Addie's Gifts

There is no denying that I love animals. We've naturally paired down our four legged friends from the 2 dogs, 3 cats, 2 rabbits, and uncountable number of gerbils we once had to a mere 1 dog and 2 cats. Then again, we've added 3 two legged children to that mix in the process!

But our love of animals has already been passed onto our girls. They each have a slight obsession with pets and wild animals alike. A few months ago, we visited the Elmore County Humane Shelter to drop off some food after they'd shared a need for on the news. They let the girls pet a few kittens, and I avoided eye contact with any an all 4 legged creatures, lest we come home with one! But it made a tremendous impact on Addie. She knew we went to a shelter to get Finn, that he didn't have a home until we adopted him, and that there were many, many other animals needing homes. She doesn't know the rest of the story, and I don't plan on telling her that anytime soon; but we are committed to teaching about why we spay and neuter our animals, because that's the only way we can save so many of these already in the shelters!

So when we created Addie's birthday party invitation, she agreed to let me include this on the back:

I'll admit, she kinda got cold feet after I'd mailed them; but when I assured her that she could hold a kitten when we delivered the food, it was all better!

I wasn't entirely sure how Addie's friends would react to it though, if people would just not bring a gift or bring dog/cat food; and the response was utterly overwhelming:

After a Walmart run, we had (approximately) 3 ginormous, 6 huge, 6 medium, 7 small, and 8 tiny bags of cat & dog food, 8 cans, 2 bags of treats, 5 jugs of clorox, and 3 very happy little girls!

 It took quite a while to load the car, but I had the best help around!

We were so happy to have DiDi, Tyler, Ellie, Bri, Ms. Anna, Thomas, and Kennedy meet us at the shelter to deliver everything, which filled up half of the lobby area!

Of course my girls went straight for the kittens!

And Ms. Rea let Addie hold a special sweet one.

Look at that precious face!

We walked around a gave the dogs and kitties in the back a little love until my heart could take it no more. So many puppies. So many sad eyes. So many animals needing homes!

Since the little girl's birthday party theme is going to be kitties and puppies, we're planning to ask people to bring canned cat and dog food. Ms. Rea said they start to have so many entire litters of kittens and puppies show up, only days or weeks old; and they need soft food for those babies!

Happy girls!

Addie's Science Birthday Party

I asked Addie what type of birthday party she wanted this year.

Her answer: a volcanologist party.

Considering some of her classmates were a bit afraid of her erupting volcano that she took for share one day, I decided that might not be the best theme to center a party around.

So I started pitching the science experiments theme. To her. To Paul. And to a few friends.

The unanimous decision: go for it.

Except what I didn't know at the time was that we would have to switch the day from Saturday to Sunday, and we'd be leaving town for the 3 days prior to the party.

So I literally planned for weeks. And weeks. And researched. And found inspiration and more inspiration. Ordered supplies. Decided on party favors using these test tubes and adding our own experiment using UV beads.

Had a blast with Addie experimenting with the experiments. Nixed some. Added some.

Created invitations and tags with a digital scrapbooking kit.

And created a 5 page spreadsheet containing experiments, supplies, to do, to buy, to make, to create...and when I could eat, breathe, and sleep. All the details!

With the exception of it being 85 degrees and one of the littles refusing to let me put her down, I think it went off without a hitch might could be considered a success! But only because I had some of the best help ever! From friends who let me bounce ideas off of them to friends who helped the day of the party...

...to my wonderful mom and aunt and my most amazing husband, who always encourages me in these endeavors even though he knows he'll be neck deep in it with me! Seriously, it took a village!

My only regret? That I couldn't take more pictures! This little one had had enough traveling, change, and sugar but not enough food or sleep over the past few days. And she didn't go much farther than this if she wasn't in my arms!

Most parties I found online did experiments as a group, but with friends and siblings, we had over 20 kiddos. I knew keeping 20 kiddos attention and explaining everything as a group probably wouldn't work well. So we set up 6 experiment stations. There were 4 kiddos in each group, a parent with each child, a helper at most of the tables...

and instructions for each experiment.

Everyone had safety glasses and a lab coat with a scientist name tag. They got a bag to put their experiments and favors in as they rotated tables.

Each new station brought on a new experiment, and my favorite part was watching their eyes light up... 

...when they created science!

They had a blast!

Color Mixing, one of Addie's favorites, where we used non staining primary color tablets to explore making colors. I created "place mats" with a place for each cup to help guide them. They used the primary colors to create at least 3 other colors.

It's Snowing, straight from Steve Spangler. This amazing instant snow polymer rapidly expands from a teasooon of powder into a cup of snow. Then the kids got to play with it in our sand/water table and take some home too!

Lemon Suds was a combination of the Birthday Balloons/Erupting Volcano but with lemon juice instead of vinegar. The kids got to squeeze their own lemons (and add bottled lemon juice to make enough) and then add it to baking soda. They created a bubbling cup of lemon suds!

Ocean in a Bottle was probably the least successful. I used smaller bottles, and I think the separation of the water and oil would have been much more obvious in a larger 20oz type bottle. My mom and aunt prefilled the bottles with vegetable oil and let the kids add the water with a funnel up to a line we drew. They added a color tablet and sea creature and then taped it shut for safe keeping!

Buoyancy: sink or float I had my doubts about this one (and apparently some of the kiddos did too!), but this was another one of Addie's favorites! The kids counted out 12 paper clips and wadded them into a ball of precut aluminum foil. When they placed it in the water, you can guess what happened. But then they made a little boat from a second piece of foil, carefully put it in the water, and counted out 12 paper clips into it. And it floated! Addie's favorite part was adding as many paperclips as she could (many more than 12!) until her boat filled with water and sank!

Birthday Balloons, one where we had to promise the kids nothing would hurt them!
We used empty mt. dew bottles that they added vinegar to (a line I'd drawn on the bottle). I had prefilled the balloons with baking soda. They carefully attached them to the bottle and then all together raised the balloons to let the powder fall in. Their eyes got so big as the balloons expanded! I love how Addie's friend is looking up at Paul in the last picture. He was so sweet explaining the experiment to them!

I think one of the favorite experiments we did was at the end. Of course we had to erupt Addie's volcano. She and most of her friends loved that (after i promised everyone that no one could get hurt!). But the mentos and diet coke were a huge hit! i didnt even bother to take a picture of the diet coke geyser, but check out the kids faces!

After that, we grabbed some cool drinks, snacks and created our own cupcakes! (undecorated publix cupcakes my aunt went and bought at the very last minute because mine kept overflowing in the oven an hour before the party. crisis averted!).

I am always reminded at these things how blessed we are to have such sweet friends. I love these two girls so much, and I think they might love each other too!

I couldn't not include these pictures of Audrey Kate. This little girl played and played and played all afternoon. I've never seen her so dirty and so happy! She rolled with the punches and enjoyed herself! And I'm so thankful for my mom; she finally pried Anne Perry out of my arms before i passed out from the heat and went inside and fed her! She was much happier then!

one of my most favorite things about Addie's party was that she agreed to ask for no gifts but instead have everyone bring dog and/or cat food for one of our local humane shelters. We delivered them Monday, and I can't wait to share pictures from that!

this is the only picture i got of just the birthday girl. and it might not even count as a picture because she was moving so quickly! but she sure was cute in her special pink birthday glasses!

Addieboo, I think one of the greatest compliments on your 4th birthday party came from one of your friends: that was the coolest birthday party ever! But the smile on your face and the excitement in your voice was all I needed to know it was worth it!

Happy 4th Birthday Addieboo! We love you!

Flipadoodle

As I wrote in her birthday post, Addie has turned into a bit of a...

flipadoodle!

but as long as she's not flipping her legs in the air as you're walking behind her or accidentally kicking her sisters or completely destroying the couch...

she sure is pretty cute when she's flipping!

hence her new nickname:

Addie Marie Flipadoodle Wamsted!

augusta: Birthday Tea Party

Addie and Kira's birthdays are only a day apart. So when we went to Augusta for Jessica's wedding, Gramma, along with Grandpa and Ms. Gail,  decided to have a little Mad Hatter Birthday Tea Party for the big girls!

Complete with tulips,

tea cups,

and butterfly tiaras!

it was a beautiful, sunny, almost hot day! we brought some of girls favorite bubble wands, and everyone enjoyed blowing mega bubbles!

love her!

Audrey Kate loved sitting with Ms. Gail!

Gramma and Aunt Millie made sandwiches and Ms. Gail made cupcakes.

We all sang happy birthday to Addie and Kira, and Addie loved blowing out her candle!

There were presents for the big girls...

fun masks from uncle jay and aunt millie

and we stuck with our bubble theme of the day for kira's present! i think she might have enjoyed it!

John was so cute putting on/taking off this hat!

and what's a day at gramma's without a few laps around the flower bed railroad tracks!?!

John got brave and crawled all the way across the yard after a few of the balls.

but thankfully grandpa rescued him

And Addie continues to be pretty smitten with baby John! They were so cute playing together!

happy Birthday Kira and Addie!

augusta: Jessica's wedding

We headed to Augusta on March 15th to attend Paul's cousin Jessica's wedding.

Augusta was in full bloom and made Montgomery look practically colorless. Even the yellow coat of pollen was thicker and the wind blew yellow clouds of dust! The reason? Among other things, these gorgeous azaleas!

So we took full advantage of the beautiful color! The girl cousins just happened to sit down all together in the same spot for more than 3.2 seconds!

and Millie quickly added John and we had a pretty awesome picture of all 5 wamsted cousins!

of course, it took no time at all for that to move to eating shoes, pouty faces, tongues out and distracted gazes! But John just kept right on smiling! 

I think this one of the big girls is one of my favorites though. they are SO sweet together!

but these two are simply adorable! i love how john's looking up at his big sister!

we grabbed a few pictures of jay and millie's family, but kira was not about to crack a smile. she really wanted to be down playing with addie!

love

and love!

this was the first wedding i've actually attended in i don't know how long. i've been shooting weddings with allison for over a year now, so it was super hard for me to turn off my 2nd shooter mode. but i did, and even managed to stay incognito for a while and get some pictures of our families without getting in anyone's way!

the little girls look like they were having one serious conversation here...over drinks!

and Addie has really taken an interest in little ones recently. I can't wait to share the pictures of her, Cady and Cady's new baby brother Davis! She's smitten with these new little boys!

there was lots of playing and just chilling before the dancing begin.

even time enough to grab a picture of the wamsted men! handsome you say? why yes, i agree!

but all addie wanted to do was dance! so dance we all did! (she's doing the electric slide out away from the group in the first one. check out ms. gail in the background!)

alone...and with others!

but this picture holds a funny story. Audrey Kate was dancing with Gramma and Papa Al. She was seemingly quite content and enjoying herself. Until she looked up at Gramma. Looked up at Papa Al. Rolled her little eyes. Dropped their hands. Turned and walked away. It was like she was saying: I won't have anymore of this silliness! All 3 of us got a good laugh out of it!

of course, there was a ramp off to the side that provided ample opportunities for running races and acting a bit like swinging monkeys!

but when the ribbon/bell shakers were handed out, it got even sillier! it quickly went from uncle jay silliness...

...to all 4 little girls joining in the silliness while daddy sat trying to keep a straight face!

i intentionally didn't take a single picture of the bride and groom (bc our girls wouldn't stand still long enough to be in one!) or cake/cupcakes or food or others dancing or flowers or table details or anything not related to our little ones that i'd normally shoot at a wedding reception; but as you can see from our crew, it was a fun celebration!

And we decided it was time to take everyone home for bed when the little girls laid down on the floor and practically fell asleep! ♥

Congratulations Mike and Jessica!