{pretty, happy, funny, real}

Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life 

I am not going to have much time for posting over the next few days, so I will save the Nesting Doll Birthday post for sometime after Easter.   In the meantime here are four more pictures from yesterday!

{pretty}

My "little" six year old, and her new Matryoshka Nesting Doll! 

{happy}

... to have a few sweet little friends join us for the party! 

{funny}

Too much sugar, despite the smaller can size?!? 

{real}

The love my children have for each other!
Captain was very proud of the beautiful nesting doll 
banner/card that he made for his little sister. 


I'm off to start preparing this year's Holy Thursday Lenten Tea... 
Wishing you all a very blessed Holy Thursday! 

Visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more pictures of contentment!

The Littlest Matryoshka

A Nesting Doll Birthday Cake

I'll be back tonight - or maybe after Easter ;) - with some more pictures from today, but just like last year, I couldn't wait any longer to share a picture of my daughter's birthday cake! 

Looking at the pictures from her past birthdays reminded me that it was on her 3rd birthday when, inspired and encouraged by Charlotte, I started getting a little more creative with birthday cakes.  Now, three years later, it is a much loved family tradition!

This year, after falling in love with the nesting doll measuring cups that we received for Christmas, Chiquita requested a "Nesting Doll" themed birthday party!   After consulting the expert on the topic, I ordered the book The Littlest Matryoshka and the matching set of nesting dolls, which then inspired the rest of the party.

(And how perfect that there were six dolls in the set, for her 6th birthday!?!)

I made the cake by cutting off one end of a 13" oval pan (the body) and cutting out part of a 8" round pan (the head) so they would fit together nicely.   After frosting it with white buttercream, I outlined the face (using the rim of a 6" round cake pan), cheeks (using a small cup), and the rest freehand with a toothpick, before decorating it with the various color icings.

I did have a bit of trouble with the icing running all over the place (I had purchased yellow and pink cookie icing instead of cake icing), but despite the little challenges, I thought the cake turned out cute and it is loved by the birthday girl - which is all that matters. :)  Now back to the party!

Happy 6th Birthday Chiquita!

Now We Are Six!

When I was one,

I had just begun.

When I was two,

I was nearly new.

When I was three,

I was hardly me.

When I was four,

I was not much more.

When I was five,

I was just alive.

But now I am six,

I’m as clever as clever.

So I think I’ll be six

now and forever.

~A.A. Milne

Happy 6th Birthday to 

our little Chiquita!

Hiking Table Rock

This past Saturday we decided to hike Lower Table Rock, one of two prominent volcanic cliff-edged mesas in the valley. My three oldest had hiked it before with their Dad and Father Lange, but it was the first time for me and the three youngest.   (When I was growing up, I always opted out of this hike due to all the poison oak along the trail...)  The morning started out nice, but by the time we arrived at the trailhead it was raining.  We had a few umbrellas, so we decided to hike despite the rain.

Snuggles wasn't sure what to think.  

That "mountain" is a LONG WAYS away!

Our little aspiring botanists really enjoyed identifying the flowers found along the trail, recognizing quite a few from our own back yard!

Rose stayed nice and warm, snuggled in my ERGObaby Sport Carrier... 

At least for the some of the hike.

~ Climbing Table Rock ~ 

As soon as Snuggles was tired of walking, he hitched a ride with his Daddy...

... who ended up carrying BOTH babies the last stretch of the trail.  It had gotten quite steep, compared to the rest of the trail, but I somehow managed to make it to the top on my own!  ;)

~ On Top of Table Rock  ~

After crossing some of the wet, muddy, and rugged terrain found on top, we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the valley, despite the rain clouds!  

Can you see the person just in front of the trees on the right?   We opted to skip walking the additional mile across the top of the plateau to the other viewpoint.    The babies were sleeping/sleepy and the rest of us were ready for some dry socks and shoes. . . 

... except for my Hubby, who is used to this sort of thing...

... and Rascal who was thrilled that he wore his rain boots! 

As for the girls and I, all of our shoes, including my "comfortable" black boots, were soaked through, making the hike back that much more challenging!   :-)

~ Headed Back ~ 

It ended up being such a fun day.  To celebrate our successful hike, we took the kids out for pizza, at an amazing new pizza parlor, before heading home for baths, showers, and a very good night's sleep!