Macie's Birthday Bash!

Amidst all the chaos of the end of school and our big move, Mom decided to throw Macie an early 5th birthday party with all of her AZ friends. Since the rule in our house is that you have to wait until 5 to get a party, Macie had been planning her Angry Bird party for over 2 years.  Mom couldn't believe that after all this time, she still insisted on an Angry Bird theme (even though she has only played the game a handful of times, she is OBSESSED)!

Mom only had two weeks to transform the yard and garage, but somehow she managed to get it all done before the big day!

The back garage became an Angry Bird paradise.  Birds and Pigs were hanging from the ceiling, and Macie stared in awe at her dream come true.

 She especially loved the cake table and decor with her Angry Bird picture!

 The family turned the yard into a fun zone; there was a water blob with sprinklers, a bounce house with slide, a trampoline and ball pit, bins and bins full of water balloons, a bubble machine,

and all sorts of fun carnival style games!

While Mom worked on setting things up, Macie and I played dress up with the Photo Booth items.

 I called this ensemble my "Slash" outfit.

 Before the party started, Mom made sure to fill the outdoor tables with all sorts of carnival fare; from peanuts and popcorn, to cotton candy and animal cookies. There were treats everywhere!

Macie posed for pictures before her friends showed up, but could hardly contain her excitement and desire for the party to get started...

We were all grateful that Dad was able to come back home for the party.  Mom put him in charge of Presley, and boy was she happy!

 

 Before long, Macie's friends started showing up!  Music and laughter filled the back yard.

 Miss Andrea, our resident sno cone maker, started up the sno cone booth to help everyone cool off, and kids lined up with big smiles on their faces.

 After a few hours of playing, swimming, jumping, etc., Uncle Will started up the grill and Mom served the guests burgers, hot dogs, nuggets, and pizza; all of  Macie's favorite things! 

Guests sat in the Angry Bird room and watched Angry Bird cartoons as they ate inside.  There were lots of happy kids in that room!

Mom put together the cake while dinner was being served, and Macie couldn't have been happier with the finished product!

 When the guests were back at play, Mom cleaned up the dinner mess, and set out all the deserts.

 

Before starting the birthday song, Macie put on her Angry Bird costume! 

Macie and her friends feasted on all Mom's yummy deserts (cupcakes, cake balls, cake pops, etc.) while watching more Angry Bird cartoons, and enjoyed every minute!

 Even Presley enjoyed the treats!

After the party, the family was wiped out.  Mom and Dad started cleaning up, while Macie, Presley, and I played in the yard.  Before long, Mom decided to put down the cleaning tools and have some fun.  She jumped in the pool with her clothes on, and before long the whole family was laughing and playing together- it was a great way to end the day!

The past few months have been filled with uncertainty for our family, and finally we have a direction.  After lots of discussions, Mom and Dad decided that moving the family back to California was a not a wise decision.  Instead, we have decided to move to Summerlin, Nevada  to give the Silver State a try.  Dad flies out there this week to look for homes, and we plan to move sometime in July!

Mom, Macie, Presley, and I will stay in AZ for the next month to prepare for our move and spend time with our friends.

Stay tuned for updates on our move, as well as some big family news; this week we find out the sex of the baby!?!?!?  So many wonderful things coming up for our family!

Busy, Busy, Month of May!

With a big move planned for Early July, Mom decided to throw our birthday parties early this year.  I couldn't wait to have ALL of my friends over for a Frozen themed party!

 We sent out the save the dates, and then poor Mom spent the beginning of May trying to find ways to throw a Frozen party in summer...

After hours of contemplation, she came up with an idea:

 

With Dad away in California, Mom had lots of time at night to work on party decor.  She made a pin the nose on olaf game that I absolutely loved!

She spent many, many hours in the second garage moving equipment and turning the gym into a frozen paradise.  I was proud of her efforts:

When the day of the party finally arrived, I was so excited I could hardly wait until 3pm.  Dad came home late the night before to be there for the event, so he and Grandma Judy kept Macie, Presley, and I occupied while Mom put the finishing touches on the decor.

 Party Favor Table; pineapple water bottles and leis.

My cake:

Macie and I dressed in our new party suits, and posed with our hula skirts.

 As my friends arrived, choas ensued.  Before long there were over 100 people at our house.  With 60+ kids, it was crazy!

 

 

Not only did we play in the pool, jump and slide in the bounce house, play on the trampoline snowpit, but we played in actual snow. 

That's right, I said SNOW!  Mom bought 2 snow machines, and they were a huge hit!!!

After running in the sun we were all hot and tired, so Miss Andrea opened the snow cone booth, and everyone came running.

Uncle Will fired up the grill, and before long everyone was dining on hot dogs, hamburgers, and pizza- it was a feast!  With the hot sun, people were grateful for our indoor buffet tables and air conditioning.

 Mom had the Frozen movie playing on the big screen in the outdoor garage, and lots of kids, including Macie, had their eyes glued to the screen.

Back outside we played with water balloons, and played a few rounds of pin the nose on Olaf.

Mom set up the desert table while everyone was playing, but once Dad announced it was time for desert, the crowds came running.  Mom filled the table with all sorts of Frozen treats; cupcakes, cake balls, and pops.

When all of my friends filled the Frozen room they sang happy birthday and I couldn't stop smiling!

 It didn't take long for all of us to scarf down the table of treats.  While some of my friends opted to go back to the pool and bounce house for some outdoor fun, others stayed indoors while Taina painted our faces.

 She did an awesome job!!

We all had such a blast that we passed out shortly after the party, fatigued from a long day of fun!!!

The next morning, the family woke up groggy. Presley was the only one that woke up ready to go...

It was the last week of school, and our schedule was packed full.  Dad had to drive back out to California that morning, and we were SAD to see him leave :(  Before leaving for school that morning, both Macie and I made sure to give him tons of hugs to tide him over for the next 2 weeks.

 After school that day we had an art faire at my school, and I got to show off my art projects!!!

On Wednesday we had our kindergarten graduation celebration at Sonoran Sky.  I was SO proud!

 Here I am getting my diploma...

After we all walked in the ceremony, the kindergarten class stood onstage for our performance.  We had been practicing for a month, and I couldn't wait to sing the songs in front of the crowd.

The next day I had my official last day of kindergarten. Mom couldn't take enough pictures...

Here I am getting out of the car,

and here I am posing wit my best friend Jeansie.

 It was an emotional day for me; lots of difficult goodbyes.  To make me forget my sorrows, Mom took Macie and I to Girlie Girls for a Frozen Tea Party with some friends.  It helped...

 Macie had her last week of school as well, and at Chaparral they had tons of outdoor fun.

 At the end of the week, she had her last day in the Rainbow Room, and of course, Mom couldn't get enough pictures....

 

When Mom picked her up, it was clear that she had an amazing day with all her friends!

To celebrate the end of school, we had a dinner party at the Ketcham's.  It nice to spend a fun afternoon with our best buddies!!

That weekend we celebrated the end of school by making NO plans!  We slept in late, watched tv, and didn't follow many "rules."  Mom took us to the car wash for an outing, and we had a blast!

While she was vacuuming the car, I found some lipstick while sitting in the front seat and put it on all by myself!

For dinner one evening we went to Chuck E Cheese because Mom wanted some "good pizza"  ;)

It was great having NO agenda!

That Monday marked the start of a week at "Camp Kristin."  That was the name that the Ketcham boys came up with since they got to spend each day doing fun activities with us.  We went all over town.  Day one we went to Kracker Jax and played mini golf and other games.

 After a fun filled lunch at Taco Bell,

we went to an indoor amusement par called Jambo.

 It was a great place for Presley to join in the fun!

 

The rest of the week was filled with even more fun activities.  Trips to the museum and the science center, outings to amusement parks and water parks, by the end of the week we were all exhausted!

Presley enjoyed the indoor activities we did- she was able to work on her walking- she is getting really good!

The month of May was busy, but busy with fun activities. 

The family is looking forward to the month of June as we will be hosting Macie's birthday party, and most of all, because Dad will be home for 2 days!!! 

The last few months have been a roller coaster ride for our family.  Lots of changes keep occurring for us, but we keep rolling with the punches.  While Dad was in California this past week our family made an executive decision to move to Nevada instead of California, so after Dad is home June 1, he will pack his car and move to Las Vegas where he will stay until our family joins him mid July.  Come back soon to hear details about the party and the big move.