Friends and Cousins!

Friday night our friends Kelly and Tim and their son, Ryan came for dinner. Marin and Ryan are only three weeks apart, and had a great time playing together. They were together a lot when Kelly and I were on maternity leave together last year, and they have always enjoyed playing together. Kelly is due to have another baby boy in a few weeks and we were glad to have the time to spend with her before her life becomes an up-all-night state of wonderful delirium that all new parents know well.

After a dinner of delicious gourmet bleu cheese burgers, we put the kids to bed. Ryan fell right asleep in our pack n play with out a single fuss. It's always fun to watch the kids run around, and even better to be able actually talk after they are sound asleep. It was a fun night and great to catch up with friends!

Saturday afternoon, my cousin Nicki and her kids (my goddaughter, six year old Skylar and her sister, three year old Jada) drove from the quad cities for an overnight visit. Skylar has a story for everything and talks a mile a minute, and had us cracking up from the second she walked in the door. Marin and Jada had a great time giggling together, and Skylar kept a close eye on the "little girls". We kicked the day off at the toy store- just a quick walk from our house. Marin loved pushing all of the baby dolls around in their buggies, and when she ran right into a huge bucket of swords, Skylar rolled her eyes as she ran to help pick them up saying, "Babies are always making a mess!" After the toy store we grabbed a sandwich at the deli across the street. Skylar and Jada gladly shared their lunch with Marin, who was more interested in their sandwich than her own. After lunch we walked back home, changed into our suits and headed for the pool. Skylar and I went down all of the big slides together, following her very specific instructions for each one. "Johanna, on this one, I'll go down first and then you go down after me; I'll wait for you at the bottom before I swim to the side." and then, "Johanna, this time let's go down the middle slide and you go first and catch me at the bottom." and then joyously added, "Wanna scream our heads off on the way down?!" Jada and Marin bopped around in the more shallow water and went down the "baby" slides together and Marin showed off her fearless skills of dunking under the water, blowing bubbles, jumping in off the side, walking on her hands like an alligator and trying to fall so that she goes all the way under on her own, only to pop up cracking up, and try to do it all over again.

After the pool, we headed home where Jason made a delicious chicken dinner on the grill while the girls ran through the sprinkler and played with Marin's sand and water table. Topped only by Skylar and Jada singing songs on the deck steps as Marin danced along, smiling ear to ear. After dinner, we walked to Grahams for ice cream, which you know by now, is my favorite end to a summer day. But, you know, we did it for the kids. :) We loaded Marin and Jada in Marin's wagon, which Skylar insisted on pulling all the way there herself, despite the fact that the combined load weighed way more than she does. There was an international road bike race in town, and the girls loved watching the bikers zip around the corner at 50 mph while they squealed and clapped and cheered. We watched close by as Skylar told one inquiring older gentleman, "Marin is my cousin and Jada is my sister!" Then the girls chased and ran after each other up and down the sidewalk for a good half hour straight, until Marin finally melted down alarming us that it was time to go ten minutes ago. Skylar entertained Marin the whole way home and sweetly told her, "I know, Marin; I know." when she fussed. After a quick bath and a total hose down of the sticky ice cream covered wagon, all the girls piled in my lap and Skylar read us a book. Then, they went to bed and were all fast asleep in no time. Nicki, Jason and I stayed up for a few glasses of the delicious wine that Nicki brought us when she arrived, and my mom and dad stopped over for a quick visit at the end of their night as well. It was a fun day!

The next morning I made pancakes, since Jada chose those over waffles, and we all enjoyed them together before Nicki and the girls headed to Lake Holiday to visit her parents. Skylar, Jada and Marin hugged and kissed goodbye and Skylar told Marin, "I'll see you soon and miss you in the meantime", but it wasn't goodbye for long, because we followed right behind them a few hours later, as did the rest of our family, to celebrate our Grandpa Martin's 90th birthday! Every time I am with my grandparents- now both in their 90's- I feel so incredibly blessed to have had 32 years (and counting) worth of memories with them. And the fact that they are both so vibrant and relatively spry, really is amazing. I hope that Jason and I are driving ourselves together to our 90th birthday parties with our kids and grandkids all waiting. How incredible!

We were sure to get out on the boat yesterday and I rode the tube with Avery (7). We had a great time riding together, and I loved that she shared stories with me the whole time. At one point when we were going pretty fast she gripped the hand grips and repeated a loud, "I'm not afraid of anything; I'm not afraid of anything." Marin loved the boat ride and was totally relaxed and content with the wind whipping through her hair. Avery said that Marin would probably want to ride the tube in a few years, and volunteered to teach her how.

Marin slept long and hard after this busy, friends and family filled weekend! And it's a good thing, because we have another big week ahead!

Party Girl!

My Uncle John said it best; I think Marin had more fun at her first birthday party than anyone else!

We had a music and dancing theme for the party, and Marin spent most of the day doing just that! When she wasn't dancing to the playlist of 114 dance songs (kids and adult alike) that Auntie Mika made and sent us just for her party, or dancing with her blow up guitars, blow up saxophones, or shaking the mini party maracas, she was walking around the party smiling and greeting guests at the door with hugs and kisses. This girl knows how to party!

We had about 60 friends and family members at our house. Even considering that Marin is very social, I kept thinking she might reach a point where she'd freak out, or maybe just want to hang with Jason or me. Nope and nope. She was happy as a clam to just bounce from room to room in her little Burberry dress (also a gift from Auntie Mika) as if she were waiting for her birthday party more than anyone there.

We brought an old TV into the living room and borrowed Dance, Dance, Revolution from Uncle Jake and Aunt Katy. Marin was a little confused by the mats, but played along all the same. She was very happy to see some of her favorite food was served, and that her little picture was posted everywhere (table confetti, on the sweet potato fry cups, and even as stickers people wore) thanks to Auntie Molly making it all for her.

She was absolutely delighted when the whole party stopped to sing "Happy Birthday" to her. This was my favorite part. She sat in her highchair looking out at all her friends, smiling.

And then came the cake. Boy, did she LOVE the cake! Her cake had hand made chocolate letters and music notes on them, that if played out, played "Happy Birthday". She had her own individual cake that she tore into very systematically, and with great pleasure. She started with the top, and swept off all the icing. Then she did the sides, with both hands. Then, she dug into the cake- with a little coaching from my Goddaughter, Skylar, yelling, "Dig into it! Dig! Dig! Dig!" I think Marin kept waiting for someone to tell her "no, no" and every once in a while she'd look around like, "this is really okay? no one's going to stop me?". When she was near done, she spotted me, and reached out for me. She had very, very messy goopy hands, but I wasn't about to turn away a hug and a kiss from the birthday girl. As a result, I had cake in my hair, on my top and all over my face for the remainder of the party. I loved it.

After the cake, we needed an outfit change. Marin changed into her tutu so she could dance some more. After face painting, presents, a great Illini victory, more dancing at 9pm, and snuggles from her family, she had a major sugar crash at 10pm and fell asleep before I could even get her up the stairs to her room. Turns out she's just like her mom, and never wants a party to end!

It was a great day! At the end of the night Jason and I took a few hours together with just the two of us to recap the party and the day. We feel very blessed to have such great family and friends and a sweet baby girl- all who love a good party.

On Monday, Marin's actual birthday, Miss Kathy had a party for Marin at her house, for Marin's friends from daycare. Aunt Lindsay drove all the way out from Chicago to be there, and Grandma came too! It was great fun. Marin had cake again, this time with ice cream, too! It came just in time, because after we arrived Hayden (2 yrs. old) said, "Kathy, my stomach is growling! Time to have cake!" We danced to the hokey pokey, the itsy bitsy spider, and then everyone got balloons and they threw them up in the air and danced around the room with them. Reiss declared that if it is your birthday (hers is next) you get the pink balloon. So, Marin got the apparently coveted pink balloon. She tried to throw it up in the air like the big kids, but she didn't quite grasp the concept of letting go. So, she just ran around the room with her arm up in the air, happy as could be.

After all the sugar was danced off at Miss Kathy's, we went home and Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Lindsay stayed for Marin's birthday dinner. In the middle of eating her chicken, brown rice and broccoli, Marin took my finger and put it in her mouth where I.... drum roll.... felt a tooth!!!!!!!!!!! Hooray! We don't have to go the pediatric dentist!! Sure enough, Missy Marin's bottom right tooth is coming in. We applauded this effort as if she had grown it herself, and then passed poor Marin around the table so everyone could peer inside and have a look for themselves.

Later that night, Marin uncharacteristically woke up crying. When we went in to check on her, she was burning up! She slept the whole next day, and last night at our one year well visit check up, it was confirmed that she has a double ear infection. Poor thing. She's doing better today, and is getting plenty of rest. Just goes to show you, all good things come to an end.

But what a weekend it was! Our little social butterfly partied and danced her little heart out. And boy oh boy... does that girl like sweets. Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear Marin; Happy Birthday, to you!