Party at the Taubman

You've heard me say a billion times that the Roanoke Valley is a great place to raise a family. Make this a billion and one. We finally got to visit the Taubman Museum of Art downtown, and it's a gem. Add it to the "cool/educational/inexpensive things to do with your kids" list.

Now that Harper is in kindergarten, we are getting the tour of Roanoke County birthday party venues. Bowling alleys, trampoline parks, Chuck E. Cheese, the Green Ridge Rec Center (where we had Harper's 5th Birthday). She's been invited to a lot of classmates' birthday parties (many of them invite the whole class), and she feels that it's very important that she go support her friends. When I was a terrible, disorganized mom that RSVP-ed to a girls party and then wrote down the wrong date, Harp was heartbroken, but not because she was upset she missed out, but because she didn't want her friend to feel like she wasn't important to her. That girl feels everything big, and I'm proud of her for becoming more sensitive to how others may feel in response to our choices. So, now we are going to every birthday she's invited to. Haha.  Aaaand, I humbly and sincerely apologized about a hundred times.  Sweet girl is getting pretty good at forgiving, too. 

Harper and her dear friend Ella

Lila and Reagan

Her classmate Delaney's invitation came home, and we've been so excited (yes, I said we) to go to our first "art party."  About eight kids from Harper's class were there, and it was the perfect place for some exploring, crafty five and six year olds.  The kids all got to create art aprons with fabric markers while donning colorful berets.  And then they were able to wear their aprons while painting their own canvas.  The party then moved to the Art Venture activity area, where Harper loved the huge pile of Magnatiles. 

I so enjoyed getting to spend more time with Harper's little friends (there is no substitute for knowing her classmates by name), but she just wanted to hang with mama.  I kept asking if she wanted to go off with Ella, or put on a play with Cohen, but she just kept repeating that she wanted to play with me.  I love this little window of time we're afforded as mothers.  This sweet spot where our children are developing new relationships outside our family, yet still think we are the coolest people on the planet.  So, so precious.