Toddler Trails + Tea Parties.

My Finn and her Sophie started going to Toddler Trails at the metro park five years ago.  Their little sisters are enjoying it just as much now. 

Noelle has been my friend for the last eight or nine years.  We are like yin and yang, my very loud mouth to her quiet calm.  She doesn’t even bat an eye when I turn on the crazy ideas.  If anything, she encourages it.  So when I suggested a tea party at the park after our nature walk with Tate and Tillie, she said yes immediately.  She also said she had the perfect thing to go with it.

And she did.

First, you all should know that Noelle’s mom Vicki was a character and that is very much putting it mildly.  She was always doing nutty things that made Noelle become completely exasperated and in hindsight… sometimes a VERY long amount of hindsight, laugh hysterically.  Like the time she asked Noelle if she wanted a few play things for the backyard at their new house.  Noelle said yes and came home to find HUGE {like the size a pre-school would have} plastic monstrosities, as in several, in the yard.  Of course, the kids loved and begged her to keep them, which she did.  I think it was because she couldn’t find anyone with a trailer big enough to haul them somewhere else.  Or the time she bought a go-kart, just because.  She passed away suddenly a year ago and my heart aches for Noelle, who misses her mom like crazy.  It has now gotten to the point that we can laugh about her insane antics and one of those is the five dollar china.

Noelle inherited her grandma’s china, so you can imagine her surprise when Vicki showed up one day with another set of china for her.  She had no clue where to put it and it was missing pieces.  She told Noelle that she had paid a whopping five dollars for it at a garage sale.  You know what it’s absolutely perfect for? 

Fancy tea parties with little kids.

We laughed and talked over pink lemonade ‘tea’ about how much Vicki would have been tickled to see the girls with their frilly tea set up in the park.  And how she would have suggested that next time, we add a tablecloth with zebra or cheetah print to the mix.  To class it up.

I’m now on my own hunt for a five dollar set of tea party china.  I’m pretty sure Vicki would agree that sometimes life is way too short.  If you have the opportunity, go ahead and make a random Wednesday morning special.

 

Our tea party menu: 

• pink lemonade ‘tea’ + water
• Sandwiches:  Nutella + banana;  peanut butter, strawberry jam, + fresh strawberries; cream cheese + cucumber stars; turkey, havarti + lingonberry mayo; ham + cheddar
• petit fours
• mini apple pies
• carrots + dip
• strawberries
• mini pumpkin bundt cakes
• brownies