This post is all over the place. I started it hours ago & wrote it all out of order. I'm too tired now to proofread or make it make sense. I'm going to watch TV now. :)
Last week was a rough one. Even with Nana's arrival on Thursday afternoon, I was still so wiped out after a week solo that I collapsed just like I always do when he got home. Not good when he's jet lagged and out of practice--but this time we had Nana to help out so we were good.
We celebrated Hannah's birthday this past weekend. She requested celebrating with Nana and since it is so rare for our kids to have any family other than the 5 of us around for birthdays how could we refuse? We tried something a little different this year (another request) and as far as birthday parties go, it was really easy. Super expensive, but easy. We took our 3 kids and two extras to Buildabear. We didn't reserve a party or anything, but I don't think it would have cost much more had we done that--we were one guest short of the party requirement though. There was a scheduled party at the same time we were there and I caught wistful gazes from our two guests and our own guest of honor, but I think they had fun minus the "special helpers". Considering it was about as unplanned as I ever do things, I think it went well.
After our store bought cake for Nathan flopped this summer, I decided to bake one this time...Daddy decorated in a jet lagged state on Friday night. I took all 3 kids to Michael's the Saturday he left for China to pick out birthday supplies. Another trip that went a lot differently in my head than in reality.
Her two guests: Maddie & Kate.
She loved the gift from her big brother...spontaneous hug captured here. Another not so flattering pic of Nana. Sorry, Mom, but this hug thing is kinda rare these days. The gift? Zoobles.
Her real birthday is next Monday and she'll be in school half a day just like any other Monday. Of course it won't be like any other Monday in our house. We are not the Sixteen Candles family--at least not yet--I guess check back when we do have 16 candles rather than 6. (ha ha)
It is something I have felt a little bad about because she won't be allowed to have cupcakes or cookies brought in to school on her birthday--too many allergies, schools are trying to avoid 26 times on top of school parties where kids have cookies and cupcakes, and I'm sure her teachers don't have time to deal with that for all 26 kids. So....it was suggested at the beginning of the year that parents go to the $ store or send in a pencil or some little trinket for the class on our child's birthday. For some reason that annoys me. I don't mean to say I don't want to teach my daughter that it is better to give than to receive, but I also don't think that I need to buy 26 trinkets that no one needs in order to recognize her on her birthday. At first I thought that would be the only recognition so I went back and forth for a while trying to decide what exactly I could put together for her class that wasn't food or expensive or completely useless. I came up with nothing. Well, I considered writing out cards with something like: "A donation has been made in your name to the Human Fund", but most of them can't read yet anyway and most likely they don't get Seinfeld references. ha ha Since then Hannah informed me that she will get a birthday crown, a pencil and a hug from her teacher. Recognition enough, right? Well, I hope so anyway. She seems to be okay with it, but this is a child who will be greatly hurt if someone in her class comments on how she did not hand out pencils or whatever. Her brother seemed more in tune with this than she did as he encouraged me to go the pencil route when he heard our discussion, but again I talked all of us out of it--I think. Oh well, just add it to my list of parenting faux pas.
Nana spent a weekend with us without any frills (other than the party and eating out more than normal). We completely dropped the ball on taking any good pictures of Nana with the kids. (Which I kind of knew, but not that I am sitting here looking at the ones we do have--they are pretty pathetic). It was so nice to have her here to just hang out with us and she helped out with the kids several times. We were actually able to go to both of our banks and take care of something we'd been meaning to do for a couple of months and we did it without even 1 child with us--much easier. We also had an entire afternoon out by ourselves. We couldn't find a movie we really wanted to see so we spent the afternoon with a bottle of wine watching football at Champ's. It was hard to say goodbye, but nice to know that quick visits are possible now that we are on the same continent--any other takers?
These little people make me laugh.
Like when I mention on the drive home from preschool that I picked up a small turkey today and two wide-eyed girls in the backseat wanted to know exactly where it was. When I said it was in the freezer, the oldest said to the youngest, "Okay Sarah, whatever you do, do NOT open the freezer!" When I assured them it was not alive. The conversation that ensued had me laughing all the way home. Here is just some of the explaining I had to do...
No, it does not have feathers anymore. No, I did not kill it myself. No, I do not know the farmer who did kill it. No, the farmer wasn't at the store. No, when I picked it up it didn't have feathers anymore. Because the farmer took the feathers off. Because we don't eat turkey feathers. Yes, the turkey we eat is the same kind that has feathers.
Like when my son comes in a casually asks me what I'm doing and how my day was and what I might be making for dinner...then goes on to say how great that dinner sounds and then wonders how I figured out that he wants to play his Playstation today. "How do you always know!?!?" Yes, moms know when we are being buttered up.
Like on Saturday mornings when Sarah goes to ballet class...
Here is a glimpse of their Monster Mash performance. They were not able to be on the stage because of the middle school projects piled up there so I think there was some confusion as to whether or not they were actually performing. :)
The best thing about this cake was the stuffed football--we threw most of it away. It was G-R-O-S-S. (Whenever I need a good laugh I visit Cake Wrecks...always find something there that cracks me up).
If you can't tell, I'm in the middle of organizing and backing up photos again. I'm way behind and way overwhelmed. I don't know how I ever had time to label and organize them so obsessively before. Fewer drop offs and pick ups? Less time calling banks after I realize that I once again made an online banking mistake? (Spent the afternoon clearing up that mess yesterday--ugh). Don't know. But I'm way behind now.
And speaking of behind, we're way behind on our DVR so I'm off to remedy that.
No comments:
Post a Comment