Saturday - July 16 My precious daughter's birthday!
I can't believe she is now four years old! Her arrival completed my life and each year it is a joy to celebrate her life. This year it was a little different because it fell on a Saturday. The Saturday before her birthday party which means it's chaos that day with final cleaning, set-up, shopping and preparations for her party. However, I am very VERY BIG on traditions and one tradition that we have each year is to take her to dinner at "The Runway" restaurant at our local county airport. Three sides of it are glass from floor to ceiling and we sit there watching the planes take off and land. Allison loves it! It was hard to fit it in but we managed to do it and it was so enjoyable. It was a nice break from running all day. This year my sister, Alesia, was able to join us. She lives about 1 1/2 hours away but comes down every year the Saturday before her party to help me. Allison adores her so it was perfect that she was there.
Another tradition is that we give Allison a small gift at this private family dinner and then she gets her big gift at her party. We always give her the "Growing Up Birthday Girls" figurine made by Enesco. You can buy them in either blond or brunette and it has the corresponding birthday on them. I remember getting something similar for my birthdays but I don't know what happened to them.Sunday - July 17 Party day!
I got up very early and started preparations. I'm a perfectionist so every detail has to be just as I have planned. Curtis thinks I'm nuts but it's just the way I am. This year was a Dora party. Allison loves Dora almost as she loves the Princesses so since we did them last year, Dora was the perfect choice. I try to plan the menu to the theme if possible and this year we went Mexican. The menu consisted of a make your own taco bar with ground beef and shredded chicken tacos, Mexican corn salad, chips and salsa. We were supposed to have Spanish rice also but I scortched it! I never made a batch that big before! Oh well, everyone was very full when they left so it all worked out well. 
It ended up raining as soon as the guests were taking their plates out to the picnic tables so we had to find spaces inside. My house isn't very big but we did fine.We gave Allison a Dora bike but unfortunately, the pedals kept locking up so we had to return it and they didn't have anymore so she ended up with a Princess one. She likes it better because she thinks she is a Princess! That is my Dad in the background of the picture. I have never seen him smile so beautifully as he does when he is looking at Allison. He has always had a soft spot for all my friend's children and I'm glad that I could finally give him a grandchild of his own. All my grandfathers were gone before I was born so it's so important to me that she have a relationship with both of hers. I am sure they will be some of the best memories she will have of her childhood.
The rain stopped and we were able to sit outside and let the kids play in the baby pool. Here is a picture of one of my best friend's son with her. They play so well together. Mitchell is 3 weeks younger and his Mother and I were together most of our pregnancies so I think Allison and Mitchell made friends before they were even born! Allison calls him her prince and they kissed good bye. It was so cute!
Monday, July 18 and Tuesday, July 19
Went back to work and tried to catch up after being off for 10 days!
Wednesday, July 20
~Allison fell out of bed about 4:30 am. I took the rails off of her bed and this was the first fall. It didn't phase her one bit and she went back to bed after a drink of water.
~Couldn't go back to sleep so I went to Wal-Mart at 5 a.m.! I hadn't been there in a while because I hate going there with the crowds but it was nice to do some browsing along with my shopping.
~Had a friend over in the afternoon for a late lunch and watched Allison play in the pool.
~After dinner we went over to Curtis' parents for a visit since they didn't get to have their "Allison Time" over the weekend because of her party. It was a nice visit.
Thursday, July 21 and Friday, July 22
~Worked and still tried to catch up!
~Stayed at my Mom and Dad's and there was a first at their house. My Dad came home with a window air conditioner! I NEVER thought I see the day! My parents are 70 and just can't tolerate the heat liked they used to. I wish I would have thought of it. It would have been a nice anniversary present! They are so hard to buy for! Anyway, I'm glad I was there because that sucker was heavy and my Dad is not supposed to lift more than 10 pounds because of his heart problems. So I helped him install it and in the process got to see history being made. My brother stopped by later and was just as shocked as I was that they got one. I guess my parents aren't as predictable as we thought they were!
Saturday, July 23
~I stayed at my Mom's with a plan of going to yard sales in her area with a friend so off we went. I ended up getting 2 crocheted doilies and 2 embroidered dresser scarves for a $1.00! Allison got "The Velveteen Rabbit" book for a $1.00. It was never even opened. Gotta love bargains!
~Stopped by the Farmer's Market and got some fresh veggies.
~Went to lunch at Bert's Wooden Indian. I worked there starting in high school for 6 years. Yum, their food is just as good as it was back then!
~The rest of the day, I dedicated to cleaning my house.
Sunday, July 24
Family time since the last couple of weeks were crazy!
Monday, July 25 through Friday, July 29
Other than working, we went to Curtis' Aunt and Uncle's house for a family get together Wednesday. It had been a little over 3 years since we've been able to attend one of her functions and it was nice to see everyone. They are so sweet and make you feel so welcome.
OH, and I did some Salvation Army shopping! I LOVE going there. Sometimes I get some great finds! This trip I found 2 items. I love to collect old glassware. Depression glass is my weakness but I also love old finds for everyday serving.
This piece is in perfect condition and it was $1.99! The other item that I found is an old picture frame. For those of you that know me, I lost my favorite Aunt Carole to cancer about a year and a half ago. While cleaning out her room, we came across a framed picture of herself from when she was a little girl.
It was in a newer frame and didn't do the picture justice. I asked if I could have it and my other Aunt that she lived with said there are better pictures of her that I could have. However, Aunt Carole must have loved that picture of herself since it was the only one she took the time to frame and she had tons of pictures! I had been looking for an old frame and this one seemed to fit just perfect and it was only $1.99 too! I think she would have approved.THERE! I think I am all caught up! Sorry for it being so long! LOL...I just thought of something else to share but I'll wait until tomorrow or later today to blog again!
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