Party Like An Eight Year Old

Friday night was the big night for Ryan. He and 14 of his friends swam the night away at the indoor River Plex pool at his birthday party. His birthday was Aug 19, but we've been so busy that we couldn't have his party until this weekend.

Ashley and her cousin Mitchell are always inseparable.

(Click on pictures to enlarge for a better view.)

The kids play in the zero depth area,

while the big kid waits for his friends to join him.

Lazy River

Ryan and his two best friends.

Bret's always up for a water slide.

The birthday boy gets dunked by his uncle.

Then the uncle gets attacked by the kids.

Batman cake for the bat boy.

Cheesing it up.

Sydnie, Ashley & Skyler.

Jackpot!

All hopped up on sugar and ready to go home!

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Birthdays and Make Overs

Today we celebrated Ryan's 8th birthday with family over at my father in law's house. His birthday isn't until Tuesday, but with school starting I thought it would be best to get everyone together before school starts tomorrow.

Looks like we have another Wii game for mom to play when the kids go back to school tomorrow. Ha.

He has been wanting this since he saw a picture of it in the Playmobil catalog and didn't have a clue that my mom, Grandma and brother were getting it for him. It may be a week or so before I see the white's of his eyes again.

After Ryan's little party, I took Ashley to get her hair cut and was surprised when she told me that she wanted bangs and to get her eye brows waxed. She looks so grown up that I had to do a double take. Next thing you know her eye teeth will be in and she's going to come out of her room with all kinds of eye makeup on. Her dad and I just may have to lock her away for the next ten years!

Why do they have to grow up so fast?

She's Growing Up

Ashley's 12th Birthday is today and we had Bret's side of the family over for Pizza and Ice Cream Cake. She didn't know that we had a huge surprise in store for her.

She opened her presents, unsuspecting that her biggest wish was soon going to become true.

*

She's been wanting a tote for school badly since her backpack broke. I found this really cute one at Aeropostale for my Grandma to give her.

Bret's parents bought her a much needed new bike. Her legs must be longer than mine already, because it was quite hilarious seeing me try to swing my leg over the seat.

Ryan got his traditional "Pity Gift". We were going to buy him this movie anyway since it got deleted off of the DVR. It's his all time favorite movie. Uncle Grant may have had a little too much cake.

Mitchell was quite the little helper opening up Ashley's gifts.

So now we come to the unsuspecting big moment. Ashley thought she was done opening her gifts and was cleaning up all of the wrapping paper when Bret told her to go look in the drawer in the front hallway. Inside the drawer was a note that told her to ask everyone to be quiet. As everyone quietly listened, the faint strains of Happy Birthday started to play from her new cell phone that was wrapped and hidden in the breakfront cabinet. (Tip: If you want to be able to hear the phone ringing, don't wrap it and hide it in a cabinet. It will confuse the heck out of the birthday girl.)

*

She did find it - and I've never seen her look more excited before than at this moment...

Lucky for us, her best friend also has a Verizon cell phone, so they can talk for free until the battery goes dead on them.

One happy almost teenager.

We're pretty laid back here. Cake in the living room? Sure, why not.

She got all 12 on the first try.

Ok, we're not THAT relaxed around here. In the kitchen, messy ones.

Yes, you're all still pretty cute.

Happy Birthday, Ash!

(This weekend I'll be questioning my sanity when I have 8 girls overnight for Ashley's sleepover party with her friends.)

Back From The Brink

(I have no idea what is up with Blogger and their line spacing problem these days!)

I'm back. Did anyone miss me? Does anyone still come here? It feels like forever since I've posted.

I'm still not smoking. How, through out all of this stress I've been under the past week or two, I've managed not to smoke is beyond me but I'm still going strong at 10 weeks and 3 days. I had an appointment for my annual physical on Friday with the doctor that prescribed my Chantix. She was proud of me, which in turn made me proud of myself. I told her that I've been weening off of the Chantix and even then am still not remembering to take it. She told me that she recommends patients to take the Chantix for 2-4 months longer than the recommended 12 weeks to keep them on track and to keep them quit. I've got a prescription to extend it, but am not sure what I should do. I do still get the tuggings, and while I get through those tuggings just fine, I am wondering if I should stay on the Chantix. The only reason I had stopped taking it was because I couldn't remember to take it routinely, so the nausea had been a real problem. We'll see.

In less than a week, the school carnival will be here. Friday the craziness will truely start and by Saturday evening it'll be all over with. I pray that it's a big success. As long as it makes as much money as it's made in the past and the kids have a great time, I'll be able to sleep at night again.

Below is our baby. My co-chair's husband made this Plinko board for the carnival. The kids have all complained that there weren't enough games in the past, so we've loaded them up with lots of choices, but this here below is our baby. I've put many, many coats of paint on it and am ready to add the letters and numbers to it now. (My house looks like a mini carnival with a Plinko board in the living room and a bozo type bucket game in the hallway.)

Along with planning the school carnival, Ashley has thrown a birthday sleepover party in the mix for the following weekend. She decided that she wanted Dance Dance Revolution for the game system downstairs to use during her party, so my mom and brother went in on it for her birthday. Bret has it playing through his stereo system and she's been practicing all day. I tried it - it wasn't pretty. LoL. But with that and Karaoke, I think she'll be set for her party now.

Ryan's Blue & Gold Banquet for Cub Scouts was tonight. His Den made a dragon costume to go with the whole theme they had going on. It was way to cute to see them trying to keep up with each other while they walked around the room.

Ryan earned his Tiger patch and 5 belt loops. (Guess I have to go buy the belt now.)

As soon as the banquet was over, we headed over to catch the rest of our Niece's birthday party.

Where they had trick candles. I love those things.

It's been a long day and I'm ready for bed. Last night we had friends over for dinner and drinks and I'm really dragging now. I'll try not to be such a stranger, but it may be difficult until after next weekend.

Event Of The Year

I must have lost my mind, or may have just chosen to forget how bad it was the last time we attempted this.

Ashley is having a Birthday Sleepover Party the last weekend of the month. We gave in and did this two years ago with 13 girls and were still feeling the pain and lack of sleep from it last year (hence no party last year) but are giving in and doing it this year. I put my foot down and said 4, maybe 5 girls total. We're now at 8. Bret and Ryan are going to be out staying with Bret's Grandma that night while his parents go out. That leaves me alone here with EIGHT 12 year old girls. What was I thinking?! Maybe I can con a friend or my mom into being here that night.

Last night, Ashley and her friend, Danielle were filling out the party invitations. When it came to the date, they wrote down Feb 29-30. On all of the invitations. That would be my straight A child there, too. Do you get it? If not, ask someone else, because I'm still too busy laughing about it.

Now I'll be planning a sleepover party on top of a school carnival. It's no wonder why I'm so sick this week. I haven't told Ashley this yet, but my goal is to decorate downstairs, where all of the girls will be, with blown up pictures of all of funny pictures of Ashley from birth to present. If they get to have all of the fun that night, I can at least have some fun planning it.

Maybe I'll get to her Birthday DVD slideshow this year.

Happy Birthday, Little Man

Happy 3rd Birthday to our nephew, Mitchell.

Chicago Time Again

Aah, the annual "it's my birthday weekend, let's go downtown Chicago, see some Christmas trees, have lunch and shop!" The weather wasn't too bad today and the crowds weren't nearly as horrible as they were when we went on the Friday after Thanksgiving last year. The kids (ok and me, too) really enjoyed our annual trip on the train to downtown Chicago.

Ryan and the birthday girl.

While on the look out for a place to eat lunch, we came across this officer and his horse, Mahoney. Ryan was enthralled and the officer was great with all the kids that wanted to stop and pet his horse.

The kids and Grammy in front of the tree outside of the Daley Center Plaza.

Bret and I with the kids.

On our way over to Macy's to see the big Christmas tree, we made a pit stop in Old Navy and found some good deals for Ashley for Christmas. You're officially not a kid anymore when you know what you're getting for Christmas.

Ashley & Ryan in front of the Macy's tree.

All I Want For Christmas is...

...an over priced couch for $3000

...and the ugliest couch I've ever seen for $8000.

On our way back down from seeing the tree and getting sticker shock in the Macy's furniture department, we browsed through FAO Schwartz.

Well, we browsed...

($27,000 for a true to life Batman made from Lego's. My kids were instructed not to touch or their college educations would be in jeopardy!)

...but Ryan thought he was really there to shop and wasn't very happy when he was pulled out of the toy departement.

One more picture before hopping back on the train so we can make it to my Grandma's for my birthday dinner later.