Toddler Time with some Pary Fun!

Tuesday mornings we try to have "toddler time" here at our house. It's not anything too exciting--just some songs and finger rhymes, moving around, ring-around-the-rosie type games, parachute play and ball play at the end. Since Caroline's birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, I thought it would be fun to invite all the toddlers and their mommies to stay after toddler time for a little bit of a party. We did some crafting--a butterfly magnet and some bracelets/necklaces. Then we had lunch "tea party style". Caroline has a hodge podge assortment of tea sets and it's fun to get them all out at once. We served butterfly shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with cheese sticks, apricots and carrots--VERY elegant toddler food : ) Our tea was juice, of course. And for dessert we had cupcakes. I had a grand plan of making sugared rose petals and arranging them on top of the cupcakes so that each cupcake looked like an individual rose. However, my roses all started wilting last week and need to be dead-headed. I didn't want to go buy rose petals for a toddler's birthday party. So, instead I just topped each cupcake with a pansy and brushed some gold dust over the top. Much simpler, but still feminine and cute.

Before breakfast we let Caroline open her packages that had arrived in the mail. Gifts from Grandpa and Grandma Tractor and her friend Amelia had her squealing away.

Grandma Tractor has this little girl pegged : ) Necklace, bracelet and hair clippies with her name on them. Too cute!

Oh yes, and a "pitty dess!" for this fall.

Look what Amelia's super energetic and creative mommy made for Caroline!!!! Since Amelia and Caroline have the same kitchen set, she knew just what colors to use. Pot holders and a lovely tea towel. I called and asked her how in the world this happened since she just had a baby 6 weeks ago. She informed me she had the gift all ready to go before he was even born--just had to drop this off at the post office. Crazy organized lady : ) Thanks Natalie and Amelia!!!

There was so much running around during toddler time and then getting all the craft stuff outside, then cleaned up, then bringing out lunch, serving kids, etc., etc., etc. that I didn't get more than these few pictures of all the kids. The little girls enjoyed their own little table. These three who are only a few months apart were so stinkin' cute together.

And I have to say that these next two pictures were my favorite for the day. They can be used for many different purposes in about 15 years.

Somehow the boys ended up at the table with the cutest and most feminine tea cups and the bigger bouquet of flowers. To top it off, Ella stepped away to get some more food right about the time I took the picture. So, it's just the three little men enjoying their tea. Haha, plus they are wearing the bracelets they had just made. It's just too much. Sorry dads!! Thanks to all you moms who took time out of your Tuesday morning to come have fun with us.