Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Remember the 80s? What was your favorite fashion trend? Too many to list, right? Well, what better way to bring it all back and celebrate an 8th birthday than with an

80s Party!

Ally, my sweet baby girl, just turned 8 years old last week on the 16th and at the last minute of an already hectic week (see previous post) we decided to invite some of her friends over for a birthday party. I have to admit, I work well under pressure. We were able to get the invites out, balloons ordered, decorations purchased, games made, craft project decided, house cleaned, house decorated, cupcakes baked, 80s outfit picked out, dressed, dolled up, and ready for the best bash of the year in only 1 day. That's got to be a record somewhere.

The girls all came in their best 80s outfits and they were so cute! I was reminiscing and wondering why in the world we thought we were so cool dressed the way we did. Some girls were wondering the same things saying, " Why am I wearing 2 pairs of socks?" "Why did you wear everything crooked? Crooked side ponies, crooked shirts, ..." "Why are you tying a knot in my shirt?" It was so funny to listen to all the comments! Here are a few of the outfits they showed up in.

Adorable, right? :)

We started out with a dance party and the dancing queen herself was feeling right at home. Well, she was at home, but she was trying to get everyone to come out and dance with her. We had some awesome dance music playing and some girls really let loose!

Notice Maddie snuck into the party. She wasn't supposed to but when she came downstairs with her blue eyeshadow on, we had to let her party, too. :)

Then we played "Pin the Side Pony on Ally". I have to give my sister credit for the totally awesome idea, but that I actually got the picture taken, edited, and the poster printed and at the party in time was all me. :)

Then we (me and my great friend Alicia - who so thoughtfully offered to stay and help) taught the girls how to make friendship pins. Remember those? I remember putting those on my shoelaces and loving to make them for my friends! So the girls loved making them and we had to show them where to put them on their laces. Maybe we started that trend again? :)

We also let the girls graffiti on the sliding glass door, writing notes and birthday messages to Ally.

Here's their finished product! They loved it, and Ally insisted we keep it up all weekend long.

Then of course there's the cake. Why make it myself when I have a roomful of capable little girls wanting to make it, too? So we had cupcakes, frosting, neon sprinkles, colored sugar, and let the girls have at it, decorating their own little cakes.

Birthday girl with all 8 candles on her little cupcake.

So there you have it. A perfect party for a great age. It turned out to be one of my favorite birthday parties for my kids, hence all the pictures in this post. I couldn't leave anything out! We had so much fun putting it together and we think every 8 year old girl should have their own 80s Party!

On a more serious note, turning 8 is a very special occasion in our church. It's the age where our children can choose to be baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Ally is so excited for her baptism next weekend. She has been looking forward to this day since her oldest brother was baptized 3 years ago. Finally, her time has come and she couldn't be happier. Ally is such a beautiful girl inside and out. She is a delight to our family, bringing us so much joy. She is thoughtful, sensitive, smart, soft-spoken, spunky, animated, sweet, and is growing up to be quite a remarkable young girl.

Happy 8th Birthday, Ally!

For the Love of the Game

I figured if this news doesn't get me back into blogging, then nothing would. I've been so busy lately and just don't want to take the time to write on my blog when there's a million other things to do. So if any of you are still reading, (thanks!) I've got a blog worthy event to tell you about!

Brady and Cameron have been playing basketball again this season and are on the same team with their Dad as their coach! All was well until last Saturday when disaster struck. Cameron passed the ball to Brady during their game when Brady went running after it full force to keep it from going out of bounds. He reached the ball, but kept running into the cinder block wall. Now, I couldn't attend the game so I wasn't there, but I've heard about the scream that came out of his mouth that silenced the entire gymnasium. He was in so much pain! His left elbow was injured and no one realized at the time what a horrible break just took place. He was given ice and sat out the rest of the game. No swelling was immediately apparent so the boys came home. Jeff then took Ally to her basketball game when I was told to come home from my DI obligation (whole other blog post...maybe next time...) to check on Brady's arm.

Look at the swelling on his left elbow. Ouch!

Showing the broken arm

When I got home and noticed the kiwi sized knot on the inside of his elbow, I knew he broke it. We raced to urgent care for some x-rays but were sent home with a referral to an orthopaedist for the following week. And a sling. And ibuprofen. The dr. told us he had all the tell tale signs of a fracture but couldn't locate the fracture! Brady had a HORR.I.BLE weekend. He was in so much pain. So first thing Monday morning I called the ortho and was squeezed in for that afternoon. I thought for sure they would cast it, maybe prescribe a stronger pain medication and send us on our way. After 6 more x-rays, and 2 exhausting hours in the office, it was confirmed that not only did Brady break the bone completely off, but that it would not correct itself and required surgery to fix it. WHAT?! He was to check in for surgery at 6am the following morning, pushing back all the other surgeries scheduled for this morning. It was that bad! Crazy!

Here's the broken chunk of bone lying in part of his forearm.

After many tears, lots of anxiety, a thousand prayers, a sleepless night, and a couple of panic attacks, (may or may not be from me, just sayin'...) the surgery was a success and his bone is back in place being held there with 2 pins. He will remain in this huge cast for 3 weeks after which the pins will be removed and a smaller cast will take it's place for 3-4 additional weeks.

Pre-op. Just a little nervous. ;)

2 pins successfully holding broken bone back in place.

Coming out of sedation.

Trying to force a smile.

Brady loves basketball. He is dedicated to improving himself each practice and game and being done for the season is devastating to him. His extracurricular activities will have to be put on hold for the next 2-3 months while this horrible injury heals. No basketball, no violin, no PE, etc. He's crossing his fingers (on his good arm) that he'll be well enough to compete on the swim team this summer. In the meantime, it looks like he is going to master some video games one-handed!

Jeff is Getting Lucky!

So this weekend is our 13th Anniversary! I know, the superstitious 13, known for bad luck. We were actually married on Friday the 13th of September back in 1996! We love the number 13! I love when Jeff surprises me with anniversary trips and the one this weekend will be pretty amazing! He's planned a

((((((((drumroll))))))))

His and Hers Anniversary Weekend Getaway!

Want to know what he's got up his sleeve?

For him:
Tickets to this opening game

and for me:

Tickets to this musical

Oh, did I mention we'll be sitting in the 2nd row?!

I. Can't. Wait.

Looks like #13 is pretty lucky afterall.

Love you, babe!!

Still Here...

...just busy taking care of these favorite people.



photo courtesy of chris jenkins

There's a Bowl in My Cupboard

When Jeff and I were newlyweds, we were living in our first apartment in Seattle. Being newly married had its own ups and downs but adding a mystery health issue to the mix was trying.

One Sunday morning, after eating a scrumptious home cooked breakfast, we were cleaning up the kitchen and were about to get ready for church. I was loading the dishwasher and Jeff was bringing over his dishes. He set his dishes on the counter to be rinsed, started to walk away to clear the table but instead passed out, collapsing backwards onto the open dishwasher, knives and forks scratching his back on his way down and cracking his head open on who knows what. (Because of this, I never load forks and knives upward in the dishwasher anymore, they HAVE to be facing downward.) I was beside myself. He would not wake up. He was bleeding, was out cold, and I did not know what to do. When he finally came to, he had no idea how he had even gotten to the kitchen. Of course, his head needed stitches and we were off to the Emergency Room. Since we had no explanation for his passing out, they decided to do a CT scan and an EKG. We were in the ER for hours just to hear that both of these tests came back negative. Needless to say, we missed church that day. We made some quick friends in our new ward and when we got home from the ER they had called to find out why we missed church. Less than an hour later, 3 couples came over with dinner for us, helped give Jeff a blessing, and stayed to make sure we were taken care of. It was so wonderful to feel their love and concern for us.

This is what brings me to the bowl in my cupboard. The bowl that contained a wonderful meal in our time of need.

I had every intention of returning the bowl to its original owner, the couple who had called us after that horrible Sunday in Seattle. It was washed and a thank-you card was tucked neatly inside. Sundays came and went, everytime I would forget to bring the bowl to church with me. Every double date, the bowl was forgotten. Every game night, the bowl didn't go home with its original owner. So, in my cupboard this bowl sits to this day. Twelve (plus) years after the incident and I have never returned this bowl. Careless? Yes. Regretful? No. I love this bowl. It doesn't go with any of my dishes, but gets pulled out and is used constantly as if it were always mine.

When my mind is clear and I pull out this bowl to use, I can remember its original purpose, which was to bring me and my new (albeit sick) husband a meal to ease a burden during a stressful time. I am so grateful for when others have thought of me, providing a service that I didn't ask for but needed at the time. This bowl reminds me to think of others, to put the needs of others before mine, to look for ways to serve, to ease a burden. This is a goal of mine. To be selfless. It's a constant work in progress, but some days I do succeed.

Summerings

Happy Summer!