SUMMER STRAWBERRY PICKING

One of my favorite activies to kick of summer is Strawberry Picking. Something about kids running free, snacking on fresh berries and filling their baskets full of summer fruits is pretty great.

Each year we try to visit at least one local berry farm. And each year we have the best time.

This year Ben was getting really good at actually picking the berries! He picked them by their stems (Instead of just squishing the fruit) and did a pretty good job!

Maddie tried SO hard...but she ended up zero berries in her basket. Becuase she ate them all while we were picking them. And Ellie followed in her big sister's footsteps.

These summer days make me so thankful for the place we live in and for my sweet sweet babes.

KITTY CAT BIRTHDAY PARTY

Meow, Meow, Meow! Ellie is 3!!!

This was probably one of the best little birthday parties we've had. Ellie was totally into everything and loved that the day was ALL about her. She felt so loved by all the guests and had so much fun. I loved that so many guests were saying how she looked like she was having the best time. Such special memories!

We started off trying to figure out the theme to the party. (I just love a good theme!) She actually wanted a bunny party, but I reminded her that last year she had a bunny party already. Go here if you're interested in seeing our bunny party last year. I went through some favorite animals, and we ended up with a kitty theme. I was already loving it!

 

For her party, I ended up using some decorations that I already had from previous parties. I always save my old decor just in case. You never know when you need a quick garland! The balloon garland was actually one we used from Maddie's Woodland Fairy Tea Party a few months back.

For the kitty garland I cut out some kitty shapes out of pink card stock. I made an outline I liked on cardboard, and then used it to trace it on the pink paper. I cut them out and used a needle to thread them through twine. It was such an easy project that took one night to complete. And it really added alot to the party decor.

I decided to do a dance party at Vancouver Performing Stars - the studio the girls dance at. They did an hour of dance and then we had an hour for cake and snacks. I loved that Ellie's dance teacher was leading her party and I could tell she felt so special. They did all her favorite dance songs - it was the perfect entertainment for a group of little girls.

After all the dancing we ushered the girls to their seats at a long table. I love doing table settings at parties as I feel they add an extra fancy feel for the kids. I used simple pink paper plates and placed a kitty sugar cookie and kitty hair elastic on each plate. The kids loved seeing the little surprises on their plates. I also added a floral runner down the middle of the table. It was simply dollar store bought stems of flowers. I popped off the flower heads and arranged them in a row in the center. So simple and pretty!

We had a few adorable items I gathered for the girls to take home that all tied into the kitty theme.

The amazing kitty cake and kitty cookies were made by the lovely Hayes Sweets. We had one kitty cookie for each little guest as a favor and some more to snack on. I loved that the cookies could be used as favors as well as decor. The cake was the cutest and Ellie just loved it so much. She had been asking me for weeks if she was getting a kitty cake for her birthday. And one of the best parts was that the treats were made by Michelle, a local mama!

And one of my favorite little goodies for parties are these customizable sets of hair elastics from The Plum Polka Dot. You can use them as elastics for pony tails but they can also act as cute little bracelets. My girls love them! And Christina made the set extra cute for the party - kitty cats, polka dots and pink. Soooo cute! She is wonderful to work with, and I love that her turnaround is so quick.

For goody bags, I also like adding in something that kids and parents will both like. Kind Snacks are one of our favorite snack brands - I really love how they are healthy and nutritious. I know kids get spoiled at parties with all sorts of sweet treats (I mean, those really are the best parties!), but it's nice to send them home with something a little bit healthier. We've been enjoying KIND bars these last few months and I though the pink strawberry fruit bars would be so cute for the guests. The kids really like the fruit bars best and I loved that they were pink too!

The rest of the party was just as they usually come - full of excited kids and lots of sweets!

 

We had the best day celebrating this sweet girl! xoxo

PARTY DETAILS

Dance Studio VANCOUVER PERFORMING STARS
Tutu Dresses PICHOU PICHOU
Bows CLOTH CROWNS & PALI AND PAPER
Necklaces CORAL AND CLOUD
Balloon Garland PAPER AND PARTIES
Kitty cake and cookies HAYES SWEETS
Hair Elastic sets PLUM POLKA DOT
Strawberry fruit bars KIND SNACKS
Kitty Headband CHILDREN'S PLACE
Bow clip on headband BLOOMIES HANDMADE
Flowers from table runner DOLLAR STORE
Kitty Banner Handmade by myself

All photography taken my myself and the loveliest Sweet Dreams Studio.

Karen from Sweet Dreams Studio is really so wonderful to work with and has the best eye for details. Although it seems like an investment, it makes it so much nicer to have a professional photographer come in to take the party picture details. Go see her other photography here!

WE'RE MOVING!!! BUT NOT FAR!

We live in the west coast of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Our city is beautiful, but also pricey. I believe it is one of the mot expensive cities to live in. As a family of 5, this doesn't make life easy for us. We are fortunate enough to live in a duplex with my parents in the heart of the city. We love our community we live in!

This last year I was really feeling the urge to make our home more live-able for our family. We are lucky enough to have about 1800 sq feet, but I felt like we still needed a bit more room - or at least a more functional living space. My biggest concern was that the kitchen was closed off from the rest of the house. I am constantly peeking my head out to see what the kids are up to. And often times, I feel like I'm being banished when I have to cook or do dishes. Our kitchen is fairly new still, and in really really good condition. So a reno always seemed like too much of a luxury. But I continued to want a more open concept and more social kitchen for our family and hosting.

We looked into the costs for a kitchen reno which would have been quite a big investment for us. But after weeks/months of talking about it, my parents came to us with a proposal. They offered to switch units with us - which would leave us with much more family space. My husband and I took about a week of talking about it (alot! Mostly from me! Haha!) and ultimately decided to take the plunge. 

The space we would be moving has an open kitchen concept, and 2 living spaces for our family to spend time in. The bedrooms are much much smaller, but we gain extra communal space which I had been craving. Thinking ahead many years (like when the kids are teenagers. I know. What?!?!), I felt like our family would benefit from bigger shared space where we could entertain friends and have some separation if we needed it. I can just imagine the kids having friends over and watching movies together downstairs while we could be upstairs. 

So this summer are packing up and moving downstairs! I can hardly believe it, and I"m already thinking of how we can decorate our space to make it our own. We'll also be downsizing as there isn't nearly as much storage space as we currently have. Here's to a new adventure for our family!

And a few pics of our home just so I can remember what it looked like!