Pee-Jay-Par-Tay

Jillian's "Pretend Sleepover" was today, and our house was busting at the seams with girls, girls, girls. We. Had. A. Blast. This party was very last minute - only about 8 days to plan, buy, make, decorate, etc. Our local Papa Murphy's had large take-n-bake pizzas on sale for $3.99, and I thought "oh, two pizzas will definitely be enough." Boy, was I ever wrong. Eight girls cleaned out 2 pizzas in minutes. Minutes I tell ya. After dinner, we made soccer hair bands (some girls have them on in the pictures), danced to Jillian's favorite songs, played "would you rather," opened presents, ate cake and ice cream, played with the presents, then had a few "bedtime stories" before the girls were picked up by their parents. Each girl left with a diary, a satin eye mask with lash detail, and a pajama party soundtrack of Jillian's favorite music with a little thank you note written on the disc. The party was a big, HUGE success. Jillian was on top of the world, and all of the girls were terrific, simply delightful.

Josh is Three!

Happy Birthday to our big guy, nephew, and cousin. We love your outgoing personality, the way you always insist on being in the thick of things, your independent spirit, and your awnry grin. If a game has ball, you are there and dressed in the appropriate uniform I might add. We love you big guy and hope your big day is everything you deserve.

Just one more story, Mommy, puh-leeze!

I have to say this is a K-E-E-P-E-R, keeper. Jillian is infamous for always, always, always asking for just one more bedtime story. We read for about 10 minutes every night before bed, but that 10 minutes is never enough. SO, for her birthday, she received a Barbie bedtime story clock and nightlight. And lets just say, it is magnificent. It has a nightlight and a projector with 3 images, AND two bedtime stories, The Princess and the Pauper and The 12 Dancing Princesses. We, and I do mean we (not just she) love, love, love it.

The Family Party

This year Jillian wanted to have a sleepover for her birthday party, and well since 6-10 five year old girls screaming for their moms and dads at 11 pm didn't sound like MY idea of fun, we opted for a pretend sleepover aka A. Pajama. Party. Which meant we needed to separate the good ole family party and the wild and crazy friend party. Today: Family Party. Saturday: Friend Party. Today's Plan: simple, simple, simple. Saturday's plan: stay tuned...

So we celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa Waishnora, Uncle Matt, Aunt Jennifer, Joshua, and Alyssa. Pizza and Salad then the most adorable cupcakes and ice cream. Unfortunately, I am still not feeling quite well, so I didn't get too many pictures. But I had a wonderful assistant that captured many lovely images of our living room floor. Thanks Josh, you were a big, big, HUGE help!

Happy Birthday Jillian!

~

Five years ago today, Mark went rushing down the hospital hall into the waiting room and through tear filled eyes declared, "It's a girl, and she's beautiful!"

Happy Birthday Jennifer!

"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been."~ Madeleine L'Engle

Please join me in wishing Mark's sister a very happy, happy birthday (not that it couldn't be because she is on an island off the coast of Florida right now.) She is one of the most wonderful people on this planet, the original Jennifer Waishnora. Everyone who knows Jennifer, loves Jennifer. Here are a few reasons I think she is soooo great...

She is always up for an adventure, stays active, and teaches the importance of these things by example to her children. * * She has big, HUGE dreams, her education and personal legacy is on the forefront. * * She keeps things exciting - even the little things. * * She isn't afraid to take on Mark in a cupcake eating contest. * * She makes some mean cupcakes herself - I know it is just a box, but no one does 'em like she does. * * She is extremely friendly and kind-hearted. * * She is real. * * She always looks for the good in everyone and never spotlights the bad. * * She finds the fun in every situation. * * She is an amazing Mother. * * She washed my husbands dishes before I did, even the special-can't-be-washed-in-the-dishwasher plate. And that is honor enough ;)

Wedding Bells with a Curly Headed Boy

Today was spent vegging out on the sofa finally watching all the glorious movies that have been piling up on our DVR. Starting with Camp Rock...afterwards, Jillian declared,

"I'm gonna find myself a curly headed boy, and I'm gonna marry him!"

All I can say is, heaven help us when she's a teenager (if the full-blown-I-like-boys years wait that long) especially with the boy crazy genes she comes from. We. are. in. for. it. Despite her unrequited love for the curly-mop Jonas brother (she and half the girl population under 14), every girl should have a innocent crush on a famous boy heartthrob at least once. So -- I thought I would check into concert tickets for her birthday. They are playing Nationwide Arena on August 23, and da-ta-da, the only tickets left are in the nose bleed section for $60 or some Citibank promotional ticket for $1000 (no, I did not accidentally type an extra zero.) Next stop - Ebay.

Mermaid Fun

My little mermaid SO needs this. Talk about the ultimate pool accessory. This would definitely be a huge hit for Jillian's birthday. She already thinks she is a mermaid - she will stretch herself across the living room floor with her legs together, toes pointed, and flutter as if she had a real mermaid tail. It was featured in this month's Cookie magazine, so I have been unable to find a website that has it in stock. If anyone else has any luck, let me know.

Happy 1st Birthday Karigan

Meme and Poppy sent me balloons and a teddy bear for my birthday. Boy, was I surprised when I woke up from my nap. I Love Balloons!

At the last minute (the way everything is for us) we opted for a small party at home for Karigan's first birthday. Grandma and Grandpa Waishnora and Aunt Jennifer, Josh, and Alyssa came over. Mark and I made dinner for everyone - parmesan crusted chicken, tortellini, and tomato mozzarella salad. After dinner the kids played with bubbles and on the play set in the backyard. Then we opened presents. Karigan received a new dress with tiny pink roses from Grandma and Grandpa, a stuffed Blue and Sprinkles with magnetic hands from the Richters, a chenille purse with a lipstick rattle, quilted money, mirror compact, and heart-shaped keys from Brendan and Jillian, then new apple PJs, a paisley handkerchief print dress, a sippy cup, and a Playskool Walk-n-Ride from Mommy and Daddy. She loved opening the packages, and the big kids liked showing her how. The cake was perhaps, as it normally is on first birthdays, the best part. At first she just pinched the frosted dots off the top of the cake. Once everyone stopped watching, she was down to business. She topped the night off with a bath in the sink and, shortly after, fell asleep in Grandma's arms.