Tag she's seven

Two months after her actually birthday we can check Megan's 7th birthday party off the list. With all of the craziness of Christmas, New Year's, Rae's birthday, Bridget's birthday and the 9 cousin bowling birthday celebration all of us including Megan were out of energy and ideas for her party. She couldn't decide what she wanted to do and was very ambivalent about all of my suggestions, so I dropped it for a few weeks. The one weekend when the Hess Family was visiting we decided to try laser tag. It was a huge hit and Megan declared that she wanted to have a laser tag party for her birthday.

We booked the party room and made invitations. Megan invited 10 classmates, both boys and girls, and she counted them off as they RSVP'd. I got some cake ideas online and had Megan pick. She liked a simple 2 tier cake with laser lines cutting across it.

We arrived a little early and had plenty of time to set up and decide what our laser tag code names were going to be before her friends arrived. Jim would hang with Bridget this time since she was too small to play, but Kermit, Kehrman, B-Day girl and I, Pooh Bear, were ready to play.

Megan was so excited when each of her friends arrived. We got instructions and each of us were assigned to 1 of 2 teams. Then we got suited up in our vest and laser gun. The vests were really heavy and huge for the 1st graders but they were eager to get in the dark, smoky arena and play. The boys and girls played extremely well together, without a second thought to being on a team with the opposite sex. Megan's friends wound up moving around the arena in groups of 2 or 3, working together to locate or avoid people on the other team. We were sweaty and tired when our time was up. All of us were as we headed back to the party room. Everyone compared score sheets while we had snacks, ate cake, and Megan opened presents.

 It was a very easy, fun party and Megan had a wonderful time. I have a feeling we will host another laser tag party. I think I will also suggest to Megan next year that we plan to have her party in March again. It will make her birthday fun last longer.

St. Patrick's Day

It came to me a few years ago that for all of the Irish festivals, music, t-shirts, knick knacks and beer around, we didn't do much for St. Patrick's Day. I decided that we could at least have an Irish meal once a year. So over the past few years I have prepared corned beef and cabbage for the feast day. I am not a very comfortable cook with a new recipe, but each year the meal has gotten better. We have made it a point to tell the girls the story of St. Patrick. and remember that it is a Feast Day.

Jim, Em, Rae, and Bridget all went to the St. Patrick's Day parade downtown with the Brinks. Meg and I instead spent the morning together at a teddy bear tea for Daisy scouts. We enjoyed hanging out at our fancy tea, but then we met up with the rest of the family at the Brink's house for pizza . One of these years I hope to see the parade too.

 When I pulled out the decorations this year the girls dove into the hair accessories like it was lost treasure, each staking claim to their desired pieces. We happen to have lots of green hair decorations, head bands, bows, clips, and pony tail holders and yes hats. Thursday morning they were able to don their prearranged outfits of green and put in their festive hair items with great speed before heading off to school. I made a batch of shamrock sugar cookies when they got home from school and we set them aside for after dinner. Well most of them were set aside. Rachael played around with the little bits of extra dough to make little rose shaped "bisquits."

This year I made corned beef which everyone loves and an Irish dish called colcannon, which is a potato and cabbage pancake type side dish. Most everyone loved dinner but Bridget had a hard time with the colcannon. After many gagging fits and letting her food run down her Irish lamby shirt. We settled on her eating the beef and then we got out the cookies. She was on her last cookie when she declared "Treats are better than dinner!"

Hair cuts

The girls all have simple long hair styles and I generally just let the girls hair grow until it gets unruly. Recently it became obvious it was time. Struggling to get a brush through Rachael's hair was becoming a frequent event and after her bath I mentioned a hair cut. Megan and Bridget were near by and chimed in that they wanted hair cuts, Rae on the other hand was more resigned to the idea than excited. Megan's curly hair had gotten stringier and harder to manage recently. Her hair is always more difficult in the winter and it is less likely to form fabulous ringlets but even nicer weather days weren't equaling good hair days, so she was in need as well. When it was time to brush Bridget's hair I came upon a hunk of food and pink playdoh dried in the ends. I am still rather sentimental about Bridge's hair though and the idea of cutting it was unappealing. Her hair, as Becky recently described it, is luxurious. It is long, wavy, strong and silky with subtle highlights. Bridget has great hair but it doesn't look so good with stuff crusted in the ends. time for a trim. Emma's hair is still growing at an amazing rate but since she washes and styles it on her own, I wait till she indicates that she wants a cut before we take her to the salon. For now she is letting it grow.

The little girls are fond of Carton cuts at the Mall, so we grabbed an open Monday evening and hit the mall after work. Bridget was excited about a hair cut but told me "I am fine with the scissors, but not the elephant." The elephant on the wall above the sink has the water hose and sprayer as his trunk. There is a raised platform that the kids lay on in front of the sink. When we got there we decided that the girls should have their hair washed. Rachael went first and talked to Bridget about how it wasn't scary. As Rae got her hair cut, Megan got her hair washed and again reassured Bridget that it was fine. Bridget climbed up without much coaxing but stopped as she neared the platform. Her fear of heights kicked in. After a short time though, Jim and the hairstylist coaxed Bridge to lay down. She was so proud of herself when she was done. "I'm not afraid anymore!", she said.


Each of them looks much neater with their hair cuts, but I do miss Bridget's length. Megan's hair regained it's bounce and her curls were lively this morning. Rachael says it feels weird without her long hair, and is wearing it in a ponytail, she says, until it feels right. About 3 inches were cut off and I think she will get used to it quickly. They look ready for spring.