Sunny day in AZ

This is the time of year to come visit! Gorgeous day! I feel a little bad that my mom and sister made it outside (maybe) 2 times last weekend. I was too busy putting them to work, that they didn't get a good vacation. Well, now that the Blue and Gold is done and so is Sweetie's birthday - you should come again! The weather is hot, but still nice. It is starting to feel like summer! I swear.
Anyone is welcome!

Here is my back yard. Blue sky.

The pool looks inviting, but it is still TOO COLD! Sweetie is starting to climb. Scary.

Daycare Princess is loving the swings - all of the swings. She also enjoys cleaning up her ice-cream cone she left outside from Wednesday (I guess I don't get in the back yard much to notice a melted chocolate cone).

Then RHM came home from preschool and showed off his bike skills. Go RED!

Blue and Gold with a Chinese New Year Twist

This is the biggest event of the year in Cub Scouts. Now, some might say that it would be the Pinewood Derby, but I disagree. This is our opportunity to celebrate the birthday of scouting! GO SCOUTS!

This is an over view of the room. The lanterns were hung up in the morning from 8 am - 11am. It was easy, but it took a while to string everything. The women who do aerobics at the church helped set up the tables and chairs! THANKS!

This mural on the wall was colored with chalks by my friend, S.S. She was the mastermind behind the whole night. She has 6 girls and no boys, but she jump right in when I asked for her help, advice, and suggestions. She is an amazing woman, mother, and artist.

Thanks, SS for this amazing piece to art. It really added to the theme and to the evening.
THIS IS MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT! She is the assistant Cub Master. Very helpful and extremely flexible. She understands and is there for me when things need to change on the fly (or when I forget to do something). Sometimes I plan too much.

My scout and big helper, the Oldest. Look close and you will see chop sticks, felt fortune cookies, and "blue and gold chocolate coins with scout logos". TWO CHOCOLATES per person, times 130 people! Another great cook and friend did the chocolates and the food! YUMMY! She served orange chicken, sweet and sour meatballs, and bok choy (SS made this!). LOTS OF YUMMIES!

Let's move on to desserts. The pack traditionally has a father/son cake decorating contest. These are my favorites. My son put the cupcakes (that I froze) from this past weekend and made the Great Wall of cupcakes.

This was amazing. A webelo in my pack made this or at least his dad did.
Loved this cake! Ying and the Yang. Awesome!
The wolf den MADE THIS! The dragon's head is amazing. It is paper mache with chicken wire and cereal boxes. WOW! It stole the show!
Each parent gave their boy a red envelope with a special message inside about why their boy is so special!

Look at these best dressed scouts!
This is SS. The pack gave her some flowers for all of her hard work with this event!


Arrow of Light ceremony and below is the Cross Over ceremony. Such a jam pack filled night. The evening lasted 2 hours, but it FLEW by for me. Can't wait till next months Pinewood Derby!

The Wal-mart connection

So a year ago I was in labor with Sweetie at Wal-mart. TRUE STORY.

My water broke earlier in the day at Micheal's craft store while my mom and I were looking for a cross stich for the future baby. Then we went to the birth center to get an IV for the strep B that I tested positive for. I then had 4 hours to kill before I HAD to go to the hospital for the next IV treatment. So, what is a girl to do?

My mom and I met Travis at Subway. (So I bet you are wondering when the Wal-mart part comes in.) Then I ate lunch. I am in mild labor at this point. I have to stop eating during a few contractions. Not too bad. It was at this point Travis realizes that we are having a baby today.

After lunch, my mom took Travis' car and Travis and I went to a shopping center close to the hospital (that was the deal I made with the midwife, stay close to the hospital and then I didn't have to go to the hospital).* Well, you guessed it. That shopping center had a Wal-mart. It was new and pretty clean as Wally Worlds go. I walked and walked and walked around that store and shopping center. It was a beautiful day, much like all February days in Phoenix.

I called my free doula, my friend, and labor coach Tammy. She met us at Wal-mart. We had till 4 pm to go to the hospital, so we went shopping. We bought a bassinet for the baby, a new toilet seat cover. Don't ask. We also bought wire racks for extra shoe storage in my closet. Random, I know, but we were doing anything to keep my mind off of being in labor.

When we went to check out, the cashier noticed I was in labor. She was the only one in the store that notice all day that I was in labor. Funny!

Anyway - I checked in to the hospital and after another IV and had Sweetie au natural late that night! Very cool.

SO WHERE DID I END UP LAST NIGHT? A year to the day -
Wal-mart. I was buying things for the blue and gold banquet that is Thursday night! FUN, huh?



*If you really want to know, I couldn't have Sweetie(#4) at the birth center because Princess(#2) was a C-section. Now if you know me at all, you know that RHM(#3) was born at the birth center, so don't ask me. Rules change.

Sweetie is 1 year old!

HAPPY (real) BIRTHDAY BABY!

Mama and Dada love you very much!

All the kids watching Sweetie eat her second cupcake of the birthday week! Notice her sweet potato face. Orange. So cute!
Messy, but loveable.
Sweetie on a morning walk! Here is the video of part of it. Beautiful day, isn't it?

So after the morning birthday walk, brother decided to lock us out.

Our friend was inside with RHM (brother) watching Sweetie bang on the window to get in. I eventually rang the doorbell and viola! Open Sesame.

Sweetie had a great party on Saturday, but her birthday was rough. Her third tooth came through, so she was cranky all day and had a runny nose. All 3 teeth are on the bottom. THANK GOODNESS! I am still nursing and the top teeth scare me! It is the biting. I have never been biten, but there is always a first.

Snap Shots from Amy

When my guests walked in they signed the plate! Now there is proof of her first party that she can look at when she gets older. I know Sweetie won't remember the party, but I want her to know she has ALWAYS been loved!Lollipop "flower" cupcakes have gumdrop leaves. Look close. My mom made them. The butterfly cupcakes and marshmellow flowers were much cuter in person.

The BIRTHDAY GIRL loves phones! She loves to put our real cordless phones to her ear and say, "Hi!" Now she has her own phone to play with.

I love this shot. Look at the candy in the air! Nice camera, Amy!
This is about 1/4 of the people who popped by the party! SO FUN! We had about 53 guests. I know that party was mostly for me (and a little for Sweetie), but it was FUN!The man pit!


Dad, birthday girl and Mom.


Nice face, huh?

Don't dump it on the ground...I think we are done.
Yep! We are done.

Let's get cleaned up.

Sweetie playing with her guests and friends!

Sweetie LOVES this little guy. They are about 6 months apart and she gets giddy when she sees him.
Ahh! Another friend of Sweetie's. This one is more her size. He is a few months older and Sweetie likes to pet his hair!

Highlight from the BIRTHDAY BASH!

OK. So now you know what her first name starts with. Shh! Don't tell.

Beautiful cupcake tree. (I borrowed the tree from a friend. It turned out so cute!)

This isn't all of the cupcakes. There were MORE!Believe it or NOT!

My mom and Chrissy flew in for a quick weekend trip. I put them to WORK! They frosted and decorated 150 plus cupcakes. They did this all while I was at play practice. Cheap labor - 2 plane tickets that they bought. Hmmm. When are you coming again?

All joking aside - the cupcakes turned out better than I thought! GORGEOUS!

Ahh! Finally they can sit down and eat!

RHM eating pizza. Yummy. Sweetie likes to eat the crust. It feels good on her gums.

Amy's present.

Look! There is the birthday girl with our adopted Aunt Karen.

This is our special cupcake friend. Cute dress, huh? Her mom made Sweetie's outfit and a matching one for the cupcake eater shown above! I LOVE THE CUPCAKE OUTFIT! My mom had the best idea to take the cupcake off of the out fit and put it in a scrapbook! Smart, right?

Sweetie loved the presents! Our friend, Mark, helping Sweetie open her presents. He was a big help at the party especially when it came to the pinata candy.

Her first pinata and I let her pull all of the strings! After the string pulled open the candy, Sweetie and I got out of the way and the kids swarmed us for the good stuff.

This is the photographer and Sweetie playing with her camera. Amy's pictures are better than all of these that I took, but I can't get them on the blog yet! Soon!
This is the largest cupcake in the world. Well...maybe not. "The Couple" made this for my Sweetie! They will be getting married in less than 2 weeks! Jared (future groom and babysitter stealer) made the cake and Christin (future bride and former babysitter) frosted it. GREAT JOB!

Sweetie ate a few pieces, but basically SMASHED the cake to death!

Grandma and Sweetie resting their feet after the BASH was over!