"Pioneer Woman comes to Norman"

That's how it read in the paper that I glanced at one afternoon.

Who even reads the paper anymore? It was only by accident that I even stumbled upon the news of her book signing. Even more shocking was that I actually saw this blurb before the event took place - meaning I had time to plan to go!

I still remember the day Rachel was at my house telling me about some lady's blog she was reading, some weird love story about a girl from California meeting this cattle rancher and then writing about it for everyone to read about.

"She's from Oklahoma! You've never heard of her?" she asked me.

Curiosity got the better of me, and after she left, I went looking for that "some lady". A few clicks and a few weeks later, I realized that "some lady" was The Pioneer Woman.

I quickly became a fan - not a commenting fan, because who wants to be one of 76,235 commenters on any given post?

But she made me laugh and I loved her low-key approach to life. I love low maintenance. And I loved her recipes.

Rachel gifted me her cookbook when it came out, and I thought I could return the love and gift her Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. Icing on the cake would be getting my dear friend a signed copy.

So I recruited Alicia, another dear friend, to go with me.

The night before, I had googled "What happens at a Pioneer Woman book signing."

I obviously had no idea what I was doing.

Since the signing was happening on a Friday, I had time that morning to run down to Hastings and grab a number. Apparently, they were doing the signing by numbers that were given out, first come, first serve. I got there at 1pm and got my number. Seven.

Then I went home. Cleaned the house, got the kids, played with them a bit, took a shower, and got ready to go.

When we arrived, there were people who had been waiting since 2pm. Sure was glad I had my number and didn't have to spend the afternoon at Hastings!

I had Silas with me - not to help bring Pioneer Woman back to the ranks of the childbearing, but just because he pretty much goes everywhere with me. It's actually much easier than leaving him at home because he's so low-maintenance.

When it was my turn, I went up there and told her how much I appreciated learning how to cook a steak from her blog. I told her that she she was instrumental in my learning to cook at all.

Actually, I don't think I used the word "instrumental". But you get the idea.

Anyway, she signed my book, and Rachel's - without even looking down, I might add. I guess when you've signed a million books, you've got the hang of it.

"Both of these going to Rachel?" she asked me. It's been confusing to lots of other people, too...Rach and I having the same name.

And that was about it. Alicia got her books signed, and that was it.

I do have Facebook to thank for allowing me to know that my super-fun friend Misty would be there as well! Before we left, we found misty in the crowd and asked a pleasant passerby to take a picture of all of us.

Alicia and I headed out for a lovely evening at The Olive Garden, and in my heart I blessed my husband for being so willing to give me a great night out with my friend!

cake, candles, rinse and repeat.

So, I still had the dilemma of throwing the best-ever birthday for six million kids, all without stressing out or losing my mind.

That's when I decided I personally didn't want to do anything.

I totally farmed out the birthday business to The Little Gym.

You may remember that all my girls have Little Gym classes during the week. They love the teachers there and always have a great time. Even though the parties looked a little pricy, in the end I decided it was worth it.

It was so totally, unbelievably worth it.

They told me they'd decorate a little bit, but I could bring stuff if I wanted. I thought that might meant they'd hang little "Happy Birthday" sign or something. Instead, I walked into this totally fun room:

I hung up this "Birthday Blessings" banner I'd made as a replacement for gifts. We asked all the guests to bring a handmade note, card, or blessing to hang here instead of bringing a gift. All of our guests brought really thoughtful and fun notes! I'll be so thankful to save them all for Emma and Abby to see when they're older; I hope it will help them look back and remember friends that they had for this season of their lives.
Here's a bigger view of the banner - overall, I was pleased with how it turned out, but I was a little irritated at how the Mod Podge on the letters made the cardstock turn up. I knew it was happening, but I felt powerless to stop it. Suggestions, anyone?
Emma had requested quite an elaborate Bunny Cake, but in the end, this is what she got: (oh, and try not to be distracted by their unusual leaning. Turns out that the bunnies didn't like each other very much, so they're each scooting to their respective sides. It has nothing to do with the fact that they were cut incorrectly and only barely salvaged at the last minute.)
Yes, Abby...that's right. Stand in front of the bunnies so no one will notice their irregularity:

Thankfully, I had asked my parents to bring a cookie cake. The bunnies turned out ok, but they weren't adequate for feeding a crowd!

Soon, people started arriving and I started snapping pictures.
Honestly, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a party at The Little Gym. Would they just give everyone free play? Would that last for very long? Would they have structured games? Would that be totally lame? Would the activities appeal to a broad range of ages? I was curious how they'd pull it off.

They started with a few minutes of free play, to give everyone an introduction to the gym. My kids already felt totally at home.

Then, they got in a circle and each child was introduced.
It was like a Who's Who of Eggroll America life. There were lots of friends from our new church:
This is probably Emma's best friend in Oklahoma, Davis:
Oh yeah, and there was that one part where Abby was acting like, "It's my party and I'll do whatever I want."
There were friends from Emma's Friday School:

And her incredibly awesome teacher from Friday School, Mrs. Ambra (Ambra, I'm so sorry the only picture I have of you is this one! I had to post it though, because Emma just loves you SO VERY much!)
What came next was 45 minutes of serious physical activity. I know my kids slept well that night! They had them doing all sorts of fun things! Here, they were imitating crabs:
and clams, opening and closing:
There was some hide-and-seek:
And of course, they busted out the parachute. And some balls. And then there was popcorn.

Don't you wish you were a kid again?
There was tons of action in the gym.


Once they were sufficiently exhausted, everyone was corralled into the party room for cake and drinks.


By the end of the party, all the cakes were gone. Lots of hugs were given. Many special memories were made. Smiles, laughter and giggles marked the entire afternoon.

And all I had to do to make it happen was swipe my Visa card.

After the last guest left, I made a quick plan to eat dinner at Harry Bears with my family. As we drove there, we all debriefed about the party. I asked Samantha what her favorite part was: knocking over the giant cheese mat.

Emma's favorite part? "Being with all of my favorite people."

It's true - that almost everyone on this side of the world that she loves and shares her life with was there. It was a very special day.

Just as we were leaving the restaurant later that night, I quickly decided to get a few extra pictures. I mean, it's not every day I take a shower! Ha!

My brother and Samantha:

My dad and Silas have "an understanding". They're great friends!
My family with part of my crew - not sure where Abby took off to. (How very typical!)

But, I especially wanted one with my big birthday girl.
I used to bemoan the fact that she's not tiny anymore, that she doesn't have that toothless baby grin, or the precious baby grip on my fingers. I used to feel sad that the bumbly toddler stage was over, that she doesn't fit very well - or at all! - in my arms.

But - what I gain with her age are insights into her heart and mind. We have conversations, she has opinions, she has preferences. I can watch her think and reason. I can watch her grow in wisdom; I can watch her learn from her mistakes. I have a buddy to run errands with me and someone to help me remember the next phrase of the verses we're memorizing.

I'm sure I'll always miss her tinyness, but I'm learning to love this phase too.

Happy 6th Birthday, Emma!

sing a song of birthdays

February can be kind of a crazy month for us.

Ok, well I guess that's making things a bit too dramatic. There's just this one week in February...where Emma and Abby both have birthdays.

This year was Abby's first birthday in America. Emma's last birthday in America was when she turned one. I wanted this to be a special year since all of our families were here to celebrate with us. We've made lots of new friends this year too, and I wanted them to be in on the birthday fun. How to combine my grand ambitions for a birthday party and not lose my mind?

Hmmm. It is a question. And I thought about it for a while.

Then I put off thinking about it.

Then I decided I had to start thinking about it or else I'd end up with a backyard full of kids with nothing better to do than dig in the dirt and a cake I'd picked up at Walmart the night before.

Not that there's anything wrong with a cake bought at Walmart.

It's just that when it comes to special occasions, my kids have learned to expect a lot from me. Ok, maybe the truth is, I expect a lot of me.

But I just didn't have it in me this year - to plan a party that included both Abby and Emma, to include everyone from great-grandparents to rowdy three-year-olds, and to have it be fabulous.

So I did something very uncharacteristic for me. I asked for help.

I asked my grandmother to plan a small party to celebrate with my immediate family. I asked Josh's mom to plan a small party to celebrate with his family. And then I farmed out the kid-party to someone else. (But more on that later!)

Here's the Abby & Emma Birthday Round-up, Part 1:

We went first to my Nana's house. She had prepared a delicious meal and a precious cake for my girls. Emma loved the heart sprinkles that decorated the perfectly moist cake. She did a great job sharing her birthday cake(s) with Abby. Abby also didn't seem to mind - not that she was terribly clued in, but still.

My Nana also got to play with Silas, which is saying something since only one other boy has entered our family by birth in two decades. We're a girl-producing family.
And then, right after that, my camera died. Note to self: birthdays are important. Please double-check batteries next time.

The next weekend, we went to Josh's parents house for another birthday bash. Debbie was wonderfully prepared with birthday crowns for the girls - and a princess crown for Samantha.
Abby's just...just...so stinkin' cute.
I was just hoping she'd hurry up and blow out those candles. There was cake to eat!And it was GOOD!
After a round of thank-you's, we all headed outside to play.
It was a beautiful day, perfect for lazing around outside. Abby, still with cake smudged on her mouth, wanted to give the bubbles a shot. It seems more like she was trying to eat them.
Emma and Josh's brother Jason are great friends and playmates. He's just a bit older than her, and loves to run and play. Perfect for Emma!
Pappy gives Abby some help with the bubbles as great-grandpa looks on:
Emma was ready to put some of her new gardening tools to work, so when Gigi offered to take her digging in the creek, they were out of there in no time!
Abby wasn't interested in digging, but jumping in the bouncy house was an attractive option.
Lots of digging brought little results. Not even a single bug to add to the bug jar!
With two birthday parties behind us, you'd think we'd be done - but actually, the biggest one was yet to come...

handling sibling squabbles with grace

So here's the scene:

Emma is playing quietly in Abby's room, making an elaborate tea party for some VIP-dolls. In fact, I'd hardly heard a peep from her in almost an hour. Abby is in the living room with me playing and reading. After some time, she heads into her own room to retrieve something - some treasured toy, maybe her blanket or doll.

Seconds later, Emma comes into the living room...full of shrieks and tears. Abby has destroyed her tea party.

Such is the life of an older sister and a younger sister. Abby is just old enough to want to do everything her big sisters do, and just young enough not to be able to play well by the rules, and to do her everything in a very pesky way.

We've spent a lot of time coaching Emma and Samantha on proper responses to Abby's shenanigans. Most of the time, Abby isn't trying to be malicious - and when she is, we try to be quick to respond. They're gradually starting to learn that letting go of the "prized toy" (whatever it might be at the moment) usually only lasts for a few moments before Abby gets distracted by something else, and that keeping peace in the relationship has a higher value than that toy.

On this particular day, the day of the upturned tea party, I tried to impart another nugget of truth to her. By including Abby in their play, lots of great things can happen:

• they set an example to her by being kind and thoughtful.
• by giving her directions within their play, they can preserve their own tea party...or whatever activity they're involved in that minute.
• they have the chance to serve their sister in love.
• Abby will usually get tired/distracted/uninterested in their game after just a few moments and the bigger girls can resume their playing.

Emma murmured her acceptance of my profound wisdom and walked off to her room. That was the last I heard of her for quite a while. Until...

"Ta-da! Abby, fair maiden*, please come with me to your room where you are invited to attend a royal tea party!"

Abby actually let out a little gasp - mostly from uncertainty, I'm sure - and followed Emma down the hall. Emma had replaced her favorite dolls with Abby's favorite dolls and laid out another elaborate tea party. Since Abby is well-versed in tea parties, she was seriously excited. It was the mother-lode of tea parties.

Emma showed her many of the finer points of tea-partying that were previously unknown to Abby, such as...how to feed a baby doll a corn on the cob:
Abby's a quick learner. Emma's a good teacher.
Apparently with corn on the cob, double-dipping is not so much of an issue. Lambie got a few bites, though I think Naked Baby Doll ate most of it.
Emma was so kind and thoughtful to her younger sister; she truly pulled out all the stops in an effort to serve her. After a round of appetizers, Emma concluded that the dollies must certainly be thirsty. She ran over to the kitchen to get another round of tea.
And everyone drank.
Naked Baby Doll - Abby's forever favorite - leads a charmed life.
Ming Ming Duck gets some ice cream, which wasn't offered to anyone else. Though we seldom watch Wonder Pets, Ming Ming duck is also favorite (when she's not lost under the bed, that is).
I know that life with younger sisters can be difficult, especially at these young ages. But I'm so thankful at how the Lord has softened Emma (and Samantha, too) to the needs of her littler siblings. She showed such grace and maturity in receiving my correction earlier in the day, and then so cheerfully set about to make it right. I love watching her grow in godliness! And I loved watching the joy Abby had in "being special" to Emma.
I know there will be more moments of difficulty in the future, but hopefully more triumphs of grace, too.

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*"Fair Maiden is Emma and Samantha's nickname for Abby. I have no idea how or when it started, but it cracks me up.