There Will Be Prizes

Every year, there is a "Grand-daughter Party" for all the grand-daughters from Mike's maternal grandparents. They are always a lot of fun and usually very well done and I thoroughly enjoy Mike's cousins. (I definitely have my favorites and you know who you are...)

Well the invitation came several weeks in advance, announcing that it would be a pajama party. Fun, cute, comfortable, etc. Well the invite also said, 'there will be prizes.' I kind of ignored it because of the competitive side of me that doesn't like to compete in large groups. (#7 on this post) AND because I don't have many pajamas that fit me well at this stage of a pregnancy.

My girls were excited to go, they were going to wear their pajamas from this last Christmas Pajama Fairy. I was just going to wear a pair of comfortable SWEATS! (Sweats/Pajamas-pretty close.)

Well, the morning arrived and that competitive side of me started to get a little anxiety.

Winning. . . Momentary Glory. . . A prize. . .

I knew in my closet were a pair of pajamas that would get a prize. They come out only on Christmas Eve. They are not flattering. They are not cute. But oh, what memories.

(Five years ago, as leaders at a YW Girl's Camp, one of the funnest ladies I've ever known got ready for bed wearing some sort of pajamas/nightgown that had all of us leaders laughing so hard we had to make treks from our tent to the nearest bathroom. She affectionately called them her, 'Not tonight, dear' pajamas. We were all mildly jealous of them. Actually, extremely jealous of them. Five months later on Christmas Eve, Kathie showed up on my doorstep with a wrapped Christmas gift. Oh what joy when I opened them and she had lovingly sewed for me, my very own, 'Not tonight, dear' pajamas.I shed tears that someone would do something so kind and personal for me. (I think Mike may also have shed tears. But for different reasons.)

And so. . . as I was putting these pajamas into a bag to take to the recent Grand-daughter Party. (Afterall, they needed a proper debut appearance, I wasn't going to just show up in them.)

. . .Poor Luke's face. He looked at me. He looked at the pajamas in my hand. And as kindly and as innocently as a seven year old can, groaned,

"Mom, You are going to really wear those? How embarrassing."

(Click to enlarge, if you wish to see the pajamas more closely)

Yes, Luke it was mildly embarrassing. Megan's face expressed her own mortification and even I couldn't help but cover my face as the cameras flashed in front of me. Which is just as well my face is covered as this is the WORLD WIDE web.
(I swear Jana, I will deny it is me if I am tagged in a photo on Facebook.)

The party was fabulous. The ladies in charge did a great job. The food was great. The activities fun and of course the company is what mattered most.

It was a wonderful evening.

P.S. I won a prize