The Hideout Theater - Murphy Style

And now, the big reveal!  I have to admit - last night was one of the most entertaining nights we have had in a long time.  A little background first.  With chemo scheduled at the same time as Amanda's birthday, it was a little hard to have a large class party like she originally wanted.  We had a very small swimming get together before school started, but it was thrown together at the last minute due to the timing of her treatment, our schedule and school right around the corner. Honestly, I was a little sad since it was her 10th birthday and I felt like I wanted to celebrate this year in a big way, but at the same time, I was just thankful that we had been able to give her some time with a few friends and celebrate.

Unbeknownst to me, our close friends had been thinking along the same line and approached us with a phenomenal party idea.  John, Lacy and Ashton Murphy had gone to the Hideout Theater in Austin this summer to watch improv, and John thought that it would be fun to have the troupe come to their home for a birthday party for Amanda and her classmates.  The troupe does children's theater classes and would involve the kids throughout their show.  My first thought was that it sounded fabulous!  I was a little concerned since Amanda has become a little more shy since her diagnosis, but she loved the idea as well.

So last night, the Murphy's opened their home to 23 kids, plus parents and hosted an unforgettable evening. The troupe was funny, engaged the children, and made us all laugh.  On the Evite that was sent, I said "They say laughter is the best medicine, and so is spending time with your friends!" How true that is.  It was great to see Amanda with her friends again.  It seems every time we try to plan a day to join her class, she hasn't been feeling well or something comes up, so I was very happy that last night worked out.  She rested up for most of the day, went to piano, then came back home to rest  again so she would feel good for the evening.  Thankfully, she seemed to hold up very well for the night evening and really enjoyed herself.  I am working on editing a short clip of the show to post, but my skills are lacking somewhat, so give me a few days and I will try to have something to share.  For now, enjoy some pictures from the evening!

Welcoming friends to the party.

Ok, so not my most flattering shot, but I was preparing for my possible "big moment" later in the evening.

The hostess with the mostess, Lacy Murphy.

Mr. Murphy saying grace, and we have so much to be thankful for!

The party crowd enjoying their pizza!

The Advice Game: Lacy was supposed to give good, sound advice.  Makenzie was supposed to give bad advice, and Amanda gave birthday girl advice. 

The next few pictures are from a game called "My Vacation Slideshow"

My favorite game of the night - Hitchhiker. 

Happy Birthday Amanda!

These guys were great!  On the way home, Amanda said she LOVED the evening.  What an unforgettable birthday party! Thank your Mr. and Mrs. Murphy!

Amanda gave it her all last night, and today we saw the effects of it.  She felt pretty miserable all day.  To me, it sounded like a visit to Miss Piggy was needed! Luckily for us, Miss Piggy was available for a visit.  Not only that, but on a dreary day like today, Amanda needed a little color to brighten her day, so her physical therapist, Judy and I surprised her by meeting her with a little extra "something" to try and cheer her up.  I'll let you be the judge on if it worked or not! :)

I don't think Miss Piggy was ready for our close up - she was missing some color!

Hard at work preparing Miss Piggy for her next lesson......

....while doing her best not to pay attention to silly Ms. Judy!!

This picture makes me laugh out loud - I can only imagine what was going through Amanda's head...

But she still was able to take care of business.

 I'd say today was a great success!

Miss Piggy and the folks at ROCK always give her a great boost, but unfortunately, as the evening wore on she continued to feel bad.  I think a good night's sleep will do wonders for her, along with a wonderfully lazy day at home tomorrow resting up.  Our weekend is very low key, and after this past week, that will be a very good thing. Plus, all this rain just sets the perfect stage for snuggles, movies and books.  Sounds great to me!