Happy Birthday B!

My youngest is now 7 years old. Wow, I can't believe how time passes!

She turned 7 on Sat. 7/12. We had a Reptile birthday for her at her request. It was going to be a Disney Princess party but she suddenly took a fancy to toads since we had run across a few of them. She remembered that Josh had the Reptile Lady as his birthday party entertainment two years in a row, so she made the request. (Yes, we know toads are amphibians; the Reptile lady also brings frogs and toads along in her show.)

So Saturday morning I got up bright and early and got bagels as per my usual Sat morning routine. The Korean bagel guy knows my order: 8 plain, 2 poppy, 2 everything and one blueberry. He often lets me get my small coffee for free.

Then I ran to the store and bought all the last minute stuff that I'd managed to put off until the last minute. Came home and baked a lemon cake. Hannah frosted and decorated it for me. B requested specific hor d 'oeurves (how the heck do you spell that???) So we had Hebrew National little hot dogs in buns, little squares of cheddar cheese, grapes and b-b-q potato chips. While I was doing all this R took B out to shop for party favors and balloons. W mowed the lawn and J and S helped clean and then put together the party favor bags.

R is the present shopper around here so right before the party he gave her: a disney princess camera (which she loves!), her own little pink watch (she's been telling time for us all constantly), and the American Girls Molly book set. I've been reading Molly Learns a Lesson to her now.

The party started at one. We had 14 kids here. We played pin the tusk on the Triceratops (that was the closest we could get to reptiles!) then the Reptile lady did her show. We saw a bearded dragon, a milk snake, a small crocodile, a huge bullfrog (named Jeremiah), a tortoise and a boa constrictor. The kids were completely wowed! A huge hit!

After that we had the kids all line up and wash hands thoroughly and then had ice cream and cake.

Then presents, then all the little kids went home. BUT I still had my sister and brother in law here with their two and my sister Lisa here with her two kids, plus my father in law. So we wound pretty much hosting another party for dinner. Rick made an incredible barbeque of hot dogs, hamburgers, delicious tuna steak, filet mignon and some satays that he got at at the store. We boiled up 16 ears of corn. I made a huge salad and we all had a feast.

That was Saturday. Becky had a most wonderful birthday!

Sunday, H had planned a trip to an amusement park about 1.5 hours away from here with a bunch of her friends. R was the chaperone. He took grandad along with him. However, everybody had to get up for the 8:15 Mass and then meet afterwards to caravan down. Well, I could not get Miss B. up in time. She was worn out from partying! So she and I stayed behind and we had a nice mother-daughter day.

We went to 10 o'clock mass together and then out for breakfast. Then we went and saw the Kit movie which was wonderful! The filming was beautiful, it was well acted, it really had a 1930's feel to it (mostly). Very well done.

After that we came home and played with some of her new arts and crafts kits (she got several for gifts.)

Then Lisa came over again because her son had spent the night and gone to the amusement park with everybody. So we had a nice long sisterly chat over cups of tea.

Today, B and S started their 3 week music camp. H, W and J all are volunteering at the church VBS this week. So everyone had to get up early and out the door in a timely fashion. This was very hard for us to do! Major feat!

By the time I got home from dropping B and S off at their camp it was already 10 o'clock. Grandad was hanging with me. I did finally finish cleaning the kitchen from Saturday. I'm ashamed to say there several pots and pans that were neglected for that long period of time.

Anyway, I am feeling wiped out. I gotta go grocery shopping for the week. I feel like I've been to the grocery every single day but I never seem to have everything I need. And my house is a mess AGAIN! And the rooms that are constantly a mess that I keep wanting to get to to work on, I just never seem to get to!!!!!

Tomorrow. There's always tomorrow. Grandad is back in Baltimore now, so I think I can really focus. And all the kids will be gone. And I'll be rested up a bit.

So tomorrow, that's when I really start deep cleaning.

Okay, gotta run to the store AGAIN!