A Dr. Seuss birthday. There's not much fun that is funner than that!

You could not, would not want to miss
A celebration such as this!

The invitation.

Sure, there are some Dr. Seuss rhyming invitations out there, but none, I tell you, none are like this! Other than the quotes from The Doctor himself, I made it up!

The Party Card.

As soon as kids walked in the door, they each got a Party Card. Kids could earn a sticker for each task they completed on their card, and they could also record their answers/scores for certain games. This card was the best thing I did for this party-- it kept the kids entertained and busy, without me having to direct each activity. It was my mother-in-law's idea (although I will humbly take full credit for its execution), and it's what pulled all this craziness together and made it fun for everyone.

The Activities.

1. Make and wear a Cat in the Hat HAT.

2. Wish Bethany & Isaac a Happy Birthday with a high five or hug!

3. Pin the star on the Sneetch. Grandma Suzanne made this board and ran the game! It was perfect. Kids went back again and again to play.

4. Read a Dr. Seuss book out loud with a friend. Between the local library and our small collection, we had over 30 Dr. Seuss titles to choose from.

5. Eat some SEUSS FOOD. It's very GOOD. More on that to follow...

6. Play Fish in a Pot Toss. Grandpa Jared helped the kids with this one. They loved it!

7. Drink Pink Ink.

8. Balance your Act like the Cat in the Hat. I just left out a bucket of random toys and kids had to see how many they could balance. There was no more instruction than that, so it's funny that most kids had a friend help them pile stuff up onto their head. The winner balanced 8 toys.

9. One fish, two fish... Guess how many fish!

Cat in the Hat Hats

The Reading Room. 

The Food.

Green Eggs*

Sam I Am Ham**

Cheese Trees

Hop on Popcorn

Thing 1 and Thing 2 Cupcakes***

Green Egg Cupcakes*

*Made by their amazing Grandma & Grandpa Lee

**not pictured, really (you can see the corner of the dish by the cheese trees)-- it was actually cubes of Turkey Ham, surrounded by crackers

***Made by Thing 1 and Thing 2 themselves

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Red Red Fish

The spread.

It's a shame this terrible photo the only one I got of all the food (well most... it was before the Thing 1&2 cupcakes were set out). The chaos does come through pretty nicely though.

H2Oh! (water with cucumbers and plain water with colored ice cubes)
and Pink Ink (Pink C-Light-- what Jared & I call Crystal Light to make it sound... cooler?-- with raspberries) 
...shared a table with the Red Fish guessing game.

Told ya those cupcakes were made by Thing 1 & 2.

I just didn't tell any of the guests.

That buttercream frosting (I made it alone) was heavenly.

The cheese trees and Cat's Hats were stuck with toothpicks and wood skewers into these babies...

...Party napkins glued onto foam cones or cubes, glued onto paper plates. A middle-of-the-night-the-night-before act of desperation/stroke of genius.

The Decor.

I had so much fun putting the decorations together. These hands haven't done this much cutting and gluing since I went to preschool. It was pretty awesome.

As luck would have it, in the weeks before the party we happened to have a few waves of visiting in-laws, and I promptly took advantage of the extra hands for crafting. Sister-in-law Kristine helped with the invitations. She cut each invite into different, crazy Seussical shapes. My mother- and cousins-in-law Jennifer, Emma and Grace helped with the poms. They were all first-time-pommers and got so excited at how great they looked.

The kites were probably my favorite creation. With all the idea-stealing I did off of Pinterest and Google (there are sooooo many great/fun/crazy ideas out there!) I was probably mostly psyched about the kites because I came up with the idea myself. (At least I think I did.)

The Dr. Seuss cutouts came from Oriental Trading. Oh, that little temptress of a party planning website.

ALSO... I posted up a few Dr. Seuss quotes all over the house ("...Youer than you" on the bathroom mirror, for example) but it felt a bit like overkill when I did it, and posting pictures of them here certainly would be. Believe it or not, I do have a radar for when enough is enough, and sometimes I use it.

Outside, Jared wrapped the posts under the awning all red and white and candycane-like, and he hung more Dr. Seuss cutouts from the overhang. Little Cat in the Hat Hats were scattered on the tables like confetti. But because the party fell on what was probably the coldest day of the year (a high of 50 degrees, what?!), all of this was sadly and completely untouched and overlooked as all the adults huddled inside and the kids flashed right by as they played their games and ran wild. Oh well. We were just so glad they came and seemed to have fun.

But... what did the birthday kids think of it all??

The Recap, by Isaac & Bethany:

At breakfast the following Monday, I asked my kids about their favorite parts of the party.

Bethany: Pink.

Isaac: Silence.

So, I tried again. Remember how all your friends came to your party? Who were your friends at the party?

Isaac: Pablo and Austin. (Characters from Backyardigans)

Bethany: Uniqua. And Dora.

Remember how we made and ate cupcakes that looked like Thing 1 and Thing 2?!?

Isaac: YEAH!!!
Bethany: Can I have a cuckape NOW??

Sigh.

Well, I loved it.

Happy Birthday, babies!!

If my husband were a moustache, he would be Tom Selleck.

What? I know, that title hardly makes any sense. But hopefully it will...

Last week was Jared's birthday, and to honor him, I am sharing this video taken way back when, at a mustache/ugly sweater/poetry party with our UCLA friends in December '07. The guys took their mustache growing and poetry writing very seriously, and it was hilarious. Here's Jared's. Consider it his birthday gift to you. :)

(The audio isn't great, so I've also included text below, but you still have to watch because his delivery is the best part!)

Jared is hands down one of the funniest people I know. His sense of humor is super sly and he doesn't often laugh at his own jokes, so people who aren't on their toes don't always know that he's joking. I don't even know how many times someone who is a bit new to Jared has asked me if he is kidding around. Yes, the answer is almost always yes! Some of our friends call him the Sleeper, because sometimes he'll just hang back and then say something hilarious when you least expect it. He does it to me all the time.

Love, thanks for making me laugh every single day! You : husbands :: Tom Selleck's mustache : mustaches.

If my mustache were

By Jared Lee

If my mustache were a soldier, it would be Rambo

If my mustache were a workout, it would be Tai-bo

If my mustache were shoes, it’d be by Versace

If my mustache played the piano, it would be Liberaci

If my mustache were a movie, it would be Dumb & Dumber

If my mustache were an SUV, it would be a monster truck Hummer

If my mustache were a coat, it would be made of fur

If my mustache were a martini, it would be shaken, not stirred

If my mustache were a formal, it would be an Armani tuxedo

If my mustache were a weapon, it would be an atomic torpedo

If my mustache were a missionary, it would be AP

If my mustache were a traveler, it would be Rick Steves

If my mustache were a comic book, it would be Hammer of Thor

If my mustache fought high cholesterol, it would be Lipitor

If my mustache were a landlord, it would be Mr. Roper

If my mustache were on Batman, it would be The Joker

If my mustache had a job, it would be a dentist

If my mustache were on The Office, it would be Dr. Crentist

If my mustache were a jacket, it would be made of leather

If my mustache were a burden, it would be light as a feather

If my mustache were a gun, it would be an oozi

If my mustache were a pool, it would be a jacuzzi

If my mustache were a wedgie, it would be a full melvin

If my mustache were cold, it would be zero Kelvin

If my mustache were an action hero, it would be Chuck Norris

If my mustache ruled Russia, it would be Yeltzin, Boris

If my mustache were jeans, it'd be tapered and tight

If my mustache were love, it would go all night

celebrating Jared!

Jared's birthday was last week. I feel like I flaked out a bit because I didn't give him the proper birthday blog post, and I even forgot to wear my Little League Jared button like I like to do on his birthday. It's because we were celebrating too hard, right?

His birthday was Friday, February 24, and it began with delicious breakfast-eating and present-opening. The kids are very much into birthdays-- they love the cupcakes (we had muffins) and blowing out candles and opening presents. It made for a fun start to the day.

This pic makes me feel like it's my birthday!

And then... he went to work. It's rough being a real life adult sometimes (but really awesome having a job!). On his way out the door, as he was giving goodbye waves and kisses to the kids, Bethany said to him, unprompted and clear as day, Happy Birthday Dada. We both nearly burst into tears from the cuteness. Melt-your-heart cuteness, that girl.

That weekend, we had not one but two dinner dates! A rare and exciting thing these days, indeed. On Friday (his actual birthday) just Jared & I went to Winchester's in downtown Ventura, and on Saturday we went to Papa Lennon's in Ojai with our friends Steve and Marnie. Great food, even better company, both nights! It's reassuring to know there are good restaurants everywhere, as one of the fears of moving away from New York City is that you'll never have a really great meal ever again.

Stopping to enjoy the view on the way to Ojai.

On Saturday during the day we had the funnest outing to the Santa Barbara Zoo. The kids were so playful and we were all in high spirits. I decided not to take any pictures of the backs of my kids' heads while they're looking at animals, like it is so tempting to do (it's just so cute when they are so engrossed), but we do have about a zillion of them (and a video!) at the play area. Here's my attempt to narrow it down to a few favorites...

Great fun was had sliding down the hill.

Back for more. Again, and again, and again.

Pure glee.

The competition begins...

...and continues...

...until Isaac hears people start talking about the train. He immediately ditches his board to look for the train. This is so typically Isaac-- the switch happens this fast, people. Just watch.

I'm a bit amazed that he picked up on it just from hearing people mention train. He knew about it before I did.

Clutching his train ticket.

Isaac made a new friend, who I am pretty sure is Wilson. Out of respect I was sure to not photograph his face.

He was there with his granddaughter, but Isaac didn't seem to feel bad at all stealing him away. She wasn't being as fun, anyway.

We did see a few animals too.

I tried to get a shot of them both in the egg (twins!) but they move too fast.

On the way home we hit up Taco Bell and tried to keep the kids awake so we could make it home for naps.

Jared said it was the perfect birthday weekend. I'd have to agree.

As promised... Jared's mustache poetry coming up next!

our Grand adventure

The Grand Canyon is on a lot of lists. For example, it makes the Seven Natural Wonders of the World list, and it's been on my list of places to go for a long time. I can guarantee, however, that it's not on any sort of list of things to do with your toddlers. But we did it, and (spoiler alert) we all survived. Now that we're past the insanity of the idea and the relief of not losing anyone over the rim, here's alllll about it!

Our GC trip was a gift from Jared's parents for all the February birthdays (Jared, his mom Suzanne, and his sister Kristine) + their spouses + 4 toddlers.

On Friday we made the 8 hour drive with Jared's parents and Bethany and Isaac in our glorious minivan and stayed the night in Williams, AZ. I was totally apprehensive about how the kids would do on the drive, but they were great! Hardly a fuss from either one! Of course, borrowing a DVD player and every Disney movie ever made might have had something everything to do with it. Jared's parents drove while Jared & I sat in the way back to take care of the kids. I also got to read my book-- These is My Words, a good choice for the drive through AZ-- vacation has begun!

We drove the 5 hours from Santa Paula to Needles, CA, and made our first stop at Jack Smith park. We were hoping they would have some sort of playground so the kids could go nuts for an hour or two, and Jared's iPhone couldn't have led us to a better place. There was a good playground, and even better than that, a marina on the Colorado River with a tiny waveless beach. As soon as Jared saw it we stripped the kids down and let them go wild. The air was warm and the water was freezing, but they didn't care. True water babies, these two.

We met up with Kristi, Matt, Anna and Scott at the hotel in Williams and went to dinner. Since we'd have three nights together and three birthdays to celebrate, Kristi had the idea that each birthday-ee would get their own night, and another birthday-ee would host and toast that person. The first night was Suzanne's night. Jared gathered stories from Suzanne's other kids and siblings about her amazing qualities. She is such a fabulous mother, grandma and friend, and we love her! Isaac had 6 helpings of soft serve as a tribute.

On Saturday we rode the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams to the South Rim. While the kids were definitely excited to be on the train at first, by the end of the 2.5-hour ride Isaac was frustrated with being basically locked in a big room with places he wasn't allowed to explore and things he wasn't allowed to touch. It's hard being so curious sometimes. But midway through the train ride was one of my favorite moments of the whole trip. A lady with an accordion and lots of eye makeup came through our car to play and sing some songs for us. It was a total flashback to NYC subway performers. She started out with a few old western songs and then when she noticed how into it our kids were, she got into the Itsy Bitsy Spider and other kid favorites. Bethany and Isaac loved it! They did the hand motions and sang along, and surprised me with how many words they knew. They followed the performer up and down the aisle and she called them her little groupies. They danced to If You're Happy and You Know It and made the entire train laugh. It was so cute Jared & I almost cried. It was a moment I don't ever want to forget! By the end, I loved that accordion lady so much that I even did the chicken dance for her when she asked me to (and convinced Suzanne to do it with me). I never liked that dang chicken dance.

If you're happy and you know it shout HOORAY!

(Spot B on the seat, I in the aisle, and smiling faces all around)

When the train stopped we got right onto a bus for a short tour of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We were a bundle of nerves each time we got out of the bus to look out into the canyon. Sure, there are some guard rails up here and there, but there are a whole lot of opportunities to fall a few thousand feet if you're not paying attention or if you're 2 and you don't know any better. Of course, we had the death grip on our kids. Isaac, my little explorer, got fed up with that pretty quickly, so I took him to this little island in the middle of the parking lot and we threw rocks and hit trees with sticks until it was time to move on. At another stop we found a patch of snow, and these California/Arizona kids thought it was the best thing ever. They had the world's tiniest snowball fight while the adults circled them in their snow patch that was just 20 feet from the rim. Jared & I let our kids have their binkies and lovies (normally reserved just for sleep) for this stop in hopes that it might subdue them. Hard to say if it worked. I must say though that the weather that day was perfectly sunny and warm, and the glimpses we got of the canyon were absolutely stunning.

Saturday night we ate pizza in the hotel room and celebrated Kristine's birthday. Suzanne did a cute tribute to Kristi with pictures from her childhood. It's crazy to think that I've known her since she was 14, and now she's turning 28. From the beginning, she made me feel so welcomed into the family and has been a great friend, sister, and example of a wife and mother. I'm so glad our kids are so close in age-- Anna's just 16 months older than B&I, Scott is 1 month older, and their next little boy is on the way. It wouldn't be a birthday without dessert, and Jared, knowing his children very well, suggested we let them eat cake... in the tub. Another favorite moment.

A friend had told me that I absolutely had to see the Grand Canyon at sunrise. On Sunday morning, Jared & I woke up a few minutes before the kids and the sun, so he told me to run over to the rim to see it. I threw on my boots and coat and opened the door to this instead:

A snowy Sunday was spent seeing a really beautiful movie about the GC at the visitors center, getting some really foggy views at the rim, and going to an hour of church at the Grand Canyon Community Church, a cool little pine and stone building where they held LDS meetings as well as meetings for other denominations. Church started at naptime, which to be honest made me really not want to go when we would likely be out in the hallway the entire time anyway, but we went and the kids proved me wrong by being complete angels. Bethany played quietly with her cousins, and Isaac slept in Jared's arms for maybe the 3rd time ever. (One of our twin survival tactics was to not train them to fall asleep in our arms. It has occasionally backfired, but it is great how they've always fallen asleep on their own in their cribs.) It was definitely one of Jared's favorite moments.

We rode the train back to Williams on Sunday afternoon, and apparently no wild west train ride is complete without a hold up. So, "robbers" (actors) came up on horseback and walked through the train. Bethany surrendered a couple coins but Isaac was too afraid, so afraid he was shaking in my arms. I've never seen him scared like that! Kinda sad, kinda cute.

Sunday night was Jared's birthday celebration night, and Kristi's turn to host. She read some stories from his sister Johanna, about following in her legendary brother's footsteps in high school; Johanna's husband Talmage, about being nervous to meet his girlfriend's big brother and realizing they would be friends; from Matt, about Jared's confidence in Matt that he would get into dental school (and he did!); and from Brian, about walking in with Jared on Brian's first day of high school and being awestruck by his big brother's coolness. Kristi gave him a set of hillbilly braces teeth (the perfect gift for an orthodontist!) and passed out mustaches, which we all wore while I read Jared's famous mustache poem. (He wrote/performed it before I started blogging and deserves its own post, maybe on his actual birthday? Hee hee.) Favorite!

Monday morning we took the kids for a swim in the hotel pool before heading home. No pictures, just fun. We stopped in lovely Barstow, CA, where we ate at Chipotle and the kids had the time of their lives at a Burger King play space. We made one more stop to play at Grandma & Grandpa's house and change the kids into pajamas, and then at bedtime we got back in the car and went home.

Going into the weekend, I was most excited to see the big ol' canyon and thought that if we all merely survived the trip (and the canyon) it would be a success. I was so wrong, it was so much better than just the Grand Canyon! Dancing kids, generous grandparents, silly mustaches, sleepy snuggles, cake in the bathtub... The very best moments were all the moments in between.