Rowan's 4th Birthday

Rowan's 4th birthday party turned out fabulous (despite the rain)!  How does it always happen to rain on the day we plan parties?  We had planned to have a back yard bash, but due to the weather, it turned out to be a garage party.  But that's okay...I got out the ol' white lanterns from our wedding to dress it up a bit...and I think it actually turned out to be much better in the garage anyway.

 

My friend Liz helped by making some decorations for me.  She made a Happy Birthday Rowan banner, some cute tissue poms and paper pinwheels, not to mention the fact that she hung it all up for me...super cute!  And my other friend Peggy let me borrow a couple of her fancy piped straws and lemonade coolers.  And Grandpa Gora brought us some tables, and we borrowed some hay bails from the Wyckoff farm for seats...whew...I guess it's the little touches that really make a party great if you ask me and good friends who help out.  Thank you friends!

 

My dad came over early to help me blow up balloons and arrange tables...I have such a sweet Dad.  He's always by my side helping me do whatever I have on my plate next.  I made hello kitty cake pops and mini cake-ball cupcakes a day or two before the party, not to mention I made my own hello kitty piniata out of foamcore and a cereal box (thanks for the idea Michelle!)...oh the details....there were a lot I guess.  I think some of my friends thought I was a little crazy with all that we did for the party.  I got that a lot actually...little comments like "it's only a party for a 4 year old" or "I can't believe ALL you did...that's a lot for a toddler party". Really?  I hadn't thought of it like that.  I didn't know there was a limit for creativity or LOVE for your child :)  Well if you know me, you know that I just love to plan and come up with ideas.  THIS IS WHO I AM! I've been doing this stuff since high school...me and my bestie Stacey would make midnight runs to Meijer for paint, knee socks and funny shorts when I felt like getting crafty.  I guess nothing has changed much!

 

My sister-in-law Jenny brought her awesome camera along and took a lot of the pictures below...thank goodness.  Without her, I don't think we would have taken the time to take any!  Thank you so much sista!

 

Rowan loved her banner...
she has her name hanging above her window in her room now

Party on!

Cuteness...some of the decorations from my fabulous friends

Rowan and Rigby helped me make gift baskets and
organize the candy displays for all the kids

balloons! 

Rowan is breaking into her gift bag with help
from her buddy Livy

The candy necklaces were a bit hit

These were the makings of my hello kitty cake pops
white chocolate chip ears...I found this on a blog (not my idea)

meow :)

They got a little sweaty before serving...next time I'll know not
to take them out of the frig so early

We had to come up with another way to write happy birthday
since we didn't have a cake...this worked I guess

Cupcake cakeballs

I made sure to eat...this Momma was starved after all the hard work :)

Cousin Sydnee - the absolute sweetest
and most helpful little girl I know

Baby Julia...barely a baby now I guess. 
Such a cutie pie!

Row was shy of course....

But she did manage to blow out her candles...even though
she was trying to hide it behind her hand!

Rigby...so darn cute. 
He was all about the cake pops.

Rowan freaked out when she opened this Beauty
and the Beast dress from Papa Dan

The hello kitty piniata before it's debut

it was a mess of fishing wire and tape

Go Rowan!  We eventually had to tear it open...it was
made for battle and just would not rip open!

Look Mom bawoons...I heard this alot

Rowan's big girl outfit from Aunt Jenny
How is she 4 already???

And the best / worst gift ever... a Barbie jeap on steriods
from Mimi and Papa Overman.
This thing is wicked powerful...no joke!

The Fair 2012

poor little rigby didn't like the rides this year...not at all!  i think we made the mistake of putting him on the motorcycle one first...and it goes up and down and jerks a little.  he looked a little unsure before it took off, and minutes in he was so so scared :( 

 

we tried another ride a little later, but he didn't even let that one get started. 

maybe next year.

 

he did ride one semi truck ride at the laporte fair a few weeks prior to this. 

i'm not sure why that one didn't scare him. 



 

camping in the living room

We attempted to camp in the living room recently.  The kids were begging us for a few days so we finally gave in.  We set up the dining room chairs and even laid the big chaise cushion on the floor (it's pretty big!)...the kids had their sleeping bags, baby dolls and even a flashlight. 

 

Everyone got tucked in and I told them I'd sit right next to them in the recliner until they fell asleep.  Rigby was a little unsure after a few minutes so I pulled the top of the tent back so they weren't completely covered...but the little guy kept saying "my bed mommy".  I guess he just likes to sleep in his own bed.  And who can blame him, right?

 

So then it was Mommy's turn to sleep in the tent with Row.  After I snuggled in I noticed Rowan kept moving and flopping all around...which not typically her style when she's going to sleep.  I asked her if she wanted to still sleep in tent, and she hesitated, but did say yes.  But I knew she was scared too...even with Mommy right next to her!  So I asked her if she would rather sleep in her own bed like Rigby, and assured her it was okay...and she finally admitted she wanted to go in her room. 

 

Needless to say, we haven't went "camping" since.  

 

this is after rig got scared...the top is folded back

situating the baby dolls

rigby is throwing in the towel...
my bed mommy!

and finally it was my turn...

more summer pics

Rig riding bikes at Grandma Gora's

picking flowers at the butterfly park

and smelling them too

enjoying their suckers and puppies from
the mcafee animal hospital open house

baking peanut blossoms

dress up at gretchen & charlottes!
the tan blonde is rig :)

sorry bud...mommy couldn't resist.
 

zoobies

we got brave and actually went to brookfield zoo by ourselves!  i'm usually not one for taking the kids into chicago by myself, but i decided to grow up and give it a whirl.  it turned out to be an absolute blessing of a day too!  the drive only took an hour and ten minutes...which was surprising.  and we even got a parking spot in the very front right next to the entrance.  awesome!  especially being along with two kids...it just made everything that much easier :)  here are some highlights from our day:

 

little designer

i think rowan has been watching me a little too closely.  she seems to think she has to perfectly arrange and re-arrange everything.  she displays her my little ponies differently on the shelves in her room, sometimes adding framed pictures of herself, with little purses or bracelets as accents.  awhile back while i was cleaning the house she decided to relocate and arrange all of our photos...including a vase holder and a wind spinner...ha!  this week she went over to aunt janel's and even took a framed picture of herself to add to aunt janel's bookcase arrangement.  iy-yi-yii.  should i be scared?  maybe.  but at least we still have rigby.  he just likes to point out his favorites in each photo his sister places. 

 

 

what we did this summer

whooo--

--hoooo!

daddy doing his best to hose the kids down

rowan running for cover

had some buddies over for a swim

 

rig wore his big boy pants most of the summer!

always finding new ways to take a drink

 

 

sweeties pies

my good friend liz watched the kiddos for me one afternoon and took some really cute photos of the girls (rowan and her daughter gretchen).  our girls love playing dress up together...and sharing their shoes and dresses and bathing suits...but of course not always their toys! 

we tried to have gretchen over for a sleepover a couple weeks ago, but the little sweetie pie didn't make it past 10:30pm. a couple hours after tucking them in i decided to go in and check on them to make sure they were sleeping and still not having "girl time" (as rowan likes to call it)...and i found little gretchen crying for her daddy :( i called him right away and he met me at a gas station half way between their house and mine. i woke up early the next morning to a sleepy eyed rowan asking where gretchen was. and oh my, rowan was so sad. she sat there for a minute after i broke the news and then asked, "mommy, gretchen doesn't like it here?". i tried to explain it to her in terms she could understand...i'm still not sure if she got it tho. she took it so personal...oh rowan...so sensitive :) my guess is that we're probably in for a quite a few more late night gas station drop offs before these girls grow up.

mini mechanics

My dad (Papa Dan) did a lot of bicycle work this summer. He replaced a tire on Lorelei's bike so Rowan could borrow it and moved training wheels around a lot. So the kids loved to pretend like they were working on things themselves. They would get out Daddy's tools and bang around...so cute. It was fine as long as all the cars were out of the garge. They sometimes get a let carried away with the hammer...which is not safe for Daddy's truck :)

 

thankful.

Today I am thankful...I have much to give God praise for.  This morning started off with an email from our potential home buyer that he was withdrawing his offer. Hmmmm, a reason to be thankful? I tried to be...I read the email and thanked God for His sovereign hand in this dealing, that for whatever reason, we are to remain here in this home.

But later in the day, I experienced a much bigger, more amazing reason to be thankful.  Our little Rigby decided to take himself for a swim at Grandma Gora's...the key words being to take himself.  He wandered off on his own (something new he's been doing)...opened the gate, took his backpack up to the pool (which contained his bathing suit...although he didn't bother to change out of his clothes), and then climbed on in for a swim. No floaties...no life jacket...no idea what he was about to do.  We all cringe at the very thought, right?

Somewhere around that same time Grandma was looking for him in the back yard and just happened to glance over at the pool to see little Rigby bobbing in the water.  I cannot imagine what terror must have torn thru her heart at that moment to see him in there...treading water in the middle of the pool all by himself.  Grandma rushed to his rescue of course...thank you a million times Maureen. I am so thankful for that moments glance.  So thankful.  I cry each time I think of it and praise God that she saw him at that second.  Who knows, a few seconds later and he could have sank and gone unnoticed until it was too late.  We don't know how long he was in there, but it was long enough for him to struggle from the edge into the middle of the pool. Grandma said his little arms and feet were kicking and paddling like crazy and only his little face was sticking out of the water.

Grandma Gora cried as she told me what happened today...she said that an angel must have been holding him up. I pondered on this all evening, and really, there's no other explanation since Rigby is only two and cannot even swim.  I'm reminded of Psalm 91:11-12 "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways..." Awesome, right? I've read this Psalm a few times tonight (read the whole thing, it's awesome), and my heart just screams praise out to God for his mercy and the way he loves and protects us.  I know that we are not spared from all heartache or disaster in this life just because we love God...in fact sometimes it's thru the fire that God refines us.  I know that as well as anyone.  But tonight I'm overwhelmed with the truth that God rescues us and protects us in ways we do not see or even think possible.  My friend Liz reminded me of the story of Daniel when he was thrown into the lions den...Daniel said, "My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions." Daniel 6:22.  Also awesome.  Thank you God...thank you for loving Rigby as you loved Daniel...that we are held in such a place in your heart that you send your angels to attend us and protect us.  "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" Hebrews 1:14.  I am amazed that God cares for us in this way, and that's why I decided to blog about this. I do not want to forget this special window into God's love for us.

Derek told me tonight while we were lying in bed trying to wrap our heads around all of this, that today we lost our home sale, but were spared Rigby's life.  That's a lot to process for a Tuesday if you ask me.  Losing our home sale doesn't seem like too much of a big deal anymore.  Not in comparison.  Not at all. And now I think I have a little better perspective on true thankfulness than I did this morning. We have a lot to be thankful for at 509 Wildflower Way...that's for sure.