Happy Birthday Jacque!!

Since we don't live close to home and have "family" birthday parties, we wanted to figure out a way to celebrate each of the kids "special day" by doing something as a family--but the catch is it is a total surprise to the kids. Den and I plan something, and we just pack the kids up and tell them we're going. Sometimes it's something big, like a sleepover at a hotel, and sometimes it's not so big. But it's always something fun that will create a family memory.

Welllllll, Jacque was turning 10 on Dec. 16, 2008--which happened to be a Tuesday night, and we knew we would be at church at AWANA, so we planned something special for her the Friday before.

She has been asking to get her ears pierced for the past 2 years, of course when she first asked, her reason was because "everyone else had theirs pierced." Well, that wasn't the reason we needed. So, she has been waiting patiently--sometimes not so patiently :o)--but we knew at 10, she was ready for all the right reasons. So, the plan has been made......we would go get her ears pierced, at Wal-mart, of course. We also decided to take the kids to a Japanese steak house in downtown Minneapolis after that, followed by ice-skating at an outdoor rink in downtown St. Paul.

Of course it started with the usually complaining--by none other than Wil :o) LOL--he can't stand surprises. And as we walked thru Wal-mart, Ben was grumbling--"....is THIS our surprise????" Mind you all this is for Jacque, but the boys seemed a little caught up in how we were putting them out....oh the joys of children :o)..... as we came up on jewelry, I stopped and turned to Jacque and asked if she wanted to get her ears pierced----she just about grinned ear to ear.

The lady the pierced her ears, asked if each brother would hold her hand during each piercing--so when you see the pictures below, the boys weren't just being sympathetic on their own, there was a little prodding...LOL I do think though that they weren't too fond of the actual piercing gun!

Well, the rest of the evening went wonderfully--dinner was fabulous, we always love Japanese steak houses. And the skating was fun--fun for me and Ben to watch, and fun for Den, Wil and Jacque to skate :o) Ben wasn't too interested in skating, and that sounded just fine to me--seems how I'm the only adult that would be hugging the wall as she goes around, not even moving for other children :o) , I preferred to watch from the sidelines with Ben.

So, below is the saga.......

Before we get our ears pierced :o)

Ben's turn to hold Jacque's hand

Wil's turn now.....I'm actually impressed he held her hand, in public at that!!

After--not a tear, not a sniffle, just beautiful!




Dinner at the Japanese steak house--we we're stuffed!

The two proud "bystanders" :o)

Jacque was ready to skate--in her new jacket and hat she got for her birthday!

The outdoor rink....... (can you see the one with no skates..aka-Ben, in the background hanging over the side???)

Another cute pic of the kids... (see Ben again? He was having just as much fun off the ice as they were on the ice :o)

Den, Jacque and Wil on about the 10th lap around

The three musketeers coming around for their final lap....(Ben is finally flat on his feet, momentarily :o)

Across the street was a huge tree--they say it is taller than the one in NY, it's fuzzy, but the kids are at the base of tree to the right.

Ever wonder what it took to light these things up?? I had to look....there were 4 plates of plug-in's, you can only see one side...it was a big box of them around the base of the tree. This picture really doesn't do it justice.

Trying to get a Christmas card picture...not quite, but it's still cute. What a great end to a great evening of fun....we all went home and slept well.