more birthday coverage…

more birthday coverage…

So the Friday Night ‘Freeze Ball” party was a hit! And I thought that with Christmas coming, maybe you would be interested to know what boys ages ranging from 8-12 might be interested in! i have classified for your gift giving convenience;

1.    the ‘glad they still like this stuff’ category goes to the little army men, and the lego set

2.    the  “got the biggest laugh and greatest response” goes to the Barbie head doll toy… also included was bath salts) and the card read: “just jokin! The real present is in  your email” – it was an amazon gift certificate.

3.    The ‘hasn’t put it down’ category goes the  YO-YO (who knew)
4.    The ‘good timing’ category goes the light up football, that they used at the party!
5.    The ‘biggest HIT’ category goes the long reach nerf FIST. Funny.

6.    The ‘most ANNOYING’ and  definitely a crowd favorite was this ‘yada yada yada’  have you seen this? It must have come from the states; I haven’t seen one here. But it’s a little voice recorder, but the twist is that you can warp the play back so it distorts your voice to faster or slower. The kids have been absolutely amazed. I guess it’s because they have never had a record player that you can put a record that should  play at 45 and you play it at 60, or vise versa. (am I the only one!?)

Now this last category has been added and an EXTRA award given in light of my newest mantra of ‘fix it up, wear it out, make do or do without” and the REPURPOSING mission I am on… and it goes to my mom. This wins in the following categories:
‘travelled the longest distance’
‘took the most hours to create/ handmade gift’
‘custom made and personalized’
‘gift that keeps on giving’
and  the “Fabulously REPURPOSED AWARD”  all go to my MOM for this surprise that came in the mail Saturday morning. Colton had casually mentioned to my mom that he wanted a quilt (you may remember that Cory got a new quilt when my folks came to visit in may). Mind you this was like 3 weeks before his birthday, and I was rolling my eyes and telling him to pick something that could come in an envelope marked ‘airmail’.
Mom was SO EXCITED to tell me that she had sent Colton’s gift, and she just could hardly wait for him to get it. I couldn’t imagine what it could be. Well, right before soccer, Saturday morning- like 2 minutes before we needed to be leaving (and Colton was supposed to be getting ready), this box arrived, and this amazing “TShirt” quilt is what was inside.


It’s a nice and cozy warm denim and t-shirt quilt, with flannel on the back. As I was marveling, and snapping a couple photos, i couldn’t figure out where she got such PERFECT t-shirts. It was totally freaking me out.  There are a total of 12 tshirts, I am posting them all b/c they are SO PERFECT for Colton: soccer, baketball, Arizona, skeletons, American flag, superman, Chinese words, ‘just do it’. tony hawk, and even that shirt you have probably seen before that says ‘I do my own stunts’. It freaked me out even more, because I just couldn’t imagine my mom going out to buy all new t-shirts to cut up and put in a quilt, but they looked so perfect, so just like new. Of course, the quilt was put together with precision only my mom can deliver and has bright fun colors, and a denim border, made from jeans she has been collecting since I can remember. (I have made a denim quilt a time or 2). She then machine quilted each t-shirt, including his NAME in the “superman”-(which is a tribute to the ‘super swapps’) and tied the border.

Well, I hadn’t spoken to mom since, and got an email from mom this morning giving me a little more insight into the quilt… She went to DI (Deseret Industries-a second hand thrift shop) and found all these t-shirts. How cool is that!? so not only are all the jeans re-purposed, but so are all these fabulous t-shirts. (grinning ear to ear) I love it! and so does Colton! So much fun. What a great idea…

I have to share just one more tid-bit that rounds out the birthday memories… Saturday morning, I sent Colton to pick up some milk from the store, and when he came home, I found these flowers on my desk.  In light of the past couple weeks… and some of the ‘life lessons’ associated with this birthday- this was probably the icing on the cake for me. maybe, just maybe… he’s growing up on the inside, as well as the outside.