The Guilty Party

If you have followed this blog for any amount of time

you'll know that Reese often gets the short end of the stick.

I have this Mommy guilt-- if Kean is sick, I'll tell her

to go play quietly while I deal with him.

Her birthday's have followed suit.

We've cancelled a birthday party, held

an extremely small one in an extra room in the hospital

and if I'm being honest, for the parties we have had,

they have been as easy as I could make them.

This year, I decided to try and make up for my

short changing her (and the fallout from Kean's cancer).

We sent out invitations for her friends to come to

Barker Spy Training Academy

(they even had to have a secret password to get in).

Once at the party, they got their "dossiers"

and had to make their Spy Identification cards- complete with

fingerprints, height, weight, photos and an undercover name

(Reese's was Mimi Skyline-- her pet's first name/her street name for her last).

 Of course, they had to get sunglasses, fake moustaches

and explosives (Pop Rocks).

 Once they finished their ID badges, they went into the girls' bedroom

to retrieve the presents-- only to find they'd been stolen!!!

Oh, no!

 They had to decipher their first clue-- that basically told them

if they wanted to solve the Birthday Present Heist, they

had to undergo Spy Training.

 Off they went first for "Mind Sharpening" where they had

to remember as many items as possible on a tray.

 Then it was outside for physical training-- 

 which of course, included a few runs down the "escape hatch".

 Next it was "Weapons Training"-- squirt gun

wars with targets on their backs.

 And finally, Bomb Detonation... where they found

clues that led them to a puzzle...

 they had to put together of a map showing

where they could find the stolen presents.

 You'll never guess who the culprits were!!!

Actually, who was harboring the contraband!

Our dear sweet neighbors, the Bodilys- and they 

played it up perfectly.

 Once the girls found their presents stashed

at the Bodily's, they brought them home,

opened them up

 and had the most delicious spy refreshments you've ever seen.

I got smart this year and traded a gallon of blackberries to 

my friend, Lori Renn (the Cupcake Lady).

She made Salted Caramel and Red Velvet.

Yes, you sure should be salivating.

 Then it was back to the ol' escape hatch

until parents came.

Reese was thrilled.

I'm exhausted -- probably from working off all that guilt.

But it was worth it.

Phew!