halle's under the sea party

I am either awesome or crazy, but we had ten children over to our house for a little mermaid under the sea party for Halle's 4th birthday.  I couldn't help but invite a lot of the children who have had Halle over for playdates during these last few months to show them how much we love them.  And to hopefully give their sweet moms a little break in return for all the times they watched Halle.  I felt like it was my chance to thank them for all they have done.  We sent all the children a message in a bottle, complete with sand and seashells, inviting them to an under the sea party.  I did put a little p.s. at the bottom uninviting children who had been sick within the last week so that Wes could be at the party he he. 

a little pre-party water balloon filling with our best helper lily

 My Halle girl loves a good adventure and there was no way we could start an under the sea adventure without having our own little buddies just like Ariel has flounder.  Painting is one of Halle's favorite things to do, so as the kids started showing up we had them paint their own wooden wiggle fish.  

Once those were done we were ready to begin.  

As we headed toward the stairs we were shocked to hear someone calling for help.  We ran outside to find Prince ERic stuck in a storm (which just happened to be aunt rachel spraying the hose off our deck to look like rain.  He needed someone to save him and all the kids were pretty shy except three little mermaids who rushed out to grab his hand.  

Prince Eric informed us that Ursula had stolen some treasure and that we would have to ask Flounder where she was.  We found Flounder, but Ursula had taken his tail.  He wouldn't tell us anything until we helped him find his tail and so a round of pin the tail on Flounder began.  

After we fixed him up he told us to ask the fishes where Ursula was hiding the treasure.  We found a pool of fish and looked under each one for a clue.  

We found a picture of Ursula under a rubber duck and knew she was near.  We needed a weapon to defeat her and so we searched and searched for something until we found King Triton's trident.  

We headed deep into her lair and found Ursula guarding the treasure.  

Little mermaid Halle rushed in and stabbed Ursula, who miraculously changed into Grandma Nimer.  We rescued the treasure boxes and found our cupcakes inside.

A word about these beauties: it is no secret that I can't bake, so I enlisted cousin Abby Bell (the cake genius) to make some cupcakes and voila she produced these scrumptious and beautiful things and worked so hard when all I had asked her for were some edible cupcakes with blue frosting.  We were all blown away.  Bless you sweet Abby.

Now it was time to feast.  

We sang to the birthday girl and ate cupcakes (with blue frosting per Halle's request) that were too gorgeous to eat.  

After cake we had Halle open her presents.  

She was SPOILED. 

 I was tickled to see all the girls were interested in the presents while the boys were happy to sit back play until present time was over.  

Then the real under the sea fun began.  

All the kids came dressed to get wet.  And I am so glad this is what we had planned because the weekend before the party our air conditioner broke and was still broken that afternoon.  Thank goodness the bulk of her party was outisde staying cool in the water instead of inside our inferno of a home.  

We set up a pool, water balloons, bubbles, and my favorite feature, a slip n' slide.  Except this was no ordinary slip n'slide.  Grandma Bell was kind enough to pay for the slip n' slide of my dreams complete with a large shark head that the children have to slide through.  Needless to say, it was a hit.  

I loved watching all the adorable children interact with each other and play for the rest of the afternoon.  And one or two children couldn't help but ask where prince eric and ursula were.  

We sent them home with treat buckets and their fish buddies and thankfully no injuries!  

These kids were just so well behaved it made for a lovely afternoon.

sweet kaylie

all the super cool party people

adorable madeleine

grandmas with bubble machines

this little fish was in the pool practically the whole time

an andrew cannon ball

sweet twinkie twins

dad, mom, and the birthday girl (i look like i have the angelina jolie leg going on)

oh yeah and lily was there too

pure joy right there

A special thank you: to all of Halle's sweet friends for coming and their thoughtful gifts, to my mama for helping me clean in a hot house, braiding halle's hair, and blowing up balloons, to my other mama for buying the slip n' slide, decorating and helping out, to auntie rachel for holding up the shark head most of the party, to my amazing husband for going along with the insanity, being prince eric, and letting children into our home even though germs freak you and your chemo self out. What would I have done without all of your help!

roses in december

There is a picture that hangs in the cancer center where Wes gets his chemotherapy. It is a photo of a cancer patient with a radiant smile and no hair skydiving with the words "celebrate life" printed underneath. The first time I saw it I immediately became emotional. I was struck by how special cancer fighters and survivors, especially young ones, truly are.  They have a unique perspective. They understand how important it is to "celebrate" life because they have a better understanding of how quickly life can be taken from you. They understand what most people don't fully realize until they age and come close to the end of their mortal life. It is a perspective that comes when you see how short our time on earth really is. 

These cancer patients are unique because they reach a point where all they really want out of life is just a little more time. 

Things that seemed important before fall away while things that matter most become more apparent. When you stare the possibility of your own death in the face you are forever changed. It becomes more about making memories and building relationships then it does about getting ahead or making money. It becomes more about living in the moment you have instead of wishing for a future moment or something better.

I have learned so much from Wes's cancer journey especially after enduring that first weekend of uncertainty. We had no idea if cancer had spread to any other vital organs. We did not know the severity of his illness. On the way home from the hospital that first day he said to me through tears, "I just want to take our girls to Disneyland." and another time he confessed he just wanted to live long enough to baptize Halle, things we had taken for granted before.  Essentially, he was saying "I just want a little more time and here is what I would do with it."

My thinking has changed so much. Time has become a precious gift and I wonder to myself "what will I do with it?" I am so much more aware of all the distractions that threaten to take up my time.  Will I spend my time on my phone or watching television or will I spend it playing with my children and making memories with them? Will they remember that mommy played or mommy cleaned or mommy was on her computer all day? Will my husband know how much he makes me laugh or remember how much I nagged? This is not intended to frighten you or to make you uncertain of the future, but to tell you as someone who has seen someone who has had to travel that dark road to the edge and back just how important our own mortality is and what matters
It means you have to live right now, whatever that means for you and your own personal circumstances.

It means you're a little bit more willing to celebrate life and relationships and all of the seemingly mundane moments that go with it.

For me it means so many things. It means you have more days where you let your children play in the rain and just plain get dirty.  It means you camp out in the backyard and let them stay up a little late.  It means you let them help even if it takes three times longer.  It means you are more kind and tender and slower to anger.  It means they know you want to be with them.  It means you listen and listen and listen to that talkative four year old and all the things that are important to her. It means maybe you do what your spouse wants to do, even if it is watching them play video games while you sit beside them or they watch that girly movie just because it means they will be next to you.  It means you compromise just a little bit more. It means maybe you should be more quick to say sorry instead of my awesome silent treatment tactic.  It means date night every week isn't a nice suggestion but an absolute necessity.  It means courting and romance don't end after marriage, but a constant effort is made to treat each other like newlyweds.  It means more love notes in lunch boxes.  It means you hold hands more.  It means you say "I love you" so much more to everyone you hold dear and tell them why.  It means you see more things and appreciate the beauty of the small things.  A stormy day, a rainbow, a beautiful garden, cloud shapes, a child's laugh, snow, a nice long chat with a friend suddenly become something special.  It means being up at night with a child is less of a nuisance and more of an opportunity to snuggle them.  It means celebrating small victories, whatever they may be. There is no time to covet, be jealous, or unforgiving. It means vocalizing dreams and making plans to make those dreams come true.  

Wes and I have always wanted to go to Europe.  It has always been our "someday" dream to take a trip there together.  I have no idea if his cancer will come back.  I am not planning on it.  I am, however, planning on making memories with him in the meantime.  Things we have always said we'll do when we get out of school or when we make more money. So next summer we are taking the plunge.  We'll see London and we'll see France (and hopefully no one's underpants).  I am so excited to check this off our list! It is not about throwing our budget out the window or blowing all our savings on whatever strikes our fancy. It's not about living carefree, but about living on purpose. We of all people know that rainy days happen, our air conditioner and brakes on our car have made sure we remember that this past month. But maybe it means I don't need 2 pairs of floral jeans (but seriously one pair is a necessity) or maybe it means I don't have the house of my dreams.  But honestly do you think a child is going to remember their perfectly decorated home or their trip to Disneyland?  It doesn't mean you have to work to make every minute of every day count, there are some days that kids throw tantrums and it's dinner time and you're still in your pajamas that I don't necessarily want to celebrate.  It is about knowing when to seize the moment and celebrate life.  And maybe sometimes that means you grab some oreos and watch reality tv after a long day.

Time and the memories we make are so very precious.  There is a quote my sister-in-law shared on her blog by J.M. Barrie that says, "God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December." 

I am so grateful for the "roses" I already have stocked up and can't wait to grow some more with the people I love.

Are you growing your own beautiful roses?

last dance

No, this post is not about a Nicholas Sparks-esque romance novel as you may gather from the title, but actually all about Halle's last dance class of the year.  The parents were allowed to sit in on the class and see our little ballerinas in action.  I was surprised to see how well Halle knew all the ballet terms.  Her progress has been amazing to watch.  I loved how the teacher taught the girls to stretch by making it fun and using things they know about, but at the same time taught them the correct terminology.  I was all over taking photos of her throughout the class.  I swear I am not a stage mom I just find my little one in a leotard and tights absolutely adorable, although I am sure I looked like a freak.

 

stretching out "flying to disneyland" 

 more stretching "making a pizza"

stretching "like a frog"

 she has loved having her friend madeleine in her class

 

 

We can't wait for next year!

lagoon day

When my mom came to visit in June we made a split second decision to take the girls to Lagoon.  We left Wes to convalesce at home and get some peace and quiet.
We had a great time.  I scared the pants off Halle on dino drop.  Her face was priceless and she still thinks about it.  

She loved all the kid rides, mostly because she got to ride by herself and on each ride she imagined herself on some mission or in some kind of story.  

Lily and grandma were pals.  

I loved spending the day with Halle and devoting a large chunk of time to just being with her and doing what she wanted to do. 

Me and Lily taking a cookie break.  She doesn't consider any day a success unless she has had a cookie.

I think she basically ate and drank and rode around in her stroller. The perfect day in my opinion.
And of course mom insisted we had to get an old timey photo taken of the girls in which the girls were in a tub andLily screamed the whole time, but it actually turned out pretty darling
Halle is already planning her next trip to Lagoon.  

It was a much needed "day off."

st. george two times

Mini vacations to st. george are always delightful.  

Our first one was a necessary trip, but slightly complicated because my family all had a nasty stomach bug that just wouldn't leave their house, so we had to keep Wes away from my parents house.  We spent a night in his grandparents condo and then dropped the girls off with grandma while we headed out to Las Vegas for the Miss USA preliminaries.  

What a treat to take a little trip sans kids.  They were well taken care of and we had a blast with Wes's family spending the day in vegas and watching Kendyl compete.  

We headed back to St. George where I was dropped off so I could take care of the girls while Wes went home to stay away from the sickness.  The girls and I had fun splash padding and being with family.  

A few days later Wes and his family came back, picked me up and headed back to Vegas for the final Miss USA competition.  We went out to dinner and Wes found master chief and couldn't resist taking a picture.  

All seemed well until we got back to our room and I got nauseous and threw up. I panicked.  So terrified that I would get Wes sick I grabbed my stuff, said good bye, and decided to drive back to st. george at eight o clock at night.  A few miles out of Vegas I got sick again, had to quickly pull over and vomit on the side of the road.  I can imagine the cars on I-15 were sure I had partied a little too hard in Vegas.  It was a pitiful sight and that is when I knew I wouldn't make it back to St. George.  I headed back to our hotel and my in-laws sweetly paid for a new room and I was quarantined in our old room.  And I am pretty proud of myself for navigating Saturday night Las Vegas strip traffic and making it back to Planet Hollywood all by myself.  Amazingly, enough I felt so much better and didn't get sick again, which kind of makes me think it was a little bit of food poisoning, because our girls never got sick.  I spent the whole next day in my room until the pageant and then sat on the opposite side of the row away from Wes.  Kendyl looked absolutely fabulous.  We were so proud of her and had such a good time watching Akon perform and just being there.  

What an amazing accomplishment and we were so lucky to be there!  

The next day I went to St. George and Wes headed home.  I spent a few days with the girls, enjoying cousins,  playing with Uncle Ryan and new Aunt Haley, keeping all germs in St. George and then came home.  

We discovered that Halle wants to be a pageant girl and Lily is not a water baby.

 Our second trip was purely to enjoy the last couple of weeks before Wes goes back to work.  He basically wanted to have help with the girls so he could relax a little more.  And they loved it.  Both girls couldn't wait to see their cousins.  Lily could not stop giving Haylee kisses and pointing at the "baby" even though she is younger then her.  

We took Halle to see brave, went to the splash pad, rode the carousel, played in the bouncy house, and had an all around good time.  

And thanks to mom we were able to work out together and I was so proud to see Wes out running. 

Thank you mom for doing so much, letting me sleep, taking care of our girls, cooking for us and wearing yourself out while we come to visit. You male it so much fun for us to come!

to the coolest kid around...

I think you're the greatest girl a mom could ever ask for.

My constant helper and best friend.

You are by my side each day telling me about the things you see and helping me to see the world through your eyes.  

You finish the lyrics of the songs I sing and still read books in bed with me.

Your imagination is out of this world.  It takes you anywhere you want to go.  I hope that ability is something you never lose.

You are an artist.  You love to paint and have a fettish for all things blue.  In fact, you really wish we could dye your hair blue.  You honestly just woke up a few minutes ago crying and when I went in to see what was wrong, half asleep you told me, "I want to paint."  And then you fell back asleep.

You are a loving big sister.  Your sister wants to do the things you do.  I am certain the reason she can say so many words is because she has you for an example.  You make sure we never leave miss lily behind.  You are her defender and teacher, as a big sister should be.

A little lipstick and a twirly skirt make you happy.

 You adore other children and want so much to make them laugh. 

You are incredibly obedient and love to please your mom.  We had a tough conversation about leaving your shoes in my car, one of your habits.  And now every once in awhile you call out from the back seat that you are being good because you are leaving your shoes on.

You have a sweet tooth, adore chocolate, and still make faces at anything tart or citrus.

Hardly a day goes by without you complimenting my outfit or the way I clean a room.  

You are a thinker.  I could tell even today you are thinking about all that is happening in your life as you timidly asked me if sick people can go to the dinosaur museum and then later you proudly proclaimed to the story time teacher "when my dad feels better, we're going to disneyland."  And now when we sing, "be brave little one" as we comb the knots out of your hair I think about all the other ways you have had to be brave.

These last few months have been emotional for everyone, but especially you.  I sometimes feel I am too hard on you and often forget you are only four.  I expect so much because you are so mature.  I pray to be better, but know I fall short.  I hope you can see it is all out of love. 

This year you asked for "my own keys to the real car" and a trampoline.  You won't be getting either of those things, but we hope you feel how special you are to us anyway.

 Happy fourth birthday to our little kikster.  

You are beautiful inside and out.

Annnd stop growing.  Thanks.