Briggs' Birthday

Briggs' 8th birthday was a week-end full of fun.  The celebration kicked off on Friday after school when he invited 5 friends to come over to hang out and go play laser tag.

I worried that the weather might interfere with our plans, but the roads stayed clear enough for us to make it to Washington and back for the planned festivities.

Briggs invited his friends Ryker, George, Eli, Cedar, and Landon to join in the fun.  The boys ate snacks and played at our house until it was time for laser tag.

Laser tag was a BIG hit.  The boys all had a lot of fun running around and shooting at each other.  The money spent was well worth it...especially because that was a big chunk of time that I wasn't refereeing or supervising a gaggle of 2nd grade boys at my house.

After laser tag, we came back to our house for dinner (make your own pizzas), dessert (brownies and ice cream), and some more play time before the boys got picked up.

Both girls had their first friend sleep over around their 8th birthday, so Briggs wanted to do the same.  After the rest of the boys left, George stayed over.  The boys watched a Paw Patrol movie before bed, went to sleep really easily (hooray for laser tag!), and had a lot of fun playing the next morning.  Birthday sleepover success!!

On Sunday, which was Briggs' actual birthday, my family came over to celebrate Briggs and Adelie's March birthdays.  Lunch and cupcakes and presents and cousins made the day extra fun for Briggs.

Turning 8 is great...and Briggs had a great time celebrating with family and friends.

Interview with an 8 Year Old

Favorite color:  Blue and green

Favorite food:  Mac and cheese

Least favorite food:  Brussel sprouts

Favorite restaurant:  Culvers

Favorite dessert:  Ice cream

Favorite toy: Legos and cars

Favorite stuffed animal:  Bear Bear

Favorite animal:  Baby chicks

Favorite game:  Spot It

Favorite movie:  Paw Patrol: The Movie

Favorite sport:  Soccer

Favorite activity:  Reading

Favorite thing to do at home:  Play

Favorite thing about school:  I really like science.

Favorite place to go locally:  State Farm Pool and laser tag

Favorite place to go on vacation:  I really like Michigan.

Favorite thing to do with Staley:  Play "Fly"

Favorite thing to do with Adelie:  Play "Kid Squisher"

Favorite thing to do with Mommy:  Talk, play, and cuddle

Favorite thing to do with Daddy:  Talk and play Legos

Favorite book:  Graphic novels

Favorite outfit:  My blue pants, my shirt with the monster on it, and socks

Favorite pajamas:  Footie pajamas

Favorite play that you've been in:  Beauty and the Beast

What is one thing you are looking forward to about being 8?  Being older

What are you scared of?  The dark and heights and other things too, but those are the main ones.

What is the best thing about you?  I'm kind.

What are you good at?  I'm good at sports and reading.

What is something you would like to learn how to do or get better at?  Doing cross arms on jump rope

Who is your best friend?  George

Where is one place you've never been that you would like to go?  It might be fun to see the Eiffel Tower.

What do you want to be when you grow up?  I have no idea.

Love this 8 year old!!

Happy Birthday, Briggs!

Briggs is my littlest.  My baby.  My last.  And eight years have flown by since he entered this world and completed our family.

My newborn baby!

He stole our hearts with his big eyes and quick smiles.

He changed the house from all tutus and pink to trains and diggers and things that go.

Although he loves his sisters and his Daddy and his cousins and his friends, he has always been a Mama's boy.

He's a cautious kid and a creature of habit, but each year he tries new things and expands his world just a little bit more.

One thing that never changes?  Those big eyes and sweet face.

I love watching him learn and grow.

I love watching him figure out his world and the things that he loves.

Eight years have flown by.  My baby isn't a baby anymore, and that's okay.  I have loved the years that have brought us to now, and I love the boy that Briggs has become.  I am so grateful and so blessed to be his mom.

Happy (3 days after your) Birthday, Briggs!!

We love you so much!!

Question of the Day

When your hotel tells you they are going to give you a free upgrade to a "conference room suite", what do you picture?

If you said "this", you're correct.

If we were going to have to host a last minute business meeting on our week-end away, we were ready!

Goodbye, February!

I have often said that February is my least favorite month of the year.  Cold.  Gray.  Too far from Christmas and not close enough to spring.  And although I can't say that it has moved up the ranks on the best months of the year in Illinois chart, this February has been relatively mild, provided some sunshine and nice weather, and has been filled with some fun activities.  February still isn't my favorite, but it did itself some favors this year including...

A night out at the Barn Theater with Zach's family.

A Western themed Daddy Daughter Dance that Adelie and Zach went to for the grade school.

Staley's birthday gift, which was a day trip to St. Louis with Jill and Lila to see Six at the Fox Theater.

The weather was beautiful, we had a yummy lunch at Fountain on Locust, we made it to our seats in the theater just as the lights were dimming, we all thoroughly enjoyed the show, and then we stopped for ice cream on the way home.  It was a great way to celebrate turning 12!

We enjoyed getting to see Adelie as Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor, during her 4th grade Living Museum activity at school.

Briggs had fun with friends at Elevate at a birthday party for one of his friends from school.

And then Adelie got to enjoy Elevate and time with her friend, Stanley, for his birthday.

Adelie's school news team got to take a field trip to watch a local TV station film the 5:00 news and then go out for pizza.  So much fun!!

Adelie and Briggs both celebrated Valentine's Day at school with school parties.

Zach and I enjoyed a week-end away in Chicago.  We took advantage of free admission to the Shedd Aquarium, Art Museum, and Field Museum.  (Guess they have to incentivize people to come to Chicago for a vacation in the middle of February.)

We also enjoyed a yummy dinner out in the city with Ethan...

and great seats to see Les Mis at the Cadillac Theater.  It was a really fun, relaxing get-away.

And just like all our months, we fill in any other free time we have with school and work (and cat sitting),...

enjoying nice weather when we get it,...

extracurricular activities,...

play dates,...

fun time with friends,...

and trying to keep up with our crazy schedule and all of life's other obligations.

And when life throws us a little free time, we grab it!

So long, February and howdy, March!

We're ready for ya!!

She Says...

On the way home from church today, I asked Zach to stop and get some bacon and brown sugar.  The kids asked why I needed it and I said, "I'm going to make chili.  I want to take some to Aunt Jan and Uncle Jack since Uncle Jack just had surgery, and then the rest will be for our dinner tonight."  Adelie replied, "OR you could just give it all to Aunt Jan and Uncle Jack.  Then they'd have more, and I wouldn't have to eat any.  It's a win-win."

#alwaysthinking

#winwin

#exceptforthepersonwhomakesthedinner

In the Beginning...

All the NTA and school shows that my kids are in are licensed productions, meaning I am not allowed to take pictures or videos during the shows.  However, they do pay for the rights for an archival DVD to be made and for an individual to take archival photos during the show.  I was just given access to some of the photos going all the way back to when Staley first started Stage Kids.  I had a great time going through these old pictures (from over 20 productions that Staley has been in), but one of my favorite things was just seeing how comfortable and expressive Staley was on stage from a very young age.  And so I have decided to post a collection of favorite Staley stage moments that were captured on film.

Staley's very first show.  She was so little that no one else's faces were even in the picture.  Too cute!

She was the cutest little seahorse in The Little Mermaid!  And in every picture from this show, Staley is smiling.  She just loved being on stage.

Gladys Herdman--the littlest and meanest of the bunch.

I love how expressive Staley was during the shipwreck scene in Madagascar.

Staley as Olaf is still one of my favorites.

Hei Hei was another fun role.

Staley really nailed the role of funny sidekick.  Kuwalski in Madagascar, Olaf in Frozen, Hei Hei in Moana, and then Iago in Aladdin.

And actually, she continued her funny sidekick streak as the Young Kangaroo in Seussical.

This was Staley's favorite picture as Winthrop in The Music Man.

I think the hardest part of Staley's role in Beauty and the Beast was walking in her costume.

Even when she is in small roles or in the ensemble, Staley is always expressive while creating her character on stage.

God has blessed Staley with theatrical gifts.  I love watching her use her God-given gifts doing something she loves.