Disney Magic: Sorcerer Dylan

What a fun surprise we had recently when Dylan had the opportunity to "open" the Disney Store with a little magic!

We set out for the mall to buy some new shoes for school and accidentally arrived before most of the mall stores opened for the day. Strolling around to pass the time, we were walking by the Disney Store when I remembered having seen photos on social media of other kids getting to "open" the store. Without telling Dylan (in case I was wrong), we convinced him to wait outside the store. We spent the time encouraging him to search out hidden Mickeys in the window display.

So glad we waited! I'm not sure when we'll get this chance again and it was such fun for the 3 of us. Dylan got to dress up like Sorcerer Mickey and do some "magic" to get the book to light up. Then one of the Cast Members gave him a special Mickey lanyard as a gift. He wore it the rest of the day and it now proudly hangs in his room with one from our visit to Walt Disney World last year.

Thanks, Disney, for helping us turn an ordinary day into something magical!

Supplies: Storyboards 1 template and Digi Essentials by Karla Dudley; Bermuda Triangle collaboration from Pixels & Co; Create Something Beautiful kit by Sweet Shoppe Designs; Dude kit by Robyn Meierotto; Peachy Keen kit by Dawn by Design.

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Start of Kindergarten

I've seen so many first day of school photos in my social media feeds this week. Hard to believe Dylan's first day of kindergarten was over a month and a half ago. I took a few minutes last night to look back and put together a page for his yearly photo book of this latest milestone:

He's currently on his first "track out" break from the school year and won't be back in class until early September. The first quarter went well so while we're enjoying a break, we're also looking forward to seeing what the second quarter has in store.

Has your child (or children) started the school year yet?

Supplies: Road to Success kit by Karen Funk; Right Now brushes by Karla Dudley; Bugaboo elements by Deena Carter.

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currently

FTC Disclosure Statement: This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Currently, I am ...

thinking about how fast this year is going. Dylan is already in his third full week of kindergarten. I just entered the 3rd trimester with this pregnancy. Only 3 more months (plus a tiny bit if she's stubborn like her brother?) before we meet Baby Girl. And, no, we definitely do not have a name. Given we didn't pick Dylan's until he was 8 days late (he arrived 2 days later), I wouldn't expect us to have her name picked until at least mid-October.

preparing for our family changes. Nesting has started to kick in a bit in the form of house projects in general, but also on the nursery. I found a changing table on Craigslist last week for $15. Structurally in great condition, but definitely had seen better times which was fine. I knew I wanted to paint whatever I bought. Lucky for me, her big brother has been happy to help. Soon we'll have a beautiful new-to-us yellow changing table to match the dresser in her room.

reading The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. I had read her book, What Alice Forgot, earlier in the year and enjoyed it so thought I would try this one. So far, I don't want to put it down. And excited it's my 20th "real" book (i.e., not a picture book!) this year. My goal is to read 30 books and it looks like I'll accomplish that.

grateful that Dylan still enjoys books and snuggles at bedtime. He's growing up so fast, but still little too. I know these days are numbered and I'll soon have to split time between two kids so I'm enjoying them to the fullest.

enjoying regular after dinner game night with Trent & Dylan. It's a fun, relaxing way to spend time just the 3 of us after busy days of work and school. One of our current favs was a birthday present he received - Cars 2 Monopoly.

looking forward to an outdoor movie at our neighborhood pool on Friday night. It was an idea another neighbor started a few weeks ago that looks like will continue monthly into the fall and is a great way to kick off the weekend.

What are you up to currently?

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20 Questions at 5

For the 3rd year, I've asked Dylan the same 20 questions at his birthday. It's fun to look back and see which answers stay the same and which answers change.

I plan to put them all into a single book for him later and started with last year's layout to keep the pages similar, but let them each have their own unique look.

Supplies: Daydream papers and Birthday Bash kit by Karen Funk. Questions list from Reaves, Party of Four: 20 Questions. 

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Pirate Birthday Party

FTC Disclosure Statement: This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Over the weekend we celebrated Dylan's 5th birthday with a pirate themed party. We had debated a couple of different themes throughout the year, but after my cousin's wife shipped us a box of leftover pirate birthday goodies - we made our decision and started planning.

I ordered Pirate Ship invitations from Tiny Prints and then created my own return address labels & "no gifts" cards in Photoshop. [Our playgroup alone now has 12 kids with birthdays covering 10 months of the year and we all agreed that our kids have enough 'stuff.' We'd rather get together to celebrate and spend time - no need for more gifts.]

After the invites went out, we began prepping for pirate fun! Part of the simplicity of this theme - I dug out some of our Halloween decorations a bit early and mixed in a few other items like Dylan's Pirate Mickey Ears from Walt Disney World and a new pirate flag I made.

Our guests were greeted by a 'warning' sign at the mailbox: Beware of Pirates. It was an easy DIY project I created using items we already had.

We had planned a few outdoor activities and we were thrilled the morning was overcast and cool (70 degrees in NC in mid-July?? We'll take it!). We set up a simple walk the plank using a 2x4 and 'water' made from a dollar store tablecloth. The inflatable crocodile was a purchase from 5 Below and the kids loved it. Poor croc was drug into the top of the playset on the opposite side of the yard and tossed overboard! They also played a hook toss game (idea and free printable from Fleece Fun) as well as made cork pirate ships to float in a small pond.

We had purchased some plastic gold doubloons to hide in the sandbox for a treasure hunt, but a major rain storm on Tuesday left the sandbox a wet mess so I decided to toss that idea. Really, with the couple of activities plus the playset, toys inside and each other, the kids ages 5 and under were well entertained for the 2 hour party.

Of course, we had snacks - pirate themed snacks. Our menu: Shipwreck Sandwiches (Chick-fil-a chicken minis), 'Berried' Treasure (Chick-fil-a fruit tray), Pirate's Booty, Salty Bones (pretzel sticks), Krispy Buccaneers (Rice Krispie Treats), Jolly Roger cupcakes, Pirate's Punch (lemonade), and Shark's Blood (cherry Kool-Aid). I made the food labels in Photoshop the night before. Literally a last minute, quick project.

The cupcakes I made this year. I love doing mini cupcakes for the kids. Perfect size. Dylan's current favorite colors are blue and orange. When I spotted blue velvet cake mix in the grocery store, I knew it would be a winner with him. I finished them off with white vanilla icing, red sprinkles and a few pirate cupcake flags.

As the kids left, they each picked up a goodie bag with their name on it. I used simple sandwich bags again (love this inexpensive idea - see how I used them for his Cars and Blast Off parties) and created a map design based on this pin on Pinterest. I created mine in Photoshop and ran the bags through our inkjet printer. After filling with goodies, I folded over the top and sealed with washi tape.

Our pirate birthday party was a lot of fun! After everyone left and we tidied up a bit, all 3 of us took it easy the rest of the day. Oh, and Dylan informed me that next year he wants a superheroes party. Already has a plan for year 6. Pause please - let's enjoy age 5!

Source: '5' Shirt - shirt from Michaels, striped fabric from JoAnn Fabrics, black fabric from the Scrap Exchange; Invitations - Tiny Prints; No Gifts Cards - boy pirate image from free Pirate Playdough Mat printable; Pirate Flag - made; Skulls - from our Halloween decorations; Walk the Plank - wood from stash, blue tablecloth from Dollar Tree, inflatable crocodile from 5 Below; Message in a Bottle - small bottle & cork purchased from the Scrap Exchange; Hook Toss Game - Pirate Hooks from Amazon, Printable from Fleece Fun, Rope from Lowes; Plates, paper cups & striped straws - Target; Goodie Bags - pirate ship clip art from ClipArtBest.com.

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First Day of Kindergarten

Dylan won't be 5 for a few more days, but he officially started kindergarten last week! We have year round elementary schools here and were excited to be assigned to one. This means he gets a break every 9 weeks plus holidays and has one week off between school years.

Being the scrapbook/photo book/photography loving mom I am, I knew I wanted to do cute first day photos. I liked the idea of a chalkboard sign and recalled seeing a kit from Hallmark's Pics 'n' Props line last year perfect for school photos. Of course, I'd forgotten to buy it. I asked on a Hallmark Facebook group I'm a part of if the kit even still existed. Yes and no. It's been discontinued, but can still be purchased if a store has it in stock. Imagine my surprise to find a package on my doorstep last week with the kit and a handwritten note inside!

While we took photos on his first day last Monday, it was also his only day last week as our school system has "staggered entry" for kindergarteners. He eagerly posed again for photos this week as he began his first full week and was excited to do so with the new sign from the Pics 'n' Props kit. Big grins before heading to the bus stop for his first bus ride to school (another exciting milestone - he's been asking us to please let him ride the bus).

Thanks, Hallmark, for the gift! We were all surprised and appreciative. Between Dylan and his sister due to arrive in October, we'll be using this kit for first day of school photos for many years to come.

*Find tips on taking Picture Perfect Back to School photos from Hallmark here.*

Disclosure: The Pics 'n' Props: My First Day of School Kit was sent to me free from Hallmark, but no post requirements or other compensation were made. All opinions are my own.

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Preschool Graduation

A week has passed and I'm still in a bit of shock that we had "preschool graduation." The entire idea makes me giggle. I mean, really, they are 4 & 5 year olds. But ridiculously cute in the little caps & gowns and did an amazing job during the entire program which was held at night at a local elementary school. A long day for these kids.

Afte a couple of songs, the director called each child up by name. The staff had asked them during school what they wanted to be when they grew up and the kids had each drawn a picture to match. At her asking, they each stated their answer and shared their picture with the crowd. Dylan's response? A big brother. He drew a picture of himself and his sister dancing he told us after. Melt my heart. Yes, I definitely started to cry at that moment.

Now we have 3 more weeks until he starts kindergarten as his school is year round. Three weeks! Hard to believe we're so close. And, yes, I'm sure I'll be all teary-eyed that morning too.

Supplies: Challenge Me - Vol 1 template by Dawn by Design; Destination Adventure by Robyn Meierotto; Elementary and The Road to Success kits by Karen Funk.

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Superhero Photos

FTC Disclosure Statement: This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Preparing for our pregnancy announcement on Facebook, I had Dylan pose for "big brother" photos. I had a superhero theme in mind. My original photo plan didn't turn out. Instead, I ended up with a couple shots that I liked even better. Love it when it works out like that.

The first awesome shot made a perfect banner for my Facebook page. I added the text "Every Superhero needs a sidekick. Mine is arriving October 2014" and posted along with a new profile picture of one of our first ultrasound images.

I then used a second photo from the day to create a Mother's Day card design for both my mom and my mother-in-law. I cropped the picture in Photoshop and added the bottom blue box and text. Then uploaded to Treat for printing and shipping.

For the Mother's Day cards, I used a full photo front option and deleted the text offered by Treat. Then wrote personalized notes inside of each card. To further simplify things, I had Treat do the shipping for me. All I did was request a delivery by last Friday to ensure they arrived on time. Both moms loved their cards. It really is an easy way to create a beautiful card even if you think you are creatively challenge and/or lack time.

I hope all of the moms (and moms at heart) had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday!

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Our Family - the layout

Playing catchup as always on the scrapbooks. :) We had family photos taken in September. This is one of my favorites.

Design inspired by Life is WonderFall by Brenda Cazes.

Supplies: Road to Success and Elementary kits by Karen Funk; Still mini kit by Gennifer Bursett; Pixels & Co More or Less collaborative kit; Destination Adventure freebie kits by Robyn Meierotto and Shannon McNab; Bugaboo kit by Deena Rutter.

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First (Dentist) Visit

Dylan recently had his third - third! - dental cleaning. I'm shaking my head wondering how he grew up so fast. He hasn't even needed us in the room with him since the first visit. He just kicks back, lays still and lets the hygienist work while Trent or I head to another room to get our teeth cleaned. Both the hygienist and dentist have told us he's better than some adults!

I like to think part of it is because his first visit was so successful. I did stay with him that entire visit and the hygienist carefully talked him through each part. Afterwards he got to "clean" the teeth on a toy alligator with a giant toothbrush. He loved it.

Supplies: Destination: Adventure freebie by Shannon McNab; Blossom kit by Karen Funk; I Love Boys by Robyn Meierotto; Adobe Caslon Pro, Arial and Dancing Script OT fonts.

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Lego KidsFest 2014: the layout

Two years ago, we had the opportunity to attend our first Lego KidsFest. When we heard it was returning to Raleigh and knowing we had a Lego obsessed son, Trent bought tickets for the 3 of us to attend again. To say Dylan had a blast was an understatement. Just yesterday morning he was once again studying the event pamphlet and talking about the different areas and what he wants to do next. Still trying to help him understand it was a one time event. Unless, of course, he can convince his aunt to take him when it's in Richmond in October...

We didn't take that many photos this time, but it still took some effort to slim down to a few that I thought helped give a good overview of the fun. And, I'm sure if KidsFest comes again in a couple of years, we'll be some of the first to scoop up tickets.

Have you ever attended Lego KidsFest or another kid focused special event? What was your favorite?

Supplies: Leathers: Sugar Frames by Gennifer Bursett; Courier, Legothick and Stencil Std fonts.

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Valentine's Day 2014

One of the fabulous things about being 4? Dylan woke up excited just to have another snow day at home. No realization there was a small surprise awaiting him for Valentine's Day.

He was so excited about the Minion card and robot t-shirt I made for him as well as the heart shaped box of chocolates. And, since the snow equaled a slow start to a weekday, we also had homemade Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast, of course.

Hope you are having a wonderful Valentine's day! What's your favorite way to celebrate?

Supplies: Celebrate white cards; Minion printable from HaleGrafx; corner rounder punch.

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Lowe's Build & Grow: Croods layout

The project that started the boys regular visits to the Lowe's Build & Grow clinics - The Croods Piranhakeet Chomper.

The top right journaling inside the speech bubble features a short discussion Dylan & I had when looking at the photos. Always fun to add a bit of his own words to the pages.

Supplies: Grunge Frames and Noted brushes by Jen Allyson; ABC kit by Sara Schmutz; En Route kit by Erica Coombs; In the Garden by Gennifer Bursett.

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Chapter Books

We took a new step in our house last night at bedtime. Instead of our usual picture books, Dylan & I curled up with my childhood copy of Stuart Little and I read the first two chapters to him.

I'm excited. This has opened a whole new realm of bedtime story possibilities. I have a few other childhood favorites on my bookshelf, but when I added the book to Goodreads, it made several suggestions that jarred my memory - The Mouse and the Motorcycle, The Cricket in Times Square, The Boxcar Children, James and the Giant Peach, etc.

What were some of your favorite childhood books?

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Do You Believe?

Yes, I'm talking Christmas in October.

Last December, our elf Christopher Pop-In-Kins surprised Dylan with a gift that included a plush elf. He liked it then, but, like many toys, was eventually sidelined and ended up in a bucket of stuffed animals in Dylan's room. Until this summer.

A couple of months ago while playing in his room, Dylan rediscovered his plush elf and suddenly that toy has elevated in status. The elf is carried all over the house. The elf is propped up to watch TV. The elf sleeps in Dylan's bed (often tucked in with an extra lovey). The elf traveled with us to the beach in early September. The elf was even given a name - Abby - and Dylan explained to me that the elf is a girl.

All was happy until the morning he woke and showed me that "Abby has a hole." Sure enough, the seam in the back was coming apart and there was a hole large enough for a preschooler's finger to fit into. Coincidence? Hmm.

I suggested we sew Abby back up good as new and Dylan's immediate response, "he [everyone is a 'he' still] needs to go back to Santa to be fixed." Um, ok. What was I thinking? Of course, like her buddy Christopher Pop-In-Kins surely Abby can pop right back to the North Pole and see the big man in red for an official fix.

A couple days later, Abby wasn't seen at bedtime. Dylan didn't appear too concerned and I didn't bring it up. The next morning when I went to wake him for school, something on the dresser caught my eye and as he woke, I asked him what it was. There was Abby good as new. And a very happy little boy who believes in the magic of Christmas all year long.

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Preschool 3s Class Photo Book

As Dylan's 4th birthday approached, I realized that our days in his 3s class at preschool were numbered and I decided to create a photo book to highlight some of his activities and art work. I uploaded all of the photos to Shutterfly, started with the 'School Days' style and edited as I went. Here's a sampling of the final product ...

Front cover using 'School Days' style

Seuss Week and St. Patrick's Day Crafts

July 4th art projects and his class birthday celebration

Art Projects from throughout the year

Back cover - photo of name he handwrote in class

Now that I've done this and know I want to do one for the upcoming year, I've already started uploading photos into a "4s Class" folder so I can begin putting it together as the year progresses rather than all at once after. Whether you want to do the same for this school year or catch up on a previous year, here are some tips to keep it easy & get it done ...

1. Organize photos into a single folder with a recognizable name. For example, I have an album on my iPhone titled "Dylan - 4s Class" so I can find any photos I've quickly snapped during visits in his classroom. I have similarly named folder on Shutterfly where I upload the photos too so I can find them all in one easy step.
2. A picture tells a thousand words. Don't worry if you don't have the full story or exact date especially on the artwork. For the 3s Class Book, I created some holiday pages ("Easter Art", "Winter Projects", etc) and at the end had two pages that were simply a collage of artwork throughout the year that didn't have a set page.
3. Consider letting your child help. Have them pick a few favorite photos and/or select the design for a page. 

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20 Questions at 4

It's been a month since Dylan's 4th birthday and since I asked him the same 20 questions I asked last year. Then he was only interested in answering 11, but this year he happily answered them all. I loved hearing the answers. He totally melted my heart when he said I was his best friend.

Original idea pinned from Reaves, party of four.

Supplies: Elementary kit by Karen Funk; Mellow Alpha (tape) by Robyn Meierotto; This Week brushes by Karla Dudley.

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The Art of the Brick

We learned about The Art of the Brick during a visit to the Children's Museum of Alamance County back in the spring. I was excited the exhibit is finally here and open. We spent part of a very rainy day on Saturday in Graham viewing the many sculptures by Nathan Sawaya.

I selected a few of my favorite photos for a simple, clean lined page to add to Dylan's scrapbook. My favorite photo is the one of him (on his toes!) peering up at the guy looking as his reflection in a pool of water. But the best moment was when he spotted the Hugman sculpture (before we did) and ran over for a closer look.

The Art of the Brick combined two loves for all of us - Legos and art. Inspired, we spent a good part of Sunday playing with and organizing Dylan's Lego collection.

See the above photos and a few more in my Art of the Brick set on Flickr.

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Fire Truck Parade

Last weekend we headed downtown to see the Fire Truck Parade. It was part of the South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo that took place at the Convention Center and, while a relatively short parade, it was perfect for a 4 year old in awe of fire trucks and all big vehicles.

Supplies: More or Less collaborative kit from Pixels & Co; A Little Beachy kit and Fly Away with Me elements by Sarah Sullivan; Dude mini kit by Robyn Meierotto; Spring Freebie Collection by Just Jaimee; Sunny Days kit by Karen Funk.

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Four-esta Celebration

Skippyjon Jones has been a fixture in our house for the last few years. We have almost every book including an autographed copy of Cirque de Ole and a loved plush Skippyjon. So when I came across an idea on Pinterest for a Skippyjon themed birthday party last year, the Four-esta Celebration planning began. I based the party on 2 books from the series - the original Skippyjon Jones and Skippyjon Jones & the Big Bones.

I created the invite in Photoshop using a scan of Skippyjon from Cirque de Ole and, of course, a mix of Spanish words. Skippyjon frequently mixes a bit of real and made up Spanish in conversation during his adventures.

Balloons to welcome our guests, updated Subway art and mini cupcakes.

We decorated around the house with the Skippyjon books, hanging sewn birthday banner in the kitchen, a couple of sombreros, Dylan's dino garden on the kitchen table and a new succulent garden & burlap table runner (I made using an old coffee bag purchased at The Scrap Exchange) in the dining room.

New succulent garden and easy DIY burlap table runner.

In the backyard, the playset and several soccer balls were ready for play as we lucked out with gorgeous July weather. It was a little humid, but no where near as hot as it had been (or rainy - it's been a very wet summer!). I had a little surprise waiting for the kids in the sandbox - a "fossil dig." They each got to take one dinosaur fossil home as part of their goodie bags.

Dinosaur "fossils" uncovered in the sandbox.

While the idea of a nacho and/or taco bar sounded fun, I decided it wasn't quite fitting with our 10am party time. Instead we stuck with the successful party food combo we used for the Cars party (minus the cute "Cars"-esque names) - Chicken Minis & fresh fruit from Chickfila, cheese cubes and, the one new idea, popcorn (inspired from Allison's son's party in June). A mix of confetti corn from a local popcorn shop and home hot air popped corn.

Confetti & hot air popped popcorn, colorful juice boxes, and mixed fruit.

And, of course we had cupcakes. Mini cupcakes - my "go to" party size for the small crowd. Dylan picked out the '4' candle when we were shopping for supplies. I made all of the cupcake toppers in Photoshop, printed, punched & added toothpicks. I had planned to make the mini cupcakes too, but as the party neared I realized I was short on time and needed to let go of a few responsibilities. A few packs of mini cupcakes from the local grocery bakery the day before and we were set.

Mini cupcakes with DIY cupcake toppers.

After the cupcakes settled. We gathered the kids for the piñata. It was hanging high in our two story foyer and gathering lots of attention all morning. From the start of the Four-esta planning, I knew I wanted a bumblebee piñata. In the original book, Skippyjon battles the Great Bumblebeeto as part of his imaginary adventure. He "pops" the Bumblebee and jelly beans come spilling out. It turns out, he accidentally damages his own bumblebee piñata his mother had for his birthday. I did initially looked for one to buy, but struggled to find a look and price I liked. So, instead I got my DIY hat on and made one the old fashioned way - balloon, newspaper, water, flour, tissue paper and pipe cleaners.

The Great Bumblebeeto DIY piñata. 

I decided I wasn't too fond of the idea of the four and under crowd swinging a bat in my house so I made it a pull string style. The kids managed to pull all the losing strings before finding the winning one and - oops! - the bit of tape I used to keep the trap door secured while I decorated it stayed shut. They pulled so hard the piñata fell! It was hilarious. Thankfully, the kids were happy to let me pull it open and start shaking out the small bags of jelly beans for them to grab.

Jelly Belly beans in little bags from the Container Store.

I chose small, handled goodie bags this year so each child could pick one and add their bag of jelly beans & dinosaur fossil. Finding a pack of bags at Michaels with a rainbow of colors that matched our party was pure luck. Inside I had prepped each with a small wooden maraca and a bookmark Dylan & I made.

Goodie bags with wooden maracas and DIY bookmarks.

The bookmarks started from Dylan making a watercolor painting. I then trimmed the paper to 8.5x11 and printed the bookmark layout I had created in Photoshop onto the back of the painting. I finished them off with laminating. Each one is completely unique from the next. A simple "book related" gift to tie in with our book themed party.

The final touch, was Dylan's birthday shirt. I failed to get a good photo of it the day of the party (or since!) so thanks to my mom for the following photo taken just before the piñata fun started. Wanting to stick with our theme, but do something a little bit different - I created a cactus '4' for his shirt using Eric Carle fabric I had in my stash.

All in all, it was a lot of fun! Thanks to all our wonderful friends who joined us in our celebration! Until next July ...  :)

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