MY OLDEST turns 11!!!

It wasn't too long ago that I was 11 (23 years ago-HeeHee) and I remember spending the night at my friend Alexis' house with about 10 other girls. It could have been only 5 but it seemed like more. I also remember a sleepover at my friend Lisa's house. We brought out the Quija board at her house and her dad scared the living day lights out of us. Those were good times!!! Megan turned 11 on Tuesday and for her party she invited 8 little girls over for a slumber party. When I was planning the evening, I searched the internet for ideas to keep them entertained. It finally hit me today that when I was young, I would go over to a friends house and my friends and I would stay busy with chatting, laughing, playing, styling each other's hair, playing board games, etc. The mother never had things planned for us to do. If she did, it doesn't stand out in my mind. Tonight I planned a scavenger hunt which lasted for about an hour and a half. The girls were given 20 items to find around the neighborhood. They were to take pictures of them and report back. Each item was worth 5-10 points. Whoever found the most items WON. Some of the items were: pool, tombstone, white dog, american flag, for sale sign.
I think the girls really enjoyed it. After dinner, the girls opened gifts, listened to music, prepared their sleeping bags, and now they are watching a movie. It's 10:33 and I really would like to go to bed. I hope they will consider it before midnight.
It's hard to imagine in 5 years she will be driving. I've always kinda hated the expression "Where have the years gone" or "they grow up so fast".... but now those words sink it, they have a meaning. It's all happening way too fast and I want it to slow down.

Here are some pics from our evening!! ENJOY!!!

A visit to the Cemetary

WOW!! There are so many stories to unlock in a cemetary!! Today my mom, the girls, my neice and I went to Mary's Chapel Cemetary. Every grave has it's own story and the life that person led. I wish each tombstone could talk. Everytime we'd see a stone, my mother would remember a memory about that person. My mother told me the story of how she had ordered her mother's stone and then her brother later went back and added more wording without her knowing. There is one tombstone in the cemetery that has 8 names on it. Most of them are children and underneath it reads how they died in a Hurricane in 1950. The girls quickly started to do the math on several tombstones and would point out the babies. The oldest relative in the cemetery are my GREAT GREAT grandparents who were born in the 1800's. It's hard to imagine what life was like for them. No cars, No computers, no telephones... maybe not even electricity since it was relatively new. What did their day consist of? Maybe working in their fields or feeding their animals. Did the children walk to school? Did they travel? No alarm clock or ringing phone to wake them up!! 100 years later and things are VERY VERY different.

House

I just wanted to post some pics of the house. It's really starting to move right along. They are putting up sheetrock right now. It looks more like a home every week. We are expected to move in either in May or June.

Gosh Halloween has come and gone and now it's time for Thanksgiving and then Christmas. It's too bad there not spread out more!! I really dislike putting out Christmas decorations. What a chore!!! Last week Rachel was sick with the FLU. Yes the H1N1. It wasn't so bad. She was sick two days and then by Halloween she walked in the Race for the Cure and that night went trick or treating. A friend of Rachel's had a PARTY for the Cure. Instead of having a regular birthday party, the girls met in the parking lot and then walked the 5K together. She gave all the girls a pink hat and a sash to wear. It was very cute. After the walk, we met back at the cars and had cupcakes and a drink and it was OVER!! I love simple!!! For Halloween, Megan and her friend dressed as a Jelly Bean Bag. It was cute!! Definitely not easy to walk around in and I was surprised they kept it on as long as they did, but before the night was up, they had shed the bags and balloons and were back to wearing normal clothes. Rachel was a Zebra. As they get older the costume becomes less and less of a costume and more of something you'd wear maybe to a party. It's hard as a parent to tell your child "Honey-that doesn't really look like anything". For Megan, I had warned her before hand that her costume would be hard to walk around in but she insisted and luckily it all worked out. Independence has really set in at my house. Megan and her friend wanted to trick or treat alone. That was fine. We live in a safe neighborhood and there were plenty of other 5th graders walking around. Finally at 8pm, I got in my car and went looking for Megan. I told her two more houses and it's time to come in. She pleaded and said "How about 5 more houses". I then said "how about zero houses". They seemed to have worked!!