Brynn's Graduation Dinner

I should start this story with a little background.  One of many "issues" is that I am a little "type A" about what my kids wear and how they look when we go out in public.  I don't mean that in a snobby way...I'm fine with them rocking the Garanaimals but they must match, have their hair combed/done,  be clean, and be color coordinated.  I'm not afraid to admit that when we are home my kids are generally rocking undies/diaper and nothing else. They are happiest that way and to be truthful it just makes less laundry for me.  However, once we go out of the house it's a different story.  Even a trip to walmart or middle of the night emergency room visits (don't judge me...I warned you) require a clean/matching outfit.  I also carry extra outfits with me because it seriously makes me cringe when they have to walk around in a dirty shirt once they spill something on themselves (which the inevitably do).  Now that you know I'm a bit psycho...

On Friday, I decided to take Brynn and Colton to dinner at Dairy Queen to celebrate Brynn's pre-k graduation.  Dan was wrapping up a golf tournament so it was just me and the kids.  I dressed the kids in clean outfits and sent Brynn upstairs to put on shoes.  She comes downstairs like this...

Brynn is completely obsessed with these red cowgirl boots so I really should have anticipated this happening.  Normally I probably would have been okay with the boots...I mean she is a Sussex County Girl. Cowgirl boots and shorts are completly acceptable in our neck of the woods. However, the boots, stripes, and make-up were all a bit much for me to take in.  I suggested that maybe she would like to take off her very beautiful makeup for dinner but that immediately caused tears.  "Fine," I thought to myself.  "This is her big day and this is not a battle worth choosing."  I was feeling a little stressed at this point (I told you I was psycho) but decided to just go with it.

Once we got to Dairy Queen, we are starting to get out of the car and Brynn says to me, "Mama can you help me with my cap please?".  I froze.  We then have the following conversation.

Me:  Uhhh...what?!

Brynn:  I need help getting my cap and gown on.

Me:  Oh Brynnie, we don't need to wear the cap and gown to dinner.

Brynn:  But, Mama I want everyone to know that I am the graduation girl.

Me:  Well everyone will already be able to see your beautiful make-up and boots and we really don't want to get your cap  and gown to get dirty do we? (I'm literally starting to sweat).

Brynn:  (with tears in her eyes)  Please Mama, I REALLY want to wear it.

At this point there is an entire internal battle that goes on in my head.  It's her day.  It's not a big deal.  It's just dairy queen.  All kids do this right?  (really sweating at this point). 

I give in and let her wear the cap and gown.  In we go and as we walk in the door everyone turns to stare.   First they look at Brynn and then their eyes turn to me (I hesitate to guess at what they were thinking).  Brynn is quite pleased with herself.  The manager of the restaurant sees Brynn and tells her that she is the cutest thing he has ever seen.  He later delivers a free ice cream cake to our table.

As we walk out the door, with our cake in hand Brynn turns to me and says..."It's a good thing I look so cute in this outfit Mama or we would have had to pay for our cake."  Well there is that, and besides...she was pretty cute:)

This picture is SO going into her senior yearbook someday:)

Pre-K Graduation

Brynn's pre-K graduation was on Friday.  It was such a "Mama Moment" day for me.  I didn't really expect to get emotional about it.  I thought I had already gotten though that part with all of the kindergarten registration stuff.  And then...I walked into the cafeteria which was decorated to the nines for the ceremony...and I cried.  Shew...this is going to be a lot harder than I thought.


Brynn class came onto the stage and sang a few songs.  It was adorable and all of the kids were dressed in their best. Colton's class is obviously not graduating but they came on to the stage next and sang a couple of songs.  My favorite was the bumblebee song.  I was originally worried that once Colton saw us he would not stay on the stage.  I however, had obviously forgotten that he loves an audience.  He was quite happy on the stage.

While Colton's class was singing the graduates went back to their classroom to change into their caps and gowns.  We had ordered the caps and gowns about a month ago but the teacher had never sent them home so it was a complete surprise to see what they looked like in them.  My heart completely melted when they walked back out.  Seriously, they were the cutest cap and gowns I have ever seen!

Something about seeing Brynn in a little cap and gown made me realize how fast it is all going.  I swear she was just a baby yesterday.  Suddenly I could see her as a senior in her cap and gown...and quite honestly I'm not ready to go there.  Ugh...I can't even explain it but it was a bit of an unwelcome reality check.  I DON'T WANT IT TO GO THIS FAST!!!

I am so grateful to the teacher's for making the day so special for the parents and the kids.  I know that I will treasure this day for a lifetime.

After the ceremony was over there was a huge lunch/graduation party.  These people know how to throw a  party!!!  We had a huge lunch with Chic-fil-a nuggets and tons of other food.  They also had a face painter, pony rides, bounce houses, games and ice cream. The kids had SO much fun!  I don't know about the kids but I know I will never forget it!





Ready to go



All set up for the ceremony



Pledge of Allegiance

Singing the bumble bee song



Our little graduate




My heart was just so full at this moment...



On to the party...

Bean bag toss

Brynn loved the pony rides but Colton said that the horses were "scary".

Mickey One

I would like to introduce you to a very important member of our family...

This is "Mickey One".  Mickey One is Colton's "thing".  You know...the "thing" that he sleeps with, gives him comfort and must travel absolutely everywhere that Colton does.  I'm not sure why his name is Mickey One as opposed to just Mickey.  Only Colton could answer that question and he isn't saying.  Maybe it's to symbolize his importance...you know like Air Force One.

As you can see in the picture Mickey One is very well loved.  At this point he has lost most of his paint which has lead to Colton frequently telling us that Mickey One is "dirty". 

I am not one of those super organized people so please tell me why my child has to fall head over heels in love with a two inch figurine.  Why couldn't he have picked a blanket or "Big Mickey" (his giant stuffed Mickey)...you know something easier to find and keep track of.  I can't tell you how many times Dan and I have gone into a total panic because Mickey One is no where to be seen and Colton goes into total panic mode if he can not find this little critter.

I have actually looked everywhere in the hopes of finding a back up Mickey One because I just know that one of these days he is going to get lost for good...sandbox, in someone else's cubby at school, lost in the abyss of the car...oh the possibilities.  I haven't been able to track one down yet.  I know he came with something (maybe a Mickey car) but for the life of me I can't remember just what.  Please, please, please pray that I am able to come up with a back-up one before this guy disappears:)

Look closely.  Mickey One is clutched in Colton's hand as usual.

Miss Delaware Orientation

Last week, we had the second Miss Delaware orientation.  The point of this day is to allow the contestants more time to get to know each other, another chance for the board to give out/collect information, another opportunity to perform their talent and get feedback and most importantly...to learn choreography.

I missed the first orientation so this was my first chance to get to meet many of the contestants as about half of them are newbies.  It didn't take me long to fall head over heels in love with this group of women.  I can already tell that we are going to have a blast pageant week but I have honestly never had a group that picks up on choreography as fast as this group.  Bliss covered for me at the first orientation and taught the opening number.  She reported back that they had picked it up easily and there wasn't anyone with two left feet.  I really trust Bliss so as I started choreographing the big production number I decided to make it harder than I usually would. 

A couple of days before orientation I started to get really nervous about it.  The choreography is honestly the hardest thing I have ever tried to teach at Miss Delaware.    Some of the combinations are directly from my UD dance team days.  I didn't want to completely stress them out so I gave some serious thought to just starting over.  In the end, a total lack of time lead me to the decision to just go with it...I can always change it later, right?

To my pure surprise and delight, not only did they learn it in record time but they are totally killing it.  I could have made it harder!!  Lol...don't worry, I promised them I wouldn't:)

I'm looking forward to spending more time with them during pageant week.  I know that we are going to have a blast. 

What I can tell you about the group so far is that they are very genuine, they love to chat (this may be a challenge at rehearsal:)  ), and they all have their game face on.  Seriously...returnee's AND newbies are bringing their A-game. 

I have already changed my prediction as to who I thought would take it this year.  It's going to be a wild ride folks!  24 days...

I have included a few pics but you can see more on the Miss Delaware facebook page.

Brynn's Birthday Bash

I apologize for dropping off the face of the earth for a bit.  My crew and I have all been super sick so just getting through the days has been all I could manage. 

Two weeks ago, we celebrated Brynn's birthday with her family party.  I love family parties!!!  You don't have to worry about RSVPs because you pretty much know that unless they have told you otherwise they will be there.  It doesn't matter if your house is messy, everyone pitches in and brings food to contribute, and you can just totally relax and be yourself.

It was a beautiful day...we could not have asked for more perfect weather. The party was a Hello Kitty theme (of course) and Brynn and I had a lot of fun making decorations together.   Despite an ear infection Brynn reported that she has a great time. A huge thanks to our entire family for making the day so special!

Gymnastics Party

In the past we have always done "family only" parties for Brynn.  To be honest, she has a million cousins whom she adores and counts among her best friends so my thought was that we were set for life and we would never need to do a "friend" party.  However this year as the school year went along Brynn was invited to more and more parties of her classmates.  We have been to Chuckie Cheese, the bowling alley, Kids Cottage....you name it, we have been there.  So several months before Brynn's birthday she started talking about having a party with all her friends.  I tried valiantly to ignore this and just mention all the fun she would have with her cousins at her party.  I thought she would get over the idea...she didn't.  I finally started looking around and getting prices for places...just to see.  The first place I called charged $350 for 8 kids.  There are 19 kids in her class.  Uhhhh....yea, she is NEVER having a party anywhere but home.  However after doing some more checking around I found much more reasonable options that could accommodate her entire class for considerably cheaper than that first quote.  I was still not convinced however and tried everything to get Brynn to change her mind.  I told her that if she had a party with her school friends, that would have to be her big gift from Mama and Daddy and wouldn't she rather get a bigger gift.  To my surprise she was completely fine with that.  So after explaining that we would not do a "friend" party every year but since she is turning 5 this year (which is a big year) we could do it if that is what she REALLY wanted.  She REALLY wanted it so off we went...

On Sunday we had her party at GymStarz gymnastics Academy (as you know Brynn is all about gymnastics right now).  We ended up hosting 18 of her school/dance friends and they all had a wonderful time.  The party was two hours jam packed with structured play, free time and of course pizza and cake. 

All in all it was a huge success and all of the stress was totally worth it.  Brynn honestly did have the time of her life.  It was really fun watching all of the kids play, jump and tumble and Brynn just adored the gifts she received from her friends.(including coveted Hello Kitty Sheets and a Barbie/Fairy doll that she has had her eye on for quite some time). 

At the end of the day I was laying in Brynn's bed with her and asked her what her favorite part of the day was. She replied, "Everything.  This was the best day ever!".  Sigh...I guess I could do it again in a couple of years:)

Happy Birthday Brynnie Chicken Dinnie:)

Dear Brynn,

Today is your 5th Birthday.  Oh how the time flies!!!  Daddy and I have been reminiscing all week about the last week, days and moments before you were born.  We joked about how we never thought you would get here (you were a week past your due date when we finally forced you out).  I went for long walks everyday and ate all kinds of weird food in the hopes of encouraging you to make your debut.  Mama had bet that you would be born on May 5th (Cinco de Mayo) and Pop pop really wanted you to be born on May 6th because there was a contest that was awarding a new car to Mama's who delivered babies on 5/6/07.

We also shared a laugh about how Daddy set the alarm clock wrong the night before.  We were supposed to be at the hospital at 6:00.  We woke up at 5:00 to get ready (to be honest we hadn't slept much anyway).  Thank goodness Aunt Kim  had spent the night at our house because as we are getting ready to leave she comes down and informs us that it is really only 4:00 am.

Mama was given medicine that morning at 6:30 am  to encourage you to come out.  At 5:00 that night Mama was finally at 9 centimeters and thinks started to go crazy.  You were a tired girl and sick of all that labor and your heart rate started dropping down to nothing.  I will never forget the pure terror on your Daddy's face when he learned that you were in trouble.  Somehow Mama was surprisingly at peace and just knew you were going to be okay.  You arrived by emergency c-section but were just as healthy as could be.

Our lives have not been the same since the very first moment we saw your face.  I don't think either of us  realized the extent of how much we would love you.  You lit up our lives and have continued to do so everyday since.

You are very extremely curious and smart.  You love to ask questions and learn new things.  You have loved every minute of Pre-K and are looking forward to going to kindergarten next year.

Your best friends are your cousin Abby and your school friend Carley (who is also celebrating her 5th birthday today).

You are still dancing and just love it and playing soccer. Mama and Daddy have loved watching you progress.  You are currently obsessed with Gymnastics and counting down the days until you can start taking a class.

Yesterday you had your very first "Friend" birthday party with your school/dance friends and are now counting down the days to your Family party.  More on both of these later.

You currently love Hello Kitty, the color purple, art projects, playing outside and wrestling with your brother.  Your favorite move is still Toy Story.  Mama can't wait until nap time today because I snuck a brand new Lot-so bear in your nap bag as a surprise.  I attached a little note to him that says "We love you Lot-so".  I just know that you are going to be so excited.

I am  so SO proud of you Brynnie!  I dreamed of you long before you were in my life and I am so grateful to God for bringing you into my life!  There are just not enough words to express my thoughts and feelings but I pray that someday you will also be blessed to become a Mama because only then will you really know.

I hope that this is the best birthday yet Baby Girl!  I love you lots!!!

xoxo,
Mama

Happy Birthday Emma Cheryl!

Over the weekend we celebrated my niece, Emma's birthday. Because Emma's birthday is on May 5th, it was a fabulous Cinco de Mayo themed bash.  We had a blast eating lots of yummy Mexican food (and of course a few Mexican drinks). 

I can NOT  believe she is two already!  It honestly seems like it was just yesterday that she was born!  Happy Birthday Big Girl!  We love you lots!!

Happy Birthday Ava!

My sweet niece Ava turned 4 on Sunday. We had a huge family celebration at her house to celebrate on Saturday.  Ava was just the sweetest birthday girl ever.  She was in glory when she opened up all of her presents and found lots of new squinkies and Hello Kitty stuff.  You could just see how happy she was.  She very politely thanked everyone:-)

When it came time to for the birthday cake the whole family gathered around to sing Happy Birthday.  As we all started singing she looked up at us and said "No!  Stop".  Every time there was a pause in the song she would continue to hold up her little hands and tell us to stop it.  I'm not sure if she was being shy or telling us something about our singing abilities.

Of course all the kids had a great time playing together and the little ones were just exhausted at the end of the night.

I LOVE family celebrations.  It's a good thing because between my sister-in-law, cousin and I we have 3 girls that have birthdays within 9 days.  Three consecutive weekends of family time and good food...I'll take it!!!