My 4 year old monkey

Ethan's birthday this year came at a time when we had meetings scheduled and would be out of state. I couldn't rob my soon to be 4 year old of a birthday party, so we celebrated a few weeks early. He chose a Curious George themed birthday party and told me the friends he wanted to invite.

Here are some friends enjoying the toys in Ethan's room before the party began...

I enjoy party planning, but I wouldn't say that I'm full of creative ideas. That's where pinterest and my party planning friend came in. (If you want some great party ideas, head on over the Kim's blog!)

We don't have lots of space for hosting parties in our kitchen/dining area, so I decided to put the food table inside and have the kids eat out on the deck.

I've come to the conclusion that kids don't eat much at parties, no matter what is served (well, minus the sweets). So I stuck to small portions of Ethan's favorite foods. In honor of Curious George, I tried to keep everything as finger food items (but really I didn't want to mess with silverware!) We had mini pizzas from a recipe I found here, chips, carrots and dip, bananas, and these sweet treats...

Yes, that would be chocolate covered marshmallows on a popsicle stick! Yum, yum, yum!! I first found a picture of them in a magazine and started drooling. Considering I ate about a whole bag of marshmallows in 24 hours during the first few weeks of my pregnancy, these really appealed to me. I will have to share the recipe soon.

And lest I forget the cupcakes... I didn't even want to attempt to make a Curious George look-a-like cake, so I opted for cupcakes. I found a cute George picture and turned it into a cupcake topper. And what do you do when you don't have a cute way to display cupcakes? Cover books in wrapping paper of course! My husband thought I was crazy at this point.

Here's one of the cute party guests. My niece Claire watching the other kids play games like "Monkey, monkey, where's your banana?" "Hot Banana" and an outside water relay.

Here are a few shots of the kids enjoying lunch on the deck. Hudson really got into the chocolate covered marshmallows. Like mother, like son!

And of course, the opening of the gifts. I always am some what amused by how all the kids get excited about opening presents, when the presents are only for the birthday boy. I guess I don't remember being like that as a kid. I remember just wanting to eat the cake :-)

We praise the Lord for the 4 years God has given us with Ethan. He is truly a gift from God that we love to have in our home for however long God allows. We love you, Ethan!

A Home is for Hospitality

What would you do if a family of four showed up on your doorstep one night with four suitcases, garments bags, a pack-and-play, a box of toys, a potty chair and various and sundry bags besides? My first instinct would probably be to turn off my front porch light and close the door and post a sign on the door saying "No room in the inn." Ok, not really, but my jaw might drop in amazement at the task before me of fitting all that stuff with those people included in my house. Not just for one night mind you, but for a whole week.

This is us...every week. I wish we could interview those who we've stayed with to get their initial reaction of all our stuff that kept coming off the truck bed and into their house. Maybe I don't want to know. But in my defense, I've gone over and over how I can pack lighter, but there is just no way with two toddlers to take care of. 

Needless to say, I've learned MUCH about hospitality these past several weeks. I guess I've also learned how to be a better house guest too :-) I find myself wishing I were home more so I could put into action what I've learned. So I am by far not the expert on this subject. The Lord has just given me opportunities to learn from the experts as I've stayed with them.

So if you ever find of family of four standing on your doorstep with loads of luggage or even if you are having someone over for dinner these tips might be of some use to you.

• Make sure you have enough comfortable seating. I'm putting this one first because it seems like something I always forget, especially when we have couples older than ourselves over.
• Whether you are entertaining overnight guests or just having dinner guests, inform your guests where they can put their belongings while at your house. No one wants their things in the way or in high traffic areas. Also remember to help them gather their belongings when they leave.
• If you know you will be entertaining kids, toddlers or babies...
• Scrounge up any age appropriate toys you may have and set them out for your little guests to play with. Kids have excellent memories and will associate you with those special toys you let them play with while they were visiting.
• Put up any breakable or not-so-easy to replace items. It relieves parent's tension if they know there is nothing their child could accidently (or purposefully) break.
• If you have some kid-friendly silverware, cups or plates, set them out for your little guests to enjoy. Make the meal simple for them by providing them with lots of paper napkins or having them eat in a place that is "spill-proof" (ie: you may not want to seat a child on your newly cleaned white carpet).
• Do they need a place to sleep while at your house? Toddlers and babies might. Let the mom know where they can lay their little ones down in a quiet part of the house.
• Be considerate of their schedule. Try not to keep them out too late if possible.
• For out of town guests or overnight guests, offer them something special. Try to find out what their favorite snack is or maybe their favorite dish. My husband loves when people ask him what his favorite cereal is. Another fun idea is putting a gift bag of goodies on their bed. You can give them anything. Candy bars, snacks and drinks for the car, a map of the area, lotion, soap... Just make sure it is something they can fit in their suitcase :-)
• If you have out of town guests, suggest interesting places for them to visit while in your area. Take them to a favorite area restaurant or out for ice cream. If you know of good deals in the area, give your guests the "inside scoop." Just recently we were staying near Plymouth, MA and our gracious hostess, Sarah, helped us get discounted tickets to visit the Mayflower and Plymouth Plantation. She also watched our boys so we could go on date :-)
• One of my favorite tips (also learned from my sweet hostess, Sarah)...let them have access to your personal "library" of books/movies. I love to read, but as I travel across the country, my space is limited and I can't go to just any library. How nice it was to read something new!

To sum things up...when you have visitors in your house, let your house become their house during their stay. You want them to feel at home! I have been so blessed and refreshed by so many who have opened their homes in such a gracious way to our young family.

Let me encourage you not to shy away from being hospitable. It is so easy to talk yourself out of having guests in your house, whether for an evening meal or overnight. But if you are waiting for "just the right time" to have people into your house, that time may never come and you will be missing out on a blessing. 

"Distributing to the necessity of saints, given to hospitality." Romans 13:13