My girls exhaust me.
After staying up until 2am painting (it was 3am by the time I finished cleaning up ), 7am came way to soon, but I promised the birthday girls they could get feathers in their hair this morning (the final birthday gifts for Lexi and Lizzy).
I kept thinking I'd get a nap at some point today, but I spent the whole day sorting through kitchen stuff, talking myself out of having a rummage sale, thinking of ways to sweet talk Brad into building me a new china hutch-thingy, and trying to put my kitchen back together.
I am just now sitting down, enjoying a nice cold beer, and hiding from the girls.
I'm currently looking for some toothpicks to hold my eyelids open.
I thought my picture of the day would be of the beautiful pink, purple and black feathers in my beautiful daughters' hair... but Morgan had another idea.
Apparently she was feeling left out, and a little bitter, about not getting a feather. She totally took over the feather picture!
You know you're getting old, and your life is way too busy, when spending a Friday night painting with a good friend sounds like a blast..and actually turns out to be the best part of the day!
I've been wanting to paint the kitchen for awhile, and for some reason decided I was going to do it tonight. So after sending Brad and Jake off to Boy Scout camp, the girls and I went paint shopping.
I started painting about about 8:30 this evening.
My long-lost BFF who lives a whole three blocks away came to help me a short time later.
We were painting fools. We rocked the paint, gossiped, drank, and had the best time.
Six hours later, my kitchen is freshly painted.
I really wanted to change it up and pick some new colors, but I accidentally bought the wrong color, and ended up with pretty much the same colors as before, just in a semi-gloss instead of a flat finish.
No biggie - I really liked the colors the previous owners had chosen for the kitchen.. and now my kitchen just looks clean!
But even better than the clean-looking kitchen, was the quality time I got to spend with my dear friend Jamie. I've considered her one of my closest friends for about 13 years, but we are both busy with work and our families, so we don't get to see each other much anymore, even though our houses are only three blocks apart.
And, for the record, we are amazing painters - at least we thought so at 2am and after having a few drinks.
I'm anxious to see how good it looks in the daylight!
If it doesn't look good, I'll "just hang a picture there"!
There's a teenager in the house!
Yikes!
Lexi is 13 today!
We celebrated with cake and presents this morning.
Then we celebrated again tonight with tacos (her choice), Mary, Madonna, more cake and more presents!
I'm not really sure which was her favorite part of the day: having the entire seventh grade class sing to her and her birthday buddy Emma at lunch today (I really wish I could have seen that!), the way her friends decorated her locker, the cakes, or the presents.
But I do know that Lexi is an amazing girl and I'm so proud to be her mom!
Tomorrow, I will be the mother of a teenager.
I am tempted to get all sappy about how old I'm getting, how it feels like just last week I was changing her diaper, and how her first day of kindergarten feels like it was just yesterday - but I won't.
I'll save the sappy stuff for another day.
I do have to go on the record and say that I am extremely proud of the beautiful, thoughtful, caring, funny, and talented young lady my Lexi is growing up to be. She has been such a joy, and such a wonderful daughter to raise. I pray that continues, as we hit the teen years.
Meantime, it's time to think about cake!
For the past three years, Lexi has requested this cake:
It's nothing fancy - just a white cake mix with a carton of strawberry yogurt mixed in, frosting from a can and strawberries.
But it is delicious.
And the strawberries totally justify eating cake for breakfast - it's fruit - perfect any time of day!
If you'd like to make this yummy cake, click here for the recipe.
Jake is obsessed with shooting baskets.
Morgan is obsessed with doing whatever the big kids are doing.
So this worked out perfectly - Morgan held the tape measure (kinda) for Jake while he measured out his free throw line and three point line.
He would really like some more permanent lines, but for now, sidewalk chalk does the trick!
Technology is simply amazing.
Tonight, the kids Facetimed with their cousins for the first time.
Pretty sure Emma and Lizzy will be doing this many more times... I just hope they come up with some new jokes!
Although I do like Emma's sock joke:
What kind of socks does the band wear?
Tuba socks!
Happy birthday to Lizzy!
I really can't believe she's five.
It was a great day - starting with church (and baby Tesslyn's baptism). The doctor that delivered Lizzy was singing in the choir, so after mass I went to say hi and remind her what she was doing on this day five years ago. She and Lizzy had a very nice conversation about how Dr. Perk was the first person to hold her. I'm sure that conversation will spark some conversations later.
This evening, Lizzy and about 30 of her closest friends and family (and by closest I mean distance wise.. you know she loves all of you who live far away too!) celebrated in style.
Lizzy's choice: pizzas on the grill (she crossed her fingers all day that the rain would stay away.. it worked! Brad was the grill master!), pink and purple cake (purple cake.. actually really pretty and delicious too!), friends and presents.
I have a ton of favorite pictures from today, but I choose this one as my picture of the day:
So many personalities here!
- Cooper is so serious,
- Grady is smiling because his mom is hiding behind Cooper's chair,
- Morgan is wondering why Cooper has a nookie and she doesn't,
- Big Jake is trying to keep Baby Jake out of the cake pops,
- Baby Jake is thinking "yay... cake pops!",
- Lexi is just smiling and ignoring it all,
- Jorja is happy to have Big Tess to herself,
- Tess is happy she's not related to any of these people,
- Lizzy is thinking how cool it is to be 5,
- Kaitlynn really just wants to drink her lemonade,
- Kaleb is wondering why he wanted to come over,
- Aubrey is just looking beautiful,
- Karli is picking her nose.
Whew. Oh yeah, and baby Tess slept thru all this!
Love these kids, and their parents! Thanks for making Lizzy's day so fun!
