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Crazy 8th Birthday Carnival Party
It’s the day of the big party and you have two hours to do all of the following:
1. decorate the yard with streamers and balloons
2. pop the popcorn
3. ice the ice cream cone cupcakes
4. load up the bubble machine
5. mow the lawn
6. wipe the weather crud off the white plastic lawn chairs
7. clean the house
8. put toilet paper and guest towels in the bathroom
9. set up the games
10. wrap the presents
11. clean the cat boxes
12. find the carpet so you can vacuum
13 find the party girl and her sister and get them in the bath tub
14. find their party clothes and dress them
15. get yourself dressed and presentable
16. read the directions for the cotton candy machine
17. buy the missing ingredients to make cotton candy
18. pen the dogs up so they don’t slobber all over the guests
19. fix the drip system
20. weed the rose garden
21. put up the hammock
22. buy gold fish
23. feed a crying baby
24. fire up the grill and start the makings for a bbq dinner
25. remove cars parked on lawn
26. sweep up dog hair and trash off driveway
27. make a party cd and hook up mal-functioning boom box
28. make party punch
29. fill water balloons
30. I could go on and on….You must be crazy right? Or related to me and my crazy family getting ready for Rapunzel’s carnival themed birthday party. So what were we doing two hours before the big event?
We were out to breakfast at a sit down diner with a slow waitress.
That’s what we do in this family. You can’t put on a crazy over-done children’s birthday party without a proper breakfast. Usually I’m having a nervous breakdown two hours before these crazy shindigs my family always seems to be putting on. I’m the one freaking out over what the guests are going to think when they discover that my family is not neat, clean or organized and my mom’s house could easily be a very entertaining episode of Clean Sweep. I’m usually the one stashing dirty laundry in the dishwasher and hiding dishes in the shower because I’m so desperate to put on some kind of appearance of orderliness no matter how false it may be. My family drives me crazy. CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY.
But you know what? I’ve been through this many times now and this year I have a baby that demands all of my attention. I just had to let go and let it be. Because even though it seems like the most impossible feat ever, I have to remember that every single time they do pull it off and we always have a really good time. I just have to sit back and enjoy the chaos. Breath in. Breath out.
It was a fantastic party. I don’t know how we could possibly top it, save for a trip to Paris or something. It was just non-stop fun.
We didn’t have time to decorate the yard properly so we let the kids “teepee” the yard with streamers. I think that was probably one Rapunzel’s most favorite parts of her party. I made a party cd and we blasted it from a boom box on the window sill into the yard while she and a few neighbor kids hurled rolls of colored streamers over branches and zig zagged between the trees. It was a royal mess but completely hilariously fun.
CC did it all. She came up with the theme. She made the invitations. She made all the plans and spent all the money. She bought the prizes, she made the ice cream cone cup cakes, she bought the bubble blowing machine, the hula hoops, the charades game and about five zillion presents for Rapunzel. You’d think she was related to me by blood. She really knows how to put on a good party.
Rapunzel loved it.
And so did Baby Bug.
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my first mother’s day
Wow. What to write. And how much can I get written before my monkey gets tired of sitting in her new borrowed exersaucer and squawking at the activity center that is folded up and stuffed between the crib and the wall? It is quite comical that she finds the crack between the wall and her crib the most exciting thing to look at in this room. But I’m not going to complain, it’s been keeping her busy for about ten minutes now.
I haven’t been writing much these days because it seems like I only manage to stay awake and inspired about every fourth day and if that day is the day that Baby Bug decides to really really need to be held all day long then that day I can’t write either. Did you know she can go almost a whole day without taking a nap? The other day she had just two little fifteen minute blinks and she was completely recharged and ready to roar after each one. She did crash at 5:30 and didn’t wake up until the next morning though. It gave me the creeps. I’d really worry but my mom says I used to do the same thing when I was a baby. Thankfully, she doesn’t do that often but she has done it twice now.
But anyway, what was I writing about? Right. Excuses not to write. Excuses, excuses….
Yesterday was mother’s day. It was great. Everything a first mother’s day should be. I really felt special all day long and I really like being a mom. I’m liking this motherhood gig more than I thought I would and that says a lot because I pretty much looked forward to being a mom my whole life. The best part is Baby Bug. I’m so proud of her. How did I make such an amazing little creature? It still boggles me. She is the most beautiful, funny, quirky, silly little noise box (note that I add “noise box” as she lets out the squawk of all squawks, reminding me that I better go shut the bedroom door before she awakens the Dad troll) full of glee and gummy smiles and funny little eyebrow furrows and she just keeps getting cuter and cuter every day. I cannot believe it.
So I didn’t get breakfast in bed or a big arrangement of flowers. I didn’t get to sleep in or even taken out to brunch. I didn’t get a pedicure or a spa package or new slippers or a robe. I didn’t get chocolate or a finger painting for the refrigerator of something made out of playdough. I didn’t get a trip to Paris or shopping spree or a new umbrella or even the day off from chores. But I did get to spend the whole day with my little family and it was the best day EVER.
Yes, we do spend every day together but usually Toby is working. Yesterday he didn’t work…all day long! We went car shopping again. I know it’s silly how long I’ve been waiting for this new car I’m supposedly getting. But let me tell you, good things come to those who wait. And no we didn’t get it yet but we are going to soon. Really really soon. We just went to go look at it again and this time I brought the stroller to make sure it fit in the trunk. It does. I also drove it and sat in the back seat and fiddled with all the gadgets. I’m so excited about this car. It really is a great car inspite of all the hype. Almost worth how much it costs. Which is a lot. Which is why I’ve been waiting for over a year to get this car and why I’ve been walking everywhere for almost four months. This car is going to make up for all that and more.
After we spent about an hour checking out every nook and cranny in this car, and frustrating the salesman to no end (because we won’t fall for any silly financing scam) we drove home and stopped for Starbucks on the way. Toby would have taken me anywhere I wanted to go but I really couldn’t think of anywhere I wanted to go. How pathetic is that? Before baby I would have jam packed this day with so many outings we would have come home long after dark, exhausted. But now with the baby all I really wanted to do was go home and stare at her. And just hang out.
In other news: we celebrated Toby’s mom’s 70th birthday on Saturday. (I thought I ought to include a few pictures.) Also: I plan to celebrate mother’s day all over again with my mom next weekend, not to mention an eighth birthday party for a very special niece I know. The fun just never ends.
