November.

November is here.  It brought with it 50 degree nights.   I sneak the heat on when Matt isn’t paying attention.  Luckily for us we live in a climate where the ‘fog’ burns off and we are still gifted days of sunshine and often 70 degrees.  I spent last weekend taking some family pictures for one of the best families I’ve had the opportunity to meet.  We set up at the beach, trying to pull the last bits of summer from the blue skies.

One thing I love about the camera is it’s ability to see things that we often miss.  Moments like these are the kind you want to look back on, but can usually only feel-barely truly remember.

And meet Savannah.  Who is probably hands down one of my favorite two-year-olds.  Ever.  She’s a giggle brought to life.  (She was just a little hard to get ahold of and photograph.)

She knows how to work a crowd, and she does it so very very well.

I’ve been reminded twice this past week of how fast time moves.  How few moments we actually have with our littles, while they are little.  They come in, sweep us off our feet in a multitude of ways, and leave us breathless and bewildered.  Hang on to them, for as long as you can.

Strawberry Fields Forever.

Meet the cutest, sassiest 3-year-old you will ever meet.  Reyn just turned three and to celebrate we spent a summer afternoon in the park, surrounded by all things strawberry to celebrate our favorite strawberry blond cherub.

We transformed the park into a patch of summer, pops of red and pink everywhere.

We used recycled glassware for the drinks, printed straws via Etsy, and party hats topped with green crinkle paper so they looked like berries.

Adult table centerpieces were vintage style flower bouquets from Poppy Red and children’s table centerpieces were mason jars filled with crayons.  Children’s tables were covered in butcher paper so that they could draw and color.  Instagram prints of the guest of honor were printed from Printstagram and pinned to the centerpieces.

We had strawberry jam and peanut butter sandwiches, strawberry lemonade, fruit skewers and veggie cups.  A meld between classic picnic and toddler friendly food.

Party favors were strawberry lunch boxes and strawberry candies.

My favorite aspect of parties isn’t the gifts or the sweets.  It’s the little moments that we will remember for decades.  Moments that define us, that make us realize we are so cherished.   This was our special day, a day everyone we love came to celebrate us.  Reyn may not remember every detail of her third birthday, she may not remember what her cake looked like or what her party favors were.  But I have a feeling she will remember all the love she felt that day, and all the people that flocked to cheers her into her third year.

Good bye to the Twos Reyn, cheers to Three.  Happy Birthday.

Celebrating Superheroes.

Meet Rocco.  He just turned two and he’s a Superhero.  And that shouldn’t be a surprise given that his mama is the author of the food blog Fueling Superheroes.  Rocco has been built to be super from day one.

For his second birthday Rocco wanted to invite all the superheroes in his life over for a dance party, we were more than honored to be included and to help capture it on film for him.

Dance music was on, costumes were out-of-control-hilarious, and everyone was laid back and having a great time.  True to Fueling Superheroes nature, the food was superb.  From the organic salads to the gluten free beers and the ‘Hulk Juice’ (a freshly made green juice), the food was the perfect blend of toddler and waist friendly.

 

It was a great party, the kids were able to transform into their idols for a day, and the parents were able to be kids again.

 

 

I once had a friend tell me her preschool didn’t ‘allow’ superhero play.  I never understood that.  I understand not wanting to promote violence, or weapons.  But that’s not what superheroes are about.  Superheroes are about good vs evil.  They are about doing what’s right, not for ourselves-but for humanity.  Today my son asked me why Superman had ‘two faces’.  One being Clark Kent and the other being Superman.  I told him that Clark Kent didn’t want people to know he was Superman, that when people were in trouble, he’d help them.  But he didn’t want everyone to know.  He made the world a better place, and he didn’t do it for applause.  He did it because it was the right thing to do.  If that’s a lesson my son can learn from his toys, I think it’s a pretty darn good one.  In this world we help people.  In this world we save people.  In this world we can all be Super.  And in this world, good always beats evil.

We should celebrate all the Superheroes in our world.  The little ones that wear capes and masks in July and the ones in our comic books and lego sets.

 

 

 

They won’t always cling so strongly to a fictional character.  Someday they might feel that evil will overpower good.  Someday they will lose faith in their own powers.  Let them believe in the beauty of superheroes as long as they can, hopefully that someday never comes.  Til then, Happy Birthday Rocco.  May the Force always be with you.