Dark Circles and Bags: All in the Name of Trying to Be a Cool Parent

While Saturday's exhaustion seeped into my bones and I'm still feeling sluggish today, the party was a success and Kennedy and her friends had a blast.  

The great thing about 13 and 14 year old young ladies, is that they really need no entertaining - they carry with them their own creativity and energy that sustains them for hours on end.  This picture shows this synergy in action. Across the street from our house, there is an old abandoned creepy shed that contains all sorts of strange things - old school desks, tools, rolled up rugs, milk jugs, crates, and the like.  This shed is one of our kids' favorite places to go - after dark - with a group of friends.  It's like something straight out of the movies - Who dares to walk up close to it?  Who dares to walk up to the doorway?  Who dares to go inside?!?! Kennedy and her friends raided our coat closet for the proper attire and then pillaged my kitchen drawers for weapons. Yes, a ghost is toast when it comes to a whisk and potato masher.  Casper didn't stand a chance against these girls.

Oh, and I thought I'd let you see the finished cake that the girls made.  

Yes, Barbie is holding a basketball.  The birthday girl was on the basketball team so this was in honor of her.

Yes, the cake looks like it's been chewed up, spit back onto the cake platter, and then frosted with homemade chunky vanilla frosting.  No, this is not the case. But this - the girls learned - is what happens when the cake pans are not properly greased before baking.  It's tough to frost and decorate a mound of broken cake pieces.  

{Truth be told, they wouldn't have changed a thing.  It was one of the highlights of the party.}

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The boys of our clan had a great day of skiing and came home rosy cheeked and a little worn out too.  They stopped by Salon a la Randee for much needed haircuts (she said she felt like she was shearing sheep) and then came home to chill for the night. 

Here's a clip of Taiden and Britt.  T-man is at the beginning of the shot on his snowboard and Brittan is the speed demon coming behind him.  Keep in mind that Brittan has only had 3 ski lessons and has NO FEAR of acceleration.  Next weekend, I'm taking them up to Powder Mountain for the day - I'm going to be a nervous wreck.  Between watching them wiggle around on the chairlifts (which Jeff lets them go on BY THEMSELVES!) and zipping down the mountain side with no brakes....