Tea Party

Today was such an enjoyable day. Not because it was perfect...I don't ever expect that from our days but because, quite simply, it was spent with the most valuable of people, each other.  We had normal bickering between siblings (yep, all three), plenty to clean (from the normal dirty dishes and laundry to accidental spills and bathroom mishaps) and even had a little one recovering from his first ear infection among at us...but today those things didn't phase us. Life inside these four walls on a chilly, rainy day, was spent living so happily. Living with three littles who I love so dearly. Three littles who I think the world of and they who, too, think the world of me. 

We spent much of the day preparing for and enjoying our most elaborate tea party yet. It was one of those days where you just want to sit back, soak everything in and pray you can remember as much as possible. 

Gabriella got a real china tea set for Christmas from Aunt Becky and she absolutely loves it. It has been the cause of tea party after tea party at our house. I, too, love this set because the tea pot is functional and the tea cups are just the right size. An added plus of the set is its colors. The yellow, orange, green and blue are colors we all, even the little brothers, love! 

Josiah, I do believe, loves this tea set even more than Gabriella. He will fuss and fuss and fuss until you let him join the party. :) We try to appease him with the other plastic tea cups we have but nope, he is not fooled and insists on the real stuff. I'm telling you, he loves it. Maybe it's the sound the china makes as he clinks the pieces together or the weight of each piece in his hand or perhaps just the fact that everyone else is playing with it as he believes he should, too.  He even knows what the box looks like that Gabriella stores it in and will go to play with it all on his own. 

Here's a few pictures of him playing solo with them. :) 

One of the books we checked out of the library this week was, "Fancy Nancy, Tea Parties". 

Gabriella got a Fancy Nancy book (Fancy Nancy, Tea for Two) with her tea set for Christmas, which she adores, but this one is soooo different. It's more like an instruction manual than a story. Fancy Nancy takes the reader through all the important details of having a tea party. It's really a very thorough and informative read in which all tea-party-loving little girls should most definitely have the chance to read. Gabriella loved it and had it read to her quite a few times (heads up, it's not a short read). She particularly loved the excerpt about doll tea parties. 

Today she had the wonderful idea to heed Nancy's advise and have her own fancy tea party. 

And it was wonderful! (Thank you Fancy Nancy!) 

We started with making the place mats.  I was so happy to assist Gabriella as she took the lead. I followed her direction while she "read" instructions from the book. She did a really great job delegating. 

Gabriella followed the vision from the book when decorating her place mat. Mikey, on the other hand, just loves glue. He was the least bit concerned with adorning his place mat. He was more concerned with how much glue he could get away with pooling up. :) 

Next up was folding our paper napkins...

And back to the book for reference she goes...

When it came to the beverage, Gabriella chose "Sunshine Tea a la Nancy". 

However, it was not a warm summer day so we went with boiling the water on the stove top. 

(They are safe, I promise, we talk about stove safety daily. :) )

I have to add, my favorite part of this entire experience is their attire! It was the very first thing Gabriella insisted upon, even before the placemats. This picture of them standing by the stove gives the best visual so I decided to add the details here. 

After deciding on her tea party plans Gabriella opened the book and came straight to this page...

She grabbed Mikey's hand and said "Come on!!! We've gotta put something fancy on first!" Oh my gosh!!! It was the cutest!!!! They come back, after having dressed themselves, looking as fancy as ever. Gabriella said they meant for their shirts to be backwards. ;)  

Enjoying the fruits of their labor. 

Josiah, as always, just wants to be a part. Learning so much by observing his big brother and sister. 

I love that the chairs we have for this table allow for Josiah's chin to rest perfectly on its edge. What a view of that cute face!  

Mikey got the biggest thrill from cutting bread into tiny little pieces. He did so good, too! Great fine motor practice for my sweet boy. 

I just loved the many faces Gabriella made when using a butter knife and fork to cut her goldfish! Hilariously cute! 

I had to add a picture of this page for my sake. Gabriella and I have had a great time playing "Packing for Paris"! 

What a fun memory game! I don't want to forget this one!  While playing and passing time at doctor's office I discovered she'd pack Mikey, her toothbrush, a gown and some shoes. :)

Every detail from our fancy tea party was absolutely perfect...their attire, the place mats, the folded napkins, and the tea (that they didn't end up liking but the experience of making it together was so memorable!)! Just perfect!