Creepy Crawly Birthday - 7 Years!

No, I have not posted anything in FOREVER! I'm kind of over "blogging" to be honest. I really only do this for family and close friends who kinda care but live too far away to be present for everything and then I blog for my own personal record keeping. I'm not really and journaler, so this will have to suffice. Anyways, the big event recently was Seth's 7th birthday. I am shocked (internally) that I have a 7 year old. I have not processed this information yet. I imagine I will feel this way every time my children hit milestones in the future that will remind me of the hour glass of time that is slipping away. Mothers have always told me since my children were born, "cherish these moments, they grow up so fast." I must have assumed that as long as I cherished the moments and followed their instructions, that somehow that would make the passing of time more bearable or would protect me from regrets about my children growing up. It turns out I assumed incorrectly. I have savored nearly every cuddle and sloppy kiss my kiddos have lovingly bestowed on me. I have tried to burn into my memory the scent of their freshly-bathed heads and the feel of their chubby, soft bodies as they melt sleepily into my chest during lullabies and prayers at night. But cherish as I might, the time goes too fast and they are growing so quickly that my heart and mind cannot keep up. (Now don't get me wrong, I may have lacked some appreciation for the moments when they were fighting, screaming, whining, and peeing somewhere inconvenient. That crap still stresses me out.) But my point is more about the fact that Seth has turned 7, and I am devastated... and also thrilled about the kind, loving, gentle, and hilarious boy he has become. So, we had a little birthday party for him this past weekend and I think he loved it. It was a pretty stressful weekend, to be honest, to have a birthday because Easter was the very next day and we had some personal family stresses we were still managing. But Seth and my mom (Nina) had meticulously planned his birthday party and the party had to go on. So, here is what they came up with.

Insect Cake Walk game: Seth colored the pictures

Bug Hunt Game: We hid plastics insects all over and the kids had to see who could "catch" the most and fill their bug catching jars.

Chocolate ice cream birthday dirt: Yep, chocolate ice cream covered in crashed oreos and gummy worms. We served it in smaller plastic pots from the dollar store.

Worms in our drinks!

Gummy worms frozen in ice cubes. Seth was SOOO excited about this one!

Caterpillar balloon pop (as prize for the insect walk game), used Sixlets candy as caterpillars.

Centipede mini corn dogs (with chow mein noodles for legs and antennas) and Boursin cheese lady bugs (with chopped up black olives for dots), and leaves (aka salad as a side dish).

Buggy cupcakes: I think my mom got some of these ideas on Pinterest, but they were super easy to do. Raisinets make the ants, chocolate covered almonds and raisinets make the spiders, Sixlets make the centipedes, and chocolate covered pretzels make the butterflies (with some M&M accessories)