Holiday Parties, Part I

Fabulous weekend.  The end.

No not really the end, silly!  I like to talk!  Or type.  So here's the rest.

We made plans to go to two Christmas parties this weekend.  The one on Saturday was a child-friendly party.  They have an entire room dedicated to toys, so of course the kids took over that room.  We arrived before most of the group did, so here's a photo of the room before chaos struck:



Left to right: Blair, Matthew, Juliet, Aiden and Skylar

I have started to notice that Aiden does really well with kids of all ages.  He seems to adjust his play level to his playmate's needs.  If he's looking at a baby, his voice gets soft and higher pitched and he gets down on their level to check them out.  But if it's an older boy that he has to run to keep up with, he pumps up the volume and the energy.  The one thing he's not good at, all around, is sharing.  He has the toddler mentality.  The rules: everything is his.  Doesn't matter who is taking it from him, he will get upset.  I found myself explaining to Aiden several times that night, babies are too little to know better.  I showed him how to give the little ones a toy to distract them from what he's playing with.  I'm not sure if that's the right way to go about it, but both parties seemed okay with it. 

Here is an example of Aiden learning to share a house with Skylar:

Everyone brought some food.  It was all awesome.  I ate horribly this weekend.  I need to reel that in a little bit because my goal this pregnancy is to NOT gain 41 pounds.  I don't know if that will be possible, but I'm going to give it a try.  Honestly, I didn't have much trouble losing the weight last time.  Well, the last 5-10 pounds didn't come off until after I quit breastfeeding, but I will keep that in the back of my head this time.  I just want to remain as healthy as possible.  I do have to say one of the annoying parts of being gigantic, was my inability to use stairs.  It would be nice if I didn't have an asthma attack every time I need to go up a few stairs.

ANYHOO.  In addition to the food we all brought, we also brought a gift for the kids' gift exchange.  I was so excited about this part.  Chrissy (pictured below) numbered the gifts, then each child drew a number that corresponded to the gift they would receive.  She obveriously has a magic brain because she knew EVERY child's birth date.  She let the kids draw starting with the youngest and going up from there.

Aiden had a rough time understanding that he didn't get to choose which present he got to open.  He wanted one that belonged to another child, so we had a minor breakdown at that moment.  But as soon as I got him back to our spot on the carpet and he got to open the present, he was better.  He got a variety of card games aimed at kids 3 and up.  He's almost to three and I've thought about buying him some card games, so I think it worked out wonderfully.



Plaid



Aiden LOVES puzzles.  There is a card game in the set called Matching.  I haven't read how you are actually supposed to play the game, but I shuffle the deck and hand it to Aiden.  Then he finds the three-card sets and puts them together.  It's a little like a puzzle, only a little more difficult.  He seems to enjoy it.  If anything, he just likes shuffling through the cards and looking at them.  I taught him how to pick up a bunch of cards at once and straighten them, so he really likes doing that now.  He gets a little frustrated when it comes to fitting the cards back in the box, but we're working on that.

After all the kids opened their gifts, they walked around and played with each other's presents.  It was so cute.  There was a really neat underwater puzzle set that required the use of a magnetic fishing pole to take the pieces out of the board.  Might be getting that for our little man...

Lone Star

I've been working with Travis to take over more things with Aiden and I can already tell it's making a big difference in Aiden's willingness to approach him.  Aiden used to come to me for everything and would throw a fit if Travis did it.  Travis' opinion was 'he doesn't want me, he wants you.'  Yessss.  But I need help!  So I forced him.  Travis was annoyed at first, but now that he's reaping the benefits, I know he appreciates it. 

As an extension of Travis taking on more with Aiden, I'm going to try to save grocery shopping for the weekends when Travis is around so I can go without a child.  It's so much easier on me and it gives Travis and Aiden some alone time.  We've done this in the past, but not frequently.  I went to get an oil change and bought groceries on Saturday without Aiden.  When I got home, Aiden was still awake.  Travis was having trouble getting him to fall asleep for nap time.  Finally, he just went in there and laid next to him on the floor.  Then he proceeded to take a nap of his own for an hour.

After nap time, Chris came over and we all headed to the Galveston Lone Star Rally.  Aiden loves motorcycles.  He points at every single one we see on the road.  His daycare is right near where the rally was, so there were lots of motorcycles driving and parked when I picked him up Friday evening.  We stood on the street corner and watched for a while.  He didn't seem to mind the noise, and really enjoyed just standing there watching, so we figured we'd take him to the rally during the day.  I've been at night in the past and it's definitely not for kids.  During the day it's a little less crowded, but it's still loud with all the bikes.

We brought Travis' ear muffs, just in case, but Aiden absolutely refused to wear them.  He was fine with the noise though, so I didn't worry about it too much.

Chris owns a bike so he wanted to peruse the bike parts tents.  I like going over there because they always have the really fancy bikes set up for viewing.  Aiden enjoyed it as well.  After that, we headed back over to the chaos and watched the continuous bike parade.  They set up a path down the Strand where anyone can ride their bike to show off.  There were some interesting people, let's just say that.  Here's a view down the Strand:

Both sides of the street are lined with parked bikes.  I read there were 400,000 bikes on the island this weekend.  I believe it.

Towards the end, we met up with Nadya, Alexey and Kate.  Kate was really nervous with all the loud bikes, but she said she wasn't scared and she didn't want to go home.  It was pretty cute.  She and Aiden caught up:

A common sight: Longhorn helmets.  Only makes sense as it was the Lone Star Rally.



Trick or Treat!

I was looking through some Halloween magazines this year and came across some fun ideas for party snacks.  I found this particular one online and really liked it.  It was cute and easy:

I decided to stop fighting Aiden into his pirate costume and went for something a little easier.  We used his regular cowboy outfit.  Of course he wouldn't wear the leather vest, wool chaps and gun holster.  Typical.  On a side note, I am fairly certain Aiden was the only child on the streets with a toy gun.  Many parents are anti-toy-gun these days, plus there's the off chance that a police officer will think your child is threatening them with a real gun and therefore shoot the child.  I used to play with this very same cap gun when I was little.  Not only do I have NO interest in guns these days, but I do not want to be a criminal.  Oh and I survived not ever being shot by a police officer and have grown into an adult!  Amazing.

Skylar the Birdie and Blair the Dinosaur

Ready to go trick or treating!

Travis gave Aiden a crash course on trick or treating with the Ramby's bowl of candy.

The dads stayed behind to give out candy for the first round of trick or treating.  After we got back, we traded jobs.

Aiden went trick or treating for the very first time last year at this door.  This year it was the first door we knocked on as well.



Aiden got TONS of candy.  We been trying to ration it out here and there to avoid a full-on sugar rush.  We've been lucky so far!  It probably helps that I've been eating the chocolate.  Aiden did really good with Trick or Treating this year.  I think he understood the concept fairly well after a couple houses.  Occasionally he would give his candy to the person who answered the door.  And sometimes he would tell people "You're welcome!" in addition to "Thank you!"  Overall I think he did well though.  It gets more and more fun every year.

Overbooked Saturday

We had an excellent weekend.  We shook things up a bit and went outside of our normal routine.  Travis was on call last week and this past weekend, which meant he had to work Saturday morning.  We had a birthday party to attend for my friend Katie's two-year-old son at 2 pm, so I put Aiden down for his nap an hour early.  He actually fell asleep.  I'm pretty sure it was magic.

When 1 o'clock rolled around, I called Travis to see if he was going to be home soon.  He said he was going to be a little late and since he was going to have to drive separately because he was on call, we should just go on without him.  Aiden woke up a few minutes later, we got dressed and on the road.  The party was really fun.  It was at Moody Gardens in Galveston.  They had a party room that was filled with many toy stations, all provided by Moody Gardens.  There was a Moody rep that stayed in the room and showed the kids how to do the various stations.  Katie supplied pizzas for everyone to eat.  Moody provided a giant cake and a bowl full of punch.  Travis showed up about 30 minutes into the shindig.

We played in that room for two hours and then slathered on the sunscreen.  As we walked outside, the rep handed each child a shovel and bucket and we headed over to Palm Beach.  Palm Beach is a really great outdoor water park for smaller children.  There are lots of sprinkler areas, shallow pools and even a couple water slides.  We've been there once before and loved it for Aiden. 

Overall, the party was awesome.  Katie didn't have to plan anything or clean up afterward and it was WAY cheaper than we've paid for an at-home birthday party.  There are other options aside from going to Palm Beach.  You can also go to the aquarium or the rainforest.  I'll definitely be keeping that place in mind for Aiden's future birthdays!  We stayed for an hour at Palm Beach and then had to leave.  I sort of overbooked us for Saturday!

We hopped in the car and stopped to change and grab a few things from home.  Then we headed over to the Yeager's for a BBQ.  They had a few other friends over as well, including Chris and Blair.  Blair, Luke and Aiden ran around the house like madmen for the majority of the evening.  We ate brisket and deviled eggs.  For dessert Linsey made a layered strawberry shortcake mix.  It was awesome. 

The evening was a hit.  I was shocked to look at my phone and see it was 9:20 pm!  We were walking out to the car and I noticed Aiden was walking really funny.  I though he was goofing around, but when Travis attempted to put him in his car seat he started screaming about being poopy.  Sure enough his butt was stinky.  Linsey let us come back inside to change his diaper on a flat surface, but I'm sure she was regretting it after a minute.  Aiden had diarrhea.  I was a bad parent and didn't check his diaper all night.  So I have no idea how long he was in this horrible diaper, chafing him as he ran.  He cried bloody murder as Travis wiped him clean.  It was BAD.  I felt HORRIBLE. 

Today most of it is gone.  He still has scabs on his leg where the diaper must have been rubbing him as he ran.  I've just gotten so accustomed to him not peeing as frequently that I've grown lazy about checking his diaper.  We were adamant about changing his diaper often over the remainder of the weekend.  I didn't want that dang thing to come back!  Poor kid.

Birthday Luau

For Aiden's birthday we decided to have a luau with a little Toy Story sprinkled in. We pulled out all the water toys that we had for the party last year. The only difference is last year, the water toys were dominated by the older kids. This year, we only invited Aiden's friends that are close to his age so the playtime would be more even.

Chris made this trike wash water toy that I mentioned earlier - you can see it at the end of the slip and slide with Blair running through it.

I think it was a big hit. All the kids kept running through it. Aiden doesn't really like the sprinkler because it's too much water in his face all at once. This trike wash (which turned into a kid wash) was a happy medium. (Pictured above: Aiden, Blair, Kate and Logan in the pool.)

Alexey and Nadya (Kate's parents) came for the festivities.

Travis set up the canopy so it would be more comfortable for our guests, especially the babies. It's amazing how much cooler it is if you're in the shade. My dad got in that morning after driving through most of the night, so he was in a bit of a daze. Ariel was only able to come for a couple hours before she had to leave for work.


Skylar was such a sweet little girl. She just sat on her blanket and played with her toys. Do you see her tiny little flip-flops? Teehee!

THE MEN

Travis, Zach and Chris

I wanted to buy some sort of fun cup for the luau drink of the night (hard lemonade), but the only thing I could find was a pink margarita cup. So I would like you to note the pink cup resting on Chris' left shoulder. I think some of the guys got in touch with their feminine side.

Luau baby Kenley
She slept through most of the party, but I think that worked out for Mom and Dad!

We had Hawaiian chicken and veggie skewers, rice, lil smokies, raw veggies, fruit, and chips with a Mediterranean dip. I need to remember to make that dip again. It was like an exotic salsa.

Aiden got some really great gifts this year. Well, he got some really great gifts last year as well, but this time he enjoyed it much more. I think his favorite by far is the train track. Kate got him an add-on set to the one we got him. He plays with it EVERY day.

That night, Sara, Logan and Landry stayed the night at our house. After the kids went to bed, we sat outside and talked for hours. It was nice to have some child-free chat time. Although I think I'm still hurting from staying up until 1:30 am, then having to get up with Aiden at 7 the next morning. I had to go into work for an hour as well, so I wasn't able to dawdle at all. It's okay though - it was worth it!

A Very Ramby Weekend

Saturday morning Aiden and I met the Ramby's on the beach. There was an insane amount of seaweed covering the beach and more kept coming! We saw lots of little creatures that had lived in the seaweed. Very cool!

Travis had to work in the morning, but he was off by the time Aiden woke up from his nap. That afternoon, we met the Ramby's at a park that has a train caboose stationed within. Sadly, it was not open for the boys to explore. They did however, enjoy playing on the brand new playscape and watching the tons of turtles in the koi pond. Next time we need to bring bread so we can feed them!

After the park, we went over to the Ramby's house for dinner. We stopped at the fish market near their house so they could grab some tilapia and shrimp. I've never been in a fish market that big and found it very interesting. They had live crab and shrimp swimming around under the many tubs of seafood on ice. The guy that helped us explained that they keep the live crab in the water like that so they can get soft-shelled crab. They had octopus and GIANT squid. Seriously, I've never seen squid so huge.

The grilled dinner was EXCELLENT. Probably the best we've eaten in weeks, since we've been on the low-income Ramen diet. Hopefully things perk up here soon. I could really go for some more good eating!

Sunday we took it easy in the morning. Travis slept in. After lunch, Travis put Aiden down for a nap and I got on the road to buy stuff for Aiden's birthday party that is to be held next weekend. (Yay credit card!) Because money is so tight this year, we decided to throw a really small party. We invited eight of Aiden's friends and our family. Last year we had over 50 people come, so this is a serious downsize. As of right now, the only family that's attending is Ariel, Robert and my dad should hopefully be there. The plan is for him to stay a week or two and help us build that wall I keep talking about.

The shopping was really EASY without having Aiden. He is actually really good when it comes to grocery shopping, as long as I don't stop to compare products for too long. The key is to keep moving. Since I knew I would have to take my time shopping for Aiden's party AND I don't want him to see his gifts until his birthday, I made time for a trip without him. It was exhilarating to just jump out of the car for one item at a store. That is something I rarely do when I have Aiden. I bought everything we need for decorating and I also picked up his birthday presents. I got really excited picking everything out this year because I know he is going to love it all.

As for the party, I am soooo behind compared to last year. That is partially due to lack of funding and because it just caught up with me suddenly. I got the invitations out really late. Meaning, everyone received their invites last week. I did send out an Evite Save-the-Date a month ago though. We decided to do a luau theme with a touch of Toy Story. I wanted to something tropical since we are going to have all the water toys out. And Aiden is obsessed with Buzz Lightyear. We've been in a drought since February and it recently started raining again. Just in time for Aiden's outdoor birthday party. I hope it doesn't rain Saturday afternoon!

JP Star

Sunday afternoon, after we had the Callaway-situation under control, we drove back north for our friend Jacen's birthday cookout. Travis and I were both in a horrible mood by the time we were en route. We fought Aiden for two hours, trying to get him to lay down for a nap, with no success. Then we had to deal with Callaway. We thought about not going to the party at all, since neither of us were in a socializing type of mood. But then I decided it would be good for us to go. If we stayed home, we would definitely remain in a funk. If we went to a party with friends, we would have the opportunity to cheer up. And man am I glad we went. We all had a lot of fun.

I took boat loads of photos (to make up for missed shots in the past?) and I had trouble choosing between them all. Chris made sure to show off his muscles for the camera...

It was outrageously hot on Sunday, but if you stayed in the shade it wasn't so bad with the breeze. Some of they guys played the Longest Game of Washers in History, while the rest of us lounged nearby.

Supermodel Marina (pictured on the left below) did a great job with all the food. There were hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken breasts, ribs and then pasta salad and veggie salad and corn. I'm not even going to go into the list of appetizers she had out beforehand.

Kai, Travis, Skylar and Marina's right half:

After the Longest Game of Washers in History, we continued to hang out. There were a lot of kids there, which were quickly dubbed the Pack of Children. Aiden followed behind as they ran around the large property with walkie talkies, looking at rocks and plants and the horses and doing whatever else it is that entertains children for hours without a single toy (aside from the walkie talkies, of course).

Eventually a few of the older boys pulled a boat into the little pond. It was so funny because all they could really do was push the boat in and quickly turn around again. Aiden watched from the grass, while I tried not to have an anxiety attack about the possibility of him falling in. We could see everything the kids did from the house on top of the hill, but just because I can see him doesn't mean he's safe.

At one point, a small group of us went with Jacen over to their barn to feed the horses. We took a moment to check out the chickens and the one rooster with the longest spurs I've ever seen. Aiden was absolutely enthralled with all the animals.

When I was in middle school, I was at my friends house when she decided we were going to go play in the woods behind the horse pasture. That meant we had to climb the fence into the pasture with the horses for part of the trek out there. My friend warned me that one of the horses was still a little wild and I should run for the fence if she came over. Well, she tried to come over, so I ran. I had no experience with the large animal, so I just did what she said. My friend quickly realized I was not faster than a horse and yelled for me to stop and stand still. The horse then bit me on the shoulder.

I'm fairly confident that it was mostly lips and just a little nip with the teeth, but it scared the crap out of me. Nothing was broken or torn, but I had some bruising for a week. Ever since then I have been terrified of horses. I have tried to show courage, but I always had that animals-can-sense-your-fear saying in the back of my head. It doesn't matter how calm I am or if I have a smile on my face, I am sure that animal knows I am terrified.

Lucky for me, I'd had a couple glasses of Sangria before heading over to the barn, so I was (mostly) carefree when we stepped into the pasture. Personally, I think I did pretty well considering.

Here's a shot of Jacen (AKA JP Star) feeding Choctaw, the biggest horse I've ever stood next to.

Blair watches on as Choctaw and Cowboy eat their dinner.

Note to self: Do not mess with horses while they eat. They may get irritable.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a lovely three day weekend with Travis at home. We spent a lot of time sitting in the yard while Aiden enjoyed his new sandbox. We had some boards leftover from building the veggie garden, sand leftover from laying the patio and Travis had some time leftover without working for the past week. Bam! Sandbox.

Saturday afternoon we had some friends over to enjoy use the new patio space with us. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera existed on that day. Boo. But we had a great time! We ate burgers and lots of sweets. I'm fairly confident I gained a few pounds from all the junk I ate this weekend. My clothes are feeling a little snug this today.

I am looking forward to bumping out the wall around the patio moreso now that we had that party. I think it was a little stressful for all the parents with small children running around (me included). We live on a busy street and it would be all too easy for one stray child to run into off towards the danger zone. That left all the parents on their toes, which means they had a difficult time socializing. It will also be nice when the overflow of people on the patio can stand in the yard, as opposed to the driveway.

Travis and I stayed up chatting with my work-friend Michelle until 12:30 in the morning. !!! I was exhausted the next day. We watched TV and the movie Astro Boy (very cute!) and did some more sitting outside. We even took a nap at the same time as Aiden!

Monday afternoon we went over to the Ramby's. The boys played in the kiddie pool and the adults chillaxed.

Snack break

Laying in the sun

Skylar has her own little pool of bath-warm water

Play zone

Just hanging out with us

Rough play in the yard

Coming back to work on Tuesday was rough. Especially since I had such a busy first day back. Travis had yesterday off, but he's at his first day at the new job today. Wish him luck!

A Day with Micah

Saturday, Aiden and I drove up to Houston for Micah's third birthday party (Travis had to work). Jenn and Billy rented a moonwalk obstacle course for the afternoon and the kids LOVED it.

Aiden was the youngest kid at the party, but he seemed to do a pretty good job of keeping up with the rest. He had a hard time going down the steep slide by himself, so I did my best to convince him to stay in the jumping hallway (pictured above). A few of the adults took turns getting in there to lift the kids up to make a ball in the basket.


I got to meet a few more of their friends and talk about the stresses of raising a toddler.

We ate burgers and Aiden drank lots of juice. He had a good time laying on Micah's mini-slide. I'd really like to get him one of these this summer, but we'll have to wait and see how the financial situation is after we recover from Travis' teeth repair and the yard renovation.

The boy pictured above (also named Aden) is a mere TWO years older than Aiden. I could not get over how big he is. There was another boy at the party who is 8 years old and he could not believe that Aden was only 3 years old. They were the same height! The other boy was a normal lanky 8-year-old. Aden is built like a linebacker. So funny!

Billy did his best to prevent Micah from blowing out the candle on his cupcake before Jenn could get a picture. It took several tries before they got the shot.

Becky, Billy and David's mom, is standing in back with her dog Coco. Becky was in a horrible auto collision in August 2009. She still has pain where she broke bones and has to walk with a cane, but I was very impressed with her healing.

The rest of the party went well. Aiden got really excited after Micah opened his presents. I made a mental note that Aiden's favorite was the motorcycle toy. Soon after that, we made the trek home.

The best part of this trip, was that Aiden slept on the car ride there and back - about 30 minutes each time. He used to take 3-hour naps, but now that he can climb out of his crib, naps are non-existent at home. I was happy with the two 30-minute naps!

When we got home, the Ramby's were over helping Travis lay out the patio. They brought take-out from Taco Cabana. YUM. Alexa, Skyslar and I chatted inside while the boys were outside. I was complaining to Alexa about how I never sleep anymore. She said that she has to sleep with a sleep mask on so the lights don't wake her up. I have a sleep mask that I got after Aiden was born so I could nap during the day, so I gave it a try. I really think it's working. Even if I wake up from other stimuli, it doesn't take me as long to fall back to sleep with the mask on.

I've worn the sleep mask for two nights now and I can already tell I feel better. I think it will take several nights of good sleep for the real magic to happen, but I've got hope! Alexa also recommended a sound machine. We used to have a floor fan in our room, but it broke about a year ago. The fan would be the equivalent of a sound machine. And Travis would get his cool breeze while he sleeps. I keep meaning to buy a replacement. Maybe it's time.

Easter in Photos

The Friday before Easter, we set up the supplies for dying Easter eggs outside on Aiden's picnic table. We couldn't figure out what to dye the eggs in, so we settled for our whiskey glasses. HA. Next year I'm using Dixie cups. Not only are they NOT glass, but they seem a little bit more family friendly than booze tumblers.

Travis had Saturday AND Sunday off this weekend, which was amazing. It's been a while since we've had Daddy around that much. We took advantage of those daylight hours together and got a lot of things done around the house. Travis put together his new grill/smoker that he used to cook a pork loin for Easter. He bought all the materials to finish laying out the drainage in the yard and for building the patio. He also got some fun stuff for the yard work. The mulch makes the potted plants look fantastic and he got new hoses to replace the ones that have been hit by the lawnmower a few times.

I spent a good part of the day cleaning the house in preparation for our guests on Easter. Travis even made it inside to dust while I baked homemade mini espresso cheesecakes. That was my first time to ever make real cheesecake (as opposed to that no-bake boxed kind).

Saturday, we met the Ramby's at their church for an egg hunt. After the boys filled their quota of eggs, and a tour of the church, we headed over to a restaurant on the bay for dinner. The kids were a bit rowdy - the boys were being boys and Skylar is teething - but the food was great. I'd like to go back again sometime, but I don't know if we'll ever be able to find the restaurant again!

Skylar sat up at the table with us.

Ariel, Robert and the Ramby's came over for Easter in the afternoon. Totally unplanned, all the guys wore teal polo shirts. Every time they stood together I started laughing again.

We had appetizers while the last of the food was cooking. The problem with appetizers is I'm not hungry by the time the main course comes around. Part of that could be because I always put out way too many options to snack on.

After the meal, we headed outside for another Easter egg hunt. With the boys still being so young, that mostly consists of a bunch of eggs strewn around the yard. And since Smarties don't fit in Easter eggs (darn it), there were also rolled candies thrown out there too.

The onlookers

After the Ramby's headed off to another Easter celebration, we sat in the backyard, wishing the patio would just finish itself.

I gave Aiden a few bites of candy and that kid was off like a rabbit on speed. He kept running back and forth down the sidewalk and then started throwing all his toys into the dirt pile that is currently taking up a portion of our yard. (Travis spent last week digging a trench for the drainage system that will divert rain water away from our backyard and patio. This week we will put the pipes down and fill up the trench that is threatening to eat my son alive.)

I think this was the first time Aiden has really had much candy. Occasionally I'll gave him a piece, but it's only one piece and those times are far and few between. He even spent a good five minutes telling us an animated story:

Aiden adores his Uncle Robert. Anything Robert does, Aiden wants to do. When he was at their house Friday morning (I had to work, but the daycare was closed), he wanted to share Robert's morning bowl of cereal. When Robert took his shirt off, Aiden wanted to take his shirt off. When Robert put on his shoes when it was time to leave for work, Aiden wanted to put his shoes back on.

And Sunday, when Robert sat in the hammock and ate a hard-boiled egg, Aiden joined him.