Birthday Surprise-Taylor Swift Concert!

For more than 9 months I have kept a secret from 9 year-old-soon-to-be-10-year-old-daughter...she is going to the Taylor Swift "1989 World Tour" concert!!
Jason and I decided to start a new tradition with our children for their birthdays. We can't always afford to do fun things with our children but we know how important it is for them and how important it is to make memories and strengthen family bonds. So we decided to do a big activity with our children for their birthday rather than buy them "stuff." Last year we thought it would be fun to take Emma to a Taylor Swift concert...but she wasn't going to be in Utah. THIS year however, she had Utah on her list of tour dates. I thought Amy bought the tickets in January but she said she bought them last June! Whenever it was, I've had to keep it secret for a very long time!
 Originally I had planned to just tell her in the car on the way to the concert, having cleverly disguised it as going to a movie. But then I saw a cake online from several years ago that had revealed the surprise and I thought I'd attempt to do the same. I was going to bring the cake to school so she could receive the surprise surrounded by her class, but then Jason suggested soccer practice which was even better...or so we thought. The thing I forget about Em is that she is very shy and reserved around other people. She's not loud and boisterous like Maddie who gets OVER-excited sometimes. So in my mind I had this great big reaction coming from her, but in the end she gave me exactly the reaction that only she could give.

We quickly left soccer practice and went to change our clothes and get ready for the concert. We drove down with Nic and Amy who also had tickets for the comcert. Emma chose to eat at Costa Vida and ordered the nachos while I had a pork salad. On the way to dinner we passed by row, after row, after row, after row of tour trucks. She had at least 3 dozen, probably more! We had to get a picture with one.

Then it was off to our seats. I had another surprise for Emma. You can't go to a concert without buying some souvenirs right? Taylor had a great service where she opened her merchandise store online a few days before the concert. You could buy everything online and then pick it up at the concert and not have to stand in those horrendous lines. So I sent that link to the family members and told them that if they wanted to get Emma something for her birthday that this was an idea for them. She got some great things. A t-shirt, a key chain, some bracelets and a glow stick and a tour book that has all of her songs and outfits performed and worn for the show. She was in awe.

There was a photo-op with "Taylor" of course that we had to do.

The band Vance Joy opened for Taylor and they were really good. I even recognizes a few of their songs. I couldn't wait for Taylor to come out and start her concert. Em and I looked through the tour book while we waited and we were so excited to see it in person. Taped to each chair was a clear white bracelet that looked like it would light up...only it wasn't working. I was very intrigued with how this was going to figure into the concert. Shortly into the show they lit up and they were basically choreographed into the show and changed colors and turned off at certain points and turned on and flashed at certain times. It was really cool. After the show they turned on anytime they were in motion or got bumped. I was so excited to see Emma's face when Taylor Swift finally came out that I turned on the camera to record it all and missed the first minute or so of her entrance but I figured it would all be worth it to watch my little girl have a dream come true...again, this is Emma we're talking about. While the crowd is going nuts and the noise is deafening and I'm so excited I feel like I could just burst, there's my little Em just sitting there patiently waiting and watching the stage with a fixed stare. I told her to turn on her glow stick, so she did. And she waved it a little. Then Taylor came on and the noise level increased, Emma's waving increased....and that was about as good as it gets. I had to ask her to give me a "whoo!" which she obligingly did. I turned off the camera and watched the show and screamed loud and got into the music. I'm going to spare you the videos that I took during the concert of Emma just sitting there, singing along, but sitting there. I had to grab her hand and jump with her, or wave them in the air, or shake her or whatever. I danced, and sang, and jumped, and waved, and screamed and enjoyed every minute I was there. I'd look at my girl and see her singing along and waving her stick every once in awhile and I'd just smile. This was my Emma enjoying the concert in her way and I knew that while she wasn't showing it on the outside, she was screaming and jumping on the inside. I think if she had one of her friends there instead of just her mom she would have let loose a little more. 

Taylor put on a great concert and had some amazing outfits and did some really cool renditions of her songs. The special effects were cool and she is truly an amazing artist and very talented. Despite receiving all of her great merchandise, she wanted to spend her birthday money and buy something. So she chose a great bag to put all of her stuff in.

 I really had a fun time and I was just bursting with mommy pride for my little girl and just loved that I could share this moment with her. Her first concert and her favorite singer. I know she will remember this day forever and that she will share this memory with her own children one day. I hope she has an experience just like this one where she sits in a crowded, loud, dark room listening to great music with one of her children. And I hope her heart swells with love and pride and pure joy like mine did tonight.
Happy Birthday Emma Boo! These past 10 years have been such a joy and pleasure to watch you grow and turn into such an incredible young woman. You are my biggest helper and you are so smart and funny. You are a great and loyal friend and a wonderful big sister to your younger siblings and a great friend to your older sister. I know you will make a great mom someday and that you can do great things with the wonderful talents Father in Heaven has given you! Mommy loves you!

Sometimes being a kid is dangerous!

So yesterday on the way home from lunch, Olivia slipped in some water and fell and hit her head. Then she ran over to me and while I was consoling her she collapsed and smacked the back of her head really hard on the tile floor, causing her to have the wind knocked out of her, go unresponsive, and have about a 10 second seizure before coming out of it into a full wail and bloody murder scream. When I picked her up and put my hand on the back of her head she already had a blood filled goose egg that protruded out of her head and was already the size of a quarter. She cried all of the way to the ER and by the time we got there the goose egg was the size of a golf ball and swollen and protruding about that big as well. They did a CT scan and found there was no bleeding internally and so we put some ice on it and just have to watch her closely for the next 48 hours. 

This is what it looked like by the time we got to the hospital.

This is what it looked like by the time we got home. The kids think it looks like a meatball.

Later that night we went to Jason's softball game. I told him that we had already met our ER quota for the day so if he got hurt he'd have to wait until tomorrow to go. Nate and Isaac were playing catch. Nate had a mitt...Isaac didn't. Nate threw it overhand to Isaac....Isaac caught it in the eye...it's kind of hard to see in this picture but he has a nice big red welt the size of a softball and a goose egg above his brow.

Thankfully it wasn't ER worthy but we are keeping a close eye on him now as well. What can you do but go to bed and try it again tomorrow. Waking up this morning I thought it was going to be a nice relaxing Friday and a chance to catch up on things around the house....Morning was great-lunchtime is now on my hit list! On the way to lunch Olivia and Isaac got tangled up and Isaac fell and scraped his knee and put a nice little gash in his forehead accompanied with some road rash.

It was a little deep and looked like it needed a stitch but I could close it nicely and so I thought maybe liquid stitches could be used. I was able to close it using a closing strip and called the doctor to find out if I could just buy liquid stitches at the pharmacy...they of course wanted me to bring him in to make sure it didn't need a stitch inside it. So, in the car we went to the doctor and I brought Olivia with me so he could check on the progress of her bump. He agreed with me that it needed a stitch but perhaps the liquid stitches would suffice. Never having used this before I decided to give it a go. So we put that on and now I know how to do it for the next kid....

It doesn't look to bad.The doctor put on several layers, knowing how active he is!​

So what have we learned these past 24 hours? The kids will now be wearing helmets all day long and we are no longer going to Greenwood Elementary for lunch. It's just too dangerous!

Olivia is finally 5! (going on 15!)

Olivia has been waiting for a long time for her birthday and turning 5! She is so excited to go to Kindergarten and doesn't quite understand that she has to finish preschool first. She had pretty much two weeks of celebration for her birthday. We celebrated with the Childs side of the family on Super Bowl Sunday because we were already together and her birthday is the following week. She is of course obsessed with the movie Frozen and all things Elsa so I made cupcakes and put them in the shape of a snowflake. The following Friday we invited her two favorite cousins on the Childs side to go to the Aquarium with us. Aubrey and Gavin came but Gavin hung out with his brothers and Nate most of the time. We played on the little Tuki Island and walked around the aquarium and of course went to the photobooth for pictures. Aubrey stayed over for a sleepover and the girls were determined to stay up the whole night and not ever go to bed! I think I finally talked them into submission around 1:30 in the morning. Aunt Amy took Olivia and Aubrey to lunch and shopping for her birthday and she came home with new shoes and a new shirt and had lots of fun.
On Monday the 9th, her actual birthday, my Mom came over for dinner. Olivia loves broccoli soup so that is what we had with homemade bread. My Dad was out of town on business. My parents gave her the most adorable ballerina outfit and a Frozen bike helmet complete with princess crown on the front. She loves to wear it but it is a little big. She'll grow into it. We had brownies and ice cream for her birthday treat.
Saturday the 14th (Valentine's Day!) we had her first friend birthday party. Of course it was all things Frozen. We ate a delicious lunch of "Hans Hot and Ready Pizza" (he has been demoted from Royal Prince to Royal Pizza Guy) a "Sven Salad" which was mini carrots and "Snowman Sweets" which were white powdered donuts. We also had "Melted Snowman" to drink which of course was just water. The kids weren't to sure about drinking a melted snowman until I explained to them what it was. We played a few games of "Pin the Carrot on Olaf," "Don't Eat Sven!" we went on a Scavenger hunt to find Elsa's castle and made a picture with icicles (epsom salt) and built a snowman with fake snow (cornstarch and shaving cream). That one made quite the mess but those are the funnest right! I made blue cupcakes with hearts on them for "Love will thaw a Frozen Heart" which is a line from the movie and how I incorporated Valentine's Day and the Frozen movie into her birthday. I tried to make a "Frozen Punch" but I was busy and so I had Jason put it together. I don't think the kids liked it very well but I don't think it had enough blue punch in it so the color didn't look to appetizing. It's just a scoop of vanilla ice cream, blue Hawaiian punch and Sprite in a cup. I thought it was delicious.
Anyway, she got a lot of nice things for her birthday and I am all birthday'ed out!
Happy Birthday to my sweet Olivia who is always good for a laugh, a kiss, and a hug! I love to watch her play and use her imagination and I love to hear her sing throughout the house. She is a big helper with her brother Isaac and she is a joy to have in our family. My little baby is all grown up and growing to fast! We love you!!

PROUD TO BE A CAVEMAN!!!!

To the boys of Cavemen Football: Thanks for such a great season! My 6 year old son has loved going to all of your games. You are his heroes and inspire him to do his best in sports, in school and at home. He idolizes many of you on the team and he comes home elated when he gets to take a picture with you and slap your hands after the game. What a heartbreaking way to end such a fantastic season, but know that you can still walk with your heads held high because to my little boys you are invincible! Thank you for being such great examples and giving us your best both on and off the field!
**This was actually written in Nov. 2014 but apparently it didn't publish when I asked it too!**