Happy 7th Birthday Joseph

For Josephs birthday this year he wanted to have a chef party with only a few friends. Wow- it so much easier to throw a party for only a few kids!!!!

I let them decorate their own cupcakes that they could take home. i had feed them so much junk they didn't even want to eat the cake I made so we sung happy birthday with Josephs cupcake. He loved that!
He loved his presents!



We played a game called oh waiter where they had to dress up like a chef and carry their tray. So funny these kids.
We made marshmallow guns and of course the boys enjoyed that.
There is his Pizza cake made out of white chocolate and fruit roll ups.
Here they had to catch popcorn thrown from above in their popcorn boxes.
The kids all seemed to have a great time. At one point we heard a little boy say, "Joseph you are my best friend ever!" Made my heart happy!

For his actual birthday I made green pasta (per Josephs request) with french fries. Fancy meal but he loved it.

In case you can't tell that is a chef hat on top of the cake.

Joseph is such a wonderful little boy. This school year he has grown so much. He reads so comfortably now and he enjoys doing his math. He loves to read to us and I love to listen. He got to play Bball this year and it was so fun to watch him play. The peewee division is my favorite. They don't really care if they win. They don't always realize they are playing a game. By the end Joseph knew his position and he knew to keep his hands up. I love watching him become a little person and not just a child.

He is still a more quiet boy. He likes to listen and take in the world around him. Often I can tell what is going on in his mind by the expressions on his face. I love the sweet smile that tells me he is pleased or the happy grin he gets when something is funny. Then there is the somber face when he is unsure. Or the contemplative face when he is trying to figure something out. The one that breaks my heart is his hurt face. It does not come often but when it does I know something serious has hurt him and I know a big hug is in order!
I love the way he loves me with snuggles and a smile. I can always tell by the look on his face that I am his mother and he loves me dearly.
Joseph, Thank you fro being a part of our family and for making our home a better place because of it!

Models

Blue lily is one of my favorite photographers. I happened upon their photo blog when I first got really into photography. They live in Temecula and I have become a total blog lurker. They feel like celebrities to me. One time they offered a giveaway to win a free photo shoot. You had to facebook them to be entered into the contest. I did because I would love a session from them.

About a month ago they posted on facebook they needed preteen models. I jumped on that and sent them pictures of Jared and Sarah. When I got the email back that said yes they wanted to use my children I was so excited. They were putting on a workshop to teach others how to do what they do. They needed models to help teach how to do an indoor session and to help build these peoples portfolio. The plus for me is that I will get copies of the pictures they take! So excited!

On the way to the workshop I felt a little nervous to meet these people who I look up to in the photo world. They were great and I totally want to attend one of their workshops in the future.


I snapped these pictures outside after they were done.
How cute are these two!!! I love them.