Six!

Just like everyone wished, I had a happy birthday. I spent the day at Champions (summer camp) where my counselors and friends sang Happy Birthday to me. When I came home I got a special treat, then opened some gifts.

We've been attending the evening classes at Little Wonders for the summer and had class that day, so Mommy provided a pizza dinner for the class. I was happy to finally get the birthday crown I had been waiting for!

My 6th Birthday Party

For my sixth birthday, I invited all the girls in my kindergarten class over for a backyard party. I have been crazy about Charlie Brown and Snoopy lately since watching The Peanuts Movie, so my only request was to have a Snoopy party. I helped Mommy with some decorations and was very pleased with how it all turned out.

The party was filled with treats - an ice cream sundae bar, snacks, cake and cupcakes. Maybe it was a bit over the top, but there were no complaints here!

There was a bounce house to burn off all that energy, an arts and crafts table, and a glitter tattoo station.

We also played party games. Pin the tail on Snoopy and Pass the Present!

For my birthday cake, Mommy made her first fondant cake topper! The dog house was made of pound cake and rolled fondant, and Snoopy was made of edible decorating dough (thank goodness for Wilton). It only took two tries, but it turned out pretty good and my friends and I loved it. The cake was mostly for show though, since we also had Peanuts themed cupcakes from Sibby's Cupcakery.

The first comment made by both Mommy and myself upon seeing the cupcakes: "But Charlie Brown only has one zigzag." I guess the cupcake decorators had no clue?

It was a fun party, like one giant play date. We're sure everyone went home happy and all sugared up!

Father's Day in SF

The card I made for Daddy (that's Brady at the bottom).

In celebration of Daddy, we met up with the Berman families at The Yard, an outdoor hangout spot in the city. It was hot and sunny and a perfect day for cold beers and good food. Afterward, we walked to nearby AT&T Park hoping to check out the slide inside the giant Coca-Cola bottle. Unfortunately it was closed to the public that day, but we did enjoy the scenic walk and great company.

Hanging out at the coolest spot we could find: under the table.

California Academy of Sciences

Daddy's work has membership passes to the Cal Academy of Sciences so we finally took advantage of it one weekend. The main attraction was the aquarium and we spent most of our time there.

We also walked through some African animal exhibits (stuffed zebras, lions, giraffes, etc.) which Mommy remembers seeing when she was a kid. My favorite part of the museum was walking through the four-story rainforest exhibit and having all these butterflies fly around us.

The museum was pretty crowded that day and Mommy and Daddy were gloating that good thing they had gotten free passes and didn't have to pay admission. Well, as we were leaving we discovered that we actually went on a free museum day, so everyone had gotten in for free! 

Little Sharks

I took my first ice hockey classes a few months ago and we almost forgot to post about it! The San Jose Sharks sponsored a "Little Sharks" program to introduce kids to ice hockey. For a bargain price, we got six lessons and all brand new gear, including ice skates. Daddy and I were both really excited that I would be experiencing one of his favorite activities. Even better, since he skates at the rink regularly, he signed up to be an assistant coach so he could be on the ice near me.

SO glad that I had Daddy there to help me on my first day. We're against the left wall (backs turned).

Since I barely knew how to skate, I was put in a beginner's group and most of the lessons were focused on getting comfortable on the ice. I actually found holding the hockey stick while skating to be helpful, as it provided some support. During the last few lessons we finally got to practice shooting pucks into the net. 

We'll be honest, it was a little frustrating at times. Skating is hard, and I dreaded falling down on the hard ice. There was one week when I just wasn't feeling it and refused to do the lesson. But there were also weeks where I really had fun and was proud that I skated well. The final verdict? I like ice hockey but I don't love it. While I'm open to taking more skating lessons, I probably won't be signing up for a hockey league in the near future. Daddy still has high hopes for Colin though!