Catching up....

Faith has been talking about having a birthday party for about a year now. She wanted to have her friends over (although exactly who they were has changed as time has passed) and play games. She finally settled on her friends, and that she wanted a Webkinz party. Essentially, this boiled down to me googling "webkinz birthday party" and stealing other people's ideas. Faith was totally impressed by this..."Mommy, you are so smart."


We ended up with four girls and two boys, and a whole lot of squealing, shouting and jumping around. And that was before they had sugar.

The kids seemed to have a great time running from activity to activity. We did everything from Webkinz Supermodelz (making capes for their WebKinz) to Zingoz Pop to Gem Hunt. (One tip: Popping balloons sounds fun in theory, but doing it with six kids and very large balloons in an unfinished basements is a recipe for deafness.) The party ended with Candy Bash (a pinata) and we sent the kids home wanting more. (They didn't want to leave.)

So, apparently I have a possible second career as a party planner for seven-year-olds. But frankly, this sounds like the seventh level of hell. After the party, I was more tired than the kids and put my feet up for about 15 minutes, until we figured out that Blake had stomach flu. Woohoo!

Making cookies

Faith and I made chocolate chip, oatmeal cookies the other day. This used to be a much easier proposition, but since George showed Faith that licking the beaters is OK, baking is much more interesting. Throw in a curious 15 month old, and things can get downright hairy.

Faith's whole purpose for making cookies now is to lick the beaters and eat the dough. After I caught her stealing cookie dough for the hundredth time, I told her she was "just like her Grampa...always stealing cookie dough!"

"I don't care," she replied, "Grampa's grrrrreat!"

Cookie dough is no longer safe in my house.

Blake's 15 month

To Blake:

With each day that passes, you are getting more fun, and becoming more challenging to keep up with. Your big thing right now is climbing on just about anything...the ottoman, the stairs, the chairs, your sister. You have mastered pushing any item that resembles a step stool next to the object you want to climb and then climb said object. Your latest trick is to climb the ottoman sans stepping object. Which means at any moment I can look over and see you standing on top of the ottoman smirking at me. Being a mom, this usually gives me a heart attack as I envision you running off the ottoman and smacking your head into the fireplace. Blood and stitches. I predict this in your future.


Your other big tricks this month involve language. You are really starting to talk...we just have to pay attention. The cutest thing right now is how you say "thank you" whenever we give you something. It sounds more like "ta da", but we get the idea. Not sure how you turned out so polite, but I'm hoping this lasts into your teen years.

Other words include cheese, soos (for soother), kiss, sis (for sister), light (you're obsessed with these), hi, and fai (you pounded on your sister's door and yelled "fai"). And, you love to talk on the phone. You'll walk around the house pushing the buttons on the phone and pretending to talk to people. When we did put you on the phone with Great-Grandpa and Grandma, you said "Hi", and chatted away with them. Then you like to push the buttons and make beeping noises in their ears, so you haven't quite got the phone etiquette thing yet.

In the last month, you've really started to play with your sister, or I should say she's playing with you. And, man, does she ever play rough with you. And, man, do you ever like it. Again with the mother thing and the heart attacks, but if she's carrying you around upside down, the better you like it.


But, my hands down favourite thing you've started to do this month is cuddle more. You'll put your head on my shoulder and snuggle your face into my neck. I think this is your version of a hug, and it feels perfect. Just like you.

Love,
Mom

The "f" word

Faith's been playing with our across-the-street neighbour quite a bit since the weather has turned summer-like here. She has a trampoline, which is a kid-magnet, so the girls often plan to get together after school for a jumping marathon.

Today, she stayed over there for an hour or so while I got groceries with Blake. When I got back, I was chatting with E's mom, asking what every mom wants to know, "Was she well-behaved?"

Turns out all went well, although she mentioned that they were talking about the "f" word. As I picked my embarrassed jaw off the floor, I remembered that Faith and Cordelia were talking about this in the back of our van yesterday. Apparently, Cordelia had seen the "f" word spraypainted somewhere.

Faith: "What is it? I want to know."
Cordelia: "I can't say it or I'll get in trouble."
Me: "Don't even think about it."

So, my neighbour had to find out from Faith was she thought the "f" word was.
Faith whispered, "It's 'freakin'."

OK....that could have been much worse.

Tired of these phone calls

Saturday brought more phone calls....about 50.

Dad decided to test the theory that his helmut actually protected his hard head by getting into an accident with his horse Sophie and the carriage. But, how did we find out?

My cousin called us up looking for Mom's cell phone and explained what happened. Dad had called them from the back of the ambulance because he couldn't find Mom. He explained what happened, then I had to call Curtis to get the cell number, then call Mom, then call back to say I just left a message. (Later to find out that her phone was in the mail.) Then finally talk to Mom on her cell, and so on....

Faith was standing there listening to all this, and getting pretty upset. She kept asking about Grampa and the horse.

"I'm really worried."

"Don't worry, the horse will be fine."

"Not the horse. GRAMPA! He's a HUMAN!"

Grampa will be happy to know that he rates above the horse.

Turns out that he didn't break anything, and neither did the horse, but he is pretty banged up. He's going slooooow right now, but is happy about the drugs.

We're just happy that his helmut was on his head. We knew it was pretty hard--his head, not the helmut--but the extra protection saved his ass...um....head.

Another phone call

Faith got to sleep over with her friend from school on Friday night. When the girls called me at about 4:30 from said friend's house, I got to hear, "Guess what mom? N... has a phone in her room!" Great.

Next, "I dialed our number and you know what happened? Some old granny answered the phone! Why did that happen? I mean I know our phone number and I dialed it. Why would some old granny answer the phone?!"

Great, now I'll not only get bugged about getting a phone in her room, but she is also prank calling senior citizens.

A phone conversation

Got a phone call from Dad tonight that went something like this.

"Do you have a few days available?"

"Why?"

"Your mother broke her arm."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"No...really?"

"Yes...would I lie?"

"Put mom on the phone."

"What...you don't believe me?"

"Put mom on the phone."

"Curtis had the same reaction. He didn't believe me either!"

"I wonder why. Put mom on the phone."

And, yes, she did break her arm...elbow to be exact. She confirmed it herself.