Olympic Costumes & JT Baby!

The Olympics are here, and that meant it was time to throw another costume party. I love theme parties. Any excuse to dress up in completely ridiculous costumes, I'm in. We initially started our Olympic themed party for the London games in 2012. Our wonderful friends humored our costume request, and really impressed us with their USA duds. 

The winter games seem to have less events to choose from, but that didn't stop us. We rummaged through closets and old sports bags and put together the best Sochi costume we could. Mitch sported his hockey gear, while I threw on my ski googles and pom-pom hat and went as a snowboarder. The real star of our family was Harper. I found an adorable dance leotard, and couldn't resist throwing it in the cart. I figured she'll use it again once we finally start dance classes. Until then, we would consider it a figure skating uniform. With frilly white socks, a slicked back ponytail and a track jacket - our little skater was ready for the ice. 

As our guests showed up, we all got a kick out of their red, white and blue get-ups. Jenna and Noel showed a great effort coming as a co-ed luge team. Their star and stripe helmets were perfect, not to mention the head to toe spandex. Kody, Paul and Bennett also joined us for the fun, and managed to leave without getting a photo! Amanda marched in showing us her sweater/windbreaker top she had just purchased from Goodwill 20 minutes prior. We all got a good laugh out of the fabric choices and the randomly placed zipper pockets on the backside.

I love watching events like the Olympics in a group. Everyone shared their own commentary after each performance. There were comments on wardrobe choices, hairstyles, Olympian names, facial expressions and the actual performances. It was such a fun group, and I can't wait for the 2016 Summer games in Rio. Start brainstorming your costumes now! 

After a fun Saturday, I had another exciting night planned for Sunday. A few weeks ago Amanda let me know she had an extra ticket to the Justin Timberlake concert, and asked if I was interested. I told Mitch the situation, and he responded with, "Oh you should totally go." I wasn't going to argue, and snagged the ticket while it was still up for grabs. 

The 5 of us met up for dinner and drinks at Burger Moe's for a pre-concert meal. I stuffed my face with an amazing BBQ bison burger, french fries and topped it all off with a churro dessert. It was already proving to be a great night. We braved the cold and made our way to the Xcel Energy Center for our 20/20 Experience. The concert started at 8, with a DJ pumping the crowd up for the main event. The anticipation leading up to JT was really exciting and the crowd erupted when his silhouette flashed up on the backdrop. The 2 1/2 hour concert was so entertaining, filled with classic and new tracks. Sadly, he did not perform "POP" from his N'Sync days like I had dreamed. Even though he didn't grant my N'Sync request - his slick dance moves, falsetto and candidness on stage won me over. He might have kept me out a couple hours past my regular bed time, but it was well worth it!

Bedtime has become a Harper/Dad event. Mitch usually gets to read most of the bedtime books, and is also requested for rocking. I get my kiss goodnight, followed by a "Love you Mom." Those words still melt my heart and will never ever get old. Last week Harper added a new element to storytime - hats. I couldn't help but smile at the two of them sitting in the chair, floppy hats and all reading Dr. Seuss. I already knew Mitch would do anything for his little girl, and he didn't even blink and eye when she handed him the tiny hat. He immediately plopped it on his head, and pulled her up on his lap. It was a sweet, comical moment that I had to capture with a snapshot. 

Her newest bedtime obsession is blankets and lots of them. We pile them one by one on top of her, and she's always requesting more. When I put her down for a nap yesterday, I think I counted 7 blankets in the pile. She must have been warm and cozy, because she barely moved during her snooze. When we went in to wake her up, she was in the same position with all 7 blankets draped on top of her.  Maybe their just too heavy and she literally can't get up, but if it gets her to go to sleep - we're not going to stop the new trend any time soon. 

Now that the busy weekend has past, I'm looking forward to a family filled week and weekend. Not to mention there's a chance we'll see temperatures above freezing! Woo hoo!

Until next time...

The Helleen's