Little Man’s 11th Birthday!

Goodness, how time flies, yes???

It sometimes feels like I blinked and my babies turned in to double-digit tweens!

You think I’d be used to the relentless aging by now, but…it still surprises me when I realize my youngest is yet another year older!

(Even when Little Man already seems about twice his age, on most days.)

Now.

Before we dive into the particulars of his SPECTACULARLY SUCCESSFUL birthday hoopla, let’s talk about some of the wonderful aspects of his aging.

First: there is zero—and I mean, zero—guilt from my son about bday decorations.

He’s my kiddo who was the least attached to our massive, traditional at-home decorations. And he’s also my kiddo who defected from this tradition earliest and began requesting raucous parties with friends, ha.

So when I say that:

There wasn’t a balloon arch in sight…

I bought a couple grocery store ones at the last minute and called it a day…

And I snagged two uneventful, plain, pre-made mini cakes (chocolate and vanilla)… 

I feel nothing but JOY and gratitude for this particular point in time, ha.

Because Little Man is old enough to know what he cares about—and what he doesn’t!

And, for this birthday, he cared about intense time with friends, and a very specific trifecta of birthday presents that he picked out himself, went with the hubby to purchase, and never even got wrapped, ha.

BUT.

Lest you think we’ve totally thrown in the towel and given him a lame birthday, let me tell you that we pulled out all the stops, and arranged for something no other parent in his friend group has ever dared.

We not only hosted the ROWDIEST, 3.5 hour party at Andretti, but we managed to get every boy he invited back to our house for a full-blown (ill-advised, loud, INSANE) sleepover that might never be topped.

(Mostly, because we’ll never attempt it again! Ha.)

I have no words for the knocked-it-out-of-the-park FUN and chaos of this night—except to report that it was so over-the-top successful in terms of high flying vibes that Little Man rightly declared it his Best Birthday Ever.

Andretti was fan-freaking-tastiv and the event coordinator in charge of the boys was a quirky, perfect SAINT in ushering them around to race car driving, a 7D adventure, laser tag, and an unlimited hour of gaming.

The boys were wild and high the whole time and I thought for sure they’d crash on the way home, or shortly after they arrived, but…news flash:

11 year old boys have ALL THE ENERGY.

While I planned the logistics of the event to a T, dealt with all the parents and prep and all the minutiae…when they gaggle of them made it back to the house, I looked at the hubby and was like: okay, this is all you.

Because, let me tell you something:

GIRL sleepovers are nothing like BOY sleepovers.

And having SIX boys sleep over is nothing like having ONE.

Bless the poor hubby, who had to literally HOVER over the boys at 12:30 in the morning to full-on force them to sleep. It’s a thankless job that only leads to exhaustion, ha.

And, boy, did we have overstimulation and exhaustion—both from my girlies, who fled to the farthest corners of our house—and the hubby, the next day.

This one was truly one of our greatest bday efforts—with the biggest happiness payout.

It was the first sleepover for all but one boy in attendance, and I felt so honored that the parents entrusted us with their kiddos’ wellbeing.

And, now…I’m putting a GIANT check boys beside this Core Memory for Little Man.

‘Cause we probably won’t attempt it for another few years, ha.

I can’t believe my son is growing so fast, but I’m so grateful to have him as mine—chaos and all!

Happy End of September, peeps!

Over and out. 

Bulldog Festival—2026!

Okay, peeps.

I’m trending about a week behind in sharing anything.

But…better than a month, yes??

And it’s not like any upcoming weekend is going to be tamer than the last, so…onward and upward!

BUT.

Before I share the big, BIG fun of Little Man’s birthday hoopla (of right now), I want to share some glorious pics of last weekend’s Bulldog Festival that was all about CHICKLET—as our only, current middle schooler!

Of course, it has to be said that I can’t believe that Chica has already made it through her middle school, Bulldog Festival years. Where does time go???

Her stinking adorable, child-like face and enthusiasm—matched by her tagalong siblings—is a core memory for me.

https://delappenings.blogspot.com/2023/09/chicas-middle-school-festival.html?m=0

Of course, once Chicklet was a 6th grader in her own right, I expected the fun to be doubled, but…as a member of the Dance Team, she was performing in a big, scary way, out there on the field, so she spent a decent portion of the event a bit preoccupied with making sure she was locked in for her dance. Totally understandable!

Plus…she didn’t really let me take any photos, so…no evidence. :(

But, what a difference a year makes!

Chicklet still tends to get a little broody before a performance (the anxiety; totally understandable!!), but she was 90% excited, this go-round, and only 10% stressed!

Her prep to get out the door, the ease with which we just dropped her off at the event to do her thing and joined her later, her comfort during the performance, and just her general vibe…so much joy to be had!

Plus, Chica (and one of her friends!) were still game to tag along and watch the performance, which make Chicklet feel pretty special.

I’m so grateful for a successful event—plus, a glorious temperature below 90 (thanks to some rain earlier in the day). A happy 7th grade Bulldog Festival for Chicklet, indeed. :)

Okay, more soon, as we decompress from Little Man’s birthday EXTRAVAGANZA!

Happy Weekend, peeps!

Over and out. 

Beaded Swaggy Pumpkins!

Okay, peeps.

We did it.

We survived an absolutely packed September weekend—school commitments, social commitments, LIFE commitments…you name it.

That seems to be our theme from this point forward (not a single weekend will be calm, until a glorious weekend we have planned for Fall Break in early October) but we’re doing our best to work the JOY into the mix along with the TO-DO’s, and we did a pretty fun job of it, this go-around.

Amidst all the scheduled chaos, we planned a fun autumnal Saturday night for the girlies and some buddies to go see Practical Magic 2 (that one was self-serving; I loved the original and was dying to see the sequel), following by some hang time and…a project (natch).

Please meet my beautiful—aptly named—Swaggy P!

Doesn’t she have a gorgeous, flapper-type vibe to her???

I always—always—appreciate how my girlies and their friends keep me on my crafting toes. There’s rarely a time when they’re gathered at our house when they don't find me and request a craft.

And you know what?? I totally dig it.

I adore how they enjoy focusing their attention on something creative as they hang, and I’ve learned to keep things stocked in the craft closet just in case. The supplies always come in handy!

I’ve also learned a few (million) tips and tricks throughout all these years. The keys to a successful Project With Friends are more basic than you’d think:

1) Simplicity

2) Room for Individuality

3) Music (and plentiful snacks) whilst doing it!

Although we occasionally dig into a slightly messier or more involved craft (like the recent resin jewelry and key chains the girlies and their friends made right before school started), it’s generally a good idea to keep things turn-key. You NEVER know when the crowd will want to pause for an impromptu break or shift their attention elsewhere, so the best projects can be scaled up or down—and done easily whilst chatting and being silly!

I also adore the creative brains of my girlies and their friends. I’m often pleasantly surprised by their creative visions—like this past weekend when I planned for the beaded swags and started a sample pumpkin to give them inspiration, but loved discovering how some girlies went in a wildly different direction!

Creative license is the best!

At the end of the day, it’s all about providing a place and a space with happy vibes, music within reach, and the chance for them to see where their whims lead!

It’s getting harder and harder to find these planned windows of time as the kiddos age, and their commitments scale up, as well. So I’m extra-grateful it worked out for us this past weekend, in case it takes a few weeks (or months!) to managed something, again. 

Yay for a little taste of the autumnal on the front end of Fall. Here’s hoping for so much more in the coming weeks!

Over and out.

P.S. Some bonus pics of my pajama-clad kiddos finishing their project a couple of days later.