Cedric is 5! {and 4 too}

I just spent a few hours looking through old posts of my kids growing up.

Doing so gave me a renewed sense of just how important documenting a few of our moments is.

I do love sharing but love reflecting even more.

So here we go, I'm documenting Cedric's 5th birthday.

Which was at the beginning of March. 

Not too bad, only 1.5 months late.

{But wait for it.}

 I was determined to dial back with the themed parties.

Then Cedric asked for a lego birthday and I just couldn't stop.

The cake was fun to make but the candle holders put it over the top if you ask me.

 Dollar store plates made for good lego blocks and dollar store cups were easily made into lego heads.

The kids got those lego storage heads for Christmas and they became the perfect snack bowls.

 Ced has long dreamed of an outdoor party which proves challenging with a March birthday in Edmonton.

We decided, however, to commit to the idea and ended up with a beautiful balmy winter day.

We loaded up the wheelbarrow and headed down to the creek to roast hotdogs.

We also took our piñata down.

We usually buy one at bulk barn but this year had a homemade lego block.

 I made it by gift wrapping a box that I had weakened a little and putting card stock circles on it.

I was a little worried that we'd end up having to rip it open but on the second round it literally exploded and sent the kids running and screaming to the candy, perfect.

 After lunch, the party was moved to our house for cake and more birthday fun.

 Cedric stated after that it was the best birthday ever.

But he said that last year too of course.

So here's what you've been waiting for, Cedric is 4!

{And was for a whole year, in which I neglected to share.}

Last year was hands down a Paw Patrol theme.

This one I did keep pretty simple with minimal decor {streamers and balloons not pictured}.

Dog bowls filled with puppy chow naturally.

And my kids have somehow decided that it's not a party without a piñata.

They are a nerve wracking part of each of our parties but who am I to deny this dangerous fun?

Happy birthday x2 buddy!

Fiona is 7! {Today!}

 {Oh but this post is also about her turning 6.}

I'm feeling super on top of it today.

I am posting about this amazing girl's birthday in a timely fashion.

{There is that little matter of needing to share last year as well though.}

This year there was no doubt that Fiona wanted a fairy birthday.

We've done the fairy theme before but she has a new-found love for fairies.

She recently built a fairy house you see, and has been getting occasional visits from her fairy pal named Fliona who leaves messages and a trail of fairy dust behind.

So of course her cake needed to be a fairy house.

This baby needed six layers to get the desired shape.

There was no shortage of cake for this party.

 Last time we did the fairy theme it was all about floral and vines.

We even made floral crowns.

This time we found other ways to make the room whimsical mostly involving twigs, yarn and beads.

Below is actually Fiona's hundred day project for school and served as our inspiration.

This hanging will stick around for a while.

For the "craft" the kids made wands/fairy sticks but many ended up making fishing rods.

I use the word craft loosely since I don't really direct them, just put out supplies and let them at it.

Ok now for catch up time.

Last year Fiona wanted a woodland theme so we dreamed up a sweet little cake.

This was take one.

We ended up cancelling Fiona's party since Daddy was stuck out of town in the hospital.

He ended up coming home 2 weeks later and missing the actual day.

In an attempt to keep it special we still had a celebration with family and close friends, all the while knowing we would reschedule once Jeff made it home.

So here's the real deal.

We turned this into a birthday/thank you to all who helped me stay sane while Jeff was gone.

The weather was fantastic {not like this year's snowstorm} so a BBQ felt just right.

 Happy birthday twice over my sweet babe.

The Hicks in Istanbul {and a little Germany} Part 3

{Only 2 years late}

In preparation for another great vacation to come with some of our most fabulous friends I thought I'd grace this space with a photo dump.

It has been two years since we made the trip to Istanbul and somehow I didn't get around to sharing the rest of these photos.

Our second last day was a rainy one, perfect for a day {inside} the Grand Bazaar.

 I came pretty close to having one of these beautiful lamps mailed home.

 We managed to exit with only turkish delight for family and friends, a spice grinder and these super fun turkish slippers.

 We had much nicer weather on our final day and decided to spend it on the water.

 These boats are set up to serve the most delicious fresh fish sandwiches.

 Next we boarded a ferry to head to Asia.

Little did I know before this trip that the city of Istanbul spans both Europe and Asia.

 We had a chill day on the other side of the water and even had ample park time to keep the littles happy.

 At the end of the day we just had to capture a set of these beautiful stairs.

You can see the exhaustion in these babes.

 Before heading back to Canada we spent a few more days in Germany.

I was so happy to see these roadside tulips.

With spring almost here this photo is inspiring me to beautify our own ugly curb-side patch.

 The bonds these kids made was so fun, we really can't wait to see them again.

 I loved how the big girls insisted again on matching hair.

Just a little chat by the Rhine pictured here.

 And finally, on our trip home, our layover dreams came true.

Instead of sitting in the Frankfurt airport for 5 hours we took a train in to the city to see the sights. 

Hooray!