It's been another dry and mild winter in Northern California. We got a touch of rain about a week ago so we put on some rain "gear" and went into the yard... I know, real far. Here are some photos from our morning.
Star Wars Party
Our Jedi recently turned 6. His favorite thing these days is Star Wars. He loves to dress-up and act out the scenes. He loves asking questions and reading his character encyclopedia. And he love listening to the music. I wanted to keep things pretty simple for the party, but it was challenging! This was the first time we bought licensed character stuff and if you didn't know, they have Star Wars-themed everything!! A few weeks before the party, my son and I brainstormed a few things... Chocolate Chewbacca Cake, Yoda Soda, and Sandcrawler Sandwiches. I also wanted to make coloring books for the take-home treat :)
I think my favorite thing was the Chocolate Chewbacca Cake. We're not really into sweets, but our son loves chocolate cake, so we splurged on one from Mayfield Bakery in Palo Alto. My brother is an all-star, and agreed to try making a chewbacca stencil. He drew it and then cut it out with an exacto knife. We laid it out on the cake and sifted powdered sugar over it (here's an in-progress picture before the sugar). I was so happy it worked! Thanks, Uncle Alan!!
Next up, Yoda Soda. I made green juice (fuji apples, spinach, and carrots) and added some soda water for fizzzzz... delicious, sweet, and not full of sugar- we saved the sugar allotment for chocolate and PEZ (see below).
We got some Sandcrawler Sandwiches and snacks from Calafia in Palo Alto... oh so conveniently located next to Mayfield Bakery. And also near Trader Joe's where I was able to pick up some beer and wine.
I think that's pretty much it for food. I try to keep food simple, healthy, and delicious. Ready for the fun Star Wars stuff? I made these sweet little drawings of the characters. And then scanned them in and made invitations and coloring books. I bought R2D2 crayons & Darth Vader crayons from this Etsy seller and downloaded a Star Wars-style font. Everyone got a coloring book and crayon.
They also got to play with and take home a Star Wars mask and a light saber/bubble wand. I was excited when I thought of using these bubble wands instead of real light sabers or pool noodles. Bubble wands are a bit more flexible and a nice alternative for the kids who didn't want to run around and fight ;)
Another fun Star Wars find was the PEZ dispensers. We're not a candy family, but I made an exception because I knew they'd be a lot of fun.
It was supposed to rain that day, so I put together a little activity for them to do. Glue and assemble Yoda, Chewbacca, and R2D2!! I saw something similar online and thought it looked so simple! And yes, it was simple, but holy jeeeez, it took many more hours than I thought. Serial (podcast) saved the day! I caught up on the first 7 podcasts while cutting out small shapes of paper. It turned ou to be a lovely & sunny day so the kids weren't interested in this. I've got about 8 sets of each character left. If you're throwing a Star Wars party and want these, leave me a comment and I'll hook it up for you!! Seriously.
Chris was Darth Vader for Halloween and also got out his costume for the party. The kids took him down lickety-split. 
We had a little Darth Vader Hunt and hid these guys all over the yard (similar). I ordered these and threw out the candy inside, replacing it with a Vader crayon. 
Our birthday boy was as happy as a Jedi
Eating raspberry PEZ and comparing red tongues with his Ewok pal
The highlight gift was all-star Uncle Alan's homemade Echo Base Lego Set (Limited Edition). He created a set for our son using his own Legos and made the box, too. It looked so legit, y'all!
No party is complete without an afterparty ;)
JetKat Photo Workshop
I am so excited to announce my new workshop! It will be February 21, 2015 from 2-5PM at Stable Café in San Francisco. I will be offering a more in-depth look at photographing your kids so that you can begin taking photos you'll treasure forever!
Spend the afternoon with me and you’ll learn how to take your camera off the automatic setting. We’ll cover lighting, composition, and getting those photos off your camera. There will be snacks, inspiration, a goodie bag (yes!), giveaways (!!!), different lenses for you to try (OMG), and photo cheat sheets! After the lesson, we'll invite your family to join us so that you can practice your new skillz! We will have something set up for the kids to do which will allow you to photograph them while they're engaged in the activity! It's going to be so awesome!
You’ll benefit from a small workshop (Class size is limited to 12) and an experienced teacher. I’ve been a professional photographer for more than 20 years- I started young ;) and I’ve been teaching photography to both kids and adults for more than 10 years. I will also have an assistant at the workshop who can help answer questions.
When we’re done, you’ll leave with a new understanding of your digital camera and will have the skills and confidence to start taking true creative control over your photographs.
Sign up here :) Can't wait to see you!
Our Lifestyle Video
Awhile back Beth Skogen came out and made a video of our little family and we couldn't be happier. I seriously love everything about it- the details, the laughs, the wind blowing in our babe's hair. It's downright magical and I'm so happy she came! What do you think about a lifestyle video compared to family photos? We haven't had family pics in 4 1/2 years (Melissa Pepin did a wonderful job- check out those pics HERE) Be sure to watch until the very end- after the credits- for a little fun surprise.