Mother-Daughter Sleepover Party!

*Disclaimer: Oh my goodness. It's been 3 weeks since I have created a blog post. I PROMISE you, I DO NOT PLAN to ONLY blog once a month. I have been crazy busy this Summer and I just cannot justify sitting at my computer when the house needs tending to, kids want to have fun or need to be disciplined, or if I am playing nurse, hair dresser, taxi cab driver, or referee.  If you are a mom... you GET IT! BUT, I will be blogging MORE in the next 7 days (when school is back in session).  For now, check me out on Instagram, @BollingWith5, for all of the deets on our daily life. Now, enjoy a long overdue post...

Lilah has been begging for a "sleepover" with ME. All she really meant was for ME to sleep in HER room with her.  I think it's sweet, but I love sleeping with my husband, lol.  I mean, if you were me, you would agree. AND truth is, no one sleeps well with a KID.  They sleep every direction possible, but the right direction (vertical).  Liley asked again on Friday night and I decided to bring her wish to fruition.  And, if you have been following me for any length of time, you could probably guess that I took it one step further because EVERY. LITTLE. THING. IS. A. BIG. DEAL.  

I designed our "sleepover" around her LOVES and some things that a traditional sleepover is famous for.  We couldn't start our night until about 8:45 pm because she was at a birthday party BUT, when she arrived home, she was greeted with a beautiful, sleepover presentation.  The image above is a  "sign" I made. Below you will see both her reaction and the presentation. Isn't it comical how UNPHASED Tyson was when he entered the house and saw it all?  He's SUCH a TEENAGER.  

We started off our sleepover by making slime.  It's Lilah's favorite past time, so I obliged.  The slime supplies came complete with Elmer's Glue, sequins, glitter, and detergent activator.  

I call Lilah my professional slime maker.  She self-taught herself all about slime, through trial and error, as well as, by watching some of the BIG/famous youtubers who make slime. I knew what she needed, but I had NO idea how to make slime, so last night, she taught me.

 

 NOW, I know how to make slime.

Above: My Slime.
Below: Lilah's Slime.

During our slime making extravaganza, Lilah kept saying, "Oh my goodness.  I feel so honored you did all of this for me!"

Next up... Sleepover Party MadLibs.  We each did TWO and then Darren joined us for ONE.

Those were fun and created some laughter for sure. Just imagine the words knee cap, belly button, smelly, and slippery inserted into a pre-designed story.

At this point, the time was 9:50 p.m. I decided it was movie time.  We didn't have a movie picked out.  Next time, that will be the only thing I change.  We just turned on Netflix and chose something that looked half decent. The movie was decent. We laughed and at one point Lilah almost cried. It happened to be about a mother-daughter, so we could both relate. I will be sure to plan out our movie selection next time though. Maybe something a little more light hearted and funny. Our movie came complete with popcorn and candy.

I tried to pick out candy that Lilah loves and stuff I wouldn't be tempted to eat much of.  The twizzlers and KitKats were all I sampled.  I didn't want her to feel or see my restraints.  I wanted to be her fun "friend" for the night.

I was so concerned I would doze off. What kind of friend does that? I was proud of myself that I only dozed off, ONCE, for about 30 seconds.  I got busted too.

After the movie was over, it was close to midnight, so we decided to save the panda bear facial masks for tonight.  We got ready for bed and had one last silly idea in mind! A big thank you to Tyson for taking the photo of us.

Lilah's bed does NOT typically look like this.  She has GORGEOUS bedding, but I dressed up her bed to look more sleepover-party-ish. "Donut worry! Adventure awaits!"

Of course, no sleepover party is legit without cozy blankets and eye masks.  

This was the BEST. NIGHT. EVER. I'm glad we could make this memory happen before the Summer comes to a close.

This sleepover took LITTLE planning and the details ARE NOT what is important to my girl (even though they are important to me). Lilah just wanted this time with me.  So... if you have a special, little girl in your life: be it a daughter, niece, cousin, or God daughter, do yourself and HER a favor and MAKE.THIS.HAPPEN.

First Day Of Third Grade - Jaxon Bolling

My Jax is all about being comfortable and all that really means is wearing clothes that are comfy.  I tried my best to design his first day of school outfit around his desires.  So, he wore army/camoflauge "joggers" and graphic t-shirt that reads, "Ain't No Momma Like The One I Got!" Originally, I spotted it at Stellar Seven, but they were out of stock for his size. I immediately went to ETSY and found this seller. It worked out great because her shirts were cheaper anyway and just as nice.  Jax was so proud to wear his shirt and of course, I was so flattered.

Jax's first day of school sign was all geared towards the Dallas Cowboys and football, as you can see.  Jax's sign said, "I love football, watermelon, Dude Perfect, and sleepovers with Cohen." If you are interested in creating a sign like this one, click here.

 I am really not sure any little boy could be any cuter than he is.  Jax is our little guido.  LOL!

After dropping Ty off at football practice, I ran to GreenHill Park to capture these photos. 

His BIG brother Ty's personality really came out in many of these photos.  

I love his sweet demeanor and those dimples TOTALLY melt.my.heart.

Jax is most excited that his buddies Evan and Matthew are in his class.  He is also able to spend the entire school day with his twin sister.

He is ONE cool DUDE!

I allowed Jax to pick out a book bag of his choice and of course he picked out a Dallas Cowboys book bag.  

 AND you can't have a Dallas Cowboys book bag without a matching lunchbox right? This came from a sports store in our local mall.

Just like Lilah's lunch, Jax's lunch wasn't anything over the top.  I made him ham and cheese roll ups, a buttered Hawaiian roll, grapes/blackberry combo, sun chips, and a new snack mix made by crunch.  Of course, I enclosed a sweet note and a FUN pencils from Office Maxx and Michaels.

After school, on the first day of school, is ALWAYS so anticipatory to them.  They know I greet them with some fun goodies.  

What did Jax get? Well, GLUE, to make MORE slime.  

Witness gear: We love to share our LOVE of Jesus with others.  "For by Grace you have been saved through faith!" Ephesians 2:8

New sharpies in COLOR BURST colors and poster board.  Jax LOVES to color and create.  

A blue raspberry sucker!

 A gift card to iTunes!

AND, drumroll, the NEW G.O.A.T. Edition of Madden 18.  This game was over $80.00, so that's why his stash looks WEAK! He had to share this with his brother, but STILL a great after school gift. 

Jax is a little worried about 3rd grade being hard.  He said, "I got one B is 2nd grade and second grade was easy.  So I am so worried I will get 2 B's."  LOL! I, of course reassured him to just try his best.

A Gift To The Greenbrier!!!

This year for Darren's 38th birthday, I thought it would be nice to give a gift that lasts a lifetime, through an experience and a memory! Darren received two blazers for Christmas and he's been anxious to wear them. He kept mentioning the possibility of going to "The Greenbrier", but now that we have a puppy, he thinks traveling, at least right now, is unfair to Sadie, and next to impossible.  Uh-- whoever said a puppy stops your life is crazy! Ever heard of a dog sitter or a kennel? Granted, I do NOT prefer to ship my pup off on a regular basis, but if it means treating my hard-working husband to a nice weekend somewhere, the puppy is not going to stop us, especially if 3 kids do NOT.  

I didn't know how I would present this gift, but of course, I didn't just want to wrap up a picture of the Greenbrier or write it in a card. That's dull and oh so NOT me.  So, I went on a hunt to Michael's Craft Store.  As I walked around the store, I was able to brainstorm.  I knew I wanted to present this gift to him in the form of "hints".  I found the below patch of plastic grass.  This would be the FIRST clue.  Clue #1 GREEN, GRASS, GREENERY = GREENBRIER.  Eventually, I came up with the idea to hide the rest of the clues in the patch of green grass.  You can see the other clues below.  These clues are in NO PARTICULAR order. 

In the jewelry section, at Michael's Craft Store, I found these little circular storage containers.  I assume they are for beads, but I chose to use them to hide the clues, in the grass.

Clue #2: "We are going to be celebrating your 38th birthday!" I found these "Happy Birthday" craft buttons, at A.C. Moore, and used them to create another clue.  They're so pretty and festive.

 Clue #3: You hold the key to my heart AND a key will get you into the room! I found these keys at Michael's Craft Store: four keys for $1.00. 

Clue #4: I won the jackpot when I married you!  AND, A casino exists where we are going. I personally am not a gambler, but I think the casino will be really fun to have at arms reach, especially for the guys.

Clue #5: You will be treated like royalty.  This location is known for it's luxurious structures and elegance.  

 This crown was found in the dollar section, at Michael's Craft Store.  It is actually a photo holder.  

I placed a sticker on the base of the crown, which read, "Memories are perhaps the best gifts of all."  So true and basically, Clue #6.

 Clue #7: Silverware Miniatures AKA Fine Dining! PERFECT! Now you can wear your fancy blazer.  

I used to be a scrapbooker, so I was so excited to find a menu sticker, in my sticker collection.

Clue #8: Where?  WEST VIRGINIA!  It's where the venue is located.  I found these license plate stickers at Michale's Craft Store. This clue was the clue that sealed the deal for Darren.  It was a "dead giveaway" or so he said.

Clue #9: Cocktails.  We will be able to act like adults and sip on an adult cocktail. Maybe we can enjoy the winery tour.

Clue #10: "Laughter, Good Times, Friends!"  We are going with FRIENDS!!!!! We invited Aaron and Lisa Fernandez to go with us.  Darren really enjoys Aaron a lot.  He has recently said, "I love how Aaron is always laughing and happy It's such a cool characteristic/quality!" It's a good friend to have when you are so uptight.  YES, Darren and I are pretty Type A peeps! It should be a "Good Time!"

 Clue #11: Our nest  home away from home! I purchased this little guy at A.C. Moore.

Clue #12: We will be able to sit back, relax, and BREATH... as we leave our responsibilities in the hands of others.  I have really enjoyed these $2.00 trinkets from Hallmark.  You can find them at the check out counter. I also bought them for the kids at Valentine's Day, but theirs said, "I Love You!"

Clue #13: Your gift involves traveling aka road trip. #map #road stickers

Clue #14: Our night will end with "fireworks".  LOL!!!! Time for the married couple to reconnect. 

 Almost every clue fit PERFECTLY inside the containers, except for the bird's nest and key! 

Then, I just hid all of the "hints" in the patch of green grass!

I presented the patch of green grass to Darren and said, "Here's your BIG gift! Inside the patch of green grass are clues. You will have to piece them all together to figure out what your gift is."  

Darren wasted no time peaking through the grass and opening the containers, searching for hints.

He's pretty QUICK!  It didn't take him long to figure it out.

If the hint, "West Virginia" wasn't one of the hints, I think he might have been stumped or it would have taken him a tad longer to figure it out.

I LOVED how Darren was so into putting the clues together. He took the time to look at each clue and carefully consider his final answer.

I think it's safe to say, from the below smile, Darren was happy to receive this unique gift.  In 22 plus years, I don't believe I have ever surprised him with the gift of a vacation. There is so much to do at The Greenbrier. We've already started seeing what interests us that we can "sign" up for.  Our dinner reservations are set and I really hope we will get to enjoy the SPA while we are there! I also suggested maybe signing up for NOTHING and just winging it.  Sometimes those are the best vacations. No structure.  No appointments.  No bedtimes. No alarm clocks.  Sounds pleasurable.   We are going March 27th.  WE CAN'T WAIT!!! 

I will post on the rest of the Birthday Boy's day soon!