Well, it has been an exhausting day, but a fun one. It started with tidying up the house in preparation for the birthday party afterwhich we went to the Party Mart to pick out balloons (3 canary yellow, 3 orange, 3 fuschia, 3 lime green) and plates and cups (yellow smiley face) for the birthday girl.

At noon, the Girls came by and we made emergency kits for their backpacks. The kits consisted of 2 quarters, a list of emergency phone numbers, 2 alcohol swabs, 2 bandaids, 2 Lifesavers and 2 safety pins all enclosed in a little black film canister.

After the emergency kit excitement, we had about a half hour to relax until the birthday party descended upon us. The girls played nicely in Joey's room for about an hour before it was time to go to the mall to the Build-A-Bear Workshop. The girls were so excited to make their stuffed animals. Joey chose a white bear with a pink nose and the other 3 girls chose koala bears. I let Joey choose an outfit for her bear since she was the birthday girl and she chose purple silky PJs and bunny slippers.

When we got back home, the girls played with their critters in Joey's room while I got the stuff for dinner ready. Each girl made her own pizza from scratch and while the pizzas were cooking, they decorated cupcakes with sprinkles and colored sugar and candy corn and gummy worms and York peppermint 'bites' and Reeses peanut butter 'bites'. They each decorated 3 cupcakes and they had so much fun doing it. I loved listening to their conversations while they were artistically engaged.

They gobbled down their pizza then Joey opened her presents. Baylee gave her 2 bear outfits--a soccer girl outfit and a mandarin-style outfit, Natasha gave her 2 CDs (N'Sync and Jessica Simpson--who is Jessica Simpson?) and Ashlee gave her a pillowy picture frame for her room and a password protected note keeper. It's really sweet and teeny-boppery. Ed and I gave her a Boppitt (very fun game!) and a karaoke machine. She was *very* excited about the karaoke machine but when we got it out and plugged in, the microphone didn't work. ::sigh:: We'll have to exchange it tomorrow.

After the gifts, we had our cupcakes and then the girls got their jammies on and settled in to watch Spy Kids. They loved watching Spy Kids in their sleeping bags on the family room floor.

The movie got over at 9:15 and by 9:30, the girls were all toothbrushed and ready for bed. We moved their bags to the living room and they went to sleep. Yes, the actually went to sleep. By 9:45, 2 of the girls were asleep and by 10pm, they were all out. I'm rather impressed, actually. I remember many slumber parties where I didn't get to bed until well past midnight.

So here I sit in a completely dark family room listening to the snorts and snores in the next room over while I write my entry and watch Once and Again. I've watched this show since it's beginning and I still don't love it. I mean I like it alright but if I miss it, I certainly don't miss it. I did think that the wedding episode at the end of last season was my favorite TV wedding ever, though. It's Zwick and Herskovitz series and I've been crazy about them ever since thirtysomething, which I still mourn the loss of.

Ed woke up at 2:30 last night and couldn't fall back to sleep all night so he's exhausted. I suspect he's sprawled out on our bed with a book on his chest, asleep in front of the TV. I wish there was *something* I could do to help him. Maybe if I sexed him up good every night he'd sleep better. I suppose I could sacrifice myself to the cause. ;-)

We have a bunch of chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting in the kitchen right now and they are each screaming at me with their little voices. It's a chorus of "Lisa.... Lisa...." and I can't make them stop screaming. When will they stop screaming?

I think I must put them out of their misery.

--L