The gift of love

Kim and Tom, who are famous for their at-home birthday parties, outdid themselves this year for Emily’s 9th birthday. While Andrew was quarantined to his bedroom with a terrible case of the flu, the High School Musical themed party went on and was a great success! We tried helping Andrew with a movie, room decorations, food, drink and sympathy but nothing but sleep brought him any relief. So before starting this blog I want to report that, although weak, he is on the mend today and is hoping not to miss any more days of school. The way he still sounded tonight, I’m afraid another day might be needed to ensure a good recovery. Hope you feel better, Andrew.

Another bit of important information, before I tell you about Em’s party, is that today is Keegan’s special day! He, like Emily on the 5th, is turning NINE years old today! Happy Birthday Keegan! I’m sure you and your friends are having a great time doing something sports related. ;) I hope to hear all about it soon!

Anyway, back to the HSM2 Party...

When I arrived, a Soda Fountain was being set up in the kitchen, menus were posted on the bar where the girls could order dinner and partake of the four large candy jars on the counter. Hot dogs and french fries, nachos with cheese for dipping, pizza bites, hot pretzels, coke floats and juice boxes were among the favorite menu items. As the girls paraded in, dressed as one of the characters from High School Musical, some went upstairs where the movie was being shown in the large master bedroom, to watch and eat popcorn and await their turn to have their hair and makeup done by a professional hairdresser and her assistant! Others came in to the same movie being played near the "Diner" and ordered dinner from the menu.

After about two hours of hair, makeup and dinner, the music began. Each girl performed a favorite HSM song and dance with a Karaoke CD. They finished the show off with a group number, and as a special treat, a duet prepared and performed by Sharpay and Sharpay's Mom (Emily and Kim)! So much good engery went into that song, they were both stars!!

Bracelets were then given to each girl for best performance, hair, makeup, song, atittude, dance, etc. Cute, cute, cute.

A Tom S-C-designed and baked birthday cake came next, then the traditional opening of gifts. This was such a lovely group of girls; they all sat in a circle, passed their gifts around the circle until someone shouted STOP and that was the gift that was to be opened next. Everybody enjoyed it as much as Em did! Well, except William and it was hard for him to wait until the 18th of this month to get birthday gifts of his own.

For me...I got to stroke Andrew and bring him flowers, occupy William when some special attention was needed, take lots pictures, make icecream floats and help work in the soda fountain kitchen with Tom...but most of all, I got to watch as Tom and Kim gave their best to Emily; everything they did was filled with so much love. I see this a lot coming from my grandchildren's parents and I know it is the greatest gift of all. If I could think that I had anything to do with that, then my life has been worth living....

Last, but not least, I got to be with my three most favorite little girls in the world, and see them looking so beautiful when they came down from the beauty shop, bravely getting up to perform their song and being so very gracious to everyone around them. I was grandmother proud, I tell you, I was grandmother proud.

Mimi