We survived summer, back to school, and a de-railed Cookie Monster birthday party

So I think I have developed a nervous twitch when it comes to sitting down to update our blog. I let too much time pass between posts, then when its time to catch up I dont know where to begin. So, armed with a few pictures to jog my memory I shall begin again....


Question: What do Cookie Monster and Ovarian Cysts have in common? Bet you dont know, huh? Well, the answer is:  Owens 3rd birthday party. Yes, let me explain.

So a month or so before Owen's birthday we head to the party store and he chooses to have a Cookie Monster birthday party. Invigorated with a (decent and retro fun) theme and ready to hit Pinterest to find the cutest and most clever birthday party ideas, I begin planning and send a few invitations out.

I find several make ahead ideas, all Cookie Monster theme, and impress myself along with way with how cute it will be. Yes, I should have seen it coming at this very point, but onward and upward.

My baby sister, Keleigh, who is in her last year of Chico comes down for the festivities...eager to help her MUCH older sister with the party, she arrives a day ahead and we go over the plans. Here is where we will hang the decorations, these are the veggies for the Oscar the Grouch shaped veggie patter (yes!), and here are the supplies for pin the cookie in Cookie Monsters mouth (oh ya!). So on the eve of the party, we both head to bed.

Well, Keleigh heads to bed. The others are fast asleep. The house is quiet, and I begin my nightly ritual of turning off lights, tidying up the kitchen..and...

I start getting cramps. BAD cramps. So, like any other woman/mother who starts to feel pain, I do the obvious- fold another load of laundry and pretend it doesnt hurt. LONG story short, hours pass and the pain gets so bad I can no longer stand up OR lay down. Everyone in the house is snoozing away, and I have diagnosed myself with fourteen different ailments on WebMD.

At around 1:30 AM, two things occur to me: 1. I need to go to the emergency room.
                                                                  and 2. There is NO way I am going to let Dave pack my
                                                                  hospital bag in case I have to stay overnight. The thought
                                                                  of him choosing my outfit and throwing the correct make-
                                                                  up together just sends another jolt of pain to my abdomen.

I hobble to the closet, hunched over I pack an overnight bag for myself. As one last ditch effort to avoid the horribly inconvenient ER, I spot the ibuprofen and take 800mg. I actually fall asleep for an hour in Katies bed (see, I didnt want to wake Dave up because he had to get up for work soon).

Dave heads to work, I awake in pain---still.

So, to summarize and spare everyone of the deets...Dave leaves work to come pick me up and takes me to the ER, where after a CT and bloodwork they realize I had an ovarian cyst rupture. Ok..so, that sounds all fine because the worst was over but the REAL pain for me was having to SIT and WAIT in that dang ER room while the docs rustled their way to and fro...between what I swear was a bazillion other patients that day.

So, Dave refuses to go home, even at my repeated urging and long list of things for him to do in preparation for the day...you know, clean the bbq, ice in the ice chests, clean outdoor furniture, oh, I get antsy just thinking back. But....here is what our scene looked like for SIX hours that day....

Ladies...I had a PARTY  happening that day....and I was in the ER..waiting. The Type A Goddess in me was screaming and having panic attacks...as I repeatedly texted my poor little sister---who was stuck home with ALL my kids..about where to put the decorations, what cheeses to arrange with which crackers, and all those micromanaging details.  And Dave continued to insist on staying there...watching me wait and being there for support. Uhm...I did happen to snap this shot of him offering that support...

umm..ya. Sleep-support. I must have been really engaging him with a good convo here.

Love you, Dear. :-)

 My BFF Cristine caught word of me being in the hospital and they joined forces to put together an awesome Cookie Monster party for Owen. My baby sister Kel and Cristine did such an awesome job, and I am so grateful to have such supportive family and friends in my life. No joke, by the time I got released from the hospital I arrived at our house just as our first guests were getting there....and when you ask "why didnt you just reschedule the party?"..I have to ask if you have ever had to tell a 3 year old that his much-anticipated has been cancelled.

 

So in the end, Owen got his Cookie Monster party, and we all donned the cheesiest shirts in honor of our sweet, energetic, trouble-finding, gap-toothed boy.

 

 

Working backwards a bit....

 

So aside from the lady-part malfunctions, here are a few of the things we crammed into this summer...

Ryan turned 10 on June 27th and we partied like Power Rangers with friends, family, and a backyard barbecue. Thinking back to the day Ryan was born really throws my brain into a sentimental (and confused) warp, but seeing where we all landed -- and how awesome Ryan is doing today--makes my heart sing.
                  Here is a shot of Ryan ten years ago...see, newborn Superheros wear masks already....

                                           

                                               and now....the Prince and Superhero himself!

 

 

 

Adding to the fun and festivities of the day, we were lucky enough to add in a celebration for my sweet niece, Livy, as she turned a year old. My sister and her family came for a visit and it was just perfect timing with both Ryan and Livy having summer birthdays. See those pink polka-dot balloons in the background? Those are attached to the chair of the most adorable, chubby girl who is ready to party. 

 

My baby sister April and her family.

 

Can she get ANY cuter?!!?!

Livy really got into her cake....

 

 

We soooo enjoyed having Aunt April and Uncle Tim visit. Simple moments like having her along with us on a trip to Noahs Bagels reminds me of how much I wish she lived closer.

 

 

 

One of the "blessings" of being a stay-at-home-mom is that I get the opportunity to find inexpensive ways to keep the entire family busy over the summer. There..did I make that sound awesome or what?!! This year we all decided to get season passes to Marine World, and we really took advantage of those suckers. We were a clan with the plan = eat first, not at the park (super iccky food and super pricey), and stay until you are super hungry again then leave. How 'bout that?!!

 

and some of the real great family bonding moments are on the drive home from such adventures...here is a shot of the backseat. Ethan had discovered that the huge straw in his drink could turn into a neat whistle....Katie was less than enthused.

 

...we also took a camping trip to Collins Lake. Now, when I say "camping"...I mean, with a cabin and air conditioning, and a flushing toilet. THAT kind of camping. Lots of fun out on the lake and around the campsite. As we roll out of the driveway, with BOTH cars packed to the gils, we are a bunch of happy campers :-)

 

 

 

Camp Fashion Star Owen....

 

 

 

smmmmmmores!

 

if only Ryan had sunglasses like the rest of us..maybe his eyes would be open :-)

 

 

Katie gives fishing a shot...for about ten minutes. Then it was back to hanging out in the water...

Our happy campers!

 

                              
                                                               Fun with friends and fire!

 

Key to summer sanity with four kids...KEEP MOVING!

So, some more highlights...

We went to see Ampy's annual classic car show in Petaluma...my brother Mike and sister Kel were there, always love seeing them..

                            
                                                                        Ampy! 

                                        
                                                               Owen likes this one.

 

Ahh...another perk to a day-trip  is the ride home when the car is serenely quiet because...

 

Always have to head to the beach at least once! We had fun meeting up with my dear friend from WAY back, Brandie, and her sweet kiddos at Doran Beach

 

                        And of course those everyday "creative play" moments, like making a super potion
                            in your backyard....(by the look on Ethan's face, Owen wasn't following directions)

 

                                 ...or hiding in the ENORMOUS never-ending laundry pile....

 

Katie learned how to sew, thanks to Tita and her amazing talent (and certainly NO thanks to my lack of....)

                            She made pillows for each of the boys, they got to choose the theme. How cool is
                            she?!!

 

Owen started preschool (ugh...already?!). He is in our beloved Ms. Cory's class, where he is enjoying being super bossy and learning how to wait his turn. God Blessed Ms. Cory with an AMAZING amount of patience, which makes her the perfect woman for this job.

                                                    
                                 Our baby off to preschool. He didnt even cry when I left. Ugh.

 

A new school year began in August...some were more excited than others....

 

                                               Owen meets Sharpie. Need I say more??

                                         Brothers support one another...at all times. Atta boy, Ryan...

 I cant pass this one up. One night it was time to grab a book and do some reading...
so Ethan spotted this pretty pink book in Katies room and started reading.  He actually had it upside-down for awhile, trying to figure out what it was all about. If you cant see, the title is, "What's happening to my body- a book for growing girls." Oh ya, this photo is a keeper for the later years...

                           

 Ampy came to visit a couple times over the summer and we always enjoy our time with him.

 

Cathy and her son Joe joined us-along with uncle Bub- for a bbq

 

 

 

 

                               Ahh...the Hurtado family "before bedtime" dance party...of course
                              dad and aunt Kel were champs and joined in.                          

 

Katie has become SUCH a great pianist. She even wrote her own music and lyrics, and then performed (her friend Kaira sang) at her recital. Can you say PROUD?!!!

 

 

 

Ah! I think I need to be done for now. We are quickly heading into the holiday hustle, and I still get giddy feelings just thinking all the fun that we will have together, and all the ways life continues to bless us.