13th Birthday

My beloved firstborn turned the BIG 13!

(that's him having his requested fried eggs and bacon for breakfast, adorned with the Ruley family tradition of wearing the cheesy Birthday Hat!)

Now for some, this is a dreaded age...but for this Momma it has truly been a Delight!

(The gang getting ready to devour some raspberry filled Krispy Kremes - Will's Birthday dessert choice almost every year)

My son is everything I prayed he would be...one of the things is his Confidence in Christ. 

He is not swayed by peer pressure. He knows who he is and WHOSE he is.

Adolescents are not monsters.  They are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world, who are probably not so sure themselves.  ~Virginia Satir, The New Peoplemaking, 1988

His requested Xbox Live Gold Subscription

Favorite Snack - Honey Mustard Pretzels

and yet another favorite - flamin' hot cheeto's :-)

some sweet new Puma's

a homemade concoction from his lil' sister

(of which he so graciously opened and thanked her for)

including a most creative poster size card

The Fam at Will's requested Dinner Joint:

Outback Steakhouse

Biggest Surprise of the night: Mimi gifts Will with an I-Phone 3!

(Thanks to one of her most generous friends giving it to her)

Uh yeah...he was just a wee bit excited!

(this was #1 on his b'day wish list since his current phone malfunctions constantly)

Not only does Will look the most like me, he also has a refined palette like me!

So, for his B'day Dinner he wanted *Ahi Tuna*

*Time for his PAR-TAY!*

Will's 3 Best Friends arrive for an evening of Fun

1st Up: 

TRAC-BALL 

Singles turned into Doubles

Grandad & Nana stop by to wish a red-faced, sweaty Will a Happy B'day

8:00 p.m.

Time to depart for next up on Will's Wish List:

JOSH'S SNO SHAK

the line was just a tad long

the boys weren't the only ones wanting some flavored ice

after a 30 minute wait in line, it's finally their turn!

In case you're wondering what flava they went for, (3) got Josh's Mix and (1) went with Wedding Cake

(for me? no thanks...I'll take chocolate cake!)

Tried to keep some serious distance so they could be "cool" hanging out

(I'm sure this is the last year I can be around snapping pics) 

And, last but not least on his B'day Wish List:

HOT TUB TIME!

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate

Psalm 127:3-5

(B'day letter to my Boy)

My Dearest Will, 

13 years ago today was probably the most magical day of my life. The baby that I dreamt of having for so many years was laying in my arms. Our eyes met, and we were instantly in love. 

We have never had a dull moment with you in our lives. From window dancing as a toddler to the happy dance as a young boy...you bring so much JOY into our lives! The thing that has moved our hearts the very most is watching you grow in your relationship with Jesus. To know that you found the most important thing in life ,and desire to pursue it with all your heart, is a dream come true. We anxiously await the awesome future that God has for you (Jeremiah 29:11), and want you to know that we are so proud of you and love you more than words could ever express! Love, Mom

*Bachelorette Bash*

My baby sister is getting married.

I am one of two of her Matrons of Honor.

According to her e-mail many months ago, that means - I throw the Bacholerette Party!

So throw a party I did!!

I googled ideas, I pinterested ideas, I went to Hobby Lobby, Party City, Michael's, the list goes on and on. Here's the loot I came up with:

Saturday, April 28th, 2012

The Day of the Par-tay Arrives

My older sister (Matron of Honor #2) and my two sister in laws (my brother Kevin and Kendall's wives) were my co-horts in putting together this bash.

However, there was one other person involved. I called her my *Angel for the day!

It is my dear friend Debra. She showed up at my door, came into my kitchen, and literally went to town slicing fruit and creating the most delicious White Wine Sangria you ever did taste!

At 5:00ish, the three sistas arrived to help with the finishing touches.

Speaking of touches, I tried to add some personal touch to the shower/party so that it would be a meaningful night Kerri would never forget.

Courtney (married to my lil bro Kendall), Kim (my older sis), and Amy (married to my older bro Kevin)

For an extra special touch (hee hee), we had Hangover I playing in the background - I don't think one person noticed. Oh well. :-<>

Guests start arriving, so we start serving...

The Bride received an extra special hot pink Glitter Cup with *Bride* on it to sip on all night.

THE SISTAS

The rest of the gang 

My mom, who was keeping Abby, stopped by for a minute...so guess who wanted some party pics too?! (Speaking of, look at the pic above on the far right and see who's little head is hiding between two of the gals. LOL!) To give her some credit, she is a Jr. Bridesmaid so maybe she did belong. :-)

Lingerie Shower Time!

but 1st, we must "adorn" the Bride with her Bridal attire - a wanna-be veil with "I do" embroidered all over the back hem and a hot pink satin sash that read "Bride to Be"

First up, a hot pink lacy number

Cutest gift of night - a monogrammed beach bag 

had to get a pic of next bag

My personal favorite of the night...

After the gift opening and Kreston/Kerri Trivia Game, we head outside for some

5 Hour Energy Shots 

- yeah, that's right...women over the age of 30 need a lil' extra help to make it for the long haul :-)))

Do you see just a slight resemblance b/w these 2? Believe it or not, they are 14.5 years apart!

We may not look alike, but my sis in law Courtney and I are 2 Peas in a Pod!

The reading of the Bachelorette Scavenger Hunt

One of Ker's b/f from TU flew in all the way from NYC to attend...

as you can see, she was getting so tickled by the things Ker was challenged to accomplish on her *Hunt

Kim, Kerri, Melissa (one of Ker's good friends who works as a fellow nurse at St. Francis), Lauren

Jenny and Leah - her two B/F's from Metro (H.S.)

Time to head to our next destination!

But first, some homemade cherry jello shots made by the older sis...

they were actually quite delicious!

Jenny drove car #2 - my sis in law Amy rode in back...and was singing the Lion King theme song out the window on their way into the parking lot. I am still laughing about this!

This is the Sweet Silver Burb that escorted us all over Tulsa 

(thanks to Kim)

Courtney - who I called the 4th Kardashian Sister. She looked gorgeous!

Mi Cocina here we come!!

Time for some yummy food...

and their famous Mambo Taxi's!

Another one of Ker's b'f's from HS arrives...Jenny G

Kerri decides it is time to commence her *Scavenger Hunt - starting at the Mi Cocina bar

Then off to find a man with a Dragon Tattoo

We gave her half credit...she was uber close! An eagle!!

Our awesome brother, Kevin, arrives to take over driving duties as we head to Destination #3

Hard Rock Casino's Dance Club

One of the Best Surprises of the Night...running into our cousin Becki!

and then getting to hear her hubby Travis Kidd rock the guitar in a bar next door

(that's Amy dancin' the nite away)

Ker's one last attempt to check another thing off the Hunt before we head to our next stop

This time Kev pulled out his red satin pillow...we had crossed over to the next day at this point!

The famous Mayo Hotel Elevator incident - it would take 3 pages of blog posting to cover all the action that went on between walking in the Mayo and actually making it to the Rooftop Bar...let's just say it was movie making quality ~ at one point, I was trapped in level 4 of the stairwell!

The Tri Delta's

Just shy of 2:00 a.m., it is time for the Bachelorette posse to head to Hotel ala King (Amy's casa).

It truly was a night we will all remember...

A few hours later, we arise to the smell of this yumminess 

After a cup of Joe and some grub, it was time for...

the most appropriate movie ever

this one may have been snoozing over in the chair on the right...but, not before snapping a pic!

Here's to One Fantabulous King Sista Night! It was a loooong time coming, but worth every minute of the wait! Now for the real festivities coming May 12th!!!