A McDonalds Party is Good Enough for Me

Sometimes, a mama just needs a break and book a Mcdonalds party. 

Hey friends, I hope you’re staying cool in this summer heat. It’s hot and humid as it should be during this time of year in GA. We’re staying cool at the pool, library, McDonalds and at home with our AC. Thank God for AC! 

Recently, Emmy turned 4. I know… I can’t believe it either. When we moved into our home 5 years ago, Jimmy and I had the desire to have another baby. Maybe it was because our house felt too big for only 2 kids. I thought I was done after having JJ because two young kids were already a handful for me at the time. But, the Lord somehow changed our hearts and I’m so glad he did because this little girl has brought more laughter into our lives with her crazy and headstrong personality. He has also continued to teach us humility because parenting a strong willed child ain’t easy. 

When I was pregnant, I thought to myself, “this will be easy cause she’s #3 and we’ve done it before twice.” WRONG! It was my hardest pregnancy and the whole time I thought she would arrive early because JJ was born almost 2 weeks before his due date. WRONG AGAIN!! She came two days PAST her due date. I was large, hot and cranky. Can I share a tip with all you people? When you see a very pregnant lady near the end of her pregnancy, do not say the following sentences. If you do, you’re asking to get popped in the head. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

DON’T say the following.

• Dang, you look like you’re ready to pop!!
• You’re still pregnant?!?
• It’s still just one baby in there right?
• Omg, you must be so hot carrying all that weight. 

INSTEAD, say things like this.

• Friend, you are glowing! (it’s probably just sweat at this point but it doesn’t matter)
• Love your outfit girlfriend! You make pregnancy look good!
• You are all belly!
• The best one: You’re the most beautiful pregnant woman ever!

Before I got pregnant with Emmy, I was in the best shape of my life as I was training for a half marathon with Jimmy. After I got pregnant, I stopped working out completely due to extreme fatigue and quickly fell into the worst shape of my life. Jimmy ran the half marathon without me. Cue the sad music. HAH! Oh how things can change so quickly. Humility, I’m telling you!

Emmy didn’t sleep through the night until she turned 1. I know. CRAZY. She’s the bossiest child of the Min kids and has a firecracker personality. Jimmy and I are chill and well, our Emmy is not. She wants what she wants and she is the most tenacious little girl. However, she is also super affectionate and never lacks in hugs, kisses and says the most thoughtful words. She is fiercely protective and although sassy, always thinks of her siblings. She loves singing worship songs and dances all the time. She is a lover of gum, ice cream, shopkins, Frozen, broccoli and Costco pizza. She just learned how to swim underwater and has enough confidence for the both of us. She LOVES to eat and will always choose eating before playing because #foodie. When she gets hangry (hungry + angry), this is dangerous and I would caution anyone to stay away. Her sassiness and curiosity and zest for life is contagious. Happy Birthday, Emmy. You are the cream and the cherry on top of our family. You make us laugh every day with all the crazy things you do and say. 

I didn’t have time or the mental capacity to plan her birthday party this year. You can read about what’s been keeping us busy here if you missed my post recently which also shares where we are in the fostering timeline. Anyhow, one day while we were having a play date at our local McDonalds, one of my friends said, “look, those tables are reserved. It looks like there’s a party.” I immediately went up to the front and asked if they had parties because I had no idea you could do that. I booked the party right then and there and decided she was having a last minute party with a few friends at McDonalds. Recently, my friends and I started taking our kids to one near our house and it has become one of our favorite hang out spots. Any place that has a large and CLEAN indoor playground with nice AC during the dog days of summer is definitely a winner in my book. Plus, hello deliciously cheap ice cream cones and $1 large unsweetened tea. I know I’m southern but I can chug that unsweetened tea like it’s nobody’s business. 

The parents ate big macs, fish fillets, fries, ice cream cones and socialized while the kids played in the playground. If you’re lucky to live near a large, clean McDonalds near you, this is the place to have your party! You pay a little more than a happy meal/child and you get to go home to a clean house. I’d choose Chick-fil-A too but they are always so darn busy and have much smaller play areas. Emmy was happy as a clam and had the best time. Honestly, I had the best time too because the only thing I did was bake cupcakes. I realized later that they also serve their own cake so I didn’t even have to do that! Oh well, you can never have too much cake I guess. Btw, this is not sponsored by McDonalds but I’m trying to share this awesome tip for all the tired mamas out there who don’t have the time or energy to throw a party. One of the kind workers there helped take care everything like getting placemats for the kids, activity booklets, little party favors and taking orders. If you have someone helping, be sure to give them a nice tip. 

My mom and Emmy have back to back birthdays so we celebrated the next day again. Look at my JJ. This is his serious, better listen to my mom taking a photo face. 

And guess what? After 5 years, I finally did run that half marathon. I ran with one of my closest friends, Jennifer. She also happens to be my neighbor so we have been meeting in the wee hours of the morning to run during the school year. In the year of running together, we’ve tripped and hurt our shoulders, ankles and backs. Jennifer had to get a tetanus shot when she ran past a rusty pole that ripped her pants and scratched her leg. We’ve had the same lady try to purposely run us over a couple of times because she didn’t like the fact that we were running on the left side of the street. She’s yelled and honked at us saying she can’t see us when we wear reflective gear and bright blinking lights. It’s crazy I tell you! As you can see, we’ve gathered quite a few stories from all of our runs together. The best part has been us sharing our hearts with each other, laughing, crying and praying through all the things going in our lives. 

We finished with our family cheering at the end and even met my old friend and boss, Bonnie! Jennifer is trying to get me to train for a full marathon and so far, I’m not convinced. My poor feet are in such bad condition and I don’t think they could get worse. I’d like to keep my toenails thank you very much!

Have a great Thursday, friends! Thanks for reading. 

Yuni

“Let all that you do be done in Love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14