Noe News is Good News

Meow! Joselyn's 4th Birthday Party

I asked Joselyn a while back what kind of a party she wanted for her birthday and she didn't hesitate a second. She wanted a kitty party. It didn't really surprise me- she LOVES cats! (and all other animals too really) I knew this was going to be a fun party to plan and I got really excited! It's funny though how pregnancy makes even your most favorite things (like for me- planning a party) seem like a daunting task. So I decided to keep it super simple. I let Joselyn invite 5 friends- her choice. 4 for her age and 1 more for fun :) I started a really cute pinterest board to gather ideas and got working.

My inspiration for the party came from this little cupcake set. I was in love with it the moment I saw it. SO CUTE. It had perfect colors for a fall birthday!




My original idea for the invitation was quite elaborate... as time approached I gave up on my original idea of a ball of yarn and decided on a simple handmade kitty card inspired by the, well, inspiration. Half of these sadly didn't even get delivered, lol... good thing for understanding friends!




When I say simple, I mean simple. The party started with dressing the girls up as kitties with kitty ears and collars (which I made), and painting their faces. I lined them all up in a row, put a little smudge of pink on their noses and drew wiskers. They loved it!

I finished these headbands in less than an hour. I know they look super cheap- but I was looking for the easiest way to make them and this was as simple as it gets. I cut out some felt and sewed it on to some headbands! I went with the elastic kind becuase even I know that other kind hurts after a while.



I printed the names out on a silvery colored paper and pasted them on some chip board tags I bought at a scrapbook store. Then I threaded them with ribbon and a bell!





Here they all are! All lined up and ready to play the part of kittens! Joselyn sure has some super cute friends!!







As for the food, I also kept it super simple. But if there is a theme that calls for simple food, a kitty theme would be IT. I put together a little make your own meow mix station with cocoa puffs, kix and goldfish. We put them mixed together first in little personalized silver kitty bowls (which I got at Wal-Mart for 99 cents each) and then in little meow mix bags. The kids got to eat right out of the bowls. I think they loved it :)






I also sent the girls home with a little bag of meow mix too in these little paper bags.






Since kitties don't eat at the table, I spread a little "rug" (blanket) on the floor so they could eat and drink just like kitties.



Then they were served some milk and a fancy fish dish (aka pb&j on the cutest fish bread you have ever seen!! They sell these at Target!)

Here's the inspiration in action! I love them! They are so cute!









I personalized the bowls with a permanant marker.





For a game, we did a mouse hunt.  I found these cute little mice at Target. They have catnip in them (they are for real cats) but they totally worked! I think there are still some mice hidden around the house... definitely did not find them all!






I then gathered the girls around and gave them a pair of mittens in preparation for my reading of "Three Little Kittens"!





I also have an amazing friend who volunteered to help and take pictures like last year. Love my friend Stacie!! Here are a few more of the girls having fun!!

Joselyn turns four

We had the same conversation the night before her birthday this year as we did the last. It was that when Joselyn woke up in the morning, she would be one year older. This time she didn't struggle to hold up her fingers. I warned her again that she wouldn't be three anymore... she would be four, and she reassured me "It's ok mom, I like four!" Wow she has grown so much. I look at pictures of her and can't believe it. She doesn't look anything like a baby anymore. And I am so proud of her. Despite our many struggles with her "vibrant" personality, we are growing from raising her and feel SO BLESSED she is our daughter. So much we want to remember about our year with her. What sticks out most in my mind is her obsession with Rapunzel. She still comes up to use with long pieces of ribbon, a scarf or whatever so we can tie it into her hair to make it longer. For a while there we had trouble keeping her from drawing on the walls. After all, that's what Rapunzel does on Tangled! She has finally settled for pretending. Then there was the frying pan- she always carried a little one with her and was starting to hit people with it. Now she only does it in self defense, lol.






Although there are a lot of physical changes, a lot of things about Joselyn have stayed the same. She still loves babies and animals, loves to dance and her Landen is her best buddy. Nothing makes my heart happier than watching the two of them play happily together. There is occasional fighting, but mostly the play together so well. I love that he will submit to playing princesses with her or that she will play trains with him. Sometimes they mix the two and Landen will give her little princess a ride in his trains or trucks. She still loves her apples and grapes the best. She is still OCD. She hates crumpled papers and gets very upset if any drawing of hers gets a wrinkle in it.










Some things HAVE changed though. Like, she won't go to sleep with her door closed anymore. She is still really friendly but is a little more attached to her mommy. She is more independant in making decisions about what to wear, and comes up with the silliest combinations- although a lot of the times they just really work well together. She loves makeup and dressing up. I guess that's not a change from last year :) She has the BEST facial expressions and can do this reise one eyebrow thing that I totally CAN'T do! She gets that from her daddy.




We are so blessed to have Joselyn as a daughter. I know that as she continues to grow, her passion for life and love of people will take her far. She is going to be such a good sister to little Lyla too. Can't wait to see their relationship develop! Happy birthday to our sweet little girl!