Library Party!

Our sweet boy turned 4 today and we had a little party yesterday at the Woodside Library. It's literally the best story time I've been to. Mike & Angaline sing the stories! Mike plays banjo, ukulele, guitar, and other occasional gems like keyboard. It's 30 minutes of sheer joy- for the kids, too ;) 

Usually when we go to storytime, we have a picnic lunch in the garden behind the library. That would have been nearly impossible in the pouring rain we expierenced yesterday, so we schlepped over to Buck's Restaurant, about a block away. We dined on lunch & Dynamo Donuts and celebrated the coolest 4 year old in all the land. 

We are endlessly blessed to have the sweetest boy. He's funny, loves to sing, and is alarmingly well-behaved. I've said it before, and I'll say it again- he's a dream come true :)

I made little library-themed invitations with card catalog cards and an old typewriter (a Corona typewriter from 1912!!) I'm a stamp nerd so bought too many library-themed stamps for the envelopes. I'll use them for the thank you cards as well. 


We only invited 2 friends (and their 2 siblings) because of the quiet and small location. I feel awful for not being able to invite all our friends (next year!), but we really wanted the storytime & garden party (rained out) so it had to be small. But because of the small group, I was able to splurge on favors- BOOKS! Amos & Boris for the friends (because it's a wonderful story about friendship) and Sisters & Brothers for the sibs. I used card catalog cards & the typewriter for the inside of the book (it simply says, "thank you!") and one for the tag on the front on the gift. 




Our family (with Uncle Alan making an appearance in the background). Thanks, Farah, for taking our photo :)



Our little birthday crew. Next year we'll invite all our pals since our house will be DONE (and landscaping, too). We love you, pals, and I'm sorry we couldn't have everyone join us yesterday! Thanks to Melissa for taking our picture. 


My son and I made the rainy trek to SF early in the morn before the party for fresh donuts. Best donuts ever. Thank you Dynamo Donuts for your Maple Bacon, Chocolate Rose, Lemon Thyme, and Vanilla Bean donuts. We love you :)


A new plane from Papa and a new book from us (Out of Sight). 

 

His birthday party was Wednesday, but today (Thursday) is his actual birthday. We gave him the book on Wednesday and saved his main gift for today. Chris and my dad (Papa) stayed up late putting together this sweet Lego train with wireless remote. We also filled his room floor with red ballons. Our son was up before the sun and played quietly for a few minutes until we came in for hugs and a new-train how-to lesson. 



Don't you love the jammies and the bedhead?

 

And then we played all day. Happy Birthday, sweetie. We love you tons. 

I wish this post were sponsored by Lego, but it's not. But - Lego can call me anytime and we'll talk ;)

If you really want to see more photos, you can check out our Flickr set. This is mostly for the grandparents who couldn't make it to the party. 

Camp Mighty Photos are on Fire!

I am a lucky gal! My Camp Mighty photos have been making the rounds this week! I couldn't be happier- thanks for all the love!! They were used on Huffinton Post, AB Chao, Alice Bradley (photos of her!), 50 Shades of Peach (photos of her!), and Mighty Girl herself!! Here's the little (I mean, BIG) roundup of my recent press :)

WOOHOO! Emily Petrone is sporting her Santlers bag that she made with the Craft Pack Gals!

 


Anna Beth Chao rocking the style presentation at Camp Mighty! "5% fun, y'all!"


Thanks, @flinslippy :)

 

Alice also wrote this on the Go Mighty site, "Thank God I had Kate to ease me through the session and remind me where my hands went. It was actually…fun? I never cried or threw up? When the results came, I had to look at them through my fingers, like I am a child. But they turned out not even a little weird!"

 


Peach, from 50 Shades of Peach, said some lovely things about the photos I took of her, "It’s difficult to put into words, but in a nutshell, she “got me” on film. I looked at them and thought, “Wow, that’s me. Yep, there’s my little bit of sass in that one. Oh, she made me look so pretty in this one. Man, I look happy.” They’re perfect and I love them so much."


Maggie did a post on AB Chao's style presentation!

And all the greatest Camp Mighty photos have been posted to Flickr- if you're in a photo, go tag yourself!

 

Steep Ravine Cabins, Mt. Tam

I wrote about these cabins over 2 years ago (blog post link) and they've been on my Life List since! Ten lovely little cabins sit high above the beach in Mount Tamalpais State Park, north of San Francisco and a stone's throw south of Stinson Beach. They're a bargain at $100 per night! It's hard to find info on these little gems... official site and 3 reviews from TripAdvisor.

Steep Ravine is really one of the most amazing places I've been. My friend Meghan has been talking about it for awhile (she and her family go a few times per year!) so we finally made our reservations last spring to go for a few days in October. The cabins are in high demand; reservations open up 7 months in advance. Book December 1 at 8am for June 2013. The cabins don't have bathrooms, electricity, or running water. There's a sweet wood-burning stove to keep warm (they sell firewood there). And the views are so amazing, you won't miss the modern luxuries. Bathrooms are just a short walk away. And you'll be glad to know there's good cell reception, so you can still post pics to Instagram (mine are here, here, and here). We ate breakfast every morning in Stinson Beach and had great picnics and shared meals with our pals. Meghan and her parents even prepared oysters and steak for dinner! Hooray for Hog Island Oyster (a short, but windy drive up Highway 1) and a grill next to each cabin!

Click HERE to reserve the adventure that will change your life -or at least make you really happy :) Here are a few favorite photos from our adventure!