Pardon me for a few days while I play a little catch-up... Remember when this little girl turned seven on 9/07? And we went to Disneyland as a family? Well, in this house, birthdays might tend to last a bit longer than just the actual day... So, of course there was a party!
August and I took these 8 little girls to the American Girl Cafe.
They had lunch, and then they brought out the most beautiful-est cake you will ever see. My friend, Lori, loves this cake.
Here's another shot for you Lori. You have a birthday coming up! You could have Joey take you to the Cafe at the Galleria!
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And seriously, the colors at this place will make for fabulous scrapbooking!
Papa & Beppe sent Brookie a gift certificate, and she was able to buy a new doll. And get her ears pierced. The dolls, that is.
The preteen years are mysterious years. Children disappear into their rooms for hours at a time. One minute they are chatty and open, the next minute they are quiet and sullen.
Thank goodness for homework! Homework provided a little insight this week into the mind of the preteen living in our house.
Kennedy, age 12 1/2...My Favorite Things
"I have many favorite things. My favorite colors are red and purple. My favorite food is hard to decide, but it would probably be Italian food. My favorite bands are The Fray, Mayday Parade, and Regina Spektor, and my favorite songs are Daylight, Wake Up, Fidelity, and You Found Me. My favorite magical creatures are unicorns and leprechauns."
I fancy myself pretty hip...I dig the cool rock and roll music...I will crank it up loud... However, I have never heard of two of the three of her favorite bands. And I have no idea what songs those are that are her favorites.
Could it be? Am I old?
And when did LEPRECHAUNS, little creepy dudes in green, replace fairies?
Yes, twelve point five, 12 1/2 years old...mysterious. But beautiful. :)
Well I guess 7 doesn't look all that different from 6 today, does it? Teeth...still missing. Child...still little and cute. Excellent. If only we can keep it this way!
On Brooke's 7th birthday, we went to Disneyland. We spent the whole day there and we didn't try and talk her into riding a single thing she didn't want to ride! (Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribean, Matterhorn) Wait, actually Kennedy may have tried to push her into the Matterhorn ride, but to no avail.
We had dinner at Ariel's Grotto where princesses roam about while you eat your dinner.
I think that's a pretty darn magical way to spend your 7th birthday!
For more photos of this totally fun day, click here.
I woke up to start the coffee and found the kitchen had been turned into a Birthday Wonderland.
I went to work.
I got flowers!
I came home from work and went to dinner with a few cute kids.
And a few cute men.
And a really good friend.
Did I mention cute men?
We ate at PF Changs, but I knew...all week long I knew...what I wanted for dessert.
Stefanie's Red Velvet Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory.
Oh yeah.
At home, there were presents. Handmade by the girls...
If you ask Brooke, she will tell you my age even though I've asked her not to. She needs to learn that when people turn THIRTY, they might be sensitive because it's such a BIG number.
We had a busy weekend, lots of visits in a short amount of time! We spent the weekend with Ken & Steph...they are fantastic hosts and have a variety of Wii games to keep the short people occupied!
We made several trips to the hospital to visit Dad, who is progressing so much. He has a long road ahead of him, but I know he has the drive. We spent one evening at their house with Alice, the kids swam in the pool, the grown-ups sat and talked. Ken, who is part kid/part grown-up, did a little of both. :)
We drove to the country to visit my mom and her two dogs. Oh how the girls love the dogs!
Sunday night, my friend Kim, who lives near my brother, drove over to visit for a short time. She and her daughter, Lauren, had been out back-to-school shopping all day. Lauren started school the very next morning! I don't see her nearly enough, it was good to see her again.
And, to top it all off, the weather was NOT BAD...for Texas in August! Although the visit was not necessarily "for fun", it was fun. It was fun to see family, it was fun to hang around Ken and Steph. It was fun to see the girls go all kooky for my mom's new little dog, Bo. It was fun to see my dad light up at the girls when they walked in his room and to see him play his own version of charades...knowing exactly what he wants. It was fun to see the girls play with their uncle and snuggle with their aunt.
Next time, I'll be bringing the husband. We'll be sure to visit family, fit in more friends, and have a lot of fun.
Still not cool with Texas in August. I know I just got lucky this time!
For the past few weeks, I've been a mite distracted. First there came Facebook. The greatest time-stealer I ever came across. Not that I post on my "wall" all that frequently, but I do like to see what others are up to and I do like to share my own pictures from time to time. (and then there's that stupid Farmtown...)
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Then my dad suffered a stroke, and is recovering ever so slowly so we remain constantly worried, concerned, always thinking, always remembering, always wishing, always hoping for just a little more time.
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But, life continues its whirlwind and Kennedy & Brooke are having busy summers and occasionally August and I have a little fun ourselves...which leads me to:
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My friend, Stacy, turned 40 a few weeks ago. 'Bout time, I say! Stacy is one of my favorite friends...she's a tiny gal with a big heart.
Her party was held at a club where a certain band was playing with everyone's favorite guitarist.
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The band is LIGHTS.
...and the guitarist, August. (Of course! Who did you think it was, silly?)
Now, this party was held in a club. A bar. The music was loud and it was CROWDED!
Yet...children were allowed in. Go figure. So a few key children were allowed to come to the club to Stacy's party.
(Max, Kennedy, Emilee and Sabrina)
The i-Phone never ceases to amaze. During a power ballad, Rob could still hold up a lighter in a non-smoking facility. This, my friends, is why California rocks. You cannot smoke anywhere in this state. Not even in a rock and roll bar.
It was a good night, a fun night, a LATE night. Rock on my friends!
A few weeks ago, Brookie went to Twilight camp. This is a camp for Girl Scouts that lasts only one week and goes from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m.
She was there with several girls from her troop, and she had a lot of fun.
Friday night, the last night of camp, they had a show.
They sang.
They danced.
They shimmied and they shook.
And at the end, they did a great big ginormous friendship squeeze.
A few girls from Kennedy's troop were counselors. Kennedy went camping with India this week, so she did not get to be a counselor, but next year for sure! Molly had a great time!
Girls Scouts is a fantastic organization...we are so lucky to have such great troops for our girls! Here is Brooke with Nicole. She went to preschool with Nicole, but now they go to different schools. However, they still remain friends because they are in the same troop.
Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold!
They had lunch, and then they brought out the most beautiful-est cake you will ever see. My friend, Lori, loves this cake.
I went to work.
And a few cute men.
Oh yeah.
The band is LIGHTS. 
Yet...children were allowed in. Go figure. So a few key children were allowed to come to the club to Stacy's party.
