Makenna's Surprise Party

This year we decided to throw Makenna a surprise party.  I was impressed we were able to pull it off without her suspecting a thing.    Kevin took her out to dinner while the kids and I set up and all the guests arrived.  Here is a video of her being surprised
http://youtu.be/LIGw2kshbVg

For the party activities, we used a Science theme since Makenna loves Science.  We made "Elephant Toothpaste," Mentos fountains, exploding sandwich Bags, and Stars in a Jar.  Then we enjoyed Makennas birthday cake, opened presents and then hunted in the backyard for the "milky way" to add to our "stars in a jar." 

 All in all, I would say the party was a success.  She really didnt expect it which made it fun and exciting for all of us (we had to keep it a surprise from Brielle and Emmitt too so they wouldnt spill the beans).  It all came about because for months Makenna has been talking about wanting a Science-themed birthday party but when her birthday got close and I asked her about it she became too stressed and worried about who to invite (she hates to hurt feelings) and what to do.  She got a bit overwhelmed with worry and just told me she would instead just pick one friend to take to dinner and a movie.  Well I felt bad about her not getting the party she had been talking about so when Brayden suggested to me that maybe we do a "surprise party" I thought that would be the perfect solution.  So I did all the worrying about the guest list and activites and she just got to enjoy the fun.  Kevin, Brayden and I had fun talking about it all week in code.  Our code name for the party was "storage room."  So all week we were talking about what we needed to buy for the "storage room" and what we had to organize for the "storage room." And Makenna never suspected a thing.

It was fun to do something special for my special sweetheart Makenna.  She is such a smart, loving, fun girl and all her friends just adore her.  We are so blessed to have her in our family.  She is one super 9 year old girl and WE LOVE LOVE LOVER HER to pieces!

Her Birthday fun isnt over though yet as in two days she'll have her actual birthday- so more posting to come...

Labor Day Picnic at Louisville State Park

We had a great time this Labor Day checking out a new State Park we hadnt yet been to.  Its only about 30 minutes away and has a nice lake and decent beach for the kids to swim and play.  We were joined by our friends the Thomas' and the Owens and had a great time.  Once again, I slacked in the picture-taking department but I promise to not make this a habit.

Conagra Zoo Day 2013

It was another successful company picnic at the zoo.  We had a good time as always.  This year was particularly HOT!  Apparently I was more into enjoying the moment than taking pictures because I have just a few from my phone to share...

We LOVE visitors!

My cousin's wife Alyson was driving through Omaha on her way to New York State with her brother and kids and I was so glad she dropped in on us for a visit.  We took them to Winter Quarters and downtown for some ice cream.  I love visits from extended family that I hardly ever see.  It was WONDERFUL!

Our Puppy Failure

Well I am sad to report that we have given away Mikey.  He was adopted over the weekend by a new family and I hope he will be happy there.  He was a sweet little guy and was doing well in our home with the exception of Emmitt.  Having a two year old and a puppy just proved to be more than I could handle.  While Emmitt loved Mikey, they played like two dogs and Mikeys nipping was just not something I could control.  After an incident where Mikey bit Emmitt on the face (all in play), we decided Mikey had to go away for a bit and then a few weeks later we decided he should probably find a home of permanence with some other family.  The kids (particularly Brayden and Makenna) are devastated, and I feel so bad for them because they were so helpful with the dog and always did as they were asked to do.  I think there will be another dog in our home someday but it just might be awhile.