Play Ball!

I consider today a Free Day-a day I didn’t count on, a freebie (since I was supposed to be taking Mary Claire to the doctor in Little Rock).  Fun!  I was slow to get around, then met Mom at the movie theater to see Sex in the City.  It was good, but some bad acting at the beginning.  It has been a while since they acted together.  Once they got going, it was better.

*Only read if you aren’t going to freak out if you know a little about the movie:  Stanford got married-and it was a beautiful white wedding-with swans!  Carrie learned to appreciate Big, Samantha enjoyed a rendezvous with an older (same age as her!) man, Charlotte admitted how hard it was to be a mother and learned to trust her sweet, sweet Harry, and Miranda took a leap of faith, and trusted herself-they are growing up!  It made me miss them a little more to see them: all the beautiful clothes, funny moments, friendship, and romance.

So, then I ran by Wal-Mart and hurried in the door-we had to make an early dinner again tonight.  I bought more fresh ears of corn-so we had those again.  Then Clay had to be at another game.  Ches took Ethan, and I took Mary Claire.  She got to play with her little buddy, Abby, and Ethan climbed the bleachers, hanging out with another team's players, the Angels.

Then, Clay was up to bat, and got another hit! Yay, Clay!  We were so proud of him.  This is him getting ready to hit..

And here's him hitting the low ball!

I took Mary Claire and Ethan home a little before it was over.  And..Clay even called me after the game to tell me he got to bat two more times-and both times made it home (not a home run!), and the second time batted his teammates in!  He was so excited!  I'm happy for him, since it hasn't been the best season ever.  It's just getting better!  They won 12-6, Yay, Clay!

Here's what we did at home-play outside!

Clay's home now, so all's well.  The other two are in bed, so we are halfway there-and it's already 9pm!  We have to do better.

Ok, I have made progress on the chalkboard!  I started to letter it today, and Ethan wanted to "help" me, so I let him paint a canvas black too.  His wasn't dry till this evening, so he'll have the pleasure of chalking it tomorrow.  Maybe with colored chalk?  I scalloped the edges (tracing a cd), then wrote one of the quotes I love!  Here's my latest project:

I can tell that it's hard to tell it's black with white chalk, but I promise it is!  I took this as it was turning dark, so I had to use the flash.  My plan is to put it all casual-like over my fireplace with some other natural stuff.  I'm going for more neutral-colored, and more casual/summery.  That's not really a theme, but you know.

Just for fun, here are a couple things I learned about food poisoning today:

If you get sick (fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea) in 6 hours or under, it's usually from Staphylococcus, from pasta salad or food that's been out too long.

If you get sick (vomiting, diarrhea with/without blood) within 6-12 hours, it's usually from E. Coli in meat or even on lettuce/veggies.

If you get sick (nausea, headache, d-word), it's usually from Salmonella (chicken).  There was an ER doctor on Dr. Oz today helping to explain how they diagnose food-borne illnesses-very good!  If you don't take care of yourself, you can get bacteria in your blood-sepsis.  Ok, that's enough.  Maybe this will come in handy for Memorial Day if you plan to eat outside? : )  You're welcome! heehee

Don't Blink!

Ethan had Mother's Day Out-his last one this year.  I was sad to end an era.  He goes to preschool this fall, so he is now officially a big boy.  His teachers were so sweet and made him a laminated scrapbook with pictures from the year.  Ches picked him up, which was good and bad.  I missed out on the good-byes-I would've been a mess, so it's probably better.  I am just emotional period!
Today was supposed to be Mary Claire's orthodontist appointment, but I forgot!  I called an hour after the appointment (when I finally looked at my calendar), and made her a make up appointment next Tuesday.  I felt bad, but they didn't seem to mind.  It's only a 15 minute appointment to get her spacers, so it will probably be fine.
I shopped and kept decorating..more candles, rocks, shells, glass, a picture frame.  And...guess what I made this afternoon?  I have been wanting a huge chalkboard, and I decided I needed one (to try) over the fireplace.  Maybe with a poem, a recipe..something!  So..I painted a huge canvas!  Take a look:

Ok..so disregard all the other stuff laying around.  It is exciting!  I haven't tried to write on it yet, but I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.  I used regular paint, but I can always wipe it with a wet paper towel.  The paint bottle says it's permanent after it's dry, so *fingers crossed*!
I was trying to get ready for a trip to Little Rock tomorrow to take Mary Claire, but she cried after school since she was going to miss the Fairy Tale Ball at 1:30.  We got out the Halloween dress I got her for this fall (got it last November first-on sale!)..it's a longgg princess dress.  And that's the problem (well, besides that she was going to be gone).  I have now dried it for about 30 minutes-and it won't shrink!  It's too long!  She said she doesn't care.  I just know she'll rip it, but she insists.  And she has at least 6 other dress-up dresses, but she wants the new one, of course.  So..I rescheduled her appointment for July 7th, so we'll be in town tomorrow.  It works better anyway-I'm always in the mood to wait to go to Little Rock!  and she gets to go to school and the Ball. : )
Ok, so on to our evening!  The kids swam for a tiny bit, and we had a great dinner-I've learned that grilling can be faster than :cooking:.  I got fresh corn on the cob yesterday, and today I learned how to cook it!  I just peeled the husks off, brushed it with olive oil, and wrapped the cobs in foil.  I grilled them at about 350 degrees for 15 minutes-oh, so good!  and pork chops and french bread.  Easy, and fast!  Clay wanted more corn, so I'll have to make more next time.
Then we had Clay's baseball game.  We prayed before dinner that Clay would have a good game, and get a hit.  I felt like I needed to be there, especially tonight.  He was playing a good team, and he needed support.  Ches went early, since he had to be there by five.  We went a little later, and Mary Claire was giving me SO much grief.  She didn't want to go, wanted to know why we had to go, etc.  But, ha!  She got to play with a couple girls, climb all over the bleachers, have a ring pop:

And then..Ethan had to have a Pacifier (that's what it looks like!):

A

It was actually a good game!  His team lost, but they put up a good fight!  Clay did indeed get a hit, got tagged out on the way to second, but we were still proud of him.  He was happy, and that counts.  I was so glad that I went.  I met a new mom (it's a small world!), and got to see his hit.  I hung around for the after party (coach's talk):

These kiddos are growing up fast!  I sure hope I don't miss it.

iPad My Pad

Busy couple of days.  I'm soo tired!  I have gone to bed early (8:30 and 9:30!) the last two nights, and I still can't seem to catch up.  Tonight, I'll try it one more time.  (Third time's a charm?)
Mary Claire went to the Nickelodeon Kid's Day Naturals game on Saturday with Emily-and had so much fun!  She got to sit in the shade-Lucky Ducks!-and we are thankful since we didn't put sunblock on her!  She had Cracker Jacks, ice cream in a Naturals batting helmet souvenir, got a signed autograph of Stryker, the mascot-such fun!  I'll try to get a picture posted.  The girls have grown over the years, and it amazes me they'll be in third grade!  Where does the time go?

Ok, word to those over 35 or 40 (yes, I fall in this category, and promise to heed the warning):  If you have skin that droops/hangs over your belly button, you should No Longer go topless.  My neighbor, who might appear to be Hot Guy in clothes, is Old Guy when shirtless.  I witnessed the sadness last night as I pulled in the driveway.  I wanted so badly to tell him it was so much better With Shirt On, but I didn't want to be rude.  Someone needs to tell him.  So I'm telling all of you, in case you've deceived your neighbors!  Keep deceiving!
Thankfully, I will never wear a bikini again-partially because
a.) Clay said some girl on the bus said she'd seen his fat mom in a bikini out by the pool and partly because I probably have
b.) skin hanging out over my belly button.  And, lastly, 
c.) my husband has rock-hard abs and makes me look bad (but won't show his off).

Newest news:

Ches had a new toy, which I've touched once, and he's newly consumed.  Electronics = man toys.  He got his new iPad touch/3G/don't know the formal name for it.

 

He's so excited, and is playing with it as he watches his second newest hobby: watching The Office (he was Dude, Excited! that there were three straight hours on tonight!) which is straining his effort to learn all about the iPad.  I'm hearing both in the background, which are adding to my headache.  I'm such a party pooper.  (He left the iPad on my chair once, maybe trying to lure me into the excitement, but I can't be lured out of my uber-comfy bed).  I'm still happy about my new laptop (yeah, still new to me).

Still getting the house summerized..putting up all the sand and shells-changing out pillows and stuff-I have more to do tomorrow!  Ches is taking Ethan to school so I can get more done, Yay, Ches!  He isn't going in for the rest of the week (he was gone all day yesterday and today, and this is vacation!), so he can do more to help out.  I'm awful thankful after he's been gone.

I am taking Mary Claire to the orthodontist tomorrow.  She is getting her little spacers tomorrow since she gets her braces June 8th.  We are supposed to go to Little Rock on Thursday for her 3 month endocrine appointment, but I am so Not Excited to make the drive again.  Maybe it's because I just went down there a couple weeks ago?  I hope I remember to call Junko to have lunch!  She has a sweet daughter, Emily, who also has Type I Diabetes.  She's only a couple years younger than Mary Claire, and they do so well together!  We always share what we've learned, and it's good for us as moms and for the girls. : )  It makes the trip worth it!
Clay's practice today was rained out, which we were thankful for.  He stays so busy, and it's nice to have a night off.  Tomorrow they have a game, so we may be wishing they had more practice, but I'm still thankful!  It makes for a longer dinner and peace at night.  They had ice cream for dessert, and Clay made all sorts of medieval weapons out of Tinkertoys.  I know it sounds bad, but it was so creative!  I should have taken pictures of his research/design, but I was up on a ladder changing out the fireplace art/stuff!  (I even tied starfish to my candles!)  He's a boy, and needs time to be creative.  He's been not-so-easy to get along with lately, and I can't pinpoint a cause.  He doesn't want me to rub his back, hug or kiss him, and pushes me away.  It hurts my feelings!  Ches had a conversation with him this evening, and Clay came down and hugged me.  I know he's growing up, but does it happen this early?  He seems angry.  I don't know if tough stuff is going on at school, or if the medicine he takes is wearing off, and he's tired from the day.  I just don't know.  We go back to the doctor, so maybe I'll mention it.  I never know when a phase is a big deal or something to gloss over-it's hard when you are in it!  I'll only know in a couple months what I should have done!
And guess what I forgot to post Sunday?  We swam on Sunday and Monday!  Here are a couple pictures:

Finding it!

Oh, joy!  It's been a great couple of days.  (and I'm weaning myself off the Lexapro!)  I can finally FEEL now!   : )  Friday was a wonderful day out to Tulsa.  Ches and I went Friday morning and stayed all day.  We got to shop (!) at Utica Square and at Woodland Hills mall, had lunch at Chipotle (which we love!), then got to see a movie (Letters to Juliet-so good!), and dinner at Olive Garden.  I'm starting to think Ches likes it as much as me, since he picks it a lot!  We had (I had) the most awesome Pottery Barn shopping party.  I have to call it that-it was so fun!  I gathered mostly accessories (watering can, metal boat, iron urn-thing, glass canister thing for shells, clear serving jar (I'm having trouble with vocabulary right now..) thing with the little knob/on/off/handle at the bottom with a silver lid for PaRtY drinks-we made some fruit concoction yesterday!),

some pillows, a blanket, and shells.  I think that's it.. Oh! and some cool moss wreaths I got on sale for $11 each!  I'll have to decorate them and show you.  I have Plans for them.  If I get some pictures loaded (or taken..) I'll post.  Since I was out-of-town yesterday, and buying stuff, I felt like I could take pictures in the store yesterday.  I needed to remember what to do with the stuff when I got home!
Here's the iron urn:

The watering can-imagine the possibilities!:

This is the glass canister thingie (I put sand, shells, and a starfish in mine!):

So..yesterday, we had a Van Cleaning Party.  Mary Claire and I were the only attendees, but it was productive, and we were doing Good Deeds.  We took Clay to Mom's, then got buy-one-get-one-free shakes at Sonic (yes, our lunch), then took Ches' van to the car wash and used the free vacuums at Happy Bays in Springdale (ok, they have smell-goods to put under your seat and a free wipey for your windows/dash/controls, but not good tire cleaner/shiner).  We cleaned his nasty mess-on-wheels.  Well, Mary Claire watched Strawberry Shortcake while I sweated like a pig (do they sweat?), feverishly cleaning, throwing garbage away, finding $110 in cash, wiping, etc.
Then we went home, showered, changed her pump site (since her blood sugar was 408!-darn those milkshakes-that's why we never have them!), and headed to the movies to see Shrek!  Ches got Clay from Mom's and we all met there. It was good this time.  The first two were good, but the third one had a good message (You don't know what you have till it's gone, thanks, Cinderella!).  I liked it, kinda cried (thanks, Lexapro), and the kids liked it.
Ches took Clay back to Mom's for the evening, and Ethan stayed too.  So Mary Claire and I took my dirty van to the Boomerang car wash (cleans the wheels, and spray Armor-All's them!  free suckers, but still a few bug splats on the front) and I vacuumed it out while she watched Nancy Drew.  Mine has stayed pretty clean and I wash/vacuum it out most weeks, so it wasn't too sweaty for me.
Dinner was leftover Olive Garden at home, then we played on the computer looking for pictures to enlarge/sepia for our new picture frames for the hearth room.  I want to blow up (just 8x10) some beach pictures for summer.  You know, they're only like $1.18 at Wal-Mart!  I don't think we're going to make it to the beach this summer, so it's the next-best-thing to decorate Beachy With Memories.
Today was a great Mass with a new priest, just ordained yesterday!  We were his very first Mass, and he was very emotional, and it made me very emotional.  I cried a lot, but it was good.  He is from Argentina (long story short), and left his family to be here in Arkansas to serve God and us.  I just felt for him.  So far away from family, to do what he heard God call him to do.  That's trust and the Holy Spirit.  I just kept thinking if I'd heard God call me away, could I go?  Alone?  I do know that's not my calling, but bless him.  He was nervous and grateful, excited and humbled.  I think we are so blessed to call him our associate pastor.  He'll be great, I'm sure.  Fr. Rubin-congratulations, and we are praying for you!
We went to Ho-Face for lunch (did I tell you that story?  Ethan calls Jose's Ho-Face!), and Mary Claire went to a Arkansas Naturals (farm team for the Kansas City Royals) game this afternoon with Sandra and Emily (and their family).  It's Kids Day, and they've already had CrackerJacks and ice cream, so I know she's in seventh heaven!
I'm so thankful, and glad I get to know it (without having to lose it first).  Do you have to lose what's near you to appreciate it?
Here's a beautiful new bronze statue outside Pottery Barn Kids-she's beautiful!  Her book says "I love Utica Square".

Lab Bill!

Only a short bit of info..I got my lab bill for my trip to Little Rock..it was a whopping $2916 for those 11 tubes of blood!!  I had nooo idea!  Add that to my $134 for the doctor visit, $8585 for the hospital, and lab, and doctor-now I'm up to $13,000. (Ok, to be fair, it's all pre-insurance.  It's not all settled, but doctor/hospital is around $1750 for my part.  Haven't gotten my EOB for the LR labwork).  But can you believe it??  Highway Robbery!  (what does that mean anyway?)  I'm just shocked.
Now have a picture (you'll see why below..)

Do you remember the bloated frog that Clay found in the skimmer out by the pool?  Did I tell you that story?  It was gross, and hugely puffed up from the death/salt water.  We fished it out, and it slowly shrunk.  Now it's this nasty shriveled body (you can see the ribs under the blackish skin).  So nasty.  Well..I knew something was up when I heard Clay strongly persuading Mary Claire and her friend to come upstairs to his room to see something.  I said I'd go, but he wasn't so excited.  When I got up there, he'd brought that shriveled carcass up there!  He'd put it in a K'nex lid (aahhh-germs!), and I freaked out, properly.  He took it outside (to the garage recycle bin!), and I freaked some more.  He put it on an outside table, and I accepted it.  I'm hoping one of those wild cats will eat it, and we'll be done!  Mom thinks he's a blooming biologist, I think he's all BOY!  So, now the k'nex lid is in my dishwasher, but I'm okay now.

Nasty Frog:

 

I took Mary Claire to the doctor, and she's okay too-we did the whole xray thing, and it's not broken.

It's was just hyperextended, and it's okay.  We learned that tendon is stronger than bone, and sometimes when you hyperextend, the tendon will pull off a small chunk of bone where it was attached, and the sliver will cause irritation, swelling, and has to be surgically removed.  Then, there's the physical therapy.  Let's just say we are sooo happy it's fine!  The doctor said to just wrap it in tape to the middle finger, and it'd heal.  I feel bad that she went to gymnastics on Tuesday with a sore hand!
Ok, Clay kidnapped my camera, so I predict there will be a nasty frog picture coming soon..
On a better note, I did a tiny bit of cooking today!  I made a beautiful roast beef (but the pictures just made it look bad, Mom says it looked like bad granite), cinnamon streusel muffins, and we had chocolate chip cookies after school.  I mean, I'm a great mom!  hahahaha say the kids.  (ok, so they were break-n-bake!)
And guess what I found on my bar today?  You'll never guess, so I'll tell you.  Some big, huge (redundant, I know) plat map for a neighborhood I've never heard of!  When is he going to tell me about it??

Then, I have this big boy, who runs from the camera.  He won't let me take any pictures any more.  It took 14 to get this one decent one.  I kinda tricked him, so he thought I was counting to three.  He's learned my technique, so he turns his head on two (but I flashed on one! hahahahaha!):

So. The title.  When I took Mary Claire to the doctor, she looked around at the brochures, and asked what puberty was.  !!  I told her it was when her body started to mature, she would grow hair under her arms, her breasts would grow, and she'd start her period (yes, we've gone that far).  She asked what BOY puberty was.  (cough, cough)  I told her they grew hair under their arms too!  Then she interrupted and asked to see the brochure.  I got it down (uh-oh), and she asked what the puberty hormone was.  (?)  I read it, and it said pituitary gland.  We talked about hormones, then the doctor came in (hooray!).  When he left, she asked me to put the brochure back, and I asked if she wanted to take it home. She said Eww-no!  (Should I be glad?)  I SO don't want to have the big talk.  My kids know that babies come from God.  I'm not ready to go farther!  Prayer.  I need more prayer about this.

Ok, we are now camera-happy, so you get to share our fun (like it or not!):

Muffins and Cookies!       

Earning Brownie Points

WooHoo-glad today is over-it was sooo long!  And now I get to tell you the abbreviated version..
I had Mother's Day Out-and sometimes it only consists of grocery shopping. Sad, isn't it?  I got two days of snacks and drinks (guilt over not teaching propels me) for our church VBS, and snacks for Clay's baseball team tonight, and Uncrustables to make my life easier for 5 lunch days, more Zyrtec for Mary Claire, and other stuff thrown in for good measure!
So, it gets better (and busier!).  Mary Claire hurt her hand last week doing cartwheels (she's still working on the one-handed cartwheel), and she fell backward on it, kinda pushing her fingers back (where they don't go).  Well, she complained once this weekend, and I forgot about it.  Last night it came back up, so I called the doctor today, and she has an appointment tomorrow.  We could've gone today, but there was too much scheduled that she didn't want to miss!
So, after school I took Mary Claire and Ethan to Mary Claire's Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony (for the third grade brownies to bridge to juniors).  It was at the beautiful Magnolia Gardens in Springdale.  Here are a few pictures for you!  (The magnolia trees are not in big, full bloom yet, so no pictures of them..)

Did you see those amazing little tadpoles?  There are thousands of them!  Just wait till they are big frogs.  There were also koi fish living in there-Ethan LoVeD them!  Can you believe in this horrible rainy day we had a tiny bit of sunshine?  I was soo thankful!  It was perfect timing.  Thank you, God! : )
So here are the girls in her troop on the bridge.  Adorable, huh?

She's in the front middle, in the striped dress.  We forgot her brownie vest (and our chairs..), but we made it there-totally big-time brownie points! heehee
Then, Ethan was just dying to get on that bridge!  I'd done all the holding back I could do (and the handrail was at head level-sooo dangerous!), but I let him up there as I panted in half-hysterics.  Yes, really-especially after our pool experience last week!)

He's such a cutie-and it was a great photo op!  I wonder if I could go back to Magnolia Gardens on a weekend just to take pictures??
And here are the two of them-wish Clay would've been with us.  He had a baseball game, so they didn't join us.

So after they were all a-bridged, we headed back home for a little bit to unload the dishwasher, take Genevieve out to play, and to get ready to go again!  We loaded up, gave thanks for the rain holding out, and went to Gator Golf for a JDRF ambassador event (aka get-together).  We met a few new families, the new JDRF intern, and new kids!  Mary Claire found a new friend, and wanted to call her after we got in the van.  She can be shy, then so friendly when she warms up!

Do you remember when we were in Universal Studios when there were photo ops around every corner-things to sit on, around, and with..so Ethan thinks the gorillas are to sit on!  I snapped a picture, then told him to get off!  Yeah, they're just for decoration.
Then, home, and put those kiddies to bed.  It took us till 9:20-I'm just glad school is winding down-it's been a lot more relaxed lately (for instance, Clay has two field trips this week!  A Naturals game today, and a trip to Devil's Den Friday).
I must go to bed, as tomorrow is doctor's appointment, another baseball game, and the busy continues.  So.. did you earn your brownie points today? : )

Memories

I finally got my Disney picture cd in the mail today!  Yay!  I will post a few pictures, even though the trip was about a month ago now.  Happy Memories.  I'm still glad we went, it changed some yuck into good. : )  Here's my favorite:

So sweet..makes me remember that night.. the night we got rained on running back to the car, and we smelled.  Ahh..good times!  heehee  That's what family is made of (not bad smells, just shared memories!).
Oh, and tinkerbell!  She was so cute!

And let's not forget the Buzz Lightyear Experience:

If you totally forgot the story (or didn't hear about it..) you can read it here.
Ok, so on with the show.  Today we were up early again, and had to hit the ground running.  It's going to be a busy week, and today I had to fit in grocery shopping and laundry.  Ethan and I also stopped by a couple houses..just for fun.  I really like one of them, but I'd probably want it rebuilt on a different lot.  It looks out into chicken houses and some barn/lean-to/horse stall things.  I love the house (smaller kid rooms and smaller garage size), but good.  Ches likes the idea of less yard to take care of, and I could clean less (maybe).  It's just a thought.  We always toy with the idea, and we are thinking.  I think if you aren't always conscious of what's going on in life, you aren't living.  I don't want to just coast along-I want to be actively involved.  That may involve downsizing!  We'll see how things go.
Tomorrow, another doctor's appointment for me.  I am going back to see my ob/gyn again.  We'd made an appointment to talk after the specialist appointment, but I already know my blood work was all fine.  Now, I guess we talk about what happens next.  Ches and I talked last night, and I decided (more me than him) that I could only do this one more time.  I can't take an endless stream of disappointment, so there has to be an end in sight if it continues to be devastation.  I have to know I can move on with my life.  I can live either way, and I'll be okay; I just want to know.  The not knowing what will be in a year is hard.  I'd like to plan for the future, whatever it is. I'd planned to go back to school before we decided to try again (and it became a passion-who knew!).  So, I'm psyching up for my morning appointment, and I'd like to go alone.  I have to discuss real options and what will happen.  I can't tell Ches to stay home, but I might if he asks.  If it's pregnancy, it's our decision, if it's my body, I think it's mine.  So pray for me!
Tomorrow is also Bunco (and we don't know where yet!), and Clay's baseball game.  Mom is watching Mary Claire and Ethan in the overlap, it's just crazy.  Wednesday gets worse with Girl Scout ceremony, JDRF ambassador event at Gator Golf (I'll have to take Ethan too), and another baseball game.  Summer will be a welcome calm after the storm!  We can't wait-although then the camps start..
Genevieve is still doing well.  Now, we can set her out the door, she'll do her business and come back to the door and bark!  She's so good.  She eats her meals, poops (sorry, but if you have a pet you understand) afterward, and takes a couple naps a day-we're kinda on a schedule!  I like a routine so we both know what to expect!  The only thing she's doing not-so-great is some chewing.  She's chewed my nice Pottery Barn bath mat, my wicker cubes & hamper, and some shoes. Mostly we've caught her before she's caused major problems.  She kinda chews/bites at the kids' heels/pants, and that makes them crazy.  Ethan is actually the bravest.  I think it might be since he's with her the most.  He'll play with her, run with her, and isn't afraid to pet her.  It seems like Mary Claire is still skittish (can you spell it better?) around her, and Clay will jump up on the couch to avoid her snappy playfulness.  They call her Nipper since she nips their heels.  Her bites don't hurt, but their fear makes them hurt.  Mary Claire cries.  Hope it gets better.
Ok, I should go to bed...Just one more picture: our day in Hollywood Studios!

Notice anything familiar?  Look closely... Yes, these were the same clothes we wore to Magic Kingdom in the very first picture!  We'd spent the day at Hollywood Studios, but I had to go back for the Wishes Fireworks-I just love going back at night-it's a whole other spirit being so close to so many people, and hearing Jiminy Cricket talk to you about dreams and wishes, and seeing Tinkerbell fly across the sky-so magical.  It's always worth going back, even the fifth and sixth times...
Take some time with the ones you love, even if it's a puzzle, game, a walk outside, or a vacation!  It helps you see the world in a whole new way.

Fancy Party with Nancy!

What a day!  It was my sweet baby girl's birthday-she turned 8!  It was not so long ago that she was in diapers and sucking her thumb.  She is so precious, and I'm so thankful for her-for so many reasons.  She is full of love and hugs-even when I wake her in the morning-she has hugs for me.  Her smile and even her puppy-dog-eyes can melt my heart-even if I think she's playing me!

So-on to our day!  We started early-6:15am-and got ready to go to our friend Angie's daughter, Andalynn's, party (I know I said that wrong, but I don't have time to rethink it).  It took me two hours to get there last time, so I used the GPS sooner, and it only took me an hour and 25 minutes!  You can bet I'll use it again next time.
So, we got there, and everything was just perfect!

Her table was sooo cute-she'd found a Fancy party in a Celebrate magazine-so adorable!  I think her stuff was better, but you can't tell a magazine that, heehee.  Anyway, they all had little buckets with tons of goodies: lip gloss, a big blingy ring, a flower ring, candy, and a sweet thank you for coming to my party bookmark-all just adorable!
They decorated picture frames with pink glitter glue and rhinestones:

Then they sat, and snacks and finger foods were served on cake plates and silver trays: Ooo-la-la!

They were all so lady-like and used the best manners!  There's nothing like a dress-up party to bring out the princess behavior (note to self).
Then Angie read them the original Fancy Nancy story:

She didn't really want her picture out there, but she was just beautiful, and it was a great party-she deserves some kudos! : )  Yay, my sweet friend-you did a wonderful job!  But, I'm not done yet... the cake was amazing-and she made it!  It took a few days of baking, freezing, frosting (and coloring frosting), matching frosting colors with ribbon colors, layering, more freezing, ahh-I'd have ordered out and given up, but it was awesome-and tasted just as good as it looked!  Tres, Tres, Chic!

Mary Claire got to open her gift while Andalynn was opening hers-she was so excited-since it was her real Birthday!  I think she was thankful to have that teensy bit of attention!

When the ladies got ready to leave, they got the most precious little buckets-want an even closer-up picture?  So cute!

And then we hung around to clean up a little, and we took pictures of Mary Claire with her new American Girl doll that she just got for her birthday (well, a little early-she got it in the mail last week!).  They are so cute-and she let Megan wear her :M: rhinestone bracelet for a necklace!  I love that she's a girl doll, and not a baby (for more than one reason).  She wears dresses and panties, not diapers and onesies.  I love it.  She has pierced ears and a cell phone!  Woo Hoo! But, here's a cute one:

We couldn't fine the small hot pink bow, so Megan got the light pink-just the best we could do.  But they are both wearing flowers and bows, so close enough. : )
Ok, so then..we went to Schlotzky's and then Target to spend her birthday money-it was burning a hole in her pocket!  We were there at least an hour, and I had on heels!  I got a little whiney after an hour of the toy department.  We looked in music, movies, books, then dolls, Barbies, Zhu Zhu pets, Pixo's (thought they were recalled!), and she would put stuff in the cart, then change her mind, and trade it out-this happened at least 6 times.  Decisions when you actually have money to spend!  She ended up with a Blender pen kit and a Chixo's Luxe Loft with girls and furniture (on sale!).  It was raining as we came out of Target, and she ripped into her toys in the van, so I have no picture here.  I'll try to get one of the new toys tomorrow.
Then the drive home, some time with Genevieve outside, then to Olive Garden for her birthday dinner!  Ethan was so sleepy he fell asleep at our table with food in his mouth!  Bless his heart-he was so tired.  Then to Gigi and Papa's for our cake-I haven't uploaded those pix yet-and more birthday!  She got more birthday money, so she begged to go back to Target tonight (yes, it was almost 8pm by then!).  I was so pooped, I said no.  She played the :birthday: card (it's her special day, she gets to do what she wants, etc.), but I said no.  So, we have one more long toy department visit ahead!  note to self: wear comfy shoes, bring a book.  : )
We got in late, more playing with Genevieve, and off to bed.  Clay's at a sleepover birthday party tonight at a friend's house.  He's only been to one before-and this is the same friend.  They are good together, so I think he's having a blast!  I just hope he makes it through church in the morning.  I bet he falls asleep-we'll see.  What a day of birthdays!
Happy Birthday, my sweet little princess-you'll always be my little girl.  Happy Birthday, Andalynn-your momma loves you so much-and does so much for you!  Happy Birthday, Sutton-I hope you boys are having fun, fun, fun, and that you get a teensy bit of sleep!
Thank you, God, for kids to celebrate!