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I don't really know how to take firework/sparkler pictures, but I got lucky with this one.

6 Years with Kaden

This boys adoption is so spectacular that every year on its anniversary there are fireworks!

With all the hoopla surrounding my mother-in-law's birthday party I totally forgot that it was Kaden's Officially Ours Day (Oo Day as we say). But then in the evening when Kaden was running around with sparklers, I just had a vision of other 4ths where he was running around with sparklers and I remembered why that was especially special. Right as the thought came to my brain, I yelled out, "It's Kaden's Oo Day!"  

When we get home today we'll pull out his "baby" album (starting with our Russian trips and going through his 2nd birthday) and let him pick a special dinner. (I'll go ahead and place a bet for spaghetti.)

Six years ago Kevin, Kaden and I were in Russia. It feels like a lifetime ago. I can remember how frantic Kaden became every time he saw food and how frantic I felt whenever I couldn't get it to him fast enough.  I remember his army crawl in our Moscow hotel room to any and every object - everything was a new curiosity.  I remember how he loved splashing with the shower head in the hotel bath tub, the very beginning of his love of all things water fun. I remember worrying about how he'd react to our lab, Gus. Had he ever even touched a dog? And being relieved and then joy-filled seeing how excited Kaden was when he saw Gus for the first time. It was as though he was thinking, I hit the jackpot! I got a family WITH A DOG!!! I remember how sadly skinny he was, weighing so little he wasn't even on the American charts for his age. But how quickly I fattened him up - 80th percentile eight months later at his two year appointment! I remember doctor appointment after doctor appointment. A blood draw to see what vaccines he'd had. Blood draws for other things. An MRI because they'd told us in Russia that he had a deviated septum. He didn't. This was just the very beginning of our attempts at solving Kaden's "Darth Vader" breathing issues. Off to the ENT we went. Then his almost-died-during-surgery during a "routine" adenoidectomy. Oh yes, Kaden did a banner job breaking us into parenthood.

And it all began July 4th, 2005 when we walked out of the Volgograd City Baby Orphanage, his scrawny legs dangling from the baby Bjorn. He faced front, seeing for the first time his city, a city Kevin and I knew better than he. 16 months old. That's when, that's where it all began.

4th of July Birthday Party

I like planning parties, so I was happy to be the main planner for my mother-in-law's 60th bash.  I had plenty of help. First of all, unlike the parties I plan for my kids, this party had a real budget and that is a big help!  My father-in-law took care of getting tables and chairs, tents, and a water slide. My sister-in-law arranged the caterer and photographer.  (See I told you this party had a budget.) And I took care of all the little details - all things decorative, all things related to the invites (I made them.), buying the plates/utensils/napkins/candles/etc., and all things dessert.

Because we had a photographer, I have pretty much zero pictures. But we'll make do with what I got.

The invites:

We made the decision to do the party only about 5 weeks ago, so in order to get the invites out right away I had no choice but to make them myself. I just printed them on my computer, stamped the blue stars on, and then put blue and red string zig-zagging on the top. Finally, I mounted it on red card stock. 

The birthday cake:

I designed it, but Publix created it. And since they had zero ideas/pictures of a Fourth of July cake when I came in, I sure hope they took a picture, because I'd say it turned out pretty nice!  The candles on top are sparkler candles. I'd never used sparkler candles before and didn't know how they worked. Now I know: you don't blow them out. They just have to burn out on their own.  Still super cute and perfect for a 4th of July birthday.

Next the fruit pizza:

Here's the recipe. You could obviously change up the fruit/color scheme to go with any holiday or party color scheme.  I could see doing a star out of a kiwi surrounded by blueberries of an Under-the-Sea party, call it a star fish.  I need to get a round stone (this one is my M-I-L's) because I want to make more fruit pizzas!

We kept the table all red, white, and blue.  The fork holders...

... were just tea tins I had with scrap book paper mod-podged onto them.

But over on another counter I had chess cake.

I made two batches and they all went! I also had an aunt bring cookies and then a guest brought a coconut cake that I guess is her signature dish, so it was quite a dessert buffet!

As for decorations...

With a 4th of July birthday, patriotic items are kinda my M-I-L's thing, so she's got red, white, and blue knickknacks all over making the inside done. I did have a table when you first came in set up for guests to sign in.  Instead of a guest book I had stars for people to sign.  Our main birthday gift to my M-I-L is that I will create a scrapbook of the party and the signed stars with go throughout the book.

Some pages were already done because I had family members create a page for my M-I-L and those will be in there too.  

Outside we had buffet set up - I just had white table clothes, star confetti and patriotic cutlery caddies on both ends.  

Then we had seven small round tables. For these I cut plastic blue table clothes in half and wrapped the table (taping underneath) in the center I had small globes with white daisies and carnations and a patriotic pin wheel.  Around the globes I had facts about 1951. I called these my fact bubbles. Unfortunately I didn't get any pics of the finished product, just one as I was going along...

Oh and every table had confetti.  My poor father-in-law is going to find stars in his grass forever.

In the front yard the main event was the water slide.

Uh, it was big. And scarier than I expected because those of us who actually weigh something got going fast and slammed hard at the bottom. We only wanted it for the party but the company that owns it wasn't open July 4th so they dropped it off Sunday afternoon and won't pick up till Tuesday.  All my slide pics are from Sunday.  We've gotten a lot of use out of this slide.

Between the pool and the slide the kids got pretty wore out.  Toby went down for a nap during the party and slept about three hours! (Toby didn't actually go on the slide on Monday. Kevin took him down a few times on Sunday but he never liked it.) Without picture taking duty or Toby duty, this mama had time to relax by the pool!

It was a lunch time party so fireworks weren't part of the plan.

Here's one last pic of Kevin and I with the birthday gal (taken Sunday after church):

A big happy birthday to Mom/Teresa/Gran! I'm pretty sure she had a great day.

It's 4th of July Weekend!

Which means that all the planning for my Mother-in-Law's 60th bday bash (her birthday is the 4th) will finally come to a close.  The above picture is of a sucker bouquet. It's the least of what I have planned for the dessert buffet. :-)

And no matter how the party turns out at least this pile is packed up.

 I have the corner of my bedroom back!

Friday Fragile X Links (and a PSA)

It's July and that's Fragile X Awareness Month. So click on the links, read up, and be aware!

The National Fragile X Foundation is posting stories about people with Fragile X on a special awareness page.  Go there and see what I put up about Toby!

Here's an incredible story about a nearby (Boynton Beach) man with Fragile X who is going to the Special Olympics in Greece! 

Here's another look at recent medical breakthroughs for FX and autism.

And now for a PSA: 

Families For Fragile X and the Florida Marlins are teaming up for an amazing night of baseball and Fragile X Awareness!  Wednesday, September 7th at 7:00pm our own Florida Marlins will be facing off the New York Mets!  The Marlins want to make sure everyone in Sun Life Stadium will have heard of Fragile X with on-field recognition for a lucky few during the game!!!!  Families For Fragile X wants you to nominate someone special in the Fragile X community that:

• Has gone above and beyond to improve the lives of those affected with Fragile X Syndrome
• Could be a parent, teacher, caregiver, therapist or anybody else you think deserves recognition

Families For Fragile X is also looking for you to nominate a special person affected with Fragile X (child or adult) to go on the field and receive recognition. That person should:

• Be involved in his/her school or community
• Would absolutely love the chance to be on the baseball field with the Florida Marlins

If you would like to nominate somebody that you think would love the chance to be on the field with the Florida Marlins and has made a difference in the Fragile X Community, then Families For Fragile X would like to hear from you.  Please email michele AT familiesforfragilex.org with a paragraph or two, explaining why this person should be nominated.  Please make sure that the paragraph includes the criteria listed above in bullets.  Don't forget to include your contact information.

Families For Fragile X will be having a community booth, in the pavillion area, of Sun Life Stadium for fans to stop by for give-a-ways and information about Fragile X Syndrome during the game.  

Families For Fragile X have a limited number of tickets for sale in the in-field box (between 1st and 3rd base).  These tickets will be sold at a reduced rate of $25.00.  These tickets have a face value of $43.00.