Dinosaur Party.

  Caleb turned 3 on June 16th and we invited our friends and family over to celebrate this past weekend (his bday always coincides with Father's Day so we try to space his party from that). His party was so much fun! It turns out that 3 years olds love a good party and are way too much fun to plan for and celebrate. He has a handful of little friends and cousins that he loves and they all had a blast together on Saturday. Since they're all getting a bit older, they don't need us (parents) as much and truly play together!

  Months ago, Caleb told us he wanted to have a dinosaur birthday party. Its sort of funny because, while he does like dinosaurs, I wouldn't have said really say he's into them. We see them at the museum every time we go and he loves the exhibit while we're there. But we don't actually have many dino toys or anything. I think the anticipation and regular chats about his upcoming dino party just increased his love for them and the entire party planning process was so much fun. And now that we've been talking about dinosaurs non-stop for the past month or so- I would say he is fully into them now :)

Can you spot the swipe Caleb made in the icing before we started singing to him??

  I know that everyone approaches kid parties differently (hi, pinterest). I like little details and adding some personal touches, but have a limited budget and a main focus of making the party fun for the birthday boy. I had three goals at the onset of planning Caleb's 3rd birthday: to not become stressed/overwhelmed, to keep it simple-ish, and for Caleb to have fun. I'm obviously biased, but I think we nailed all three!

(the empty cake stand held the dirt pudding cups!)

  The menu was really simple and took little/no prep! We had pizza delivered from Pizza Hut (SO affordable) and ordered a basic cake from Wal-mart. I actually couldn't find a local grocery store to do a dinosaur cake like I wanted (not dark/Jurassic park themed). So instead, I just ordered a sheet cake in the colors I wanted and had them only add the words. Then I printed out a T-Rex silhouette, cut it out, traced it onto the cake with a toothpick, and then piped around it with store bought icing. Not winning any awards, but Caleb loved it! I think the cake was $20? And I love a delicious, sugary icing covered grocery stored cake.

  Other than the pizza and cake, we kept everything else simple (notice the theme?). Veggies and dip, watermelon wedges, grapes & blueberries, Bugles, and (not pictured!) cups of dirt pudding. I also added two small bowls of mini pigs-in-a-blanket and crackers because Caleb had been specifically telling us he wanted to eat dinosaur cake, crackers, and hot dogs at his party 😂.

  Since Caleb is only three, he isn't terribly into games/party activities. I wanted to do something, but to also make sure it was easy enough for 3 year olds. So I made a little dinosaur dig! Originally, we had planned for the party to be outside and to use our big outdoor sandbox for the dig. But lots of rain the day before the party meant our backyard was just too soggy and we moved the whole party inside. I was bummed for a hot second, but then remembered that we do love our house and it actually worked out perfectly! We used our DIY sandbox for an inside Dino Dig- I just put a dropcloth down to help catch the loose sand and left the tools nearby for kids to use. You guys. I was sort of afraid it would have been a waste of effort (it took me a few tries to get the dinosaur fossils to come out right). It was a HIT! I think every single kid spent some time digging for bones, and not because we ever formally announced it. We just set it up in a prime spot and kids just discovered it on their own. I think we had 13 kids there, ranging in age from 1-5 so it was fun to see that it was a fun activity for them all! (and now Caleb has a bag full of dinosaur bones leftover to play with!)

  The only other fun thing I added for the kids was a handful of inflatable dinosaurs. I spent $35 and it was worth every penny. The kids loved them! The giant T-Rex was a hit with most (some were a little scared) and they took turns wrestling with him or pretending to ride on his back. I'm not even sad that we have them leftover because I imagine the boys will love getting them out from time to time to play! I lost my phone during the party and didn't pick up my camera much, so I didn't get any photos of the kids playing with the dinosaurs- but I promise they were a hit. Here are some before and after photos of Caleb still loving them...and the BEST video of him seeing his giant T-rex for the first time.

Caleb and T-Rex from katie rush on Vimeo.

  Lastly, I put together simple favors for all the kids. I snagged different mini-dinosaurs at the dollar store and tied a thank you and some dinosaur temporary tattoos to each. I set them in a basket by the front door so they could grab them on their way out. Caleb was really excited and kept randomly giving his friends their favors throughout the party because I made it super clear to him when we bought them that they were for his friends (and not for him to play with in the weeks leading up to the party!).

  The entire party (and planning process) was just plain fun. Being a parent has so many different parts, and having the chance to intentionally do things that bring our kids joy is one of the best! My most favorite thing from the whole day was just watching and hearing Caleb- with his friends, family, his dad, and watching him take in the wonder of it all. Celebrating him was the best! (Tyler was, in fact, at the party. He was just busy eating, dumping sand everywhere, or going down for an early nap and too busy for any family photos!)

Sources:

Happy Birthday banner: free printable
Favor tags: free printable
Adopt A Dinosaur: Dollar Tree
Dinosaur Tattoos: Amazon
Dinosaur Dig: DIY sandbox
Dino bone molds: Amazon sand molds + Crayola air dry clay
Excavation tools: $.50 paintbrushes from Wal-Mart and Amazon magnifying glasses
Dino cake: Wal-Mart and myself
Inflatable dinosaurs: Amazon
Extra large inflatable T-rex: Amazon
Dinosaur invitations: Etsy

Caleb. (3 years)

  Our sweet boy is 3 today! There is so much about Caleb at this exact age that I love. It is also really fun to look back over the last few years and see his unique personality stand out. We woke Caleb up early to take him on our traditional donut run and he came downstairs to a big balloon and one of his presents, a new dinosaur! After donuts with dad (and mom and Tyler), both boys had well checks at the dr. and then we finished up our week at Grace Kids' Camp. The boys are napping now, but we promised Caleb we would take him to 'Pizza Choo Choo' (a Pizza King that has a train driving around all the tables) for supper. He is beyond excited! We have a little party with friends and family planned for next weekend, since his actual birthday always falls close to Father's Day. Overall, a simple and fun day just celebrating our guy. I want it to always be that for him, a day where he feels extra loved and celebrated!

  At three years old, Caleb is a sweet kid. He feels things deeply and always asks us if we're happy or sad. He also becomes frustrated easily and is learning lots of ways to manage that (no more biting!). He loves babies and caring for others and stops several times a day to exclaim that something is 'aw! so cute!'. Caleb has zero interest in rote learning, and prefers to explore and experience things. He is really into pretend play right now and can be found building a train with his toys, playing doctor, making his toys talk, or on his 'ship' in our backyard.

  One big part of Caleb personality today that, looking back, I can see has been around since he was a baby is his cautious spirit. He is not terribly adventurous and needs to feel things out for a long time before he trusts them. People, places, experiences, food, all things. He often looks to me and therefore is pretty attached to me (loses himself when I leave him, but calms down after a minute or two). His cautiousness can be sweet and also challenging, so we're working on appreciating both parts I can already see how it will serve him well as he grows up!

  Over the last six months, Caleb has started to be interested in Jesus and it is one of the sweetest things for us to watch. He knows that Jesus loves him the most and often asks if we pray for Jesus to help mommy/daddy/anyone when they're sad or scared. The Easter book we read this Spring talked about a cross, and he became really fascinated with that- especially since I always have on my cross necklace. Since then, he's been asking for his own cross. So we bought him one to hang in his room! He'll happily tell you that I wear my cross (and now, he has one in his room) to help us remember that Jesus loves us. Just recently, he has been asking where Jesus is. We're trying to explain that Jesus lives in our hearts and, when he's older, he can ask Jesus to come live in his heart too. He's really excited about that!

  With his birthday on the horizon, I've had grandparents/friends/family ask what Caleb is 'into' right now. That's sort of hard to answer because he honestly loves anything that you make seem exciting. Paw Patrol, being kind, dinosaurs (he's having a dinosaur party!), swimming, sports, trains, etc. His biggest passion is just doing something fun with others. His love for other people is just really deep. If we're at the pool or playground, he simply wants to be with the others and often goes up to big kids and introduces himself "Hi! My name Caleb Henry Rush. What's your? Let's play!"

  My most favorite things about Caleb right now are: his love for others, the way he gets excited with his entire body (he literally cannot contain his excitement and will exclaim I SO EXCITED and start shaking), his cautious spirit, his genuine interest in Jesus, and his love for others.

The stuff only parents care about: Caleb is big! That's not a shocker to anyone. He is in the 85% for heigh and 94% for weight. Completely proportional and at the top of the scales for everything growth-wise. Also, 95% potty trained! Just need to work on night time/naps.

  Every single night we pray with the boys and we pray the same things- that Jesus help them grow to be brave, kind, and to love Jesus. On Caleb's third birthday, I can't think of anything to add. I hope he grows to be brave (brave to be himself, brave to do hard things), to be kind (to love others always and no matter what), and to love Jesus!

30.

  And just like that, I'm not in my 20's anymore! I'm not sure what my 30's will look like, but I have a suspicion they'll be full of confidence in Jesus, really good friendships, sweet family memories, learning to say I'm sorry more often, intentionally loving others better, and giving more grace than ever before (to myself and others). When I turned 20, I could generally predict how the next decade would go- graduate college, maybe get married, start a career and consider grad school, buy a house, hopefully have babies. I feel less able (and less desire) to predict how this decade will actually look- I hope I'll transition back into social work once the boys are in school and we would love to stay in our new home for a really long time. But outside of those things- it's all a bit fuzzy in a good way. I couldn't predict what my life at 40 will look like if I tried. At 30, I'm realizing it's far less about what I accomplish and far more about what I let go of and trust God to do. 

  So, 30. Let's do this! How about an unofficial motto for this new decade? 

(And for fun, a little update at the 30 Before 30 bucket list I made last year...and a peek into how I'm already giving myself more grace for not being perfect and finishing it!)

[ 01 ] Finish reading through the Bible.
[ 02 ] Run a 10k.
[ 03 ] Have professional photos taken.[ 04 ] Finally make a wedding album.
[ 05 ] Take a family vacation.
[ 06 ] Read 12 books.
[ 07 ] Visit a new city.
[ 08 ] Host a dinner party. (I'm sure we did this in some form, but cooking club doesn't count!)
[ 09 ] Establish consistent date nights with Justin.
[ 10 ] Visit a winery.
[ 11 ] Take a fitness class.
[ 12 ] Buy one classic thing that is probably pricey, but will last me forever.
[ 13 ] Go tech-free for an entire week. 
[ 14 ] Do Whole30 again. (tried and quit in order to keep up my milk supply!)
[ 15 ] Try a new recipe every month.
[ 16 ] Volunteer. (So embarrassing! Definitely working on this this Fall)
[ 17 ] Make 2 more quilts. (1 down!)
[ 18 ] Have a picnic.
[ 19 ] Rewatch Anne of Green Gables.
[ 20 ] Memorize two verses of scripture each month. (I was reallllly good at this for half the year. #twokidsundertwo?
[ 21 ] Go to a concert.
[ 22 ] Be more involved in our church.
[ 23 ] Make a new family tradition.
[ 24 ] Build a capsule wardrobe. (No. Didn't happen. My wardrobe is SHOT after two pregnancy and two nursing babies. Help wanted.)
[ 25 ] Hold at least 24 Noonday Collection trunk shows. (So close! Hoping to cross this off in the next few months)
[ 26 ] Make our master bedroom something we're proud of {headboard, wall decor, anything!}
[ 27 ] Do one big-ish house project. (Putting our house on the market and moving counts to me!)
[ 29 ] Keep my closet clean for one month. (Yes!!!)
[ 30 ] I never added a 30th thing!!!

The best birthday gifts.

The world's best cooking club!
 (we gave Jay a free pass for missing the party so she could bring little McKayla into the world!)

  I showed up at monthly cooking club last night to a surprise birthday party- for me. I so love celebrating others and am truly working on accepting encouragement and being celebrated by others without feeling awkward or minimizing it. And you know? I feel so so loved last night. Five of my absolute favorite friends went out of their way to just love me well and they succeeded. So if this is what my 30's are going to look like, I love it already!

  My birthday isn't until next week and I know it's really just a day and nothing magical will happen when I wake up as a 30 year old on Monday morning. But at the same time, it is still a big deal. At 30, I've settled into myself and how God has created me. I am less concerned with being cool or popular or making every single person happy and more committed to simply loving God and others really well. I'm more aware of the passions God has put in my heart and more confident about boldly sharing those passions.

  So, for my 30th birthday, I'm continuing my 30 for 30: Gather, Grow & Give Back goal for myself. I'm inching along! (and if I make to to 30 combine Noonday Collection orders/trunks shows this fall- I'll likely be able to visit our artisans in Uganda or Haiti or Peru next summer! Talk about extra incentive!) But truly- its been so fun watching people get excited and be bold about doing something outside of themselves. Ethical fashion, supporting artisans around the world to help them earn a dignified living, raising money for a friend's adoption, and sharing about social justice with their friends.

  And what if we didn't stop there? The best birthday present I could think of is for others to do good. Obviously, supporting Noonday Collection and our artisans is a great place to start- but think of all the awesome other ways, too! Sending a care package to your local children's hospital. Dropping off diapers to the nearest women's shelter. Baking cookies for a neighbor. Paying for the person behind you in the Starbucks drive-thru. Calling a friend you haven't talked to in a while and asking them how they're doing. Guys. It's easy and often free and always feels so good to love others well! So if you think of wishing me a happy birthday in the next week, how about just doing something good for someone else? 

And if you need a place to start, I still need 24 brave souls to help me reach this huge goal by making a simple Noonday Collection order OR hosting a Trunk show between now and November!

And know that I'm talking to you- not the whole of everyone reading this blog post. But you specifically- the one thinking that hosting a Trunk Show is not your style or you have no one to invite or you don't want your friends to think you're being sales-y. You- who are thinking this is great for me or someone else but not yourself. Think of the impact even little ole you can have by sharing just the concept of using our purchases for good! Think of the awesome way you can support that high school friend you don't really keep up with by helping them raise money for their adoption (they don't have to come! We just need their agency name and we can donation from your Trunk Show!)

So, if you even have the smallest inkling that this is something you should step out of your comfort zone and do it- email me! (katie.n.rush @ gmail .com) It doesn't have to be fussy. We can just meet up at a local coffee shop with two of your favorite social justice loving friends or host a play date with your mom friends or do a ladies' night at your church. Big, small, easy, detailed- whatever works best for you. If you're up for the excitement of helping me celebrate my 30th birthday over the next few months- I would love it!

{We can find the perfect idea that fits your style, circle of friends and calendar best! Ps. Who doesn't love planning ahead? And don't worry if you don't live near me at all- we can work around that!} 

Caleb's 2nd birthday.

  We celebrated Caleb's 2nd birthday last month and unintentionally kept the low-key park party tradition going. We skipped a real party at home, since we thought we'd be in the middle of a move (ha. the moving saga continues..) and we chose a park with a splash pad and playground close to our house to celebrate a week before his actual birthday.

  It was super last minute and small and just right. My family and our closest friends from our small group came and spoiled Caleb. I literally did zero party prep outside of ordering his adorable $20 Curious George cake- we cut up a watermelon, had single serving bags of chips, and a cooler of drinks and called it a party! 

  And you know? It was perfect. Caleb didn't know the difference, I wasn't stressed, and the kids had a blast. I would have loved to make him a cake, but our kitchen was packed away and I'll have the chance to make other cakes in the future. Cute invites would have been nice, but we just didn't know far enough in advance what would be going on with the house/where we would be. A huge guest list is always fun, but a party on Father's Day means small and simple and just right.

  On his actual birthday, I woke up with Caleb and took him to our local donut shop downtown. It's the cutest place that only takes cash and is open each day until they run out of donuts around 8/9am. Caleb LOVED picking out his downtown and a prize from the shop owner's birthday bin! After his donut, Justin took him outside to see his big present- a new bike! He took Caleb for a short ride around our house before heading to work and it was adorable. After that, I met up with some friends for our traditional Chick Fil A birthday lunch and then took Caleb to the waterpark for a bit after his nap. 

  Pinterest-y parties and birthdays and celebrations are awesome, but not the most important things. Seeing Caleb's excitement over his grocery store cake, riding his new bike with Justin, and playing in the play place with his best friends far outweigh any blog-worthy photos I would have snagged from a perfectly put together party! All that to say, I'm still really excited to have a fun party for him at our new house next year and to let him choose a theme and invite his favorite friends over. Gah. How is it possible that he'll be old enough to do that?!

Thursdays with Caleb. {first birthday}

Nearly 4 months ago {!!!}, Caleb turned one. Since he's still basically a baby and has no ability to remember/care too much about the actual celebration, we purposefully kept it low key. We only invited a handful of people and truly tried to keep it small and simple. 

  We reserved a shelter at the park a couple of blocks away, put up a few simple decorations, and called it a party! Since it was late Sunday afternoon, we had a few savory and sweet bites and a little trail mix bar for people to make & take their own mix home. 

  After the kids played and the adults chatted for a bit, we sang and gave Caleb his little cake {which he clearly LOVED}. Then we just kept playing and eventually cleaned up just in time to escape a huge downpour. 

double-fisting the cake...

Totally my kid. I close my eyes when I eat delicious cake, too...

  Looking at these photos again reminds me of a little sidenote. We are in such a sweet spot of life right now, and God has seen fit to purposefully bless us with friends in the same season. I have a handful of friends who have kiddos Caleb's exact age. Watching them grow together over the last year was really fun and I'm so excited to watch them have more and more fun playing together as they get older! Each subsequent birthday party has been more fun than the last as they play better together {and I'm pretty sure Owen is happy he's not the only walker anymore...the others can finally keep up!}. 

Cupcake Social. {a birthday party}

   My niece turned 3 yesterday and we celebrated over the weekend. She chose a Cupcake Social theme and my sister {as always} blew it out of the water. It was small and simple, but still so precious and sweet!

  The little cupcake display, Cupcake Factory craft, and sprinkle cups {that my niece was straight eating throughout the party} were such fun details! I didn't get a single photo of the birthday princess because she was having too much fun running around and playing with her friends {and honestly, I was wrangling my bruiser of a toddler. He's obsessed with his cousins!}- but I know she had so much fun and is loving all the dress up clothes she was gifted by everyone. And that's why I'm not terribly sad about not having a girl of my own- my two girly girl nieces give me plenty of chances to have fun!

  Happy birthday, Mia! We loved your party {and the leftover cupcakes we brought home with us...}!