Ladybug Ladybug Fly Away Home

We finally did it. We had a Pump It Up party yesterday. 26 kids from both of their classes joined Annie and Lucy for a joint birthday party. I heart joint birthday parties. After all of the work of getting them to agree on the same theme (ladybugs) it saved us a bunch of moola. 

I had a lot of fun with this year's cake. Yet again, I opted to use the Barefoot Contessa birthday cake recipe, but snagged Magnolia Bakery's buttercream frosting. It was a half sheet pan, frosted white. I used Oreo cookies as the center of sunflowers, and piped golden yellow petals around each of em'. Adding gummy leaves, and some green grass- I then piped red M&M's with chocolate frosting and glued them to the Oreos. Instant ladybugs! I'll post a picture once I get them downloaded.

After the party, when all I wanted to do was enter a sensory deprivation chamber, I had to schlep the kids up to school to register them for the next round of "enrichment" (i.e. expensive) after school stuff. Annie got the last spot in ballet, and Lucy is going to do a storytime dress-up, craft making thing. 

Today, we're meeting some grandparents after school to see the new Madagascar flick. I think I'll use the 90 minutes to catch up on some sleep.

Yuck.

When one of the kids gets a stomach bug- this intense sense of dread overwhelms me. I'm constantly waiting for the next round of puking- watching like a hawk for signs of illness in any other family members. I lay there, when the house is sleeping, with one hand on a bucket and the other on a pile of towels, ready to go.

 

The other day, I started to feel bloated, but chalked that up to Halloween candy. At about 3am, I suddenly realized I was in for some good times. To give a bit of history, I'm the Linda Blair of stomach flus. When I puke, it sounds like demons are escaping my body- and no matter how hard I try, I can't quell the violent wretches that riot the house.

It really freaked my kids out. By 6:30am, I called my mother, and begged her to come get the kids. Annie had her fingers in her ears, and was in her rocking chair, crying. Lucy kept asking if she could come in the bathroom and see what was going on. My Mom got there by 9am, whisked the kids away, and left me to an eerily quiet house, with CNN on the television and a naughty puppy trying to get my attention by eating a round of shoes. 

I did nothing more than drift in and out of sleep, in between bouts of Excorcist impersonating- aging approximately 85 years in one afternoon. By the time Matt got out of 2 very big cases and headed home, he had started with the feverish chills. 3 down, one more person to go. 

Sick.

We were supposed to have a ridiculously busy day. Starting with a birthday party, a quick trip to Disneyland to visit with friends and ending the day with a block party with our neighbors- all of that is now on hold.

At about 11pm last night, Lucy got sick. Really, nasty, sick. Chalking it up to Halloween overindulgence, I cleaned her up and went back to watching the movie, "Orange County." Before they even make it up to Stanford, she was sick again. And again. And again. 

We are now snuggled on the couch, in front of a fire, watching Audrey Hepburn in "Funny Face." As sick as she is, Lucy still perked up during the color pink dancing scene. A ridiculously busy day has turned ridiculously cozy.

Day of the Dead

I am dragging today. Just got back from a Halloween blow-out at my parents' house. Matt had to (sadly) work most of yesterday, so I took the kids up to see my folks. We did some trick-or-treating, and then went to their club for a Halloween party.

My parents have a group of friends that meet for dinner every Friday night. These guys are hilarious, and can party more than your average fraternity boy. But my girls put them to shame. They danced. They boogied. They did the cha-cha slide, the hokey pokey, some random toddler disco moves and refused to leave some poor woman-dressed up as Tigger alone. 

The best part? My Mom always gets up early and took Annie and George off for some fun while Lucy and I slept until 9:30. That has not happened in years. And it felt really, really good. We left for home this afternoon, just in time for my folks to rally before hosting 16 people for bridge. I realized this weekend that my parents' social life outruns mine by a lot. 

Puppy Love

We are still living in the depths of Puppypalooza here (lots of chewed shoes, stolen snacks and gnawed on power cords) but we are finally experiencing glimpses of moments where I think all will be well with the world again. 

George seriously loves my kids. I do not doubt this. He puts up with a lot. My Lucy constantly "snuggles" him, and throws herself down on his dog bed and lays on top of him while she sings him lullabies. (I have video of this that I will post once I sign an ASPCA waiver). Annie  grabs him by the neck, hugs him tighter than one would like, all the while yelling "Youuu are such a cute boy!" Despite this, he contorts himself into the silliest of wiggles when they come home from school. 

He props his paws on top of the tub and won't take his eyes off of them when they are bathing. I can't decide if he's pretending to be a lifeguard, or contemplating jumping on in. When they ride their bikes in the afternoon, he's right there beside them- running along side their wobbly training wheels, with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. 

He's only five months old, but is trying to assume the role of family caretaker. If Lucy is upstairs, and Annie is downstairs- the dog doesn't know where to go. He won't settle down until everyone is on the same floor. He just woke me up with a growl because he heard Lucy talking in her sleep upstairs. 

Puppy love- I'm starting to see what it's all about. Somebody remind me of this the next time he shits in my living room.

The Big Day

I am birthday partied out. And we haven't even had her shindig yet. On Saturday, we invited all available family over for a "birthday dinner party." She got to pick the menu. Here is what was served:

selection of cheeses & parmesan crisps with grapes (appetizer)

fruit salad (blueberries, blackberries and strawberries)

Asian salad (lettuce, crispy Chinese noodles, mandarin oranges, green onions, cucumber and enough Paul Newman's Sesame Ginger dressing to take a bath in)

corn on the cob

a huge platter of Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets.

The grandparents haven't eaten Chick Fil A in forever, and watching them gorge themselves on the nuggets was like watching Bill Clinton interview interns. We had 9 people over for dinner,- and this group ate 110 chicken nuggets.  That is OVER 12 nuggets per piggish person.

For dessert, I attempted to make a pink lady cake from Smittenkitchen.com. This was the strangest cake. Instead of creaming butter and sugar- you mix the dry ingredients and then add fruit puree and butter. It almost burned out the motor on my mixer. After all was said and done, I say "eh." But she liked it. It sure was pink.

Today, on her actual birthday- I got to sit in her class and watch them decorate her birthday cupcakes. She wore a crown with red glitter candles, and they invited her big sister to join them for snack (which was very nice and made Lucy feel special). After school, I changed her into her Sleeping Beauty halloween costume and walked her over to the school theatre to attend a fundraiser. They had a famous author (who writes popular girls books) to come, host a tea party and sign books. All the girls wore the fanciest of dresses. It was sugary sweet.

During the afternoon, she rode her new bike and dictated the menu for tonight's gourmet feast.

Hot Dogs.

Macaroni and cheese.

Cucumbers.

Matt almost fainted with joy when he saw the Kraft blue box on the counter. (Not something we eat very often- and we only have hot dogs on the 4th of July, so this was indulgent). 

We capped off the night with a serious round of Wii bowling, and Lucy told us she feels much bigger now that she's three. We smiled, because after this weekend, we're a bit bigger too.

My Almost Birthday Girl

My Lucy.

On Monday, you are turning three. Three years ago, I was baking Halloween cupcakes and waiting for my water to break. The time has gone by so fast! It seems like yesterday when you were eating at the "all you can eat boobie buffet" and nursing 24-7.  Now, you are tall, and so thin that I wonder how you got in this family! You are very, very Irish, and I see my grandmother in you every day. When you are angry with me, and furrow your brow- you are channeling Me-Ma. 

You are Irish with your storytelling skills. You are constantly making up stories, and love to show me an imaginary boo boo on your knee and tell me about the huge crab that took a bite out of your knee. (he lives in the backyard). Yesterday you were dressed up in your princess dress, sitting on the floor, telling me how you're going to a wedding and meeting your friend named Shampoo, and her sister Conditioner. We giggled about this the whole afternoon.

You are dramatic. When you don't get your way, you scream. A lot. At the top of your lungs. You are mostly easy going, mostly a good listener. But when the wind blows a certain way, you show your stubborness that is stronger, and more definite than anything I have every seen. No one, and I mean no one can change your mind. About what to wear. About when to go. About what to say. It's awe inspiring and scary at the same time. 

You are in a hurry to grow up. You constantly tell me you are turning "four" and it makes me think you want to skip over all of this three business. You had a big year. You kicked the diaper habit over spring break. You learned to ride a trike, and quickly moved on to your sister's bike. You moved. You got a dog. You got your own room that you got to pick out the paint colors for (pink stripes, of course). Your vocabulary has skyrocketed. 

But through it all, I still see glimpses of that delicious little baby I held three years ago. The other night, your Aunt Sheri snuck you an extra taste of frosting. You held the spoon in your hand, licked the frosting and with what can only be described as rapture- closed your eyes and savored every bite. 

You are still shy. You still won't answer when a stranger asks you what your name is. You have gone from being the ultimate Daddy's girl back to being my girl again. The other day, Annie grabbed my hand in the parking lot and you shooed her away and said "Hey! I was using the Mommy right now." 

You only wear dresses. You have no problem with showing the world your big girl pants when you dance. And you dance ALL the time. You love to play dress up and pretend you are going to parties. You have an impeccable fashion sense. You freely give me advice on what to wear, and are very critical of my choice in shoes. (You'll say, "Mommy! That's not a match!" And you know what? You're right). 

You can't wait to go back to Houston to see your friends. You love your dog, and he loves you. He hides under your bed every night, hoping I will forget about him and leave him to sleep in your room. It's funny, because you asked us to give you a small, white dog, and the other day you said "Mommy? Why did you get me a big, black dog when I asked you for a small, white dog?" This made us laugh.

Happy Birthday, my love. I hope three brings you the independence you crave, and I promise to patiently offer you more choices. (You can't eat dinner naked though- we have to draw the line somewhere). Your Daddy and I love you-----