Ethan and Adia both have their birthday on the same day. This is great because I get it over with in one big swoop and don't have to worry about it for the rest of the year. When they were younger we would just have one big party with mostly family so it was super easy. For the past few years however, they are old enough that they need to be having a friend party, but because one is super girly and the other is not, and they have a three year age difference it isn't easy to have the parties together. That means a TON of work getting two separate parties with invitations and cake and goodie bags and activities and decorations... it's tough. But this year we took the easy route. Well, I guess I should say I did. For one, I enlisted the help of others this time where usually I do it all myself. And we also decided that there was a way we could swing one party that everyone could enjoy. First of all my mom made the treats for the parties at school. That took a load off all by itself. That meant 60 treats that I didn't have to make, plus the kids insisted on having doughnuts instead of something easy like cupcakes or fruit snacks. And they couldn't have easy, from the local bakery type doughnuts. They needed Grandma's Famous Homemade ones. So she and Kalista whipped those puppies out for me and even delivered them to our house the night before I needed them. It was such a lifesaver.
The next way I lucked out was a change in schedule. The kids were supposed to stay with their dad on Friday through Sunday, so the friend party was going to be postponed. But, at the last minute he changed weekends and that with our busy February schedule meant we either had to do it that weekend or hold off until March, which didn't sit well with the kids. So we decided to throw caution (and planning, organization and class) to the wind and plan an impromptu party. I sent out a super tacky facebook invite to all the moms of the La Sal kids (sometimes I love social media) inviting them to a sledding party on Saturday afternoon. Lucky for us we finally got a few inches of snow during the week, and also lucky for us, our grandpa has a backhoe. He scooped all the snow in the whole yard and made a big hill at the edge of the back yard. It was situated on the top of a hill that already exists and leads into the back pasture. We just opened the gate and there was a steep hill with a long run, perfect for record setting! We built a bonfire in case anyone got cold, served up hot cocoa, build-your-own smores, and doughnut holes (supposed to look like "snowballs" get it? Thanks again to Grandma and Kalista)
And the sledding began...
(notice the faces:)
Looks fun, right!
Good thing there are no bugs out this time of year!
Hee Hee. When my dad saw these pictures he was very pleased with himself for building the perfect "thrill hill"
Then of course I got antsy and couldn't be left out of all the fun, so I grabbed a sled and a kid (so I didn't look like too much of a party crasher) and we hit the slopes.
Then someone tattled on me and some of the other brave moms had to try it out too.
And it was FUN!
And no one got injured (too much)
And I had to include this one because I think he's a cutie!
My kids made a haul in the present department. One thing about La Sal not having a store is most kids give money for presents. They did get a few toys and games but they also walked away with $35 a piece - not to shabby! Unfortunately I couldn't get everyone to stop sledding long enough to do the traditional opening of gifts, so most of the kids had gone home before we did that part.:(
Then the next day we had a family dinner with my parents, grandparents, Uncle, Aunt and Cousins. I love how lucky my kids are to have this opportunity to live near family who is so good to them. What a gift to be able to develop a relationship with your family like that. I was lucky to have that opportunity growing up and I'm glad my kids do too, for however short a time it may be. My grandma even found a card that said "to our great-grandson" How many of us get that opportunity? It was great. And now it's over, and that's even more great.
Happy Birthday to my 10 and 7 year olds. (I know I say this every year, but I am SO not old enough to have a 10 year old!:)
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