This Will Be a Day To Remember!

Today is the Much-Anticipated Party Day ... and I have about 3-days' worth of stuff to do in the meantime! After a way-too-early start to the day (a soaked girl in a soaked bed ... again!?!?), I've been shuffling around the house, trying to organize my foggy thoughts. After lunch, and before the party, I have to whisk Aidan off to school for the Open House. In the midst of the Star Wars whirlwind, I also have to get his school stuff ready so he can claim his desk and get that set up. He's excited to meet his new teacher and see his friends again. We'll spend some time there, then rush back home to take care of the last-minute preparations before the kids come at 2:00. The cake, baked yesterday, is now iced and decorated with M&M's (baking is not my thing), and soon I'll go outside and start transforming our yard into the Jedi Training Academy.

Don is in charge of the music -- after downloading the Star Wars soundtrack, he's going to set up some kind of speaker system outside to amplify the special effects. This part was fun for us -- for example, do you remember the "Cantina" scene from the "original" Star Wars? Luke, just having lost his aunt and uncle, joined Obi Wan Kenobi and headed to the town of Mos Eisley in search of a pilot to whisk them away. Dorky Luke and Calm, Cool, and Collected (and oh-so-British!) Obi Wan walk into some kind of intergalactic space bar, where crazy looking creatures are having a grand old time. Remember the music? Fun, jazzy ... perfect for our game of "Musical Escape Pods" (or, er, um ... "musical chairs"). Aidan's favorite part is wrapped up in Don's iPhone ... light saber sound effects (with awesome music, of course). So while the Jedi Apprentice is making his or her way through the Light Saber Training Course (obstacle course, that is), they will meet up with Darth Vader ... that will be Don, dressed up in a fun costume, complete with light saber, heavy breathing, and sound effects. Yep ... fun stuff.

And my boy gave me a great gift yesterday ... As we sat together at the kitchen table, stringing ribbon through the gold medals that each kid will be awarded at the end (music from the Medal Ceremony at the end of the movie ... except I don't plan on dressing up like Princess Leia -- sorry), he could barely sit still, jittery with excitement. He chattered on and on how great this is, how excited he is. "I can't wait to play these games!" he exclaimed. "And I can't wait to get my presents!" But then he paused ... "But you know, Mommy, even though I'm excited about my presents, I know what's important is that I have good friends." Cue the hug ...

After a rainy evening, the sun is beginning to peek through the dark gray clouds ... the humidity is gone, and a cool breeze is filtering through the open windows. What a day this will be ...