Library Day

I took the kids to the library for "Maker Fest," where they had droids, robotics, crafts, etc.  We had a great time!  My favorite part was having fun with the green screen:

The fully functional R2-D2 was pretty cool, too:

We got to see a 3D printer in action, which was so fascinating for all of us:

I wonder if one day my kids (or my kids' kids) will look at this photo and be amazed at how ancient this thing looks!  They will probably have them in their homes by then.

Chloe also had some fun playing with and building electrical "stuff" (for lack of a better word):

It was a fun and educational day overall!

Happy Birthday to ME!!

Yesterday was my 38th birthday.  I had fun celebrating with both friends and family.  First, I celebrated with my kids the night before, since they were going to be at their dad's on my birthday.  We have a cupcake tradition, so we found a new bakery (Baked by Amy's) and man it was a great find!  We picked out our cupcakes (I got the Boston Cream, Chase got the Peanut Butter Cup, and Chloe got the Oreo), and then took them next door to Amy's Ice Cream for the full dessert experience.  Yummmmmm....

When we got home the kids gave me their awesome homemade gifts.  Chloe painted the picture frame and Chase painted the box:

And because my son knows me so well, he put some treasure in the box!

(Love that kid!)

Last year Chase won the award for most entertaining card.  This year Chloe took the crown:

 

Ha ha!  How did she know?!?

On my actual birthday I went to dinner with friends...

...and of course that also called for some fantastic desserting!

I'm not sure why I can't take a normal picture.  I mean, I see something cool like this on the door of the restaurant...

...and turn it into a freak show:

Ah, well.  I always said I couldn't wait to get old because then I'd have a really good excuse for acting crazy.  Maybe it has started already!

Toe Drama

We have had a bit of toe drama at our house.  Chloe had to have ingrown toenails removed...

...and then I fractured my pinkie toe on my coffee table.  I wasn't going to go in to see the doctor, but after it kept getting worse and the pain spread I got worried I did something to a bone in my foot.  The thought of messing up my feet so I may never wear heels again drove me to the urgent care.  It was, in fact, just a toe fracture (top to bottom), but they put me in a boot.  When they came in the room with it, Chloe said, "Oh no, Mom....  That is not cute."  So she decided to decorate it with stickers when we got home:

Much better!  Ha ha!  Love that girl.

Chloe's Pre-K Graduation

Chloe graduated from Pre-K, and it was a really big deal.  She got a cap and gown and everything!  I'll admit I was a little like, "Really?  For Pre-K?"  But when I saw her I got all mushy inside:

(I mean, come on....  How can you resist that??)

She was slightly excited:

The flowers are from her dad, so I can't take credit there.  He couldn't make it so he sent flowers to the school and she got lots of attention for it.  Very sweet.

Of course her brother was very supportive of her on her big day:

When all the kids received their diplomas they were asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  Chloe's answer: "A horse rider."  Awww....  She does love her horses!

Afterwards they had a big potluck reception where we took our obligatory crazy family selfie:

I can't believe my baby is going to be a Kindergartener!  Such big kids I have now!  Craziness!

20-Year High School Reunion & Highland Festival

My 20-Year High School Reunion was over Highland Festival (Memorial Day) weekend, so I got to fly home to Michigan to see friends and family!  It was a fantastic weekend.  The kids were not happy with me for not taking them to see Grandma and Grandpa, but it was a quick trip that went by way too fast!

I planned the reunion, so I had to spend a little time getting things together for the party:

But I didn't get too "swept away" in that (hardy har-har), so I was able to spend time catching up with friends at the parade...

...and reminiscing when we parked in front of the house I grew up in:

I got to spend some time with my step-brother Kory on a mini-hike...

...where I let my rebellious side out:

My parents took me to one of our staple ice cream places growing up...

...and I ate at our favorite Pizza Sam's a couple times over the course of the weekend (though we were too busy stuffing our faces to take pictures of that)!

And, of course, we had our reunion.  It was so amazing getting to spend time with my good friends again.  It had been way too long since we had all gotten together!

I spent a lot of time with Katie, who of course lives down here in Texas... so it was funny we both flew up to Michigan to hang out!

Lastly, we all went to the Highland Dance competition at the festival.  My childhood BFF Holly and I used to compete in it every year, and this year we got to cheer Holly's daughter on!  Here's a photo of Holly photographing her daughter.  It was very cool to sit on the other side of where we were about 25 years ago.  (Man, are we really that old??)

We must have been good luck charms because she walked away with 4 medals and a trophy!  Woot woot!

It was a really fun weekend full of memories and laughter.  I really should not wait another 10 years to do it again....

Chloe's Kung Fu Gold Belt Ceremony

I took the day off today to take care of a bunch of appointments I had been putting off because of a show I was working on, and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend my daughter's Kung Fu belt ceremony as well!

My baby girl kicks butt!

Don't mess with this one!

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day with my babies this year.  They adorned me with jewelry!  Chloe made the necklace and Chase made the bracelets:

They also decorated little flower boxes for me, and gave me some flower seeds to plant in them.  I hope I don't kill them!

Chase brought this home from school, which was super cute:

Now let me take a moment to respond to each of these:

1. I'm glad he thinks I'm good at dancing!  Or I should say I'm glad he sees me dancing at all.  Dancing is joyful!  Rock on!
2. The boy knows me well!  I do love to sleep.
3. NUMBER THREE IS A LIE!!!!  I do NOT like to shop at WalMart.  I'm sure he said that because I've been putting on a show and I have had to drag him there a lot to buy props, etc. (sorry, Chase)!  But I never said I liked it!
4. 37 years old.  Yep....  Right on the money!  Smart kid.  I'm proud that he knows it, because it means I don't feel the need to hide that number.  It's just a number, after all!
5. *sigh*  Video games.  Always with the video games.  Mom of the Year award... right here.
6. "If I could buy my mom anything, it would be a bird."  This one made me laugh.  My kid has an excellent sense of humor.  He knows I do not like birds, and that one pooped on my head once.  I fully appreciated the devilish grin he had on his face when I read that one out loud!
7. While Chase is at school I am always practicing plays.  Right on the money again!  Get used to it, kid....  You have a theatre mom!  :)

As a matter of fact, after the kids went to their dad's that afternoon I spent the rest of the day shopping at Goodwill (FOUR Goodwills, to be exact!) for props and costume pieces for my show.  Go figure!

Happy Mother's Day to me (and the amazing woman that spawned all of this awesomeness)!  ;)