Parties I'd Like to Throw

It's been too long since I've posted.  Moving into a new house seems to have required that I reevaluate and revamp all my routines (not necessarily a bad thing).  Also, it's just a lot of extra work that's hard to accomplish with a child stuck to one hip!  I miss you, oh Bloggy!  

Well, I started to keep track of some of Vera's new antics on the blog, but realized that there are so many everyday, as she enters toddlerhood, that it's hard for me to remember them all when I sit down to journal at night.  So I've started keeping a little paper journal open on my desk and jotting down the fun things she does throughout the day while the memory is still fresh.  It's funny that parents have this urge to record and document every little thing that their child does.  I wonder if it's a reflection of how God feels about us.  Scripture says that He hears us when we call and knows the number of hairs on our head.  It's very sweet (and humbling) to me to think about how my concern for Vera is just a very pale reflection of the love our Heavenly Father has for us.

So!  The parties!  I want to write this down to remind myself to have these little gatherings:
1.  A tea tasting party (or parties).  My parents know I love tea, so they brought me a full Kung Fu tea tasting set from China the last time they came West (really flying east...anyway...).  Kung Fu is a Chinese tea tasting ceremony and roughly translated, means Effort Tea...which is apt because the process takes a lot of work!  But I'm so excited to try it out.  I'm going to start out by inviting eight ladies because that's how many tasting cups I have, and depending on how it goes, invite eight more!


2.  A toy/clothing swap.  My friend and neighbor hosted one of these last year, and it was so much fun.  How it works is, every participant brings 15 items in good condition that her family no longer uses.  The hostess(es) lays everything out by category, and the day of the Swap, all the participants come and "shop" for whatever they want!  If it's a large event, then the planners might get to shop first and have to start out by taking only 15 items until everyone has had a turn.  With 5 to 10 ladies, it can just be a wonderful free for all!  My one experience with it was so much fun, and I got a lot of good parenting advice and ideas from chatting with the other ladies!


3.  A potty party.  This one is probably a little ways away, but I saw this idea while watching Huggies videos (was earning points in the Enjoy the Ride campaign).  Once a child is pretty much potty trained, you throw her a party.  It kind of reminds me of a baptism where she declares to the world that she is committed to being diaper-free HAHA.  I think, given the theme, this could be a lot of fun to plan :)


4.  Oh yeah, one more...the Victor Borge party.  That man is so talented and funny, he makes me cry from laughter and joy every time I watch his performances.  We got this 13-DVD set of all of his recorded work because Mike and I really believe in supporting the arts, especially giving access to classical music through public television.  Can't wait to huddle with other Victor Borge fans!

5.  Oh wait...I'm not done!  (Man, I'm going to be a busy bee).  I want to throw a Gigi Hill handbag party.  I've been attending my friend's parties and love the bags (own four of them now!).  They were created by two local female designers.  At first glance, they look like normal bags, but looking further into the detailing, proportions, use of space etc. reveals just how good the design really is.  I bought one of the large handbag/totes to use as Vera's diaper bag as a gift to myself when I was expecting her and have gotten countless compliments.  Designerly, sensible bags without outrageous price points: where's the "like" button?

6.  An Easter Party!  My #1 favorite holiday of the year!  Also can't wait to snap photos of Vera and her little friends in their Sunday best :)
  

Yesterday (2/4): V reached up and turned light switch off.  Too short to turn it back on.  Very proud of herself indeed!  I love that proud "I did it!" smile of hers.
Repeated "Puffffff" after me, because she wanted her Gerber veggie crunchies.
Figured out that the source of her tantrums is the fact that she wants formula during the day instead of solely before and after her night sleep - just misses the milky!