A Birthday Party for Grace

Did you know that Claire's does birthday parties?  Well, I didn't, but now I do!  One of Grace's good buddies had her 8th party there, and since her mom works at Claire's, it was extra-special and photo-worthy, too!

Grace wanted blue hair, but so did most of the other girls before her.  She was a good sport about the spray running out.

The birthday girl's mom sent me this picture of the birthday girl opening her gift.

And also this one of Grace and her buddy "kicking booty" in a game that Grace calls Shower Cap.

The party was a sleepover, and it was the first sleepover for a lot of Grace's friends.  Since we've made the decision not to sleepovers, Grace had to leave before sleep time (although we let her stay until after her bedtime!) and she was super upset about it.  One of her party favors was pink hairspray from Claire's.  When we got home, she thought it would be fun to try it out on both of us...so we did.  It was fun and distracted her from her unhappiness.

Beautiful, right?

Grace had a great time at the party, and we're thankful for her buddy who included her in the fun!

Almond Blossoms 2017

As is our tradition, we took pictures in the almond orchard this year.  We have been doing this for ten years!!! (See link at the end of the post.)  For some reason, these pictures were super hard to get and involved some tears.  I was ready to throw in the towel.  The kids were having a hard time cooperating with me and each other.  I really didn't understand what was going on.  But, we persevered...and got pictures, even though these are not my favorite.

Well, maybe I actually do have a favorite here!

A wonderful rainy season meant these shallow-rooted almonds had fallen down in larger-than-usual numbers.

Let's face it, I needed ice cream more than they did!

Now they're acting cute!  I was the one who needed a break.  Whatever.  I love them, even in the difficult moments!

And, wouldn't you know it...these will be our last pictures taken in the orchard.  I'm so glad I took them...because the orchard has been taken out.  I knew it was getting older and might need to be replanted soon, but what's happening instead is a subdivision.  Houses on top of orchards always make me so sad, even though the house I live in was probably built where an orchard used to be a couple of decades ago.

And, here's the link to the walk down memory lane at almond blossom time.

Lego Friends Designer Contest

Awhile back, Lego announced that it would be hosting a Lego design contest.  Contestants would design something that Heartlake City needed - so it would need to be a Lego Friends set - but Jonathan was very motivated to enter a design.  There would be lots of Lego set prizes, but the grand prize - the coveted prize - would be a trip to Denmark, the birthplace of Lego.  Even though he (and we) knew the chances of winning were slim, a trip to Denmark (which is also the birthplace of my dad's mom's parents) sounded amazing.

Jonathan spent many happy hours designing and modifying his pizza/arcade.  The contest only allowed four screenshots, so you can't see the light fixtures under each ceiling or the roses climbing the back wall.  His attention to detail is amazing.  I sat next to him while he did most of this - over MANY design sessions on Lego Digital Designer (which is a free download, by the way.)  I really enjoyed watching his creative process!

Heading Home from Death Valley

Here is Grace's Katy the Kangaroo Rat.  The older had a lot of fun taking action shots of their souvenirs.

And Titus the tortoise - Jonathan's souvenir.

We stopped at a little fig ranch and tried fig milkshakes, of all things.  (Surprisingly, they were really yummy!)  This place was in the middle of nowhere and gets lots of visitors who have nothing else to visit in this area.

Kids exploring - but not entering - the old mines behind this little motel.

This was the back of the motel.

Redford the red-tailed hawk with Titus the tortoise.  I'll be sad when Jonathan no longer thinks stuffed animals are awesome.  I'm sure it won't be long.

More nature shots!

Benjamin wanted a photo with the scorpion painting...

and Grace wanted one with the tortoise.

We got home to amazing blossoms on our plum tree!