Meredith Carson... Across the Pond and Back Again...

To be clear I am not a competitive "Build-a-Better-Birthday-Party" Mama.  I have definitely rolled my eyes at some of the over-the-top kids' birthday parties I've seen chronicled on the reality TV shows on TLC.  No, I'm pretty sure your two year old doesn't need a 10 foot tall Cookie Monster ice sculpture on his big day, but if it makes you happy, whatever.  I generally try to keep birthdays relatively simple.  Cupcakes and "Pass the Parcel" are more my speed, but this year Harry got involved, and things got a little bit colorful.  So please know, if you are reading this, that I fully support whatever level of birthday party planning you're into.  I happen to be a ridiculous Harry Potter fan, so all of this was a labor of love.  I already had the Harry Potter character dolls, the Harry Potter Christmas lights, the Gryffindor scarf, and a head full of crazy Harry Potter ideas.  We also found that lots of our Halloween decorations worked wit...

For many weeks we have been planning, and now I, with a little help from my friends, have finally pulled off a successful Harry Potter party to celebrate my oldest daughter's tenth birthday.  I had a notebook filled with lists of ideas for games, activities and Potter-themed snacks.  I had purchased sparkly fabric, pulled out Halloween decorations that seemed appropriate, and scoured the Internet for inspiration.  Mentally I was prepared.  The night before the party, however, I started to hyperventilate a little as I attempted to sort and separate different shades of brown and pink and yellow Jelly Belly jellybeans into individual party cups for the "Bertie Bott's Bean Guess."  My husband walked into the kitchen as I sat at the table staring stupidly back and forth between a marigold-colored jellybean pinched between the fingers of my left hand and the slightly different goldenrod-colored jellybean held similarly in my right hand.  "I ...

My favorite rock star turned nine today.  Yesterday we celebrated with bowling, homemade cake and several other rockin' nine-year-olds.  I have watched the interests of this girl evolve from pink princesses into rock stars and dragons.  In the years to come her passions will continue to change, and we will enjoy the ride. Some things have not changed like Emma's curiosity, creativity and concern for others.  She has so much love to give and she goes about showing it in very inventive ways.  Our oldest girl is a rock star with a heart of gold, and we can't wait to see what she teaches us next.  Happy Birthday, Emma! "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." ~Dr. Seuss

My baby turned eight this weekend...EIGHT!!  We had a really nice time celebrating on Saturday with our adopted family, the Collinses.  Liam Collins turned eleven on Sunday, so we just made a joint birthday celebration and had a fantastic time.  Emma says it was her best birthday ever even though we didn't have a big party with loads of kids and fuss... in fact, perhaps that is why it was the best birthday ever.  We were able to focus on celebrating the kids whom we love without worrying about all of the other birthday party dramas and details. I love the person that Emma is becoming.  She has always been such a sweet and sensitive character, but growing up also means that there are some painful lessons to learn and some "mean girls" to be dealt with.  On several different occasions recently, Emma has been on the verge of tears after school.  Girls there have been doing some of the same mean and nasty things that they did when I was eight....

Emma's birthday has come and gone, and everyone has survived the turning of seven. Mark my words, let the record show...I will never have 13 seven year olds without their parents in my house again. It was a bit chaotic to say the least. The majority of the party games got thrown out the window. Thank heavens the sun came out and we could thrust them all out into the garden at intervals. Whew! Most importantly, Emma appears to have had a lovely time. Instead of asking for presents, she requested that her friends bring donations for charity, and she was able to raise over 50 pounds which will be sent to Oxfam. We are proud of our first born. She is certainly a star. Now I've just realized we will have another kid's birthday this year!! This one, however, will not require party games and fairy cakes...although if you feel compelled to send me cake, by all means, do so. And as I have been feeling more and more nudges and flutters, it is starting to feel more and more real. Plea...