David's 5th Birthday Party

The kids joined David for his 5th birthday party today and had a blast, literally! The theme was Rock n Roll Blast and it was so much fun. Belinda had so much planned for constant activity, which was awesome. Here were the games in order:

1. Free Play on playscape and fort until everyone arrived
2. Musical Chairs
3. Hula Hoop Contest
4. Water Balloon Fight
5. Guitar Piñata Busting
6. Rockin' and Rollin' with Charles on the guitar

The cake was fantastic, the decorations and goodie bags were very cute and you would think my kids had been to a concert before! They were rockin' and jammin' with Charles as he played the guitar and they were SO in to it!

Thank you Belinda, Charles, Sean, David and Ava for a great experience and wonderful time. Happy 5th Birthday David! We hope it was everything you wanted it to be!

The kids helped me decorate David's gift by drawing pictures, placing stickers and even pressing out the baby foot bow! They did a great job!

Carnival Time

The kids were so excited earlier in the week when we went to the carnival and we told them that we would go again before the carnival left. The carnival leaves tomorrow so it was now or never. We got there about 8:30pm tonight and the first ride the kids wanted to ride was the roller coaster, which, by the way, Austin is mysteriously now tall enough to go on. They had such a blast.

The next ride they did was the little jungle safari train ride. They had a really good time on that one too. However, it was hilarious because the operator had to keep pushing it to get it to go when it was on the far end of the track. When the ride was over, the operator explained that one of the motors just went out and it had a hard time getting around.



The next booth the kids hit was the duck grabbing one and the kids ended up getting some crazy blow up toys at that one. Austin got a dolphin and Danny got a smiley face hammer.

Then, it was off to the balloon bustin' booth. Danny got to do this last Sunday and Austin was terribly hurt, so today, it was Austin's turn. Kamal got into a discussion with the guy running it because he said for $3.00 you got one dart and had to pop a balloon in order to get a prize. That's not what we were told on Sunday. On Sunday, they told us that you got a prize whether you popped the balloon or not, and luckily, Danny had popped the balloon. So the guy called over his manager and his manager approved it that Austin could get a prize whether he popped the balloon or not. But I guess Austin didn't care about that because he did an AWESOME JOB popping the balloon all on his own. I was so proud of him! Such a great little champ.

Here is what Austin won:

Making Monsters

I have a friend who makes monsters for a living. You can visit her website at CurlyQ Cuties. The other day, I was looking through her collection and found that she has a monster maker tool, as well as a fairy tooth maker on her website where the kids can make monsters, print them and just have fun. It is super simple and very fun for the kids.

Danny decided he wanted to make one. He designed it all out and we printed it. We cut around the little monster and glued the back. Then, we went and got a popcicle stick and made a puppet. It turned out really cute and durable, as we put shipping tape around everything. Here's his monster:

It was so much fun and I think it would be a great playdate. The kids could each design their own monster, print it and make it into a puppet. I know Danny had a great time making his.

Pool Play and Park Playdate

We had such a great time today with friends at the pool. Our friends Crystal and Jake invited us to hang out at their pool in their subdivision that has a great children pool. It was really hot out and as soon as Danny got home from school, we got dressed and went to hang out with them and other friends. The kids had a blast.

Afterward, I let the kids play at the playground for a few minutes. Even with all the fun they had, they were still not ready to leave. I kept telling them that it was time to go but they wouldn't budge. Finally, I had to just walk to the car and hope they followed, which thankfully, they did.

Thanks Crystal, Jake, Michelle, Celeste and Celena for having us over to your pool today. The kids are forever grateful!

Having Principles

Last night, we were watching a movie and it said Jesus' name in vain (and not even a little bit where a person could let it go). I've gotten really good at ignoring things that Hollywood tries to impose on me and my family but for Kamal, that was the last straw. He had me turn off the movie and said that we would not be watching any more movies by this writer or director.

I must say that I admire Kamal's principles on this one. He could have let it pass, like I do for the most part, but he didn't and I found myself really happy with the stand he made. I prayed later that I might have the same determination as he does to do what is right (I kept wanting to go and finish the movie, he he he).

I was joking with my friend Lisa to be careful what you pray for because God just might grant your wishes. I've wanted Kamal to be something great in the Christian faith and now that he is, I guess I'd better watch out. It might turn everything upside down in our family (which would be a good thing!).

Pope Joan

Pope Joan: A Novel by Donna Woolfolk Cross

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a great book about a female named Johanna in the 9th Century AD. It starts at her birth and goes through her death as Pope John (Joan). The journey it took her to get to her final destination was a fascinating one. I really enjoyed reading about this character and relating to her on many levels. I love her thirst for knowledge, the crucial people that helped her along the way and her thankfulness for their help. I also liked that she wasn't without human feeling and compassion for her fellow man.

The way God worked in her life was abundant, however, due to the way her mother brought her up, she always had doubt. It kept her trying to prove to herself that God was real.

Great book, and once you start, you'll be hooked.

View all my reviews.

Ice Cream Social

I scream, you scream, we ALL scream for ICE CREAM! The kids had such fun today with neighborhood friends at Zero Ice Cream Creations. Each kid got a free ice cream with one mix-in of their choice. Austin decided on chocolate ice cream with strawberries and Danny decided on cotton candy ice cream with M&Ms. They had such a great time and so did the parents.

Afterward, we went to KFC and got a family meal of grilled chicken. The kids were very hungry and ate really well. Then, later tonight, we went for a family walk to feed the fish and go to the park. While we were there, we met Rachel, David and Hudson and their golden retriever, Asher. Danny and Austin wore the poor dog out by throwing tennis balls for almost an hour (each child had one) and making the dog fetch them. Also besides playing fetch, Asher showed the kids that he could go down the slide, shake hands, give high fives, sit, lay down, back up and much more! The kids were so impressed and didn't want to leave. Danny told Rachel, "Thanks for sharing your dog with us!" It was a really fun time.

Church, Mall and Carnival

Today was really fun. The boys and I went to church. While we were there, we bumped into several friends. My friend Amanda and I said a quick "Hi" in the hall as we were both late for the service. I still hadn't dropped Austin off at his class, so I had to boogie. But it was still nice to see her, nonetheless. Then, after service when Austin and I were picking up Danny, we bumped into my friend Carla and her daughter Samara. We talked for a while until Danny came and Danny was so excited to see that his friend was waiting for him. It was great seeing them again as we haven't seen them in quite a while.

After church, we went back home, got changed, grabbed Daddy and went to the mall to have lunch. Rajaa met us there and we went in. The plan was that we would go to Dragonfly for Chinese food and then shop. But, as we entered the mall, Danny decided that he wanted Panda Express and wouldn't change his mind for nothing. Even when I spotted our friends Melissa, Zachary, Donetta and Anna sitting in Dragonfly. I bribed him saying "Don't you want to go and sit with your friends?" He said, "No, I want Panda Express!" So, needless to say, we went to Panda Express.

After we ate, we went to The Disney Store and got them some Buzz Lightyear sunglasses and then off to Game Stop to look at some more games. Earlier, before we went inside the mall, we spotted a carnival and drove by to see if it was running. It wasn't so we went ahead and went to the mall. However, when we exited the mall, the carnival was in full swing and so we took the kids by.

At the carnival, the kids had a blast playing different games and winning prizes, as well as riding a ride. Our friends (Donetta, Anna, Melissa, and Zachary) were there too and it just made the kids' day that they were doing something fun like their friends. Danny got a free ride on the mini roller coaster because the guy was wanting to show us how fast the ride goes. However, Austin was too short (by an inch) and wasn't allowed on. Then, when we got tickets for the boys, they wanted to ride a boat ride with their friends. However, Austin again was too short (by an inch) and wasn't allowed on. Poor guy! He was truly bummed. We took the kids to a little car roller coaster to ride together and the operator let it go for a very long time. The kids had a great time. Since the carnival is in town until the 31st, Daddy promised the boys that we would go back several times so that they could ride different rides. They are so excited about that now!

After we left the carnival, we went to Randall's to pick up some groceries. Danny ended up slicing his hand pretty deep at the check out counter and started FREAKING OUT when the lady called to report his injury. He kept asking me, "Is she calling the cops?" I said no and then he asked "The Firefighters?" Again, I told him no.

At home, I made corn on the cob and the kids had a blast eating it on the swing set. Here are a few pics:

Great day! I hope yours was too.

The Fort Worth Zoo

We had such a great time there and tomorrow, I will finally get the pictures up. Check them out at: Fort Worth Zoo.

Train Painting

The boys had a great time today painting some wooden trains I got at Walmart for 88¢. This was another little reward for Danny for getting a green card and a very inexpensive one at that.

We were invited to go to the sprinkler park with friends today but when Danny got out of school, he was a little cranky so I decided to keep him at home and let him relax. After about 2 hours, he decided that he would like to paint his train along with his little brother and then play playdough. They did really well with the paint and it was a relatively, non-messy affair. After playtime, we had dinner and then the kids and I watched Madagascar II: Escape to Africa. It was really nice family time. A great start to Memorial Day Weekend!

Playdate at Naiomi's

The kids had a great time today playing at Naiomi's house. We went to the backyard where there were bubbles, a sandbox and balls of every kind (baseball, soccer ball, golf ball, etc.). Austin right away fell in love with the Schnauzer dog and followed him everywhere for the first fifteen minutes.

Naiomi had a great patio where all the moms sat in the shade of the umbrella and sipped pink lemonade. She had kettle corn, graham crackers and M&Ms that we all snacked on and had a little craft book that the kids could color. But mostly, the kids had a blast chasing each other, playing in the sand and when Mrs. Naiomi brought out the water hose, it was all over! The kids had such a great time getting wet.

Thanks Naiomi, Elijah and Caleb for such a wonderful time.