Birthdays, Birthdays, and...wait for it...More Birthdays

Yay!  It's Thursday!  That's what my heart screams out silently to myself since Ella is still sleeping.  But Thursdays mean KJ is home, and that is always a good thing.   It means I can breathe a little easier and have a little more freedom.  

I was able to put together a little 3-minute video yesterday from Claire and Ella's birthday party on Saturday.  I guess I could have made it shorter and just had the clip of the girls dancing (that was what was so cute and what I loved), but I threw in some other pictures of the painting and coloring because I know sometimes I get tired of scrolling through pictures on a blog.  

Frozen Party from KJ Pugh on Vimeo.

In other birthday-related news, James is being pretty adamant about wanting an Angry Birds party, and can I just confess, I've never played Angry Birds?  The only games I like in general, and consequently the only games I ever play on an iPhone, are word games and trivia games.  I am starting to think I might be persuadable to doing whatever James wants, though, because this boy has been waiting for his birthday for such a long time.  He wants cake and decorations and games all for him.  He even told me yesterday that he and John David would decorate the room at the church where we had Ella's party.  Oh, dear...  You know, I really didn't think anything at all could be cute about an angry bird, but this pizza is pretty cute, and Ella would be super-happy about all that pepperoni.

Birthdays 1, 2, 3, and 4.

A Frozen Birthday Party

We had a joint birthday party on Saturday for two sweet cousins who, if the Lord continues to work as it seems, will be living on two different continents, in two different hemispheres, on their birthdays next year.  These are our September girls.  Ella really wanted to have a Frozen party this year, and when she mentioned how much fun it would be to have Claire dress as Elsa, I thought it might be fun to have a party together in between their birthdays.  We're happy Claire agreed to the plan, because aren't they the cutest Anna and Elsa?

Katie and I spent Friday night setting up tables and hanging streamers.  Katie bought the pretty snowflakes and shiny table decor at Hobby Lobby, because they are all Christmas all the time, and any printables we used were found on the world wide web.  It's always pretty amazing what people create and offer for free. 

I think everyone was too busy partying to notice much, but I loaded the digital frame in the background with pictures of Claire and Ella from the time Claire was a baby.  We had help from Big Daddy an hour before the party hanging our streamers and snowflakes from the ceiling for a beautiful finishing touch.

Katie's cake masterpiece again...It was beautiful and tasted good, too.  And I don't know about you, but my kids LOVE to eat marshmallows, and marshmallows dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles were no exception.  We all went home with a sugar high, for sure.

Link to Printables HERE

KJ was a jewel among men for taping water bottle labels on in that pre-party hour.  I should mention that Katie's husband, David, was also a jewel among men for taking the boys outside to run around while we ladies scurried about.  This party was a family effort.  We also like to claim Katie Habrial as family-by-marriage, and she set up a table and walked the girls through painting a small canvas.  Everyone loves painting.

Of course, a party's not a party without the people who fill our lives.  It's all for their enjoyment and for our girls.

I've got video of singing, dancing, and painting for tomorrow, proof positive that there was much joy and laughter, and all you really need for a good party is music and a microphone.    

This month...

This month we are praying for our house to sell.  We are eager to begin the life God has called us to in Boroughbridge.  So much of our preparation for moving will begin with the sale of our home, and so we are praying and waiting and being thankful for days and moments with people and in places that will soon be far away from us.  My mother-in-law always encouraged me to "mark moments" when my children were babies, and I find myself marking moments in Tuscaloosa, even walking to the car in suffocating heat, the layer of sweat on my skin after an outdoor photo-shoot, I pause in my spirit and say a little, "Thank You," take a moment to store it in my memory.

I chased down this butterfly on a hot morning walk.

This month I've been listening to a lot of Andrew Peterson.  It's hard to pick favorites, but I've been listening to these two frequently.  It's always comforting to be reminded of the sovereign hand of God guiding our steps.

"And I will not forget the words,

of any chorus, bridge, or verse

I promise you."

"Could it be that the many roads

I took to get here

were just for you to tell that story

And for me to hear that song

And my many hopes

And my many fears

Were meant to bring me here all along."  

Many Roads

I've also loved All You'll Ever Need of late.

"The blood of Jesus, it is like the widow's oil,

It's enough to pay the price to set you free.

It can fill up every jar and every heart that ever beat,

When it's all you have it's all you'll ever need." 

We've been celebrating Ella, and birthday celebrations reached their culmination with a joint birthday party with cousin Claire on Saturday.  The girls had so much fun, and everything was a lovely winter wonderland.  I found myself feeling so thankful for the moms that got their girls dressed and out the door to come to a party.  I think we should start a new tradition of party favors for those awesome moms.

My sister-in-law made this amazing cake.

There will obviously be more pictures from the party to come.  The best part of them choosing a Frozen-themed party was putting on the soundtrack and having spontaneous singing and dancing break out because little girls are the best, and let's face it, those are some catchy tunes.

As much as the party-planning committee might be feeling tired, James' birthday is in two weeks.  Ever since we started having parties with friends versus only family parties I have regretted that their birthdays are only one month a part.  It's unfair because I am so excited to plan a party for Ella, and when it's all over I have to fight for the creative energy to plan another one immediately after.  James has been patiently (and also not-so-patiently) awaiting his birthday, so I will have to find that energy somewhere.  At least he finally settled on a birthday party theme that sounded fun for me:  Lord of the Rings.  However, he now keeps trying to change it to Angry Birds, which I have zero enthusiasm for, so I doubt that will happen for my little games-obsessed boy.

Playing Wii games at a friend's house:  his favorite thing.

Several months ago I started making it a point to write down things I read that stood out to me, either because they were clever or funny or I found them to be true, it was encouraging, or maybe I just thought it was good writing.  I've found it really encouraging to go back through from time-to-time to read these things over again.  From this months's reading...

"...you can listen to the One who speaks to your soul.  The One who calls you to freedom of the expanse outside of comfort zones, to give yourself away and not be afraid.  Life is too short to miss out on the harvest opportunity for which God has specifically blessed you for in the first place."  ~ Ann Voskamp

"All books are judged by their covers until they are read."  ~ The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

"It is usual to speak in a playfully apologetic tone about one's adult enjoyment of what are called 'children's books.'  I think the convention a silly one.  No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally (and often far more) worth reading at the age of fifty--except, of course, books of information.  The only imaginative works we ought to grow out of are those which it would have been better not to have read at all."  ~ C.S. Lewis

"One home is forsaken in hopes of finding another."  ~ The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

"Clearly, being anxious is a full-time and rather exhausting occupation."  ~ The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

"He and Darcy rapidly came to the conclusion that they liked each other and thereafter, as is common with friends, accepted their different quirks of character as evidence of the other's superior intellect."  ~ Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James   

I feel grateful to Lewis for validating my propensity to hang out in the juvenile section of the library.  You can find me there today because we have an overdue book.

Ella's dolls read handmade books prepared by her for their enjoyment.

Franco Fridays: The Eiffel Tower in 2014

Our first afternoon in Paris this June combined visiting two Paris landmarks and watching Parker model for us how he talks with the Punjabi and Bengali men who are selling items to tourists around the monuments.  There were three people on our trip who had never been to Paris, and they were pretty excited to be there.  Even those who had been before couldn't keep from being happy at Le Tour Eiffel.

Here's the thing about Blake and Hannah:  they're engaged to be married, and I was supposed to be their wedding photographer.  Sadly, I had to pull out when it became clear I'd be moving, but hopefully the romantic pictures we tried to fit in as we walked through Paris will make up for me missing their big day.  I won't post the entirety of the Blake and Hannah album here, but we tried to make the most out of the happy circumstance of being in Paris with your fiance and your wedding photographer.

After everyone got over their initial reaction to the tower before them, we became a little more focused.  Like last year, I tried to surreptitiously snap a picture here and there.  It's always a pleasure to see Parker doing the work he did in Paris before coming back to serve in a church here.  We were able to hand out the Jesus film in several languages, along with contact information for pastors who speak Bengali and Punjabi.  This can really be helpful to these men, and I think sometimes it just means a lot to have someone stop and talk to them, knowing a little bit about where they are from.

I apologize for all the pictures.  It's just so hard to stop.

I highly recommend wearing a pedometer if you visit Paris.  It makes you feel so accomplished.  My total steps for this day?  15,107 steps - All that walking can make you thirsty, so we stopped in a shady spot to grab a drink and did a little people-watching while we were at it.

Hi, people.

We had a break from the sun and walking for a few minutes when we descended into the Metro again.  Next stop:  Sacre Couer.

Science-y Stuff

The Pugh family has really been hitting up the science museums lately.

I don't even remember for sure where I got these little goodies, but several months ago I got 2 free children's tickets to the McWane Center that expired at the end of this year, and though so many of our friends are regulars here, we had never been until Labor Day.  James complained for a bit that he didn't want "to do Science" until we actually got there.  Then his tune changed a bit.

I think that face says, "If being stuck in a wind tunnel of 70 mph is science, count me in!"

We were really happy to have Jesse and Sandy join us for the afternoon.  They make everything more fun, even lying on a bed of nails.

  
He's magic!  Wingardium Leviosa!  Can you perform that spell on yourself?
 

Ella had a great time avoiding the flashing lights.  She's got killer moves.

 
 And you're never too old to have fun blowing bubbles.  Never.

We all know what's about to happen here and the sisterly indignation to follow.
 

I think KJ was the only one of our crew to touch the sting rays and sharks.  I just can't get into that.

There's a lot to love about sweet little boys in front of fish tanks, though, and I learned that Sandy has perfect shooting form, even with her husband antagonizing her while she shoots.

It was a fun way to spend our Labor Day and a great pre-celebration of Ella's birthday with family.