The Party to End All Parties

Giant bag of movie theatre popcorn hidden under table

The chocolate is splattered a bit in this picture because the door was left open and the wind got it!

When we first told the kids we were moving I quickly told them that they could have a big end of the year/ going away party to say goodbye to their friends.  I obviously made that promise to lessen the blow of the move.  And of course they held me to it, even though they are mostly fine with moving now.

So Thursday, the last day of school, we had the party.  I knew I was in over my head when I let them each invite 10 kids and then we invited a few family friends too... and then everyone started rsvp'ing with YES.  Like, almost every single person came.  We ended up with 35 kids total.

I enlisted the help of Bremily and if it weren't for them, and the two dads that ended up staying, Mack may have gone missing and the house may have burned down, or a child may have died- I don't know.  But it was crazy and loud and wild and my kids owe me big time!

So, this was the plan of attack (and Dave even made a spreadsheet for it):

6:00- 6:45- kids are arriving, have pizza and drinks in the backyard

6:45- explain each station, divide into groups and begin the rotations (each station was approx. 15 min.)

Station 1.  Relay races in the front yard

Station 2.  Photo booth in the garage

Station 3.  Games in the backyard

Station 4.  Chocolate fountain in the kitchen

7:45- fill candy bags and popcorn cups, get blankets and settle on the back lawn

8:00pm- begin the outdoor movie

9:30- party over, kids leave

How hard could it be?

The Photo Booth was FUN!

So that was the plan... and it mostly went as anticipated. The kids were extremely hyper and the bottom line is that 35 kids together in one house/yard is just going to be crazy.  I think it went as well as it could have gone.  They did love the stations and when broken into groups they were more manageable.

My main mistake was the movie choice.  I was looking for something that would hold the attention of 7 year olds and 11 year olds.  So we got, "We Bought a Zoo."  Lots of the kids were excited to see it but some of the kids were loud and that made it hard to hear.  Looking back I think a more action packed film would have been better.

Now some info on the stations- The chocolate fountain was a hit (thanks mom!) and the dipping items included strawberries, rice crispies, pretzels, marshmallows, oreos, pineapple and nilla wafers.  Also, I called our local movie theatre and got them to donate a bag of popcorn for the movie!  It was awesome except that my house smelled of movie theatre popcorn the whole day and it was difficult to refrain.  

We did really simple games and relays but who doesn't love those?  They were easy but fun- egg race, shoe tangle, "clean your room," and tennis ball toss.  

For the photo booth I downloaded free mustache and lips etc. templates from "Oh Happy Day" and cut them out.  I also threw some of our own dress ups in the mix. I wanted to print the pictures that night and send them with the kids but that was asking too much of myself.

Dave borrowed a projector from work but because of a breeze we ended up just taping a large carstock paper to the fence to show the movie on- it worked so well!  I can't wait to do it again (the outdoor movie thing, not the 35 kid party).

After about 30 minutes of the movie we lost them all and it was mass chaos on the trampoline, popcorn everywhere, kids running about.  I'm surprised we managed to keep most of them in the backyard!  They are all really good kids so that helped- no one was being naughty, just excited and having fun.  Another small issue was that Lexi and Logan are only 17 months apart and in 4th and 5th grade so there were some boy/girl teasing/flirting/chasing going on (mostly instigated by the boys and a couple of boy-crazy girls) that added to the madness but we managed it ok.  It gave me a small, scary glimpse into our future teen years though!

My only regret is the amount of pictures.  I never got a large group photo and did not have a second to get any pictures of the games/relays.  Or any kids enjoying the fountain.  Or one of Mack wandering aimlessly, alone, eating popcorn and pizza off the ground.  Oh well.

 I've said it once and I'll say it again- my kids owe me big time!  I've already gotten lots of big thanks from them and even a thank you note from Lexi so that's good.

 And I owe Bremily huge time!  Between Dave and I and Brett and Emily, we each managed a station (and Emily managed the babies too!) and we did it.  I couldn't have done it without them!

Now that it's over... I'm glad I did it.  The kids got to say a final goodbye to their best friends and have some fun memories to hold on to!

The Haps

Last weekend Brett, Emily and baby Parker came out so that Parker could be blessed here. It was a fun occasion. He is such a cute little guy and I love seeing Bremily as parents!

Then Brett went back to work and I got to hang with Emily... and Parker and Mack got to bond. They bonded over shopping and sleeping through lunch. And then they bonded as they were both fed in the car in the parking garage.

They had a special moment on the grass when Mack reached over to touch Parkers mouth and Parker stuck his tongue out and licked him. Mack liked it.

My big kids love their little cousin

Sweet baby Parker

Lastly, another attempted family picture, this time photo-bombed by Logan.

Like father like son:

But for reals, he got in a little trouble when I uploaded this pic and discovered his "hilarious" photo-bomb because it was the only decent pic of the rest of us and what if I had really needed a good family picture and he had ruined it? I told him he must ask permission before pulling faces in future family photos.

Have a great weekend!

Backyard Shower for Amy!

My friend Lorie and I had a baby shower for our friend Amy!

It was a great excuse to get my backyard fixed up and summer ready!

Dave helped me so much- we planted flowers in the garden, in pots and in hanging baskets. We laid gravel down in between our rocks (finally), trimmed our fast growing trees (we can't keep up with them!) and Dave added trim along our path. You can't really see any of these details in the pictures but it looked great.

Lorie and I had a great time planning everything and the weather was so amazing that night. Not too hot, a little breeze, it was so fun! Congrats to Amy who is having baby #2 and a boy this time!

Mack crashed the party at the end for a few minutes because I missed him when he went to dinner with Dave and the kids.

Now that my yard is good to go I need to plan some more parties back there!

Dads

Only a dad with a tired face,

Coming home from the daily race,

Toiling and striving from day to day,

Facing whatever may come his way,

Glad in his heart that his own rejoice

To see him come home and to hear his voice.

Only a dad, but he gives his all,

Smoothing the way for his children small,

Doing with courage so stern and grim

The deeds that his father did for him.

These are the lines that for him I pen,

Only a dad—but the best of men.

I feel blessed to have a father that took care of us. He worked hard everyday so that we could enjoy our lives. He made sure we had what we needed and much more. He sacrificed for us and we knew he loved us.

Now I have a husband that does the same thing for my children and I am so thankful.

Happy Fathers Day to my two favorite Dads.

What would we do without them?

They are the best.

I've always loved this talk here.

A Plethora of Family Events

The last few weeks have been completely full of family events. And big ones too! Everyone came to town and we had so much fun. We went to the temple three times in one week. It was crazy but awesome.

Event #1: My brothers fiance (now wife) Moriah went to the temple for the first time:

It is always so fun to be in the temple with family.

Event #2: My sisters newest adopted baby, Norah, was sealed to their family in the temple:

She is so sweet.

It is fun to see all of Angie and Pete's kids in the temple for a sealing. Sealings are so special and mean so much. I am thankful we can be together forever as a family.

Event #3: My brother Dustin married Moriah in the Oakland temple. Six of my eight siblings were in the temple for the occasion and of course our parents and lots of other family members. It was so nice.

I was the photographer and it was a lot of work being a guest too. Special thanks to my friend Mindy York for finding me a super cute wedding dress that I could take pictures in comfortably and matched the colors a little bit! Mindy is an amazing shopper.

Seriously! I LOVE the colors Moriah chose. So bright and pretty. I loved my brothers grey tux. The reception was gorgeous. Of course more pictures will come. It was a lovely day and I am happy for them. They make a great couple and are now in Mexico enjoying alone time.

Event #4: My sister Kaley's BFF Kelly got baptized a member of the church. She is so sweet and I am SO happy for her. She asked me to speak at her baptism. I had a strange nervous reaction of cotton mouth which had never happened to me before when public speaking. I couldn't even conjure up an ounce of saliva when I was up there giving my talk. But it turned out fine. The spirit was so strong at her baptism and I so admire her faith and courage to take this big step! She is an amazing girl. My sis Kays also spoke and did a great job. It was a really nice day.

And that is the basic run down. I am still recovering from it all. I am tired. But it is a good tired. I love having my family in town and cousins to play with everyday. I love special events and that we can all be together for them.

More details to follow!

Logan's Baptism

Logan was baptized on Saturday. It was a really special day for him. He was very excited and so many loved ones came from near and far to be there to celebrate.

I tortured him by a)making him wear a suit (he hates church clothes)

b) making him pose for a million pictures (he hates doing pictures).

He was a good sport though and I loved him to pieces in his suit so it was all worth it.

(with his new scriptures)

Our special guests included:

Grandma Susie

Uncle Chad and cousins Clayton and Conner

Grandma and Grandpa Blodgett

Uncles Brett, Dustin, Landon and soon to be Aunt Moriah

Aunt Jean and cousins Drew and Reagan

Clayton even showed up in a matching tie!

And Grandpa Tom and Grandma Sue

Logan has so many uncles to look up to that he loves. I'm glad.

Plus we had lots of our friends come to celebrate too. Thanks to everyone who made it! Logan had a great day.

He even got to eat a giant frosting balloon from his cake.

On Sunday in church the Bishop had each child who had been baptized come up to the stand so the ward could welcome them into the fold. He asked them to bear their testimony. I was not aware that he was going to have to do that. I know that Logan was super nervous but I was so proud of him for being brave and walking up to the podium and bearing a short but sweet testimony.

Logan is such an obedient and thoughtful child. He has a big heart and the desire to make good choices. He is the definition of sweet and I hope he stays that way. I am so thankful for moments like these as a mother. Watching him get baptized and confirmed warmed my heart and I felt so much love for him and so much gratitude that I get to be his Mom. I am so blessed!

p.s. I have to talk about the food for just a second. When I counted and realized I was going to be feeding around 50 people I wanted something yummy and extremely easy. My friend Amy helped me decide on Pulled Pork Sandwiches and told me to buy a pork shoulder from Costco. It was the size of a one year old child (for $30). We cut it into thirds and cooked it all day in 3 crock pots with an onion soup packet on top. Then I poured Kinders Roasted Garlic BBQ sauce all over it and let me tell you it was the most delicious meat I've ever had. I've been eating it all week long. Seriously go get yourself some of that magical sauce and try it! You will not be disappointed!