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Black & White Birthday Party!

Jul. 3, 2008 • 9:14 AM

Last weekend, we celebrated our oldest daughter's 12th birthday! It's hard to believe my baby is 12! She is growing up and making mom old!  She is really growing into a lovely young lady though, she loves the Lord and is very creative and helpful, a true sweetheart!  I am very thankful to be her mom!

She had a black & white birthday party! Can you guess why black & white? Well..... she has always liked zebras and pandas (as her favorite animals.) I don't think it is just because they are black and white- she just likes them. So... we went with a black and white birthday party and decorated with pandas and zebras! Everyone was to wear black and white!

We played some group games (Zebra team vs. the panda team)! We had black and white drinks (made like the 4th of July drinks I am posting here!) We also had dark and light tortilla chips with salsa, some black and white jelly candy, and the cakes and ice cream that were all black and white. The other things were just foods we needed to make a well rounded meal/menu.

Here are the cupcakes I made. (The idea was in a magazine but don't know which one as my mom tore out the article and gave it to me! Thanks Mom!) ...and the birthday girl!

The cupcakes were made with one regular sized cupcake and a mini cupcake. The mini sat on its side on top of the reg.-sized cupcake. Oreos, black cake icing and Junior mints were used to create the pandas!

Look at all the black and white gift bags and wrappings!:

Here are some of her Black & white gifts:

Wildly Cool Slippers:

A few Webkinz: the cow and the cat! (Our children just love Webkinz!)

plus... the Webkinz Panda figurine:

She received many other wonderful gifts,too. (Thanks to all of you who made her feel special!)

Then they all changed into swimwear and we had a water slide down on big hill in our front yard! It was GREAT fun!!

Here is a line-up of most of the kids at the top of the slide.... then at the bottom!

Sweetheart! We  You!

Childhood

Apr. 18, 2008 • 8:02 PM

Blessed be innocence, smiles from the heart,
Small dimpled fingers that take things apart,

Noses that wrinkle at spinach and such,
Eyes filled with wonder for they see so much.

Blessed be questions with no easy answers,
Bubble-bath swimmers and mud-puddle dancers,

Climbers and diggers and builders and bakers,
Dreamers and gigglers and up-at-dawn wakers.

Hearts that are gentle, wills that are strong,
Minds learning left from right and right from wrong

Blessed be hugs that wrap around your knees,
Sweet angel voices that sigh "Once more, Please?"

Blessed be, "Read me a story" and then,
Blessed be each whispered, "Bless me...Amen."

Blessed be sleepy eyes, each little yawn...
Blessed be childhood before it is gone.

Poem by Emily Matthews at Poem Place

A note, a keepsake

Jan. 21, 2008 • 2:45 PM

Our church has Sunday morning services as well as a Sunday evening meeting (also a Wednesday evening). We try to go back in the evening as much as we can. With a 3 and 1 yr.old and my husband's changing schedule it isn't always possible. When we do plan to though, the children love to "swap" with other families. This is when one child from another family comes to our house while one of our children go to their home for the day. Then we all return to the evening meeting and switch back. The kids love doing this. My girls went to their cousins yesterday and my nehphew came to our house to play with our boys. The girls went to an all-you-can-eat chinese place for their cousin's birthday! The boys played playstation and with cars and trucks for awhile. When we went back to meeting I sat closer to the back as my hubby was working, one boy was asleep, the other was sick and laying down on my other side, and an active toddler was on my lap. When my girls came in with their aunt and uncle (and family) they sat in the pew behind me. The younger girls got paper and pens from their aunt and were making pictures, etc.

Close to the end of the meeting, my (middle) daughter, "Princess" passed up a note to me. It was folded up and when I opened it , it read

"Dear Mom,

I love you. You are the best mom ever. Thank you for watching over me, cooking and cleaning and homeschooling me. But mostly...Thank you for loving me for who I am!

then she signed her name and had hearts and a picture of her and I.

Can you imagine how my heart smiled. I was so touched!  I was caught off guard with the sweetest note!- It will be a special keepsake in my treasure truck of Kid's things!

 Thank you, Princess! It is my priviledge to be able to do these things and be the mom to you and your brothers and sisters!

Daddy's Home!

Oct. 15, 2007 • 2:28 PM

Last week, my hubby was away . He had to go to a conference for work and was away from Sunday evening until Thursday. This doesn't happen too often, thankfully. We miss him much when he is gone. He arrived home to this Welcome Sign (made by his kiddos)

He was very tired with time changes and flying all day but was smiling the minute he saw the sign. (We were watching from the windows). Then right away he noticed my shirt.

When reading the blog of one of my blogger friends, KindredHeart, She mentioned and showed this T-shirt she got to wear for her husband. I thought what a great encouragement for him! I ordered my shirt and it arrived the afternoon my husband was coming home. How perfect! (It was a fast delivery!) Anyway, He noticed the shirt right away (which surprised me.) He was so happy to see us but I know these  little things encouraged him even more!

Here is the shirt! Conversation T-shirts are so "in" right now! I love mine ..because- what the shirt says!...

If you want to order one of these shirts for yourself, check out this site:http://s128357773.onlinehome.us/store/