My Best Girl's birthday is a few days before Halloween. This year, she decided to have a costume party. She dressed as Alice in Wonderland and was so excited to greet her guests. The first to arrive were a pirate and a gingerbread girl.

We started the party with pizza and cake. Alice and Belle enjoyed the cheese pizza, and Alice was excited to blow out her candles.


After the food, we played Halloween Bingo, the kids wrapped each other in toilet paper to look like mummies, and we did the Limbo (Alice specifically requested the Limbo). You can see that Alice and her brother David Ortiz (aka Big Papi) really had a good time with this.


Alice's favorite gift was a real camera (this was from Mom and Dad). You can see that this was an exciting gift.

I can't believe my Best Girl is five, but I know she had a memorable birthday surrounded by friends and family. I look forward to watching her grow during the coming year!

Labels: Family and Friends, My Best Girl

Last Monday, my Best Girl turned five. Between celebrations, baseball, and Halloween, I didn't have time to post about all the birthday festivities (the party post will come soon). On her actual birthday, my Best Girl and I had our bi-monthly Mother/Daughter Day. When I told her that we would be going to the mall, she was ecstatic.

Can we eat there? Can I get a cookie? Can I ride the merry-go-round? Can I play on the playground?

These questions were answered with yes, yes, and yes. Then, I added the surprise: You can also go to Build-A-Bear! This announcement was met with an enthusiastic "Oh, Thank you, Mommy!" So, we set off for some birthday fun and girl time.

Our first stop was the merry-go-round. My Best Girl asks to ride this every time we go to the mall, but I rarely have cash. I think you can tell how she feels about this treat by the look on her face.

Next, we headed to the playground. My Best Girl was the only one there, so she had me follow her around and take pictures of her while she posed (see HERE).

After the playground, we headed to the food court. No birthday meal at the mall would be complete without a cookie with icing.

Finally, we ended up at Build-a-Bear. My Best Girl chose a very cute rabbit. She selected a heart, warmed the heart, and then lovingly placed the heart inside her new friend.


After giving her new bunny a bath, she chose an outfit and a name.

Meet Rose, the bunny who likes to wear a Tinkerbell costume!

My Best Girl and I had a wonderful time. I hope she will always remember that her 5th birthday was a special day. Next year, she and Rose can celebrate their birthdays together!

Labels: My Best Girl

I recently read The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey. I really enjoyed it. Head over to 5 Minutes for Books to read my review and enter to win a copy for yourself.

Labels: Books

Labels: My Best Girl, Wordless Wednesday

Each month, 5 Minutes for Books has a carnival called What's On Your Nightstand. I haven't participated in a while, but I actually got my act together this month. I can say with great certainty that Grammy and Papa are questioning why I am posting this instead of pictures from their granddaughter's birthday, but those are coming soon!

This month, my stack includes Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I am about halfway through Azkaban, and I am enjoying the series. I get more into the story with each book.

The other fiction titles in my stack are The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks and A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve. I always enjoy Nicholas Sparks books, so I am looking forward to his latest. I read The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve several years ago, and that compelled me to pick up A Change in Altitude. Whether or not I finish it will depend on the content.

My two nonfiction books are Mothering Heights and Praying the Names of God. Mothering Heights explores the role of a godly mother using famous works of literature. I am fascinated by this concept, and I can't wait to read it (I'll be reviewing it soon at 5M4B). Recently, I did a Bible study on the names of God, and it was wonderful. I found the book Praying the Names of God soon after that, and I am excited to dig into it as well.

That's my current list. I look forward to reading the lists of others. If you would like to join the fun, head over to 5 Minutes for Books today!

Labels: Books

This week was "G" week at my Best Girl's preschool. To celebrate, they had a Grandparent Tea. Grandma and Papa Don attended, and my Best Girl was thrilled.

They enjoyed some cookies and Sprite, and then my Best Girl was able to introduce them to her class. Grammy and Papa couldn't make it, so my Best Girl showed pictures of them.

After Grandparent Show-and-Tell, the kids presented the grandparents with some gifts. Thank you Grandma and Papa Don for attending this special day. Grammy and Papa, my Best Girl will save your gifts for you!

Labels: Family and Friends, My Best Girl

For over ten years, Harry Potter has been a household name. As much as I enjoy children's literature, I stayed away from the Harry craze. Why? I knew that at some point, my Favorite Boy would want to read the books, and I decided to enjoy the books with him (this really shows the depth of my planning sickness since Harry Potter has been around longer than my son—I guess I waited in case I had a son).

Last week, my Favorite Boy picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and now he's hooked. I am struggling to keep up with him! He started book 3 last night, and I started book 2. Fantasy has never been my favorite genre, but by the end of the first book, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I was enjoying the story. I know the books get darker as they go, so I am going to try to catch up with my Favorite Boy.

We are behind the times, but I am glad I waited. I know my Favorite Boy and I are going to enjoy this adventure.

This post is linked up to Kids' Picks at 5 Minutes for Books.

Labels: Children's Books, My Favorite Boy