Oscar Night 2013

I love award season! Sunday night was the big finale, the 85th Annual Academy Awards. I've always thought it would be fun to host an Oscar party, and this year we finally did it. We kept it pretty low key, inviting only a few close friends. Guests were asked to bring an appetizer of choice and I contributed shortbread cookies, chocolate-covered bacon, cheesy bacon appetizers, and fresh-cut pineapple. It was a great night; good food, beautiful celebrities, gorgeous gowns, and the best company a girl could ask for. Thanks to all who came!

Ninety Years

My paternal grandmother turned ninety years old at the beginning of the month. Great Grandma Fritz is a spunky, gregarious lady who is full of love and passion for life. A celebration was held in her honor and I helped put together some decorations for the event. I gathered photographs of her over the years and created a number collage for all to see. A cute 'Queen for the Day' bunting was strung across the room for some added fun. It's been nice living so close and to be able to be apart of her life.

Valentines Day

As a way to celebrate the day of love, we did a few fun things at our house. Van made these cute, Mr. Heart valentines for his preschool friends. I sent a heart attack box to some dear, dear friends who deserve all the love in the world. (And used the scraps to be a little more festive).

Van received 'love letters' from family members and we strung them up in his room. I volunteered to help with Van's class party at school, surprised my boys with a balloon and some candy, and spent the afternoon delivering valentines to my girlfriends (with my Gussy by my side).

To surprise Spencer, I arranged for my special (over-sized) valentine to be waiting on his desk at school before he arrived for class. I don't know if he was more surprised or embarrassed, but I'm pretty sure he loved it!

The Miscellaneous

Croup

Croup a respiratory condition that is usually triggered by an acute viral infection of the upper airway.

The first half of the month really took a toll on us. Gus' fever was incredibly persistent and his infection lasted for an entire week. Once his fever broke, Van woke up the very next day with a croupy cough and a fever of his own. Luckily for him, his infection only lasted a few days and he was able to go back to school soon after. We disinfected the house, cleaned all the linens and said goodbye to the croup for good.

Gus' Second Birthday

Last week, we celebrated Gus' second birthday. Even though he probably won't remember his second birthday, we wanted to celebrate him with some family and friends. He came down with the croup the night before, so we were missing some of the his little party guests, but the show went on.

Gus' party was all about animals; his current obsession. When I saw these adorable party animals on Oh Happy Day I knew I had to incorporate them into his party. It was super cheap and super easy. Just a few of Gus' plastic animals, some construction paper, and crepe folds and...voila! They were a huge hit.

We served an assortment of brunch-like foods. Doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, quiche, chicken-salad sandwiches, fruit, and chocolate-covered bacon. For Gus' cake, I made a strawberry and classic white.







We played pin the tail on the donkey and opened presents. I had Spencer print the image of the donkey off at FedEx Office for just $5, added a party hat and that was that! We were glad Gus' good friend, Rhys, decided to drop by for a bit.







Our family and friends were so generous; Gus was showered with gifts. Despite being sick, I know he enjoyed everything he received. I mean, who wouldn't love a new set of Schleich animals, a toolbox, a drum and, wooden trucks for his birthday?









When it came time to blow out the candles, Gus was done. We 'convinced' him to make a wish anyway and sent him off to bed. Afterwards we cut the cake and played with all his toys. Thanks so much to our family and friends who shared Gus' special birthday with us. It meant so much to have you there!