It has been a busy couple weeks, but also lots of fun and excitement!
The first week of February I spent getting ready for my trip down to Arizona. I couldn’t tell anybody about it because it was a surprise for my parents…a present to them from my grandparents.
I wanted to make life as easy as possible for Michael while I was gone, so I made an easy meal plan and got the girl’s lunches almost ready. I made special treats for lunches and hid Valentine chocolates around the house for my sweety.
Andrea and I were planning a little party down in Arizona for my parent’s 35th wedding anniversary. We invited a few couples over to our grandparent’s house for the party. On Wednesday last week, I left Sedro-Woolley at 4:30 and got to AZ at midnight. My sister picked me up at the airport. We stayed up late and got up in the morning to make some funny cookies and decorations for the party.
Thursday afternoon we went up to Mom’s work. I texted her asking if the package I had sent had arrived yet. Not yet, but shortly there after Andrea stopped by her office to drop off a “package” that had arrived at her house for Mom. When I stepped in the door…she was definitely surprised!
Dad wasn’t in town that night, so we got to surprise him the next day when I was in the car to pick him up at the airport! Once they knew I was there, we told them about the party, so that part wasn’t a surprise.
For the party we had tons of food and played a casual silly version of the “Newlywed Game”. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Andrea made an adorable cake for them and we made them cut it together like at a wedding reception!
Otherwise on the trip I had fun just hanging with Mom and Dad and my sister. I made Dad and Andrea play my new game “Dominion” with me. It is a lot of fun! I like playing games with my family.
My niece and nephew are growing up so fast and are so cute. Gabe is a real talker and has a hilarious sense of humor like my sister. Makayla was very reserved at first, but opened up after about fifteen minutes each time I saw her.
On Sunday, my parents and I got to go to a Swap Meet and the Renaissance Festival! The Swap Meet was lots of fun…Ididn’t buy much, but LOVE the little glass owl necklace I found. I love the Festival! I had been there once before. It is so fun to walk through this middle-age town with all the characters dressed up as prince and princess, pirates, and peasants. I still want to go sometime dressed up in my own outfit. It just happened to be the opening weekend.
We got to stop in and have dinner with my grandparents so I could see them again before I left town. It is always fun to see everyone down there!
My last night there I drove down to see my sister one more time by myself. Her kids had gotten a little bug, so they didn’t get to come to the festival fun with us. I made her play my game with me some more!
I’m not exactly sure what the girls and Michael did without me all that time. They had to manage an extra hour in the morning alone and were after school alone on Thursday and Friday. They know how to do that and do very well alone together. They are such good girls…they make me proud. On Saturday they went to our niece Emma’s birthday party…which I’m sure was lots of fun.
Michael set the breakfast table for Valentines day with a gift for each girl. He made them heart-shaped fried eggs and sandwiches that day…just like I would have done. What a good Daddy!
He came to pick me up at the airport at 12:30 that afternoon and took me out to lunch. We had about six extra kids coming over that night…on Valentines day we often try to watch kids so other people can have a Valentine date…so got all ready for that. I decorated and made heart-shaped hotdogs and jello. The kids played games on the Wii and watched a movie. I was pooped by bedtime for sure!
The girls loved the Valentines that got sent back with me! Many thanks yous to Gigi and Papa and Gramma DeeDee and Grampa Morrow!
Now I’m caught up on my sleep and back to normal life again. Well, mostly normal…last night Anika was throwing up, so now she is home from school today. I guess it will be a forced chill-out day!
Love to you all!
Shawna
