Around here..

We are busy around here trying on summer clothes, making sure shoes and sun visors still fit, counting our sunscreen bottles and looking for those water socks because in just two days these Case's are heading South.  It's a road trip to Florida where we hope to spend a day in Orlando sunshine before boarding a big white ship for 7 day cruise to the Western Caribbean. And the best part?  We are meeting up with a slew of family members and friends so this ought to be a great trip!

But before I get back to all that packing, and finishing up our taxes before we leave, I will share a few layouts.  I have been a busy bee in the scrapping department and the creativity energy brings me much joy. Here's a few from Halloween for the kids albums.

MC's and Ry's first page layout

Rylan's second page layout

MC's second page layout

Now where are those water socks??

Because hasn't he been neglected for a bit?

And didn't we just celebrate his second birthday?

I'm one lucky momma.

Fit for a Princess

A party, that is.
In a little upstairs store front in Downtown Naperville, sat a cute, comfy, magical place that filled the buckets of all those little girls in need of a bit of stardom, glamour and fairy dust.


And on a day, not long ago, a little girl who had just turned 5, anxiously waited for her fellow princesses to come to her castle.

and she waited...

To fill the time, she chose her gown amongst the many

 and it was placed upon the throne.

One by One, the princesses all assembled.

 Once they all did indeed arrive, the dressing 

of the queen was started.

 With lots of help of course, since she is the queen.

And what's a pretty princess gown without accessories?

One must have a little of a makeover as well. An updue..yes please!  

A bit of eye glamour and shiny lip gloss?  Don't mind if I do!

 And of course one is not complete without pretty nails, 

sprinkled with fairy dust.

 The queen was adamant that all the princesses 

were taken care of as well.

 Jewelry, wands, purses and crowns are certainly not enough!

One cannot have enough jewels...

The queen and the princesses got to work.

Once the jewelry was made and they were all declared ready,

 the princesses assembled for her majesty who requested a 

group photo of all the beauties.

 Now, they are ready for the ball. 

But not before they get a little reading to remind 

them of their princess manners.

Which they adhered to with precision.  

Hands on lap..check.

Open the napkin precisely, and lay it on one's lap.  Check.

(the tounge just shows the level of concentration.)

And for that moment, the queen sighed in contentment.

All was perfect in her castle.

She blew out her candle, and drank pink lemonade tea.

Before the ball was finished, the queen once again sat 

on her throne to open all the gifts that were showered her way, 

which she of course used her princess manners

 to thank each and every one of her princesses. 

With that, all the princesses and the queen herself, 

went home and lived out the day happily ever after.

Thank you friends, for making Makenna's birthday so very special! xo

Before and on February 21, 2012

So after a fun day at American Girl, and after some walking around Water Tower Place, my mom spotted a Claire's store.  For the last month, Makenna has insisted that when she turned five years old, she was going to get her ears pierced.  Having always told her she can pierce them when she was ready since they are her ears, I supported her frequent statement by saying, "ok".  So we mention it to Makenna to see if she is still interested in having them pierced. Now.  Today.  She jumped on it and before I knew it, we were in the seat to get it all done.
She wanted to sit on my lap.  Ok. Check
She picked out her earrings (her birth stone Amethyst, which just happen to be in her favorite color Purple. Check.
She got her ears cleaned. Check.
She got her ears marked for position.  Screeeeech...And that's when the brakes went on!

"I didn't come here to get my ears pierced," she told the lady.  "I just came here to get my ears cleaned."

What?  We couldn't keep but to bust out laughing.  "That's a new one!!" said the lady.

But of course we carried on, and her ears quickly were sparkling in new jewels.

On MC's actual birth day, we celebrated in a low key fashion. She awoke to a room full of balloons on her bedroom floor which enticed two little kiddos to much play.  Gaga and Pop pop soon arrived to take the birthday girl out for breakfast before the four of us went to preschool.  Since she was the star of the week, we stayed to see what pre-kindergarten is all about!

It was great to see Makenna lead interact with all her class mates and watch her describe her poster of pictures to her teachers and friends.  It's always a treat to be able to step back and get a glimpse of the world the way she see's it, especially during a time which I am not usually privy to.

After school we picked up Nana and headed for dinner. MC knew it was her choice so when I asked her where she would like to go, she quickly gave me a reply that somewhat surprised me.  "The train restaurant because it would make Rylan happy." Wow,  Makenna Claire, I love your heart.  We all had a fabulous time and she insisted on wearing her school birthday crown so everyone would know it was her birthday.  Yep, that's my girl..so thoughtful of others and one who loves to be the center of attention.

I will be back tomorrow to finish off her birthday celebration stories. xo, K

To continue MC's birthday celebration story, my mom and I took her out for a girls day to American Girl Place on Michigan Avenue the Sunday after her family party.  We both have dreamed of this day ever since the day Makenna was born and the age of 5 seemed like the perfect time to bring her to the mecca of girl heaven. Ironically, American Girl's annual doll just happened to be named McKenna, and just happened to strike an erie resemblance to our MC.  Wild.

Making our ways through the doors of American Girl Place, MC was in awe of the lights, the dolls, the accessories, the magic.   We quickly found the McKenna doll and MC carefully and precisely chose her baby girl.  And of course, her baby girl also needed her favorite pup, Cooper to come home with her as well.  We were ushered into the shopping lounge by one of the personal shoppers, purchased her baby and started to walk to the restaurant where we had 12:30 lunch reservations but not before McKenna doll was quickly changed into a matching party dress so she can be just like her mommy.

To say she was treated like a queen during lunch would be an understatement.  We were there to celebrate her and so was the staff.  We had a wonderful waiter who teased Makenna throughout the meal and succeeded at her every request, including having her pink lemonade in a tea cup instead of the glass they initially brought her.  McKenna doll had a seat at our table and was treated to lunch as well.  Birthday crowns were adorned, Happy Birthday songs were sung and every little girl in that restaurant felt like majesty, I am sure of it. And...the food was good, which was much to the surprise to mom and I.  

After a wonderful, fun lunch we made our way back to shopping because a baby girl needs clothes, shoes and a bed to go home to, right? Oh and glasses too which leads me to another story, and a memorable moment. Makenna ended up dropping those said glasses  in the store at some point which we realized as we were checking out.  To get another pair of glasses, MC went back out on the floor with the personal shopper.  For some reason, I didn't feel a need to follow her and knew that she would be ok (which even surprised myself). When she didn't return into the lounge after several minutes, I went out to look for her and the AG employee. They eventually returned, with the glasses AND McKenna's cat, another pair of shoes for McKenna and a airplane travel seat for her as well.  Ha ha...I should of known better, for sure!  Nice try Makenna Claire, but I'll give you an A for effort.

This day was definitely a magical one for all of us.  So much fun, so many great moments, so many awesome memories.  I think mom and I had as much fun as Makenna Claire, but what it reminds me of beyond anything else is how fortunate I am to have a healthy, growing, little girl whom I am lucky enough to call my daughter.

p.s. If you noticed, our day didn't end there but I'll be back with that story. xo, K