Tribute to Courage

On Saturday night, I helped to host and had the honor of attending Casa Colina's black-tie gala event, which is called Tribute to Courage.  Every two years, Casa holds this event to honor one of our patients whose recovery has been extraordinary.  It is also a major fundraiser for our hospital, which is California's only freestanding nonprofit rehabilitation center of excellence and one of only about four nationwide that specializes in brain injury rehabilitation.  At each Tribute to Courage, there is also a celebrity speaker who is relevant to our work.  A couple of years ago, they had Bob and Lee Woodruff (Bob Woodruff was the CBS correspondent who was injured in a roadside bomb in Iraq a few years ago).  This year, Captain Mark Kelly, the husband of Gabrielle Giffords, was the keynote speaker.  The woman who was honored is also quite special to me.  She was a patient when I was a student at Casa Colina.  Patients like her are the very reason why I came back to Casa to work and the reason that I absolutely love the work that I do so very much.

Gabrielle Giffords Husband Honors Special Southland Couple « CBS Los Angeles

5th Birthday Fun! - Part Three!

Also on Thursday, February 9th, we had a family birthday dinner.

Rebecca wanted a white cake with chocolate icing. By the way, in the span of Rebecca's birthday week, I made 100 cupcakes and a 3-layer cake.  My kitchen was coated in a a fine mist of powdered sugar that was affixed by an even application of butter.  So Rebecca helped.  The best part of helping to make a caking and vats of delicious buttercream icing, however, is to eat the leftover icing!

We had originally planned to have the family dinner at JoJos Pizza, which is a favorite of both Rebecca and Hannah.  However, since we'd had pizza on Saturday, at the school lunch on Thursday, and would be having pizza again at Hannah's birthday party on the upcoming Saturday, we decided to have the family gathering at Red Robin.  The girls were very excited, but mostly they enjoyed posing with each other.

Because it was a birthday shared with her "cousin twin," Hannah, Rebecca consented to the Happy Birthday song.  She really didn't look overjoyed with it as we sang it to her, but at least she didn't burst into tears or hide her eyes.  She really is growing up!

We were so glad to have our niece and nephew there.  Talk about growing up!  Ramy tried to hang with them to get some semblance of cool.

We were happy to celebrate our two five year olds!

5th Birthday Fun! - Part Two!

On Rebecca's actual 5th birthday (Thursday, February 9th), Mommy and Daddy both took off from work so that we could celebrate all day.  Grammy took Rebecca to school and then we came over with lunch and treats for her class.

Rebecca got to wear a birthday crown and necklace all day long!

She also said the prayer before our lunch.

She got to choose special friends to sit with her at her table.

These kids can EAT!  They put away five large pizzas, carrots and dip, and several containers of pineapple, strawberries, blackberries, and apples. They plenty of room left for cupcakes too!

During cleanup time, they all danced.

Rebecca and Mrs. Gallegos.

After the lunch, we headed home to open more of Rebecca's birthday gifts.

No birthday is comlete, in Rebecca's mind, without some giant balloons.

Of course, the dogs were a major part of the birthday celebration.  Only Sydney is game for wearing the birthday hat though. And Rebecca's birthday necklace.  Sydney would only do these things for Rebecca.  She won't even come in from the outside for me.

Sydney also gave Rebecca birthday kisses and hugs.

Some of Rebecca's favorite things were her Princess Tiana dress-up dress...

Squinkies and a new game for her Leappad from Aunt Margaret...

A cute new apron from Uncle Lynn and Aunt Kathryn (which she soon put to good use)...

And her Hungry Hungry Hippo game from Grammy, which they immediately played.

5th Birthday fun! - Part One

The celebration of Rebecca's fifth birthday was a week-long affair!  We had so much fun!

First, we celebrated her birthday on Saturday, February 4, with a birthday party for all her friends at Pump It Up.

Here's the birthday girl in a Grammy original!

As her guests began to arrive...

With her "cousin twin" Hannah.

Rebecca was very happy to have so many of her girlfriends with her at her party. 

Once we'd viewed the safety video, it was time to let the sliding and bouncing begin!  Rebecca wanted to do nothing but go down the slides over and over and over again.

It is very difficult to get a whole room full of kids to all look at a camera at the same time!

Once in the eating room, Rebecca got to sit on the big throne.  She even got to eat on the throne!

Meanwhile, it was a free-for-all with pizza, fruit, veggies, chips, and cupcakes.

Queen Rebecca on her throne, waiting for her cupcake to blow out.  She would not agree to the birthday song, however.

After licking the icing off her cupcake, then she bopped her friends on the head with her inflatable scepter.

After we'd pumped it up, we headed home.  However, the Lohs and Gees had not yet seen our (now not so new) house.  So they all headed over to our house.  The kids ended up playing and playing for hours.  Eventually, we decided to order in from Lucilles so they could continue playing!  Rebecca thought having her birthday party go on all day and all night was the best ever!