The food this year for Lyla's fourth birthday party was over the top and it wasn't because of my fine cooking skills. Danny's family have a gift and especially for Japanese food. Homemade Gyoza (potstickers), Rielda's famous fried rice, Bugogi Japanese Noodle dish....all AMAZING...Danny and I (and of course my mom...could not have done any of this without her either) made the Teriyaki Chicken Skewers, the cucumber salad and the California and Cucumber Rolls. As you can see the sushi isn't exactly the prettiest but we tried. Never the less it seemed to be a huge hit even for the kiddos. Gotta love trying something new each year.
Decorating has to be one of my favorite parts of the party. I am not much of a chef so the food doesn't nearly get me as excited as the presentation and all the design elements that go into making the party look just so. This year Lyla's fourth birthday was a woodland fairy theme full of butterflies, burlap, twigs, stumbs, pinecones and babies breath. I am pretty happy how it all came together.
Last Saturday we attended Katie's (Aunt Katie in our house) baby shower. That is right our Aunt Katie is pregnant and Lyla is about to have a new "cousin." Hannah Sophia McClain. We are super excited. The shower was hosted by her sister Abbie. It was wonderfully done and my mom, Lyla and I had a fabulous time with all the ladies.
As my husband would tell you I often go a little overboard this time of year. I love hosting parties and of course I absolutely LOVE my daughter so her birthday ends up being the highlight of the year and weeks and months are spent preparing, crafting and designing a sorts of things to try and make the party perfect. This year I think has to be one of my favorites. Lots more pics to come.
This April I celebrated my 30th Birthday. We kept it mellow. Spending the weekend with my parents and then having a small dinner party with Katie, Damien and Quentin at Anthony's on the actual day. It was perfect. I am not one to get upset about age but I do believe in treating yourself right on birthday.
This month Lyla took her second school field trip to the Tacoma Art Museum to see the Eric Carle exhibit. I had the pleasure of tagging along. It was a lot of fun to see all the kiddos in the museum. Lyla didn't exactly sit still but she was pretty good considering. As always the bus was her favorite part.
For Lyla's birthday last year we did "Make Your Own Pizza" for her party. Since then the personal pizza idea has stuck in our house and I've gotten a little helper for the task. It is always a lot of fun and the pizza's are always yummy!
