Cowboy Cookout, The Final Frontier

Well friends, this will wrap up the Cowboy Cookout!
The Cowboy Photo Shoot, Cowboy Cookout Part 1, Cowboy Cookout Part 2

What makes birthdays so special is the people that come to celebrate!

We are so blessed that our grandparents won't miss a party!!

We had a little dessert table set up with S'mores pops, red licorice and our Cookout Cake

and I just had to display some of the pics from my photo shoot with my little man!

I saw this cake on Pintrist and I had to make it!

I give full credit to this lady, whom I completely copied!

It was probably my most favorite birthday cake I've made thus far!

Maybe it's because marshmallows are my favorite food!

Here are the easy, step by step instructions.

I was shocked that it came out so well!!

Each child went home with a little bag of gold and a bendy cowboy friend (along with their cowboy get up)

And then the real games began!

We had a little family shoot out competition until the sun went down

Can't believe our baby is now 5!

Yee Haw!

Have a great weekend!

Cowboy Cookout Part 2

Howdy Partner!

Put your boots up, this is going to be a long one!
My little dude had his 5th birthday party on Saturday, cowboy style!

The children arrived, put on a hat and bandanna, and posed for a "Wanted" picture!

Then back to the fire to cook their own lunch.

After lunch, the games began

The children had to complete a series of events in order to receive their Sheriff's Badge

First up, The Snake Toss

Then The Shoot Out

Some Nerf guns, balls and cans!

Then The Gold Rush

Probably the hit of the day - glorified freeze tag!

The cowboys and cowgirls had to get a bag of gold from the gold mine and deliver it to the bank.  If the bandit tagged them, they had to freeze and give up their gold until the Sheriff unfroze them.

  

My favorite decorations of the day were the tumble weeds!  

Picked them up on the side of the road - FREE!

Then Pin the Mustache on the Outlaw

After their tasks were complete,
they had cake before getting their badges!
Come back Friday for the cake details and final wrap up!
For now, I'm hittin' the hay - good night partner!

Cowboy Cookout Part 1

Well, we had a fun filled weekend celebrating our little man who turned 5!

Per his request several months ago,

we had a Cowboy Cookout.

Here he is, getting the fire ready with his Daddy.   

   

A few days before, I started prepping my little Cowboy about being a good host at his party.

I told him that he needed to make everyone feel welcome.

We prayed that everyone who walked through our home that day would feel the presence of God

and they would feel peace.  We prayed that there would be lots of

laughter and fun!

Well, God answered that prayer and then some!

It was a fun filled party with lots of laughter!

I'll put up a full post of party pics on Wednesday,

for now here is a sneak peek at one of my favorite things - the cake!

Happy Monday Y'all!

Lots of pics up on Wednesday, so y'all come back now ya hear!

Measure Up

We've been working on our measuring skills.

In an effort to make it fun and interesting, we put on our chef coats and started to make pretzels.

I did my best not to step in and make everything perfect and uniform!

I confess, that when it comes to things in the kitchen, I get very particular.

My children LOVE to help in the kitchen, but I'm not very good at letting them.

I'll let them start, but I'm quick to step in and "show" them how (aka, do it for them so it's done right!)

"It's just food.

What's the big deal?

Let them do it!"

I often tell myself, but my hands take over and next thing I know, I've completed the dish.

Not this time.

I was determined to let them do it all and have fun!

I kept reminding myself that it was about the measuring! 

 Not the perfect pretzel rope!

Into the baking soda bath and onto the oven.

Some salted, some cinnamon sugar.

They were delicious!

The children had a blast making them, measuring them, and eating them.

I had a great lesson in self control and keeping my hands off!
How do you measure up?  Is it difficult to be hands off and let your children create?

The Cowboy

My baby boy turned 5 yesterday!

I think I got the best gift though - 

I got to take him on a little cowboy photo shoot at Paramount Ranch and it was magical!

The Lone Ranger visited that morning, dropping off a special birthday gift

a pistol with holster and a mask!

He had such a blast running around the ranch, pretending to get bandits!  

And just being a little boy.

As his Moma, I had a blast watching and dreaming with him!

Next weekend we'll celebrate with a Cowboy Cookout with all his buddies.

Get ready for party pics next week!

Happy Monday Y'all!

God's Girls

Last night 5 sweet girls were at our house for our first 

God's Girls gathering.

The girls are 7-8 years old.

 They go to different schools.

Some have blond hair.

Some have brown hair.

But they all love Jesus.

We had some treats.

We sipped lemonade from my favorite tea cups.

And we talked about what our twice a month gatherings will look like.

The Moms' desire is to start our little girls young in Godly community.

These little girls are going to need love, support, encouragement and friendship as they grow and we want to provide that for them now, so when they need it, it's already in place!

The girls got journals and pens so that they can write down prayer requests for one another 

and notes on what we discuss.  

We decided that the heart of our time together will be discussing what it means to be God's Girls. 

What does it mean to belong to God?

How should we dress as one of God's Girls?

How should we talk, treat others, serve others, view ourselves...

We will pray together.

And then we will play together!

It was a special evening and I can't wait to see how these little lives grow together over the years.