Pop goes the party!

For Shelby's 4th birthday party, she wanted "the whole house full of balloons!"  My girl really knows how to time things, since there is a major helium shortage.  Who knew?  I laughed at the poor Party City employee when she told me that, thinking she was just trying to get me to spend more money.  After being told the same thing at Tom Thumb and Kroger, I decided it must be true.

The birthday girl with dad

So, I decided on an "All things POP" party since a house full of balloons was going to cost us as much as her first car.   Lollipops, popcorn, bubbles, balloons, popsicles, and pop rocks were all on the to-do list for the party.

My cousin's wife, Julianne, suggested I do a dum-dum sucker centerpiece like this from pinterest:

Source: meetthedubiens.blogspot.com via Monica on Pinterest

I decided to go a little bigger with a topiary.  The best part was filling a pot with expanding foam.  Just look at what happened 24 hours after I filled it 2/3 full:

The brain exploded!

And, here is the final product, all 360 dumdum's!

Every dentist's nightmare!

Next were the snacks.  Popcorn, POPchips, and snap, crackle, pop treats all had their own signs thanks to my awesome pharmacy tech/graphic design expert, Emily!

If you look closely, you can see "PFAFF" in my new side table...

We covered the front porch with bubble wrap and added a sign saying, "No need to know, just POP on in!"

Red carpet made of bubble wrap

I also used bubble wrap as a table runner.

All set to go!

Each guest got an animal balloon to walk in the "pet" parade.

Our own helium menagerie

Andie walking her dog

And we shot party poppers from the balcony onto the kids.  We will be cleaning up confetti until Shelby turns 5...

After it was over, Shelby told me it was the best party EVER.  I'm glad she had fun, because it might be the last party we have at our house EVER.  Chuck E. Cheese, here we come!

Is there a pill for that?

Mommy guilt has been eating me alive these days.  Between working and leaving the girls with a variety of strangers, they seem to just fight for my attention when I am around.  I end up losing my patience at them more than appreciating the moment.  I blame all of the following:

• This pinterest post.  It's not enough for me to raise kids that don't run in the street and that say "please" and "thank you"?  I now have to raise kids that are missionaries and cure cancer?  Thanks pinterest for reminding me that I need to do more, and more, and more...

Source: toddlerapproved.com via How Does on Pinterest

• Shelby's wish on the first star she saw last night.  It went something like this, "First star, first star, I wish, I wish, I REALLY wish my mommy didn't have to work EVER again."  When I told her that her wish might not come true, she said, "No, it will Mommy.  Last week I wished the same thing, and you got the day off just for me."    We were out on the boat watching fireworks, and I thought it was a perfect evening.  Instead, I ended up complacent for the rest of the night considering what I could do to convince her my work was a good thing.

Haley and Bryon, watching fireworks from the lake

Shelby, trying to wish on her star and watch fireworks at the same time.

• Not wanting to figure out a way to make Shelby's wish come true.  I confess that I like going to work.  It makes me feel useful and allows me to shop without kids.  I enjoy being around adults, both my co-workers and customers.  So, I feel guilty at work for not feeling guilty about being at work.  Make sense?

• This post from my mom's cousin's son,  (my second cousin once removed?) Bryan.  His 11-year-old son, David, passed away this week.  It was a HUGE reminder that I need to cherish each and every moment I have with my precious girls, as it could all be gone in an instant.  Bryan's writing is inspiring and moving.  Please read it and show him some love when you have 10 minutes.  After reading it and watching the slide show, I paused to give thanks for my healthy, vivacious, and intriguing girls.   

So, does anyone have a pill that takes away the mommy guilt?  If so, I need a double dose, STAT!  

Adventures in Babysitting

Our nanny, Gloria, the woman that has helped keep me sane for the past three years, has been on maternity leave since mid-May.  She has cooked, cleaned, and washed clothes, all the while making sure my kids don't run out in the street.  I really cringed at the thought of letting her take some time off, but how do you tell a woman that just gave birth to a TEN POUND SIX OUNCE baby boy no?  Yep, you read that right.  "Little" baby Joel was huge!

That hair has to weigh about 2 pounds!

Anyway, I've had to piece together alternate care for about two weeks now, and it has been an adventure.  I stumbled upon Kiddin' Around (Replacement Sitter #1), a pay-by-the-hour daycare, and had my kids convinced it was the best thing since Barbie.  It worked the first time I dropped them off for about 4 hours.  I thought everything was awesome until I went to drop them off the next time.  Both girls clung to me like I was being hauled off to prison, screaming and crying.

Replacement Sitter #2 (RS2) was going to be perfect.  I just knew one of the assistants from Shelby's pre-school would be the answer to our needs.  She wanted something part-time, was great at keeping kids in line, and lived close to us.  Keeping my story short, I'll just say after the first day I came home to Bryon saying, "No more RS2!" and my kids saying, "RS2 made us use an infant spoon to eat our hotdogs!"

On to replacement sitter #3 (RS3).  We met her at the park one day, and she seemed to be normal enough.  She keeps kids in her house, which is 4 doors down from one of my good friends.  Yippee!  I could have my friend spy and fill me in later.  When I dropped the kids off, everything seemed okay.  The girls were excited RS3 had a cat and was going to take them swimming.

I should have known it was too good to be true.  After work, I went to pick the girls up.  RS3 had a whole lesson plan for the day, based on rainbows.  She had a long list of projects for them to do.  Shelby wasn't through with the "rainbow bottle" they were working on, so I sat on the couch and watched them play.  It made me very sad.  I wanted to be the one doing projects all day based on a theme.  I wanted to be the one handing out tickets for good behavior that could be used to "purchase" a prize at the end of the day.  I wanted to be the one with more energy and patience than my girls.

Roy G. Biv, or "The King of Numbers", according to my child that watches too much Umi Zoomi

RS3's days seem to be numbered now.  All she did was quadruple my mommy guilt. I went home feeling completely inadequate.  I'm much better at pinning projects than actually doing them with my kids.  But, then, I realized I don't like glitter all over the floor.  I don't like finding spots to display the projects then have to secretly throw them away.  I don't like getting mad at Haley for not following directions and then getting paint all over the walls/floors/dogs/herself.

Seriously?  RS3 got Haley to do 7 hand prints?  

Luckily, our dear teenaged babysitter is now done with school and will start next week.  She can do all the projects she wants, as long as it doesn't involve glitter or paint.  She understands that pre-schoolers can use normal forks and spoons.  She can follow simple instructions such as  "pull clothes out of the washer and put them in the dryer." (apparently a hard concept for RS2 to follow)

And, in four short weeks, Ms. Gloria will be back, keeping me sane and somewhat guilt-free!

A True Circus

I'm only 2 weeks late posting about Shelby's last day of pre-preschool.  Go me.  I blame a funeral, a wedding, a full-time job, and my nanny, who is on maternity leave until July. I've been just a wee bit overwhelmed...

Her hair may not be braided, but at least I remembered to put her in the right shirt on the last day!

Anyway, back to the circus!  Shelby's cute little school, CCDC, put on one big blowout for the last day.  There was a petting zoo, trains, clowns, and pizza.   Haley even managed to weasel her way into the zoo and train bit.  She never takes "No" for an answer!

Rabbits, a pig, a llama, and several goats kept my girls quite happy for awhile.  Then, this goat had the nerve to try to eat Haley's hair.

This "straw" sure is shiny and tasty!

She FREAKED out.  After some convincing her that the goat didn't have teeth and really just liked the smell of it (ha!), she decided she would give him another chance, but not before giving that little bully a classic Haley pouty face.

Hey, goat, don't mess with me again.

The llama got a warning look too

I was proud of my brave girls.  Of the 12 girls in Shelby's class, only 6 of them left Ms. Nicole's side to go brave the animal petting.   Poor Ms. Nicole had to stand in the corner protecting the other 6 from the evil bunnies!

It was then time to load the kids up in the train.  I have to admit I was more scared of the train driver than the hair-eating goat.  He kept a big whistle in his mouth the whole time blowing it a little too often.  It made me jump with every blast.  Plus, it looked like a cigar at first glance.  

See?  I bet you thought it was a cigar too!

He drove the "train" around using an ATV as the engine.  I had NO idea those ATV's could pull that much weight and still drive around at 80 mph. Or, at least with my engineering background, I roughly calculated his speed to be between 65 and 90 mph.  

Slow down there, Speedy!

Needless to say, my daredevils LOVED it.  The faster Speedy Gonzales drove, the more they squealed.   

Special thanks to Ms. Nicole for making such special memories for my 3-year-old!  We went home with an awesome CD of the music the kids had been listening to all year, a scrap book of all of Shelby's artwork, and her journal.  I loved seeing how much she had learned throughout the year, and she was so proud to tell me about each creation.  I am looking forward to next year, keeping my fingers crossed that Haley gets a teacher that is stronger and smarter than her...

A Memorable Memorial

This Memorial Day weekend will be one to remember.  It started off with a typical whining, fighting, and no sleeping drive to our destination--Austin for my cousin Justus and Caroline's wedding.

After realizing I booked the wrong hotel, 45 minutes from anything, we loaded the kids and crap up and relocated.  Strike one.

By the time we got settled into the second hotel and got the kids to the pool we had been promising for four LONG hours, they were only able to swim for about 15 minutes before we had to get ready for the rehearsal dinner.  Have you ever had to pull a kid out of the pool after only 15 minutes?  They were NOT happy campers.  Strike two.

Swans!  In the lobby!  Now, where's the pool?

The rehearsal dinner was wonderful.  Young, beautiful 20-something friends of the couple mingled with all us old fogies and moms chasing kids around.  Apparently there were some great toasts and a lovely slide show.  I missed that due to the kids-chasing duties...

However, I did not miss the rounds and rounds of yummy BBQ, sides, and dessert.  Neither did Haley, who ended up eating just a little too much on her already-wound up tummy.  I should have seen it coming, but before I knew it, she was barfing up her entire day's worth of food.  Strike three.  We were OUT!

Luckily, day two turned out SO much nicer.  The girls got to swim to their heart's content.  I got to go shopping (DSW) and hang out with the adult gals for a few facials (Rodan and Fields).  Then, the fun really started after we dropped the kids off at my dad's house.

Bryon and I acted like those 20-somethings, hitting not one but TWO bars before getting ready for the big wedding.  And, boy howdy, was it a wedding!  The setting was GORGEOUS in typical Austin style--big trees, lots of stone, so many huge floral arrangements of flowers I couldn't even recognize, and perfect weather.  The couple was adorable.  Seriously.  Just look at this loveliness:

So in love!

Could they be any cuter?

And more highlights:

Aunt Wendy (Mother of the groom) and I

The groom's brothers trying to stay out of trouble

Mom's New Mexico cousins, Judy and Peggy, enjoying Texas

Mom and Jeff, looking lovely too!

After picking up the kids from my dad and Christy, we headed back home to reality.  We decided to make it a true vacation, stopping to play tourist at the Inner Space Cavern in Georgetown.  It turned out to be this amazing one hour tour of a huge cave.  

Unfortunately for Haley and me, the guide said we might see bats.  Haley got freaked out and started losing it about 15 minutes into the tour.  She and I ended up escaping the tomb cave and hanging out in the gift shop.  I can only take Bryon and Shelby's word that the rest of the tour was worth stopping for...

Headed into Inner Space

Haley is already thinking about giant bats coming to get her

One of my kids enjoying the fun...

That's How We Roll

I love my family!  We spent a short but sweet time together celebrating the life of Walt.  What other family can say they caught a Horny Toad, drove a vintage fire truck, viewed their Grandmother's paintings in a museum, and allowed Grandpa Jeff to drive four great-grandkids around in one Mule...And, I'm happy to report there weren't any injuries!  

Not OSHA approved

Haley adores her hero, Jeff!

Grandma Nelle's creation fascinated these Pfaff girls exactly the same way as it did two other little Blackman girls 30 years ago

Imitating the eagles

Howling like the coyotes (what's hidden in the den is a whole other story!)

One of my favorite L. Poling paintings...too bad it isn't for sale!

Walt's grandkids in order of intelligence age

Poling Ranch fire truck that I finally got to ride in.  I've only been waiting 25 years!

Quite the poser

My brave girls

Bryon Pfaff, Lizard Hypnotist Extraordinaire 

Legends Never Die

To most, he was tough, stubborn, cranky, and mean.  To me, he was smart, funny, and fascinating.  He was my Grandpa Walt, and he passed away yesterday.

I will miss hearing him say, "I'm proud of you gal."  I knew he was proud of me.  I knew he loved me.  I knew he would have my back if I were in trouble.  

I will miss hearing him tell stories.  That man could weave one big tale!  Sure, most of us knew he embellished facts, but that was part of the fun.  Some of my favorite stories were about he and my Granny Nelle going across the country in their RV.  I guess those were my favorite because I picture the two of them in the primes of their lives.  

I will miss his funny language, "Waltisms", as my cousins call them.  My favorite Waltism has to be tatelards.  If you know what tatelards are, you are among the elite!  He only gave sacks of tatelards to special kids as they were leaving the ranch.  Tatelards were stored in the tatelard cabinet, and as I got older, he gave me special permission to get my own tatelards.  It is such a fun word!

I will miss his financial advice.  He was always giving me stock tips, and somehow the stocks I bought based on his advice have been the only ones that have earned me money. Thanks for the Ford tip, Walt!

Most of all, I will miss him watching my kids grow up.  He was such a special man to me, and I hate that they will never truly know the Walt that I did.