Our oldest girl is now in the “double digits”.  WOW.  Not entirely sure how that is even possible.  Once I started contemplating the reality of that knowlege; I realized we will have a 15 year-old-driving-permit kid AND a 13 year old by summer’s end, not to mention the baby turning 9.  Heart palpitations, check.  Life rolls on.  Like a locomotive. With no brakes.  Down a steep and icy hill.  <sigh>  and that’s the blessing, right? God’s gift: The present.   We wake up.  On the other side of the dirt and we can experience everything each day brings.  Even if it’s realizing these little kids aren’t so little anymore.  Which is why I LOVE to make such a big deal over their birthdays.  Not the over-the-top,MTV- pimp-my-birthday, big deal, but a SPECIAL deal.  It’s their day.  And we celebrate it. All day!!!

Chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.  Yes, please!  Lunch with mom @ school–Publix sub!  Dinner of choice:  chicken soft tacos!  Family birthday cake with siblings, parents, grandparents, and great grandparents–but of COURSE–with a homemade ice cream cake!  Delish.  Wrapped up with a birthday party with classmates and neighbors on the weekend.  And here’s how it went down…..

Dramatic Fanatic is our go-to place for a home mystery birthday party.  They’ve got it all, invites, thank you’s, the whole play. Good stuff!  Last year I printed it up the day before the party.  No costumes.  No rehearsal.  and guess what?  HUGE hit!  Huge, I tell you!!  So this year, we printed it up a week before the party and sent the character parts out with the invites, costumes encouraged (but not required).  We kicked dad and the boys OUT.  (There was going to be way too much noise of the high pitch levels)  We held it mid afternoon 2-4:30.  (a perfect time…chores were done in the a.m., lunch was over,  little snacks were ready and plenty of time to relax afterward before dinner, etc).  The girls were costumed up, for the most part and brought their drama.  It was so fun.  Everyone really got into their parts and there was plenty of hooting and hollering going on and accusations of “who done it”.  Prizes were given (after voting) for best constume and most dramatic. The whole theme. Sheer brilliance.  No goodie bags, but sent the girls home with a litle Valentine treat.  Seriously low stress and high fun.

And now, apparently our youngest is ready to bring it back for her summer party.  Aye, Aye, Aye!  At least I have a few months to prepare!  God is good.  All the time!!

Happy birthday, sweetness!

Oh, yeah…still no pics….laptop is with the Geek Squad though and hope to be up and running this week!  Fingers crossed, prayers offered up!!  I’ll have to do a photo post on all the missing pics from my posts…that could be kind of fun!