Packing Up

Well, I’m packing up Avery and I for our Barbie Retreat.

Looking inside the suitcase I notice one thing… there’s a lot of pink in there!

And it’s mostly my stuff.

Hey, I gotta support my girl, right?

Anywhoooo, I’ll do my best to snap as many pics as I can when the “confidentiality police” aren’t looking. 😛

Signing off for the weekend, my dahling truffles!

I probably won’t post again until Tuesday, but when I do, I shall bombard you with many pinktastic details…

and possibly a giveaway too!

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It’s a Barbie Thang – Part 2

If you missed the first installment of this story click here!

So, on the 10th day we received a package from Barbie which we assumed would contain her prize. Upon further inspection, however, we quickly realized that the package was much too flat to be a Barbie or any other toy. With a slightly dismayed Avery at my side, I opened the package…

TO BE CONTINUED…

Just kidding! I’m not that cruel.

I pulled out a letter from Barbie and a small stack of papers. “SO not a Barbie doll,”  I thought to myself as I smiled at Avery. “This better be good!”

I read the letter.

I read the letter again.

I looked through the papers.

I read the letter for a third and fourth time.

According to this letter, Avery’s magical code that I had entered into the Barbie website, had been put into a second chance drawing for the Pink Ticket Barbie Party. So when one of the winning codes was never registered, they drew another in the second chance drawing. And who’s code do you think they drew?

Avery’s!!!

She won an all expenses paid trip to the Barbie Headquarters!

So, on Friday morning, a car is being sent to pick up Avery, her friend, and I.  We will be taken to a super posh hotel in Manhattan Beach. Then, on Saturday we will be escorted to the Barbie Headquarters where the girls will enjoy an entire day of Barbie fun which will include the following…

They will go to the Barbie design center and meet the folks behind Barbie, and will get to customize their very own Barbie to take home.

They will meet Barbie’s stylists and have makeovers! After said makeover, they will star in their very own fashion show and strut their stuff on the catwalk.

They will get to meet Barbie in person and have pictures taken with her. Pick me, pick me!

They will have the opportunity to rock out like a rock star on stage, be a ballerina, and frost cupcakes like a gourmet chef. Word!

And after all the fun activities are over, they get an advanced VIP screening of the newest Barbie movie coming out – The Mermaid Tales.

And… Avery still got her original prize in the mail just the other day!

I, of course, get to join in the pinktastic activities… and sign a super fun Confidentiality Agreement! WooHoo!!

Not too shabby, I say.

Moral of the story – Enter those codes, truffles! You never know what opportunities might fall into your lap.

I’ll post about our little Barbie Retreat next week. And, hopefully, I won’t get tossed into jail for sharing something I’m not supposed to.

CHEERS!

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It’s a Barbie Thang

You know those little contest codes you find on boxes, soda tops, and what not? You know, the ones you usually toss into the trash without giving them a second thought? Well, maybe you don’t do that, but that is exactly how I generally treat contests of any kind. I mean, come on, the odds of winning these things are like 1 in 78,359,257,001! And let us be honest – who has that kind of luck anyway?

Not me!

So when I bought Avery the new Barbie protagonist from the new Barbie 3 Musketeers movie, and saw in bold pink letters “BARBIE PINK TICKET PARTY! ENTER THE CODE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN” (or something like that), I immediately rolled my eyes and said, “Yeah, totally gonna bother with that. Whatever!”

But my daughter had other ideas.

Before we even got home from the store, I had the distinct impression that I would for sure get the Evilist Mother of the Century Award if I did not enter her magic code! Fab-u-lous… cuz I certainly aint got nothin’ better to do than watch the little pink poodle strolling across my computer screen with the word “loading” blinking beneath it for hours on end.

Seriously though, have you ever gone to the Barbie website? Soooooo sloooooowwww. I was begging for a mercy killing within 2 minutes.

But I endured and came forth triumphant for after I enter Avery’s magical code a sparkling pink door opened (on the computer screen, of course) to reveal that she had won a free Barbie!

“Wow” I thought to myself. She actually won something. I was totally expecting the “Sorry You Are A Loser Not A Winner. Please Try Again” ditty. I was SO stinking excited for Avery and her new Barbiedom that I actually teared up when I told her she’d won a Barbie.

Dorkishness… I know.

She instantly asked me if she could go check the mail to see if her Barbie had come. Like the Barbie fairy had brought the new doll by while we were talking {giggle}.  After swallowing the giggles that were trying to erupt from my mouth, I lovingly explained to her that the mail doesn’t work that way, and it would probably be a few weeks before her new Barbie arrived.

Yes, I let the air out of her balloon and her joy deflated in an instant.

But she is a persistent little thing and ran to the mailbox with an expectant heart every. single. day. And on the 10th day her wishing, and hoping, and thinking, and praying, and… wait, isn’t that a song? Sorry. Her perseverance paid off when we received a package from Barbie!

But it was not what we expected.

TO BE CONTINUED….

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21!

Wasn’t it just last month that I was falling asleep with you laying on my chest while sucking on your binky?

Wasn’t it just last week that you were sitting on my lap when you lovingly looked up at me and said, “You need gum cuz your breath smells bad.”?

And wasn’t it just yesterday that you discovered your big sis really isn’t your enemy – she’s just trying to protect you from the same dumb mistakes she made?

Didn’t all that JUST happen?

How is it my baby sis is 21 years old already?

It’s hard to believe how much time has gone by since the day I first met you in the hospital – 21 years ago today. That day you did something for me that no one else has… you made me a big sister! I know that I totally sucked at it at times, and was more like the wicked witch of the west than a sister. I trust you now know that all my craziness was prompted by my love for you, and my intense desire to protect you from making the wrong decisions.

You know that, right?

I wish I could have peered into the future to see the amazingly grounded woman you would become – I wouldn’t have been on your case so much… maybe.

I am beyond amazed by the person God has fashioned you to be. And I am SO proud of you for holding fast to your faith, beliefs, and standards, even when so many of your friends did not. I am so blessed to not only be able to call you my little sister, but now, I can call you my friend too… and probably one of my closest friends at that.

We’ve had so many misadventures together. I’ve done some of my hardest laughing with you, and some of my hardest praying for you. And I’ve shed many late night tears over you, but I wouldn’t take a single moment back…

..not one.

Everything you and I have been through together – the good, the bad, and the ugly – has forged the relationship we share today.

And it is precious to me beyond any words my fingers could type.

I love you, Cassie!

You are my own personal ray of sunshine.

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY, MY NOT-SO-LITTLE-ANYMORE SIS!

{Cue embarrassing photos}

You’re lucky my digitals don’t begin until your about 13!

You have always been like a big sis to the kids.

I tried to find a pic of James sucking on your face... oh well.

My favorite 3 couch potatoes.

I don't know who's cuter!

We've had some mighty grand adventures.

We done drug you everywhere.

You were like a nanny that never got paid... never will either! 🙂

Maybe 9th grade? Good times...

You were smart enough to graduate? Kidding!

Alice and her white rabbit.

Christmas 2009. I still think you need that mushroom plate.

A girl and her man - it's a beautiful thing.

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We Went. We Conquered. We’re Exhausted.

Here’s a small shred of proof…

… and I can tell you this photo was not tampered with in any way. I should be so lucky to have such skills!

Anyway… lots more pics coming your way along with reviews, tips, and advice for your next Disney World vacation! I am officially a self-appointed Disney Mom! And I’ll give you the good, the bad, the ugly, and the magical.

But for now I’ll just have to tide you over with some Halloween pics! We had spent the day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park, but not in costume until the evening due to the heat. We rushed back to our hotel around 6:00 to change the kids into their costumes and then hustled back to Hollywood Studios for the Fantasmic show, which we had preferred seating for. The show was awesome, as all Disney shows are, but we got a tad warm sitting in our front row seats when the lake set on fire (this was intentional of course)! I had serious concerns about my mascara melting off my singed eyelashes. Fortunately, no eyelashes were harmed and mascara remained intact, although my face appeared severely sunburnt for the remainder of the evening. Oh, well. Can’t win’em all.

This is my James in his Harry Potter costume.

And here’s my Avery as a winter fairy. I converted a flower girl dress she wore a few years ago by sewing wings onto the back and crafted her a MOST FABULOUS wand. She was the prettiest girl at the ball!

Aren’t they adorable?

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Happy Birthday, Avery!!

I remember sitting in the doctor’s office when I was 5 months pregnant with you, listening to the doctor tell me there was a possibility that you would be deformed, mentally retarded, or die within the womb. I remember leaving that office crying and feeling so ill from this news that I almost passed out in the parking lot. I remember shutting down for the rest of that day…. More than anything, I wanted you to be healthy.

I was just a baby Christian at the time. I was still testing out the waters of faith and had little experience with putting my trust in God. But as I put my head on my pillow that night, I knew I need to do just that… trust God. So, I prayed – unlike anything I’d ever prayed before – I prayed from my heart, completely broken, and scared to death. I thanked God for you, for His love for you and me, and trusted Him to take care of you. I told Him I knew He knows me better than I know myself and knows what is best for me – even if that means giving me a child with physical or mental disabilities. For the first time, I trusted Him completely with something that was totally out of my control. I fell asleep praying…

I spent the next several months being monitored. I had to go in ever week to be measured, have your movement checked, and have an ultrasound.

And all the while, I was at peace. God did that for me.

A week before you were due to be born, the doctors began to get concerned about your growth. They thought you were too small and wanted to take you before it was too late. So, I went in to the hospital to be induced.

All the while, I was at peace.

A few short hours later, I held you in my arms for the very first time. You were perfect and SO beautiful!

The nurses gave you a 5 minute apgar of 10! Very few babies score a perfect 10. The nurses told me they almost never give out 10’s! But you were THAT healthy!!

God did that for me.

I believe it was His way of rewarding me for trusting Him. He was showing me that He was truly in control.

Now, every time I look at you, I am reminded of God’s faithfulness to those that love and trust Him.

HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY,  AVERY!!!!

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!!

11 years ago today,  a son was born…

and so was a mom.

11 years ago, I held you in my arms for the very 1st time… and fell in love.

I will forever be thankful that God chose me to be your mother.

You have brought SO MUCH joy into my life and taught me the meaning of selfless love.

You are my knight in shining armor…

and my twinkling star on a stormy night.

You dream big…

laugh hard…

and love unconditionally.

I cannot imagine a life without you, my James.

Happy Birthday!!

I LOVE YOU TO THE HEAVENS AND BACK!

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The Great Snot Bubble

If a picture is truly worth a thousand words then this one is worth a million.

Yes, that is a gen-U-ine snot bubble.

Only the fabulously talented can achieve such greatness.

Avery’s nearly 9 year old self would be mortified if she ever found out I posted this picture on my blog. She was only 3 at the time. I can’t remember why she was crying, but I do remember she had a terrible cold at the time (which might be why she was crying… duh, me). What was truly amazing about this whole thing was that she actually had a snot bubble miraculously protruding from each nostril, but by the time I had grabbed the camera, one of them had been sucked back into her brain… oh well. Only one snot bubble documented for us this day, but still a pretty nifty accomplishment, wouldn’t you say?

Wanna see it again? From a slightly different angle this time…

Do you love the hair, by the way? We went through this phase where she kept cutting her bangs. We have about a year and a half worth of pictures with her sporting that receding hairline look. It’s nice, right?

Just so you know… she really was still very adorable when her hair was brushed, face was free from blue goo collecting at the corners of her mouth, and of course… no snot bubble.

Would you just look at those cheeks! Those are her trademark feature. Even now at age (almost) 9.

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