The Social Event of the Season

This party was hosted 3 months ago, so this is a little late...but I have been sooo excited to blog about it! For Morgan's 6th Birthday we had a Girls' Night Out...at our house. :) It was by far my most favorite kid party I have ever thrown - for 2 reasons: A) what is more fun than a group of little girls in pj's, doing each other's make-up and nails, and watching a chick flick...and B) Morgan and her friends have finally reached the age that it becomes a real party instead of a babysitting fest with activities. :) It was so nice because I was able to just enjoy watching these girls, snap lots of pics (obviously), and feel my heart swell with joy seeing my little sweetheart having the time of her life with her little friends. The night was filled with nothing but girls...and tons of giggles. Loved it!

So here's how it went:
Everyone was invited to come in their favorite jammies, and bring their sleeping bag and pillow. They were also told to be ready for make-up, jewelry-making, and a fabulous girl movie.

Guest List:
Leah Allvord, Alex Belshe, Ireland Kotter, Triniti Clawson, London Domgaard, Addison Andrus, and Bella Bean.

As the girls arrived we started off the evening with jewelry-making. I found these little candy bracelet kits at Target, and the girls went to town. This would be their treat to eat during the movie. :) We had a few mishaps with candy beads spilling all over the floor, but the craft itself went very smoothly.
Next came make-up and nails. This was the funnest part. Each girl had to pick a partner and they would take turns applying the make-up and nail polish to the other. Then they got to look in the mirror. Really cute!
Presents were next. If you have ever been at a kids' party you know how this goes....total excitement, someone sad that they can't see because all the kids move in closer with the opening of each gift, and finally screams and claps at all the new toys. This was pretty much how it went this time as well, except I got smart with the format. Instead of a pile of presents for Morgan to choose from, I gave all the gifts to each guest and Morgan got to pick whose present she wanted to open. The guest would then bring their present up and sit next to her as she opened it. It worked great because the giver got to see her reaction and have a special moment with Morgan, and also, there was hardly any crowding around because everyone else was holding their own present and patiently waiting to be picked! We will definately continue this in the future. :) Some of Morgan's presents included a Webkinz, Tinkerbell walkie-talkies, a hula-hoop, bath pampering stuff, and a new helmet to use while riding her bike. :)


Next up...Cake and Ice Cream! The kids always love this part...and so do I (maybe a little too much). :)To end the night, all the girls took their pillows, sleeping bags, candy bracelets, and a bag of popcorn down to the theater and watch Tinkerbell : The Lost Treasure. The best part was that Jake decided to join them, and he was right smack-dab in the middle of a major estro-fest. Pink and purple all around, and then there was Jake with his Buzz Lightyear jammies and his Spiderman sleeping bag. He didn't even mind that he had to watch Tink. It was hilarious! :)
When the evening was over, all Morgan's little friends collected their belongings and treat bags, and went home. All except for 2 that is....Morgan's cute cousins London and Addie! They got to spend the night! :) It was so fun to see these three chatting it up about how fun the party was. Love these girls.

So as you can see, all in all this party was amazing. Not just for Morgan and her friends, but for me as well. Can't wait until next year! :) Love you baby girl!

"Catching up" blogging ready to commence....

So the next few posts will be trying to catch you all up on what we have been doing since "the incident" (when my photoshop died). :)

Why not start with January? This month was a rather cold and kind of hard month. The babies got sick a lot this month, so we spent a lot of time at home. Morgan and Jake had to get even more creative than usual with entertaining themselves while I handled 2 sick babies. One day, Morgan and Jake announced they wanted to put on their swimsuits and do a beach party. Ummmm....guys, there is a foot of snow on the ground.. ?? But ok! :) Next thing I know, I am being called upstairs into Morgan's room and this is what I find....a full blown beach party with towels, swim attire, and even swim goggles! They opened up the blinds in Morgan's room and were pretending to lay by the beach in the sun. :) A little imagination can go a long way. :)

CS5 Here I come!!!!!!!!! :)

So if you have been wondering where I have been...or maybe you haven't since you have followed my blog and realized I am pretty in and out of it... there is actually a very good reason I haven't posted any pics in a while! :) My Photoshop busted right after Xmas, so I haven't been able to edit any pictures. I have been DYING!!!!! But thanks to our super-amazing-wonderful-fabulous-thoughtful-etc. friend Josh, who works for Adobe, I was able to become an early-adopter of the new Photoshop CS5!!!!! It was just released and I have just now been able to delete my old, not-working photoshop, and load my favorite new toy!!!! :) Thank you, thank you, thank you, Josh!!! I know that I am using an insane amount of exclamation points here but I REALLY want to convey how excited I am. :)
Now that I am officially back up and running, I will be posting frequently (meaning whenever I get a moment between 4 little ones at home). :) So check back...I am going to try and post at least once a week so I can one day remember what our everyday life was like...and when I need to...remind myself of how much I love it! :)

PTA Convention...

I have spent the last two days down at BEAUTIFUL BYU, learning all about what my new role/responsibilities will be as the Legislative VP on our new school's PTA board. Whew! It was really an amazing experience and VERY inspiring. The best part of it was how many people there are out there just trying to support and help children in every aspect of their lives. All volunteers, all hardworking, and all anxiously engaged in a good cause. There is something so powerful about being in the service of others. I am just feeling incredibly blessed to be apart of it, and I encourage all parents, grandparents, friends, etc., to volunteer within the schools in your areas. This is where you have great influence for good in your communities, and it doesn't even take that much time...however, the benefits are immense for both the children and yourself. So VOLUNTEER! :)

Lastly, there were a couple of seminars that I attended that not only made me a better volunteer for my school, but will CERTAINLY make me a better mother to my children. One seminar in particular, was on teaching kids to stay away from drugs and alcohol. The presenter was an amazing woman named, Heather Anderson. She was Miss Utah in 2007, and the 6th runner-up to Miss America. She is a beautiful, intelligent, and inspiring woman. Her platform is about keeping kids off drugs and alcohol. She has lost her baby brother to drugs as a result of an overdose. It was HEARTBREAKING to hear her story and see the pain this woman and her sweet family had been through, and continue to deal with. It made me think how important it is to talk to my children about these tough subjects. Drugs and alcohol devastated this family. Trev and I need to do whatever I can to try and avoid this from happening in our home. If you haven't talked to your children about staying away from drugs and alcohol...do so now! This woman had drugs first offered to her in the second grade...it is NEVER too early to start talking to your kids, because if you don't...someone else will. Let us all protect our kids.

Happy Birthday Honey!

Just wanted to take a minute and honor my sweet hubby on his 32nd birthday! Trev is the man of my dreams. He is loving, supportive, fun, and happy. I also can't stress enough what a strength he is to me. He is my best friend and I can't imagine life without him. His children adore him. I don't know where I would be without him. I love you baby and hope you have a wonderful birthday! :)

Love, Me