welcome to the school of witchcraft and wizardry...

Before I even start, I absolutely must warn you this post is full of photos. I had way too much fun with this birthday party. I spent several days planning, organizing and preparing and it was so worth it!

The birthday girl and her guests were fully enthralled and delighted with all the extra touches. I really couldn't help myself being a Harry Potter fan myself! 

I didn't take a photo of the invitations but that was the first step. I even pulled out my old candle wax seal kit!

The next step was wands...

 Tyler's mom actually deserves some credit for these wands... although she used tightly rolled paper with hot glue gun and paint. I cheated and used miniature dowels and although they did not have point ends, I called it good enough and set to work making the handles. That part was fun... but the paint? the paint is what made the wands come to life.

Then it was setting up the classrooms...

 Care of Magical Creatures... okay so they aren't hippogriffs or Romanian dragons or centaurs but the pine cone owls were cute, easy and simple!

 A closer look at one style of owl.

Then it was herbology...

 ... one of my very favorite set ups. I wanted floating candles and the great hall but this? This was simply adorable.

 And mandrakes ... of course!

The entrance was simple with an old style flag and printed Hogwarts emblem attached.

 When they entered it was first to Ollivander's wand shop. The wands were carefully placed in the sort of wrapped box with sparkly silver tissue paper.

 Then to the Sorting Hat...

 I could not figure out for the life of me how I was going to make a realistic sorting hat and then it came to me... the old witch hat wrapped crazily in burlap ribbon... it worked! 

Outside we had Potions... with several interesting concoctions.

And then it was time for the guests to arrive...

 The guests were greeted by Mr. Ollivander himself. He had the guests each try out different wands before deciding if it was right for them.

I missed the photo opportunities with the Sorting Hat and Care of Magical Creatures since I was busy sorting and caring!

Potions was next...

 The girls had fun with the nice version of Professor Snape and made all kinds of fun slime.

 I forgot about Quidditch in the backyard. Jaiden and Jordan came up with a fun version. I am not sure the specifics of the rules but everyone loved it.

Then it was herbology and birthday wishes for the cutie!

Our final class was Transfiguration...

 a super fun game of charades!

In the end, the party was a hit. Some of the girls were familiar with the story and others were not, but I think they would all agree it was a very magical birthday!

here comes 9...

Today was the day that this little cutie officially turned 9, had a fun Harry Potter themed birthday, received a package full of Savannah Smiles, is going to learn to knit and was photo bombed by her dear friend, Sophie!

I absolutely love this little one. She is a handful and full of life. She keeps me on my toes. She plays in the most amazing imaginative world. She is smart, creative and silly. She keeps us all laughing at the ridiculous things she says.

Happy 9th birthday sweet pea!

crossing over

Today was a very special day. Or more like today had a very special event. Cross over ceremony. The ceremony in which Jaiden crosses over from a Cub Scout to a Boy Scout. 

Jaiden first saw the Arrow of Light and Cross over when he was in his 2nd grade, but even before he saw the first ceremony and when he started Cub Scouts as a Bear (2nd grade), he decided he wanted to be an Eagle Scout, the highest rank for a Boy Scout. I have no idea what the appeal was but whatever it was, he was definitely determined after he saw his first Arrow of Light and Cross over ceremony.

The ceremony started with a reading from each boy about the story of the Arrow of Light and the journey into Boy Scouts.

 The three older Boy Scouts to the left are part of the ceremony and represent the Chief at the North, Medicine Man at the West and the Guide at the East. These boys lead the younger scouts through the journey (walking around the room) to remind them of the journey they took in Cub Scouts from the various levels and challenges they met during their Cub Scout years. You can read more about the script here.

The boys are then presented with their Arrow of Light award.

 Before they cross over, the Guide of the East asks them to make a choice if they are crossing over to Boy Scouts or not. Not all boys choose to cross over so the ones who don't are allowed to sit down for the remainder of the ceremony. The Guide of the East and the Chief at the North have a short story to confirm the Scout is ready to move on to his next journey.

 And then Jaiden begins his crossing over...

 ... where he is met by a boy and the adult troop leaders of the Boy Scout troop he has chosen. The older scout removes his webelos hat and neckerchief to then put the new hat and neckerchief on and welcome him into their troop!

 I took a few more photos of Jaiden waiting while his other scouts joined either his troop or another troop. He was beaming the entire time. I grabbed a few more shots before they took down the huge display.

 This photo shows him with his Arrow of Light plaque. He also has a smaller badge that he wears on his uniform in Boy Scouts to show that he earned the Arrow of Light in Cub Scouts.

 Even Dennis was recognized with an award by the Cub Scout pack for his service as Treasurer!

And that summed up the long anticipated crossing over to Boy Scouts! Jaiden's Arrow of Light is already proudly hanging in his room!

where's waldo?

Remember last year... Thing 1 and Thing 2?!?

For the Me & My Guy Girl Scout event the theme is similar to last year's and is based on the television series, Amazing Race, well, except toned down so that they do it all in the same building, same fairgrounds, same town, same state and same country but that's really besides the point, right? The theme for this year though is Road Trip USA and what a more perfect team could they be as Where's Waldo? 

 Then they got a little silly...

Didn't those matching outfits turn out well? I think Dennis and Alyssa look absolutely adorable and hilarious! 

I spent the day sewing on red stripes to their white t-shirts and making their hats while they were at the State Vex Competition. They didn't make it to Worlds, but they did score the highest for the skills competition in the elementary division! That was pretty cool to hear about.

Now, I get to relax with a cup of tea while still seeing red and white stripes!