Candy Land Birthday Extravaganza!!

During our "snowed-in" days in early February, I had lots of time to think about and plan out a fun party for Abby's 4th birthday. I decided on "Candy Land" as the theme for three reasons...1. Abby loves playing this game (although she totally cheats everytime we play), 2. It was a gender-neutral theme which helped with all of her "boy-friends" who would be coming and 3. It was so full of bright colors, fun characters and so many creative opportunities to run wild with. I had a lot of fun planning this party (although it was a TON of work, much more than I anticipated going into it!)

We started off by serving a rainbow-colored lunch in the "Rainbow Room" using the colors of the Candy Land Path (Orange: Macaroni & Cheese, Green: Broccoli, Red: Strawberries, Yellow: Bananas, Blue: Jello, Purple: Grape juice.) Rainbow colored Goldfish were also offered to complete this very kid-friendly lunch!

After lunch, we started on our journey along Candy Land Path (Colored felt squares marked the path throughout the house and each child got a colored box to gather all of their treats during their adventure in Candy Land...)

1st stop: Gingerbread Tree

Here each child got a balloon with their name on it and did their best to keep it up in the air. If your balloon touched the ground, you were out and had to sit down until the next round.

(Prize: A gingerbread shaped sucker from Gingerbread Mama!)

2nd Stop: Peppermint Forest

This game was a ring toss around bottles shaped in the form of two candy canes.

(Prize: Peppermint stickers and candy canes from Mr. Mint!)

3rd Stop: Gumdrop Mountains

No pictures of the actual event, but the kids headed to the landing on our stairs and tried to drop a piece of bubblegum into a bucket on the floor below (hence the "gum-drop.")

(Prize: Gumdrops from Jolly!)

4th Stop: Licorice Forest

The kids got strings of licorice and strung rainbow-colored cheerios on them to make "power-bracelets" to help protect them from Lord Licorice.

(Prize: Twizzlers from Lord Licorice!)

5th Stop: Peanut Acres

The kids had one minute to collect as many peanuts as possible from the "peanut field" into the bowls. (Notice Landon getting in on the fun in this picture...he actually tried to eat the whole peanut, shell and all!)

The birthday girl with a very full bowl of peanuts!

After collecting their peanuts, each child got a turn with the "magic oven" where inserting a peanut and saying the magic words magically produced some peanut butter cookies!

(Prize: Nutter Butter Cookies from Gramma Nut!)

6th Stop: Lollipop Woods

The kids played a version of "Musical Lollipops," a picture of a lollipop that they had to sit on when the music stopped.

(Prize: A huge lollipop from Lolly!)

7th Stop: Snowflake Lake

Each child got a snowflake kit to make a snowflake headband to take home.

(Prize: Peppermint Patty from Princess Frostine!)

8th Stop: Chocolate Swamp

The kids used chocolate syrup as finger paint to paint their very own "chocolate masterpiece." (Note: No pictures were taken during this time because we needed every available adult to help control the mess!)

(Prize: Chocolate pudding from Gloppy!)

9th Stop: Candy Castle

After getting a prize from King Kandy for finishing their journey through Candy Land (skittles), we had a special crowning ceremony for our "Birthday Princess" and everybody sang Happy Birthday after revealing the "Castle Cake."

Then everybody headed back to the "Rainbow Room" to enjoy some Castle Cake with Bubbegum Ice Cream!

Then came the part that Abby had been looking forward to most of all....opening presents. All of the children were very eager to help her open them!!

She received wonderful presents that she has been having fun with ever since!!

And that concludes the story of the Candy Land Birthday Extravaganza. It was a lot of work but the kids had a great time and Abby still talks about the fun she had with her friends at her "Candy Land Birthday." It's funny though, because for some reason she keeps talking about how she'll have another birthday party when she turns 7. Sounds about right though, I'll probably need those 3 years just to recover from this one!!!

The Birthday Girl

So despite all of this (almost 40 inches of snow in a week!!)...

And this...

I somehow managed to make my first one of these...

And plan one of these...

For a very special little four-year-old!! More to come soon about her fabulous Candyland birthday yesterday. For now though, I just need a good nap!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Hope everyone has a a fun day filled with love, happiness and lots of chocolate!!

My Birthday Present...

So this is what Jason got me for my birthday this year...
Anybody know what this is? You may have some idea if you have ever watched "The Biggest Loser" show because all the contestants us these. It's called "BodyMedia FIT" and it's basically an easy way to track how many calories you burn throughout the day, how much physcial activity you are doing, how many steps you take and even how efficiently you sleep at night. You wear the armband all day and all night, input the foods you eat and it will tell you your calorie balance (the basic idea of calories in vs. calories out.)

I have to admit I wasn't too sure about it when I first opened it up. I had seen and researched it online but finally decided it was too expensive and "gadgety" for my taste. Jason however, is really big into gadgets (he wears like 3 different watches when he goes to the gym) so he decided to take a gamble and surprise me with one for my birthday. After one day of using it, I became hooked. Actually hooked may be a bit of an understatement. I have become completely obsessed with this little gadget. I think it is SOOOO cool and I love to challenge myself each day to meet my daily goals of putting good foods in and exercising/moving enough to balance it out. It's also neat because I've been able to see what nutrients I do well at getting enough of and what I need to work on to eat better.

So far, in the 10 days that I have had it, I have lost 3 pounds which is a nice added bonus too!! It definitely makes me more conscious of what I am eating throughtout the day and how I can get even more "activity minutes" in each day. It certainly isn't a cheap little gadget, but I am certainly in love with it now!!

Today's the Day...

Today I am officially the big 3-0!! Amazingly, I feel really good about it. Don't get me wrong, I loved my 20's (so much better than my awkward teen years!) And I accomplished a lot during the last decade of my life (served a mission, graduated from college, got married, had two beautiful children and even ran two marathons!) Trying to top all of that will be a challenge, but I'm also really excited about the prospect of doing even bigger and greater things. I feel much more confident and comfortable in my own skin now than I did at 20 and I can't wait to see what the next decade has in store. Bring it on 30...I'm totally ready for ya!!!

Jesus wants me for a...

SUNBEAM!!!

Abby joined the ranks of Primary this year, complete with her own new set of scriptures (she had been asking for her own scriptures for quite some time. We were going to wait until she was a bit older, but finally decided that if she really wanted them, why not?)

Our baby is definitely growing up! (sniffle, sniffle)

Five Years Ago Today...

I went into what should have been a normal 16-week ultrasound for our very first little bundle of joy. I came out that day with my life forever altered when they couldn't find a heartbeat. I still remember clearly the pain and heartache of that time...I felt so sad and hopeless. Jason and I not only lost our little baby boy, but we also mourned the loss of all the dreams, hopes and aspirations that come when you find out that you're expecting.

I still think about that little baby. Sometimes when I see a little boy who was born around June of 2005, I wonder what might have been. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to have had our oldest, our first-born child be a boy. Sometimes I even wonder if the little boy who entered our lives and hearts almost exactly three years after our first little boy was to have been born is not one and the same. But mostly today I just feel very lucky...lucky to have two beautiful children to hug, kiss and love on as much as I want. Each day that I have to spend with them is a gift. And no matter how boring, challenging, and exhausting motherhood can be at times, I am forever grateful to be called their mom.

My feelings today echo a country song that I like (I'm not usually too crazy about country music, but I do like a little here and there.) The song is "The Dance" by Garth Brooks. It talks about how sometimes we would like to give up all the heartache, sadness, and disappointments in life, but if we did, we would also have to give up all the blessings, miracles, and joy that sometimes come from these disappointments.

Five years ago, I would have given just about anything to have held that little baby in my arms rather than bury him in the ground on that cold January day. Five years later though, I can honestly say that I wouldn't change a thing because I couldn't imagine my life without these two little wonderful people...

"I could have missed the pain, but I'd of had to miss the dance."