them all single handedly.  We aren't quite sure what we did differently with this batch but the icing bled after it dried...they still tasted great though!

And, how can you go wrong with bomb pops??  Aren't these Memorial Day cookies fabulous?  Our favorite was the fancy star in the bottom of the next photo (Erin made that one).  We made the cookies and frosting ahead of time, but decorated these at the lake the Friday of Memorial Day.  We made a batch and a half, because the group is so big at the lake...and it was just the perfect amount!  I think people were a little afraid to eat them, because I sure did take some home with me after the weekend.  

These patriotic cookies might make another round for Labor Day but Erin and I have one more theme for summer we'll be trying out. You know, somewhere in between a 2 week trip to Yellowstone and Erin moving into a new condo - we'll fit it in somewhere!

 

Memorial Day

This might become my favorite photo of the entire year - not just because it's filled to brim with people we love, but because of all the people, 34 in total, all nestled up close together (without masks)....enjoying a weekend at the lake.  Just like the "before times"...and now, here we are, after one hell of a wild year - and its my favorite thing.

This photo was a real labor of love though!  Getting 34 people to all stand in one spot, with every tiny baby awake was a true feat!  I'm so thankful we were able to snag a neighbor to snap these pictures for us.  Big group photos like this are so hard and such a pain in the moment, but not one single person in this photo is sad that they took 10 minutes to stop life and take it.  This one will be in the memory books for sure.

This big holiday weekend at the lake was not much different than any other - we had too much food, too many drinks, plenty of laughs, late nights and lots of stories, but for me, it was a weekend filled with snuggling all the tiny new humans that have joined the family since last year.  We had four, count 'em, FOUR new babies added to the mix and hopefully this is the first of many Third Tier get togethers to come (that's what we're calling the generation of littles we're all raising).  

**Baby Ellie - just under three weeks old!  It's so hard to remember these days with your own kids - you're too tired, but I'll remember these snuggles with these tiny babies forever.

*Baby Aiden - just 6 weeks old, if I remember right.  He's my birthday buddy - we share April 2nd!

Baby Mason - nearly 6 months old and while this isn't the first time we were able to snuggle and play with him, I'm grateful for each and every opportunity.   They don't stay little for long!

I forgot about the Super Mable!  Last summer we borrowed a tube like this from the neighbor to see if the girls were ready for it and it was a huge success.  Abby and Hazel both have summer birthdays and only about a month and a half apart.  So, this year we tried out doing a big joint gift instead of smaller birthday gifts for the girls.  We don't end up at the lake many weekends for the summer so instead of missing out on Memorial Day, we gifted this to them early so that we could get the most out of it for the year.  It was a huge hit!  While Abby/Hazel and Tanner are the only ones big enough to really enjoy it, before we know it we'll have lots of little kids enjoying this toy each summer.  I can't wait for all the memories on the Mable!