Birthday Beach Bash!!

What do you do when the winter is too long...you have a Birthday Beach Bash! We got out our flip flops, shorts and dresses, turned up the heat and had a great birthday party for Reagan. This was her first kids party - nothing like 14 kids to set the precedence!
I even got my inner-Betty Crocker going and made her cake a flip flop cake. Very fun and not too hard.
The Goy's had decorations from a Young Life banquet and they were gracious enough to share with us. We had lays ready when the kids arrived and cups for them to decorate.
Then it was time for an obstacle course in the basement wearing my flip flops. Turned out to be a little much for 4 year olds, but they still had fun. Before lunch it was time for a fun game of musical chairs - using the mats from Hullabaloo. Instead of going around in circles the kids danced until the music stopped and then had to find a mat.
Next we headed upstairs for lunch - hot dogs, cheese and fruit on kabobs served with icees or juice boxes. The kids ate pretty well - considering it was a party. After lunch there was time to just play while we cleaned up and got ready for the next fun event...the pinata!
Back downstairs the kids lined up by size and took their turns swinging at the flip flop pinata. Some of the kids are really strong, but it didn't break - even after everyone had 2 turns. So I opened it up and let the candy pour out. The kids had fun picking out some candy to put in their goodie bags.
Then we headed back upstairs for cake. The kids sang great and while we cut the cake they had time to play one of Reagan's favorite games - duck duck goose. It is also one of Nola's favorits games so she was trying to play as well - but she was going the wrong way! It was a great way to give us some time to get the cake cut and ready to be eaten. The kids seemed to enjoy the cake - no big surprise there. Reagan started opening her gifts before the parents arrived to pick up the kids. She received so many great presents - clothes, paints, chalk, Polly Pockets, Barbies and fun games. She has been busy trying out all of her new stuff over the past week. Now we just wait for the warm weather so we can have a beach bash outside!

Happy, Happy 4th Birthday, Reagan!! The Big Day!

Reagan was so excited about her birthday this year - we had a countdown going since Christmas! So it was so exciting on Thursday morning when she woke up on her Big Day! To add to the excitement her preschool class had their field trip to the Fire Station on Reagan's birthday! I was excited to be one of the parents going on the trip. Reagan, of course dressed in a dress, had to wear her preschool t-shirt, but just simply put it over the dress.
The field trip was a lot of fun. Reagan told the firemen that her Uncle Mike and Grandpa John were firemen and that she had been to their firehouse. She also was the first to answer when asked what the ambulance was.
At the end of the trip they took a picture of the kids - and since it was Reagan's birthday she was able to stand up on the fire truck for the picture.
Grandma Jane surprised Reagan and met us for lunch at Panera (thanks to Linda). After lunch we went to Tony's supermarket to get fancy cookies for a tea party. Nola fell asleep on the way home so we put her to nap and then had our tea party - what fun!
Daddy and Grandpa John got to our house in time to head out to Tony's for dinner - Reagan wanted pancakes so we decided to go to our favorite breakfast spot. It was really raining hard and at one point Reagan did say 'maybe this wasn't such a good idea to go out in all of this rain!'.
When we got home from dinner it was finally time for presents. (she had already opened up some pretty hair clips from Grandma during our tea party and LOVED them!) Reagan was thrilled with her 2 fancy dresses from Grandma and Grandpa - she can't wait until its warm enough to wear them.
She was also happy to open her new Barbies from Nola - one ballerina and one that cares for dogs! Pat & I gave her a dollhouse for her Barbies - and boy, is it bright pink!! It has a balcony and an elevator - Barbie sure has come a long way.
For her cake Reagan asked for an ice cream cake made with mint chocolate chip ice cream. She helped crush the Oreos (and ate a few along the way) and she help put the Cool Whip on too. Since there weren't that many of us here, Reagan sang to herelf when we sang to her. Everyone enjoyed the dessert and celebration.
It was then time for bed - needed our rest before the other 2 parties...

Happy, Happy 4th Birthday, Reagan!! (preschool and dance)

Last week we celebrated Reagan's 4th Birthday - and boy, did we celebrate. The festivities began with her party at preschool on Tuesday. When she arrived at school she was given her crown to wear - which was very appropriate since she wore her fancy red dress and shoes that day. At 10:00 I was lucky enough to go into her classroom and play with the kids for a while. Then Reagan and I set up the tables for snack - which Reagan has picked out - chocolate cupcakes and chocolate milk (yes, definitely a Mulcrone). Before snack time Reagan was able to make a cake on the felt board and then her class sang Happy Birthday to her.
Then it was time to eat the snack - very exciting for everyone! The teachers had poured the chocolate milk into smaller containers, so the kids were able to pour their own glasses..
After snack we all went to the gym room for play time. Mrs Blatchley brought in her radio that had sounds from a fire station and the kids pretended to be firemen who were sleeping and then had to wake up quickly, get dressed, get on the trucks, drive to the fire, get the hoses and ladders set up, put out the fire, clean up and drive back to the fire station - it was very impressive.
It was then time for preschool to be done for the day - but it was such a fun day!
On Wednesday Reagan went to dance class and they sang Happy Birthday to her there, as well. She was lucky enough to wear the special cake hat and be the leader of the train song! After class we went to Grandma & Papa Mulcrone's to celebrate Reagan's birthday at dinner. Reagan was lucky enough to get a new dress (she'll probably wear it every day), a shorts outfit and a book with a cd that will be great for the karaoke machine!

Happy Anniversary

Yesterday Pat and I celebrated our 6th Anniversary! We enjoyed a great dinner at Wildfire on Saturday night and had a great day yesterday. It is hard to believe that it has already been 6 years - time is flying by. We did have fun thinking about how we had celebrated our previous anniversaries: 6 years ago we were in Steamboat, CO skiing for the first half of our honeymoon and then heading to Riviera Maya for the second week. 5 years ago we were in Tahoe celebrating our 1st anniversary while skiing at Heavenly. 4 years ago we went to Wildfire and then 4 days later Reagan was born! 3 years ago we went to the couples conference at our church and then to Irish Times. 2 years ago we wen to the couples conference and then to Cheesecake Factory. Last year we stayed overnight at the Westin (part of the couples conference) and went to Wildfire. (yes, 3 out of our 6 anniversaries have been spent at Wildfire).
I am truly blessed to have Pat as my husband. He is an amazing man and wonderful father. We have had a great 6 years - one year in Logan Square, buying a house in Brookfield and moving, Reagan, Nola, new friends, old friends, trips to Steamboat, Riviera Maya, Tahoe, Myrtle Beach, Ft Myers, Door County, Rolling Prairie, Storm Lake, Peoria (note how the trips have become a little less exciting!)
I look forward to many, many more years of our wonderful marriage. I thank God that he brought Pat and I together and am daily aware of how lucky and blessed we are!
(when Pat gets home I will try to find our older pictures and upload them)

Waterpark Weekend...FUN!!

A few weeks ago we loaded up the van and headed to Utica, IL (I know, sounds very exciting). It was the first vacation we were taking with the entire Scanlon family - we were going to Grand Bear Resort in Utica. It was a pretty quick trip - about and hour and a half.
Since we were the first to arrive we checked in and got the keys to our log cabin that we all would be staying in. When I made the reservations I was told that we would be 1-3 city blocks from the water park - they must calculate blocks differently in Utica, because we were at least a 1/2 mile away. When we go there it was really cold - I called the front desk to make sure the heat should be set at 50 and was told it could be. We cranked the heat up and turned on the fireplace. I then got back in the van and headed to Peru (next town over) to pick up pizza.
When I returned everyone had arrived (my mom and dad had finally found there way after following the shuttle driver) and were moving to the cabin next door. Turns out the furnace wasn't working - duh! The kids were all very excited and exploring the cabin.
We all at pizza - which was pretty good pizza - thanks to Sean for looking up reviews. And then changed into our suits and headed for the water park. We had thought we would drive but then Kim said the shuttle would come and get us - and it did. We all piled into the shuttle (except for dad and Mike who drove) and headed up to the park. The kids (especially Reagan, Nola and Leo) loved the shuttle - it was definitely a highlight.
The water park was fun - my family was the only ones who haven't been to one, so it was a great experience for us. Nola was all about the slides - no fear! She started in the baby pool but quickly wanted to be on the bigger slide. And she didn't want anyone to hold her - she wanted to go by herself. So one person would put her on the slide at the top and someone else would catch her at the bottom. As soon as she would get up, she would use her sign language for More! Reagan and Leo were happy to swim in the pool - with a few times down the slide for each of them. Hannah, who is quite the swimmer, was also doing the slide and the pool - she can even do flips! After swimming for a while the oldest 3 were ready for the big slides - and so was I! There were 2 3-story slides that started in the park and then went outside (they were enclosed) and then came back into the park. One was a body slide and one was a tube slide. It was really fun - and we were racing - the body slide always won.
When everyone finally got tired we headed back to the cabin to sleep and get ready for Saturday. Our girls slept in the room upstairs with grandma and grandpa, Sean & Kim's family had the room with bunkbeds (even though all of the grandkids except for Nola) thought they should sleep in there, and Mike & Dana's family had the other bedroom downstairs. Pat & I had the pull-out sofa - which was just fine.
Sean had forgotten a few things for breakfast so he headed to Wal-Mart (not an easy place to find) and was back before anyone was too hungry. We made a feast of pancakes, sausage and bacon. The kids were happy to play and hang out while we finished eating and then we headed back to the water park. More fun in the pool and on the slides. Mike and I did stop at one point to blow up our tubes a little more so we could go faster. Reilly thought that was a good idea so we blew hers up as well. We also checked out the lazy river - and raced around that a few times (no, we are not competitive).
When the kids were ready for lunch we headed back to the cabin and had hot dogs, sandwiches, left-over pizza and Portillo's salad. It was so nice to have the kitchen - made for good meals without having to go out.
The youngest 3 needed naps so Sean, Kim and I took the oldest 4 to Starved Rock to see the bald eagles. It was 60 degrees - such a beautiful day. Ok, so it was a little muddy (putting it mildly) but we had fun. We did quite a bit of hiking and we were able to see a few bald eagles. I got a few pictures but were better to see through Sean's camera and the nice family that let us use their binoculars to get a closer look.
After we got back we had time to hang out and relax. The kids played some games and watched TV. One of the kids favorite games was going on the balcony outside of grandma and grandpa's room and them throwing things at the people on thr first floor. Even Nola thought this was a great game! Then Reilly made tacos for our dinner and Dana, who had been suffering from bad headaches, rallied to make her amazing guacamole - Yeah!!
After dinner, some of us went back to the water park and others went to the indoor amusement park. When we were done swimming we took the shuttle (of course) over the the amusement park. It was actually pretty impressive. They had a tilt-a-whirl and about 5 other riders for adults and older kids. Reagan has never been on any of those rides, but she hopped on and had a great time. Her and Leo were in the mix! Nola was done by this point so I took her home on the shuttle and let everyone else continue their fun.
Sunday we woke up and, after much negotiating with the manager, I was able to get us a 1:00 check out (I blamed it on us having to move cabins and not complaining - hey, whatever it takes) so we went to have breakfast in the lodge and then more swimming. The water park was pretty empty by then so we had no trouble getting tubes for the slides or having plenty of room to swim. Some people took another trip to the amusement park before we all had to get on the road. It was such a fun weekend - and such great memories, especially for the kids. They loved all staying in the same house and they all played great together. So we'll have to start thinking about our next trip - Anthony & Reagan are already asking!

Mommy Playing Volleyball

Funny how I don't usually post about what I am doing - just focus on our family or the girls. But thanks to Michelle taking pictures I now have to post about myself. About 2 years ago I started playing volleyball with my friend, Susan, through the LaGrange Park Park District. We have a good team and most games are pretty competitive. We just play through the winter and its been a lot of fun. I have met some great women and get to play volleyball - which I love.
For an added bonus, Kendy is now playing with us since she moved back to the area from the east coast. She is now our star player - and its so fun to get to play with her again. We started playing together in 7th grade and continued through high school. She went on to play in college and then we would play against each other in the church league in South Holland (not very competitive, but we made it fun). I realized today that we have now played together for 20 years! (I am starting to sound old)
Reagan really loves to come watch me play and has been there many times when Pat was running late but very few children come to watch - its definitely a 'mommy time' thing. But I do like when she comes because she enjoys it and I like the idea of her seeing what volleyball is all about and the possibility that one day she will play as well. Nola doesn't understand sitting on the sidelines and not coming on to the court so she has only been there once. Maybe next season will be better.
But we do have fun - and even more fun when we win. So hard to believe that 20 years later we are still playing together and having fun. And sometimes I even get a chance to be the setter - something I haven't had a chance to do since 7th grade!

Sick Days

So I haven't had much to post lately because we have had lots of sickness in our house. Almost 2 weeks ago Reagan started fevering and coughing - which lasted a week. Nola then got the same thing - unfortunately hers did not go away so she ended up at the doctor on Monday. She has a sinus infection and is now doing better after being on her medication for 3 days. In the meantime, Pat came down with his own sinus infection last week. After finishing his z-pack he was not better - in fact he started getting a terrible cough. He had his turn at the doctor and he has bronchitis and possibly pneumonia! His medicine is kicking in and he is feeling better, just not 100% yet.
We are ready to air out our house of all the germs that have decided to settle in. Hopefully we will have more exciting blog entries soon!