California Knows How To Party

Just a few weeks ago Clark had a conference in California and took me along!  No kids for 3.5 blissful days!  It felt pretty weird going through the airport with just a small carry-on and no stress, I kept feeling like I was forgetting something.  I took 2 books I was excited to read and didn't even make it through one paragraph before I fell asleep, it was time for some very needed R&R.

The day before we left Quinn had a chest cold, I took him to the doctor and because of his allergies they gave us a breathing machine.  The doctor reassured me that within 24 hrs. he would be a new kid.  The next morning he seemed better so I felt okay about leaving.  I put him down for his afternoon nap and headed for the airport.  My mom flew in about the same time we got to the airport and drove back to Greeley to take care of the boys.  When she arrived to our home (we were in the air at this point) she found a sick, lethargic baby in his baby-sitter's arms with a temperature of 105!  She got his fever down a little, and with the baby-sitter's help gave him a breathing treatment, but when we landed and I called to check in I was worried sick.  I just about turned around and flew back home right then and there.  But Grammy Tammy took care of Quinn and nursed him back to health.  By the next morning I knew he was a sick little guy, but was starting to get better...so I could enjoy our getaway.

We stayed in the hotel where Clark's conference took place.  It was awesome!  The hotel was right in the heart of Hollywood, attached to the Hollywood and Highland shopping area.  It was so fun!

This was the view from our hotel window.  And I will admit I spent a lot of time lounging on the bed, napping, watching movies, and enjoying the view.  Clark would call at lunch to see where I was at and most days I was still in my pajamas.  One day after watching a few movies I realized it was almost 5, Clark would be done with his conference and ready to play and I hadn't really moved from my bed all day.  It was great!

Clark and I had a lot of fun exploring Hollywood.  It's crazy down there!  Our hotel was right across the street from Jimmy Kimmel Live, I stood in line one afternoon trying to get us in and missed by just a few people.  

Bowling at Lucky Strikes Lanes, fancy bar food and a night club feel.  Definitely a unique bowling experience.  

 I was really excited to take Clark to try Sprinkles cupcakes in Beverly Hills.  I picked him up in our awesome rental Impala and headed to Rodeo Drive to look for Sprinkles.  While trying to find a parking spot and obey all traffic laws, I made a left turn and realized the car coming through the light was going pretty fast!  I hit the gas as hard as I could and that Impala surprised me, tires were screeching and Clark claims we were up on two wheels.  I got a few weird looks from the tourists on the crowded streets.  At that point Clark told me to just go park across the street and we would walk to Sprinkles...he also informed me after witnessing that episode (along with a few other incidents trying to get out of downtown Hollywood) that we would never be moving to L.A.  I laughed so hard I cried, I still laugh thinking about it!

I had to take this picture for Weston, to reminisce about the year he gave all of us 5/$10 t-shirts for Christmas.  We had gone to Temple Square to see the lights.  My parents let us all do Christmas shopping at the mall across the street.  Everyone split up to find the perfect gifts.  Weston was done in about 3 mins. after hitting the cheap t-shirt shop...I'm pretty sure this was the exact shirt my Dad received.

Unfortunately we didn't get to eat at Rusy Mullet.

 Two different nights we got to hit the beach!  I love seeing and hearing the ocean.

Re-living the honeymoon with dinner at Bubba Gump's.

 I totally talked Clark into playing this game one night on Santa Monica pier because I knew he could win!  It took two tries.  I was a great coach!  I was so into it, cheering and yelling commands to him I didn't notice that I had drawn a crowd of people to come see what the fuss was about.  I was a little embarrassed with my over the top reaction to him winning this lovely Hello Kitty doll...but what can I say, it was exciting!

 We took a spin on the ferris wheel and it was slightly terrifying...probably more scary than romantic.

 Especially when the shark attacked us.

 All in all it was a pretty perfect trip (besides the guilt of leaving an ill child behind)!  We even got asked if we were newlyweds...8 years later and we still like each other!

Hoping for one of these kids-less trips again soon!

Secret Agent Party for a REAL Secret Agent

I think Ethan has been planning his secret agent birthday party since about the day after his last birthday.  It makes sense since he has been telling us he is a "real" secret agent for the last few years.  I really do love planning parties for my boys and making their days special; thank goodness for the party planning class I took at college.  However, as the big day got closer I realized that my idea of the party was very different from his, he basically wanted a scene from Mission Impossible complete with mysteries to solve, bad guys chasing the kids down, ziplines to go from house to house...you know the usual birthday party fare.  So we had to make a few compromises...and judging from the reaction of the agents, especially head agent Ethan, Special Mission Age 6 was a success!  

The morning started pretty well with a couple of birthday presents!

Then we met the birthday boy at the school cafeteria for lunch!

I always have fun making cakes for my boys, this year agent P was made from Rice Krispy treats and my first time using fondant.  

After school it was time to party!

When the agents arrived to headquarters they all received their disguises of hats, sunglasses and magnifying glasses.  Then they all had to have a finger scan on the I-pad to ensure that they were real agents.  The app after doing the finger scan also told the kids what mood they were in, and they loved it.  Especially when it said Ethan's mood was "in love."  Later he told us, "it probably said that because I was sitting next to Stella," then he blushed and said, "did I say that out loud?"

Next each agent got to pick 2 papers from the bowls, these would become their secret agent names for the day.  We had some fun ones like "Speedy Tortilla," "Shiny Nacho," "Magical Raccoon," and "Fearless Ninja."  The kids got to write their agent names on name tags and put a finger print on it for verification.

The kids used their magnifying glasses to find pictures in the I-Spy books while we waited for more guests to arrive.

Agent Quinn Grin wanted in on the action.

Once the agents were verified they were informed they were called to the headquarters because they were the best agents in the business and it was time to do some training so they would be ready for a secret mission.  They all have great imaginations at this age, and were so into all of this!  They took their jobs very seriously!

The first part of the training included some target shooting stations.

Then it was time to clear the laser maze!

They had 3 minutes to disassemble 30 bombs and clean up all the evidence.

Little Caden was so into it, I caught him trying to pop the balloon with his teeth, luckily I stopped him before it burst in his mouth...but you can see by the determination on his face he was willing to do anything to make that 3 minute mark.

Our last game was to practice our sneaking skills.

After all the training the agents were ready for their first mission to rescue the birthday loot.

Much to their surprise, the bandit himself was there trying to thwart the mission.  Oh my, they shrieked and freaked out when they saw the bandit!  It put a whole new twist on the party.  The bandit was a little much for the 3 year old guest, at one point Caden ran into the living room and yelled, "I hate this party."

The bandit finally surrendered and they were able to rescue the birthday loot!

For dinner the birthday boy requested a restaurant where they would sing to him.  Texas Roadhouse even had him sit on a saddle.  Yee-haw!

We ended the night with a few more presents and the new 6 year old proclaiming, "this was the best day ever!"

Once we got him to bed, I about collapsed, but it was sure a fun day!  It was so fun to have my mom here!  This was the first time she ever got to celebrate with us on Ethan's birthday!  I couldn't have done it without all of her help!

Just getting Quinn dolled up for the party.

And don't worry, he's already scheming for next year's big bash!