So we are into day 2 of our Nana and Baba visit. Ken, his parents and I stayed up for a bit chatting, catching up and baking the necessary cupcakes and cake for the Sunday birthday party. I wanted to be sure they were properly cooled and firm enough to add the purple icing. 24 cupcakes and a 9X13 inch cake and I am hoping I have enough baked goods for Echo’s special day. Oh and the beans are on the soak for their overnight bath before we start our brown beans.

Baked goods

It is hard to believe that today actually marks Echo’s end of her first year of life, and the beginning of her second. Where has the time gone? As Baba says, you look at her and your first thought is that she is NOT a year old, but then she gets moving and there is no doubt. Her Nana and Baba have fallen firmly in love with our perfect little pixie. (As does everyone who meets her)

I didn’t mention it but yesterday in that picture where Trinity is holding the large Hello Kitty she is ALSO wearing the pj’s Nana picked up for her – also Hello Kitty! Aren’t we all well trained?

So there was still a bit of party preparations to be accomplished here… cleaning, lawn work, general stuff… but I am so pleased with this place. The kids have all accepted it as home, I feel proud and more than willing to have people in to visit, and we are settled. I would love some more shelving but that will come in time. I have set up two more sets of books to be picked up with Kijiji adsso that is helping a little… but we really do have more things than organizational containers. By the end of August I hope to be totally sorted out… with Ken’s help of course.

Mowing

Ken and I were totally spoiled this morning, we got to sleep in! Echo hung out with Nana and Baba though she was up SUPER early thanks to an over excited Emanuel. Ken picked out her morning outfit… surprised? 

With Nana

Yummy breakfast made by Baba proceeded another trip to the park during Echo’s naptime. That gave Ken and myself some time to tidy and get some pre-party planning finalized. I am still working on amazement that Echo is actually a year old!! Ken and I ran out once the whole gang was home and did our shopping solo. We weren’t able to get the purple and black I would have liked but got white instead and some lovely metallic balloons. With the Cricut cut shapes we are set! 

Post park slurpees

With Karyn stopping by for a visit, and to show off her outfit for the wedding (nope not telling) Ken and I ducked out in the freshly mowed (by yours truly) front yard and took some one year photos of Echo with her Petite Sheepette. She was quite obliging actually. The outfit is one of the ones Nana and Baba brought up for her and amazingly enough a 6-9 month size! Though she did get her feet caught in it a few times. With her lovely white bonnet on her Nana blanket the setting was perfect. 

Birthday girl

With Mommy

We spent a bit of time out in the backyard in the late afternoon but Trinity is a wee bit burnt and all the kids over done from their fun at the park. Thankfully Trinity AND Emanuel had a nap this afternoon. BUT tomorrow is going to be just as exciting and busy so I am doubtful they will be had then. 

Hanging with Aunty Karyn

Nana and Baba took some time this afternoon to shop… the best purchase (according to the kids) was sand!! Oh and 2 new shovels. 

Sandbox

We did most of our lawn work tonight, rearranged the livingroom for the party (couch against the fireplace) and just generally tidied. It is so wonderful to have so little to do before a party. At the old place it was rush rush rush just to find a place to put things! We have some company tonight with the rest coming in the afternoon tomorrow. Should be a great day! And now I really should get back to cleaning. Day 2 with Nana and Baba has been eventful and entertaining! 

Father and Son

So I am pretty sure the weather did NOT get my memo – you know the one: “Stay at home mom staying home with SIX kids all amped up because one of those 6 is a not so often seen cousin… please send plenty of sunshine without heavy heat to allow for outside play.” Apparently what it REALLY meant to the weather was… RAIN oh and invite some brand new mosquitoes to join in on the fun… BAH.

Instead the morning was spent in a play-doh frenzy. I have been told that MOST of what they were making was off the game Minecraft but what I did notice was a lot mixing of colours of play-doh to see what happens which is just fine with me. Emanuel was especially proud of his bird with her eggs in a nest. 

Busy Play Doh artists

Not the best picture but there is a birdy with eggs in there

In the mail today I got a lovely package!! A very sweet lady who was in the hospital today having her 5th little girl sent our Echo some of her handmade hair barrettes. She figured that they would stay nicely in her hair… she was right! And the colours are so lovely. Below is a picture of all the bows – there were 4, AND below that her business card. I am going to link her on the side of this blog under her Facebook company title: Hairbows For Princesses. I am already enamored with her quality, wisdom in her colour choices (I just said Echo is our purple girl), the speed of shipping AND the simple fact that she is a lovely lady! Be sure to click the link and check her out… or contact her with the information on the below business card!!! 

Lovely lovely well made bows

Business card

The larger of the purple bows

There is not much to see on the stocking by the way of progress as I have been working on white bits on white aida cloth so far. BUT I am making progress… Tonight I plan on stitching some of the BLACK so at least there will be something instantly and immediately visible. 

After a lengthy quiet time in the rooms (sadly NO ONE napped)… it was back to go go go here… I found one of the neglected toy buckets with something called Trios in it and set the kids to work. Not to say that is was a harmonious play, because it really wasn’t! But they all seemed to have a pretty good time!

Jimmie and the Trios

Supper was a family favourite… for Ken and the kids anyway. They got to teach Jimmie how to make his very own pita pizza… and as a super special treat – the cheese on top was mozzarella! Usually we just use cheddar or marble but it was on sale! Apparently it went over well, though Jimmie wasn’t overly interested in trying the other family (except Trinity) favourite – baked beans.

Putting the ham on his pizza

Last minute change of plans and my dear, sweet Cousin Elizabeth came over to watch the 5 bigguns and let me, Karyn and Echo fly out on our own. This meant Ken could stay in the basement and work to meet his deadline and EVERYONE was happy. (sorry no pictures of the ensuing fun, but I am told Legos were involved as were Safety City things – where she works etc etc) She is moving to a new place this upcoming weekend and took a break in her packing to spend some time with the kids and get some baby cuddle time. This freed me and Karyn up to do some scouting out of ribbons for the August wedding (I found some white in the bargain box for 1.00 a skein… 2 skeins!). And lunch at the bigger mall… EDO JAPAN!

SUPPER

The amazing Cousin Elizabeth

Safe mess

Since we were there anyway Karyn convinced me to stop in at H&M where she caved and got Trinity a shirt (on sale of course)… and I got Echo part of her birthday present… BOTH on sale in the end and BOTH Hello Kitty themed!

The yellow is brighter than the picture

We both had pictures to pick up – Kodak Gallery of course… hers at Best Buy and mine at FutureShop. I really need to sit down and work on those scrapbooking pages now that I have so many pictures sitting here in the ready. Just not tonight. Tonight I have to go back to the bows and get done at least the cutting of ribbon lengths!

Tomorrow is another 6 child day, but not for the whole day. Jimmie is onto his next adventure – going to Grandma’s house for the rest of the week. I think she will be visiting for a while here as well. We started making Creepy Crawlers today to be finished tomorrow anyway… and there is of course, the need to tidy up post 6 kids adventure. There is so much to do to get ready for our next gathering – this weekend’s LAN party to thank the guys for helping us move! Yikes! OH and be sure to check out Petite Sheepette’s version of our hospital adventure on Fat Sheep’s site.

Echo and her smaller bow