A Long Day Over

Today is Saveia's birthday!  She's six now.  We had a big party planned for her, but three days before the party it didn't look like any of the kids we invited would be able to make it.  Thankfully, and to my surprise, everyone we invited showed up for the party.  Yay!  I wasn't quite prepared for everyone, but we made it work, and I think all the kids had a fun time.

Of course, the birthday party was after church, where we taught the Explorers during Kids' Church.  (We just realized we were on the schedule last night.  Eek!  So while I did last minute prep for the birthday party-well, what I could do last night-, J did last minute prep for Kid's Church.  Or was that this morning?  I don't know; it's just a blur.)  Here are some pics, taken with my Hipstamatic, of my amazing husband playing Simon Says with some of the Pathfinders. 

"Simon says, 'Touch your shoulder.'"



I love his sweater.




Isn't his little sidekick adorable?



I heart my baby boy, with his new haircut.

 So we taught the Explorers.  Jonathan's been wanting to teach the "big kids" for ever.  We've finally graduated and it was great.  At one point in the lesson we did a lot of comparisons between the kids, which turned into a race to see who was the fastest.  We had all the kids take their shoes and socks off so the grown-ups wouldn't hear them quite so well in the lunchroom, but I guess that didn't really work out.  :-/ 

Anyhow, after that, we headed home to finish up the preparations for Saveia's spiderweb game.  Just imagine yarn strung all over your living room and at the end of each string, there is a prize for the child who followed that particular string.  Saveia specifically requested that game, and I cannot disappoint when all that is required is a little effort on my part.  (And to be fair, Sharon showed up a little early and helped out as well with the game.)  Here they are.



So this was the start of the spiderweb game.



Here they go!

Unfortunately, all my photos of Sav's opening her gifts look like this.

Her party lasted until 4pm, then she and her siblings played with some of her new toys.  I popped two Freschettas in the oven and we ate pizza and salad for dinner, then finished the night with a couple episodes of Donald Duck and Goofy.  But not before this mess happened: 

Jonathan called me over, and Dylan looked up and said, "Sorry Mama."

Pool of Ranch dressing drowning a pile of salad.

Dylan trying to fix it by scooping it with is fork and dripping it into the bottle.

Can't wait to have you over for dinner soon.  We're having salad.  And the only salad dressing I have is this bottle of Ranch...

Yes, We Are Parents

So this morning, Jonathan tells me this story about how Dylan went #2 on the potty and Jonathan happened to walk in on him as he was getting down from the toilet without wiping and how there was, er, poop in Dyl's underpants...and Jonathan finishes up the story with a laugh and, "He's so cute." 

So I'm thinking that when nasty poopy underwear gets lump-labeled "cute" in a description of gross childhood potty training issue from the dad who almost threw up every time he changed his first baby's poopy diapers, is the day we can say that we're at the next level, man. 

The Awesome Festivus Present I Gave Jonathan

I made it online and had it screen printed and mailed to me.  It answers all the basic questions and comments strangers feel they must say when they see us.  If only I had a quarter for every time someone said,

"You have your hands full, don't you?"

The back of the t-shirt says, "And I love it all!"  Which is totally true.  Sometimes it is crazy here,

but we do love it.

(Notice the packing boxes in the background?  And the couch pushed out of the way so we could play on the new Xbox Kinect?  That was the awesome present we gave to everyone who enters our house.)

Test Picture

Mommy and Dyl watching cars race through an obstacle course 9/10.

Everyone else, except Oli. 

It Begins.

Blogs?  What are those?

Oh look!  People post pictures and write about the things they're interested in.  I have friends who do it to stay connected to out-of-state friends and family?  This communication format would be a good alternative to Facebook, for those people who are trying to de-Facebook, but can't imagine life without some form of online presence.

Hmm. 

I have interests.  I have out-of-state friends and family.  I really do want to de-Facebook.

Okay, I'll do it. 

Hello, interweb surfers.  Here we are.