Another event-filled weekend at the French household. Is there any other way?!? ;-) Shawn and the kids went over to his parents for an hour or so on Saturday and they had a cool water slide there for the kids to play on. Shawn said that Jase had a blast!!
Later that afternoon we had plans to go to a Sunday School get together. They were boiling crawfish and there was a pool for the kids to swim in. Jase and Allyson had fun in the pool with all their friends. I was a little leery of putting Ally in swim lessons this summer because she is not 3 yet, but after seeing her in the pool I think I am going to give it a shot, if they have any openings left.
So, let me just start off this post with telling you that I really had fun planning this party. By no means have I ever been into Star Wars (SW) prior to Jase liking it. And a year ago I would have told you Star Wars, Smar Wars; I just was not a fan. Last fall, we started checking out EVERY Star Wars easy reader at the library and from there our SW knowledge took off! Shawn has been a fan since he was kid, so when Jase got interested he got excited; I think he enjoys reliving that era of his life!
Jase was right there with me, helping me plan the party from day 1. I made an invitation in Picasa and was proud of myself, it had a Lego Yoda on it and at the top said "Invited You Are". I thought it was catchy and cute. The next morning I showed it to Jase and asked if he liked it and he said NO! I couldn't believe it. He told me that he wanted more characters on it! Shawn said, "just use that one and don't worry about it." It's his birthday and I wanted him to love it though. So, the next day I made two more "options" for him to choose from. When I showed him all 3 options he said "what is the 4th one?" Can I blame him for knowing what he wants? ;-) He ended up going with option 3.
For Ally's party I had a table of food set-up in our playroom, so I created this banner above the table for decoration.
Well, it has just stayed up since her party. For Jase's party I wasn't going to have anything in the playroom, so I wasn't going to mess with it. Mr. Jase had other plans. Like 2 days before the party he tells me that we need to change the banner with his name and the number 5. Off to Hobby Lobby we went!! I got out the cricut to cut paper and letters for his name and put it together. I even thought about cutting out Finn's name, but I have over a year for that! ;-)
Ah the food and drinks . . . probably my favorite part of the party!! Shawn, Jase and I had fun coming up with the names for the food and drinks. Some of them I found on the Internet and others we made up.
I found a Lego Star Wars figure on-line that corresponded with every item that we had. I created a word document and formatted it to print on an Avery label (5163). I downloaded the Star Jedi Rounded font free on-line and added the description next to the Lego picture. I put the labels on some black card stock I had and just had to trim one side after folding the signs in half. Here are the food items and descriptions we went with:
Padme Pizza - Domino's Pizza
Yoda Soda - Lime Sherbet with Sprite Punch
Jedi Juice - Capri Suns
Wampa Water - Bottled water
Stormtrooper Sweet Tea
Luke Skywalker Lemonade
Princess Lays - Lays potato chips (plain & wavy)
Jedi Jase French Onion Dip - French Onion Dip (my favorite one)
Vader Veggies - Veggie tray
Battle Droid Dip - Ranch dip
Edible Ewoks - Sour Patch kids
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sweet & Salty Sabers - Pretzel rods dipped in almond bark
Jango Fett Fruit Tray
C-3PO Cheese & Crackers
Star Wars Snacks - HEB brand Star Wars fruit snacks
Han Solo Rolos
Hoth Ice - Ice for tea and lemonade
Yodamole - Guacamole
Sandtrooper Scoops - Tostito Scoops
Use the Fork, Luke - Plastic ware
Now to keep all the kiddos entertained, I decided on a few things that I thought they would enjoy. And again, Jase was right there with me looking on the Internet, watching YouTube videos and giving suggestions left and right. I enjoyed this time together with him and it was a project for us to do together. :-)
When the kids first arrived we had a Lego Star Wars DVD playing for about 10-15 minutes until everyone arrived. This was a great idea I found on-line and it kept all the kids in one place and let us get everything set-up for the events that were to come.
Shawn telling the kids what they were about to do next
Next, the kids went outside and lined up for an obstacle course that Shawn put together. It was designed around our playset and we tried to keep it very basic for the kids. Jase started the kids off on the course and had a bit of a rough start, but he did great and finished it up!
After they finished the obstacle course they ended up at a table where they were "robed" and given a light saber. The robes I made were very simple, no sewing involved and perfect for us. I bought 3 different shades of brown fabric and made 3 different sizes: one for our toddlers, another for Jase's size, and one for the older kids. The majority of the ones I made were for Jase's size. I kept the fabric folded in half and cut them at 24 inches (I believe) wide. Then I folded them in half, with the fold still at the top and cut a triangle out at the neck to give the robes a v-neck look. After all of the robes were cut, extra material was used for the belts (2" wide strips). The belts really helped gather the sides and made up for not sewing the sides in my opinion. A special thanks to Michelle, Alisha and my mom for helping me with this!
I assigned the light saber construction to Shawn! I picked up the thinner pool noodles (from Walmart and Academy) and they were cut in half. Shawn bought PVC pipe and hot glued about 12-18 inches inside the pool noodle, leaving about 6-8 inches on the outside for the handle. Shawn covered the PVC pipe on the outside with AC aluminum foil duct tape and it really gave it that shiny pop. He did an awesome job on them!! A special thanks to Jay and Joseph for lending a hand and their SW expertise on the light sabers.
The kiddos lined up against the fence and they were given their next assignment. They were each given a balloon and they had to balance the balloon on their light saber for Light Saber Training. The wind was blowing pretty good that day (I'm not complaining because it was warm outside) so it made it a little tough to keep the balloons from flying away, but the kids had fun. After they balanced it for a minute they had to Rescue Princess Leia. Every balloon had a Lego Star Wars figure in it that I printed on card stock. The kids had to pop their balloon to see if they had Princess Leia. It was a fast game, but they they had fun searching for her. And Jase's balloon ended up having the Princess! :-)
Lastly, their next mission was the Destroy the Death Star. Shawn spray painted two sports pinatas and decorated them like the Death Star. This was a good ole fashion, bash the pinata with a baseball bat activity. I gave the kids small gift bags to collect their candy in. They could also use this as a bag to put their robe and belt in if they wanted to take it off.
Here's a short clip of Jase and Allyson attempting to Destroy the Death Star.
Allyson was my little Princess Leia for the day! I made her a shirt with Princess Leia's face on it and I think it turned out too cute. I printed a simple coloring page of Princess Leia and cut out the hair and face separately. I then pinned the two different patterns (hair and face) to fabric I had on-hand and cut them out. I ironed on heat and bond, but it did not stick very well to the shirt. I sewed on the face, then the hair and hand stitched the eyes and lips. Of course I didn't get a good picture of her in it the day of the party!
After the Death Star, the kids had to stay strong in The Force with food and drink! Next, we went inside for presents and cupcakes!
Most of the Jedi Knights!
After looking at cakes and cupcakes, I decided to go with cupcakes. I found these super cute Star Wars cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma and had to get them. My sister made the cupcakes, icing and cookies and did a fabulous job!! They were a big hit! I made the cupcake toppers for the cupcakes without cookies on them to bring in the Lego part of the Lego Star Wars theme.
Jase and his friends had a blast with the theme. The kids enjoyed dressing up and pretending to be Jedi Knights. Allyson did not take her robe off until it was bath time that evening!!
Here are some of the websites I used for inspiration:
On Wednesday morning Jase had his field day at school! He had a blast competing with all of his school friends. We had a nice breeze, so it wasn't bad at all . . . last year I remember baking out there!
This kids had to run backwards on this next race and Jase really liked it! One of the moms next to me said that Jase looked like he was dancing. I told her that he has practiced that enough!
Ahh, Tug of War . . . my all-time favorite!! Whether I was participating or teaching, this has always been my favorite event! When I was teaching I remember strategizing with my kids beforehand on what to do: use your legs and walk backwards!! I was right there with them cheering (maybe a little screaming) them on!! You could say that I love competition!! :-)
And the last event was a race between all the boys. Jase ran his hardest, but if we're being honest, he will not be a track star . . . sorry kiddo, neither of your parents have the gift of speed! ;-)
Tonight we had our second game of the week. On Tuesday we played a team and tied 20-20. We hit the ball great, but just could not put any outs together to stop them. This evening we played a team that has beat us twice, so this was our final chance against them this season. And if you're not into baseball details, this may not be your favorite post!! But I am currently ate up with t-ball, so I have to share! :-)
We were visitors and up at bat first. The opposing team made some great plays and ended up getting 3 outs on us before we could get our 5 runs in. That is exactly how you win in this age group: stopping the other team from getting 5 runs each inning and out scoring them when you're at bat. I was bummed that they had stopped us in the first, I started feeling defeated already.
Going into the 2nd inning, the other team was up 5-4. We scored 5 runs that inning and it was their time up at the plate. They scored one run then our pitcher, Wyatt, beat a runner home and got a force out for the first out. They scored another run and either had the bases loaded or had runners on 1st and 2nd. The next batter up hit a line drive to Jase at 1st base and he caught it!!! Then without instruction, he turned and ran to his base and stepped on it for a double play!! Making that the 3rd out of the evening and only holding them to 2 runs. So, we were up 9-7 at the end of the 2nd. (In the car ride home and at dinner we had several conversations about the double play and he finally realized that he got 2 people with one play. You should have seen the look on his face and his giggle! Priceless!!)
It felt great to be up, but we needed 5 runs in the 3rd for insurance. The boys hit the ball great and sure enough we got 5 runs. Woohoo!!! We took the field and the first play of the inning, they hit the ball to short stop, where Jase was playing and he fielded it and threw it to first. Wyatt scooped up the ball for the first out of the inning!!! They got a couple of runners on and then one of their batters struck out, so we had 2 outs on them. They hit the ball through our infield and it went into the outfield. We ended up relaying it home and our catcher got the ball, but it was too late, the runner had already crossed home plate. Our catcher went ahead and put the tag on him and the next thing you know the umpire calls the runner out: he didn't touch home!! 3 outs! Then the umpire says "ball game". We still had a few minutes left before time expired and I wondered why we didn't start the 4th inning. Then I found out that the other team was mathematically eliminated since it was 14-7, so there was no reason to start the 4th!! Not only a win, but we stopped them twice!
Awesome game boys!! After the game Shawn was talking to the boys and told them how proud he was of them and that they have improved so much this season. It was really sweet and I found myself tearing up!! Must be the pregnancy! ;)
Today after lunch Allyson requested Oreos because Jase had them in his lunchable. She didn't know that I had some in-stock and she was definitely a fan!!
I received a special delivery today and it was a surprise for sure! I love having fresh flowers in the house and I am looking forward to enjoying them for the next week! Thank you Shawn for thinking of me. I have to say while the flowers are awesome, spending time with you and the kiddos is the best gift you could give me! :-)
It's been a while since I've posted about the baby, so I thought I'd share some updates with you today. Let me start off with . . . can you say indigestion?!? I remember having it with Jase and Allyson and I guess you just forget all about it because it goes away the moment you deliver the baby, but man 'o man!! I thought I had it figured out and it was all types of sugar (both natural and artificial) that was giving me indigestion, but it seems no matter what I eat I usually get that feeling, and it is mainly in the evenings. Tums is my new favorite candy. :/ I told Shawn last night that I am going to eat whatever I want if I am going to get it anyway. I was partially joking, but when I was at Wal-mart earlier this afternoon I put a package of Oreos in my basket . . . I cannot tell you the last time I've bought them, like I'm talking years and I can probably count on one hand the number times I've bought them. Anyway, I just ate 5 of them (without even thinking about it) and super tasty! Could be trouble! ;-)
This Friday I'll be 28 weeks, so I'm sliding right into my 3rd trimester! Hard to believe already!! I've definitely had more pressure with this one and he already feels like he is sitting in the birth canal . . . no lie! I'm sure I had braxton hicks with the first two, but I really do not remember feeling them at all. I've already had a couple of rounds of those here lately and it was an eye opener. I told my doctor and he didn't seem alarmed, so I shouldn't be right? I took my glucose test last Wednesday and I passed! Woohoo!! They also said that my iron was fine as well, which was nice to hear because it was low with the other two. I will go back next Wednesday for a check-up before we head out of town on the big trip!!
A few weeks ago we finally picked out a name for our little man. I don't know what it is, but girl names are so much easier to pick out than boy names. Finn Michael French is what we have decided on and both Shawn and I love it. I found the name Finn on a list while searching and searching for names and it caught my eye. After telling Shawn about it, he really liked it too. Our first pick early on in the pregnancy was Tate, but this poor kid will already get French Fry, so the last thing I wanted was Tater Tot French Fry!! And my luck he will be built like a tater tot, so I just couldn't do it. Then it was Tuck and I really liked this, but wasn't a fan of it rhyming with a bad word. :/ So Finn it is! :-) And Michael is Shawn's middle name, so that works. We can't wait to meet you little Finn!
A little more background on our boy names. Jase's name was picked out long before Shawn and I were even married. Shawn watched this show called "Duck Commander" (on VHS/DVD) back in high school and maybe even in junior high. Well, one of the sons on the show was Jase and we both loved the name and it wasn't something you heard all the time. That family currently has a show on A&E and you may have heard of it "Duck Dynasty". So Jase's name is from a duck hunting family and Finn is part of a fish!! I really don't think of myself as a redneck, but maybe I should think this over again! Haha!!
One little funny. Last night I put Allyson's hand on my tummy so she could feel baby Finn move and she said "it's a woodpecker!!" It was so hilarious!! Then she said "it's a giraffe" and I told her "no, it's a baby". She said "a baby lion" and I said "no, your baby brother is in Mommy's tummy!"
This evening after practice we went out to eat, frankly because I didn't feel like cleaning a dish! I really need to devote one day (probably should be tomorrow) and pick up my house . . . it is past time. While we were waiting on our food to come out, we were eating rolls (from Kelley's Country Cookin') and Jase asked for more butter (he is MY kid!). I put some butter on a butter knife and handed it to him to spread on there. He looked at me and Shawn and immediately said "I cannot have a knife". I told him "it's ok, Mommy and Daddy are here and are watching you." He repeated "I am not allowed to have a knife." Shawn explained to him again that it was ok because he is with us and he is getting bigger now, he is 5. :-( He took the knife and Shawn helped him spread the butter on the roll. He was adamant about not being able to use a knife.
Yesterday afternoon we drove out to Katy to fellowship with all of the people (and families) that Shawn went with on his mission trip to El Salvador back in February. It was a nice time and I'm glad that Shawn got to reconnect with them. Jase played great with one of the boys, Nolan, who was around 10. Nolan really took Jase under his wing and kept him busy the whole time. On the way home we asked Jase what he and Nolan did upstairs (it was Nolan's house) and he started telling us about all his Legos and Wii. Then he said that Nolan wanted to watch a show, but Jase told him that he was not allowed to watch 2 of them, one of them was Transformers. Shawn and I smiled and looked at each other and told Jase that we were very proud of him for saying that. He was not afraid to put himself out there and be honest with Nolan.
As a parent, it is great to hear Jase stand up and not be ashamed to admit that he is not allowed to do somethings. Even though these were small things like using a butter knife or watching a cartoon, I love the courage and boldness he is displaying at such a young age. I pray that his boldness continues to grow and he has no fear about telling people about Jesus. We can learn so much from our children!
Well, we survived the garage sale!! My best friend and sister (and brother-in-law) were a HUGE help! And of course Shawn was key in helping set up and take down. I don't feel like I got rid of anything that I couldn't part with and we got some great spending money for Disney, so I consider it a win-win!
After it was all said and done with yesterday, we were out back with the kiddos playing. I was pushing Ally on the swing and man does she love it. She does a great job of holding on and she really enjoys it. I remember Jase at this age and we would take him to the park and he would not want to get off the swing, and I'm talking after 20-30 minutes of swinging him. I'm glad to see she enjoys it just as much as him, and we can do it in the courtesy of our own backyard (thanks to Nanny and PawPaw!).
I looked over at the garden and realized that I hadn't watered it today, so I left Ally on the swing and headed over to water. Can I tell you how excited I am about our garden?!? Our squash has really taken off and there are several flowers on them, which means the squash will grow right behind the flowers! :-) I also saw a couple of flowers on our cantaloupe plants and the watermelon plant might overtake the garden. This was definitely a learning experience . . . I had no idea that so many of the seeds I planted would take and how big some of these plants would get. Next season I will be sure to spread the rows out more and plant less seeds!
While I'm watering I look over and Jase is pushing Ally. Awe, I just love it!! Normally when he tries to do this, she will tell him no and want me to come back (she can be pretty particular at times), but this time she was content with him pushing her and I could tell he was enjoying helping her. I'm so glad I had my phone on me and snapped some pictures of them. It was really sweet. I hope they continue to grow closer to one another as they get older.
Shawn and I are high school sweethearts. Married for 12 years with 4 beautiful children and reside in the great state of Texas. We are sinners who have been saved by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus. In our home we enjoy: laughing, praising and learning about God, watching sports, and homeschooling.
