Ramblings: Ugh Part 1

I haven't forgotten to announce the photo winner--I just haven't gotten to it yet. It's on the agenda for tomorrow, I promise. I've loved all the funny guesses and comments and the crazies are actually going to choose one soon. 

If any of your children watch Backyardigans as faithfully as the twins, then you know the episode I'm talking about where they start all their sentences with "Ug." That's how I've been feeling this past week--"UG." For whatever reason, alot of random stuff piled up and we had about three weeks of parties, activities, and other to-do's all jammed into about one week's time.  And then throw in Easter and all the related/required egg celebrations, and I'm downright pooped.

Friday was supposed to be the Father/Son's campout with our church and Alex was SUPER excited. All his friends were going and he had already planned who he wanted to set up next to. Although Jeremy pretended he wanted to take the twins, I knew he was just offering for the brownie points and had no real intention of taking them because he knew I'd protest. I'm not interested in nursing two camp-fire burn victims back to health. Have I mentioned they are usually in bed by 7:30? Not much fun for all the other campers in the tent--and they are not ANY fun if they don't get their required hours of sleep in.  Anyway, I got "the call" at about 4 pm on Friday and I had already figured what it was about since Jeremy was supposed to be home by 3 to pack their stuff and leave for the campout. 

"Uh. Hmm. Yeah. I, uh, think that I'm, uh, kinda of not, um, not going to make it home in time. I'm stuck here until something gets filed with (blah blah blah. insert something legal to do with petitions and courts and basically mumbo jumbo for "the campout just got bounced").

"Ok. Well, you are going to have one upset 8 year old here."

"Maybe I can take him to a movie or something?"

This is where I give the phone to Alex and he reacts, as expected, like someone just told him that he will never get any Christmas or birthday presents ever again because he was BAD!  Or that he was going to have to send out notarized letters, with photos, to everyone in his class saying that he wears pink heart underwear. 

But Jeremy made it home by about 7 and they went to the 3-D showing of the Monsters vs. Aliens movie and Alex ate his weight in candy (purchased by a cash wielding, guilt-ridden Dad). And then when they got home at 9:30, Alex got to eat an entire bowl of ice-cream (scooped by the same guilt-ridden Dad) and allowed to stay up WAY past his bedtime until the guilt started wearing off when all the sugar really started  kicking in. 

Saturday we were all invited to go to a big birthday bash for the son of one of Jeremy's main clients. We've been to dinner at their house before and all the kids played together and had a blast. We were expecting a pretty fun party because it was at one of these farm/ranch places with ponies, etc. But I'm not kidding you, this party set the bar freakishly high for all other birthday parties. There were about 100 people there, tons of catered food, horse rides, a zip line, trampolines, swings, a pinata, hayrides, playgrounds, and the holy grail for all the kids--unlimited Sprite and candy and cake. (Don't worry--my kids were brainwashed on the way home never to expect anything so fabulous for their birthdays.) 

(pics to come later)

But here's the funny thing: we were just about the only honky white people there. Everyone else was Indian or Asian and I LOVED IT! We had such a good time because they are so warm and gracious and you just immediately become part of their big extended family.   I have a picture of our kids on the hayride that I need to get off Jeremy's phone to put on here. (Miraculously, Alex reported that the twins sat down the entire time and never even came close to falling off and getting run over like I predicted might happen.) The kids didn't even seem to notice that they were in the minority and now have a great new group of friends. I got brave and now I've learned to like Indian food without being so nervous of the spiciness. Turns out when Jeremy makes it, he just makes it way too spicy. On the way home, we knew that they had fun because 3/4 kids fell dead asleep within 10 minutes. But we were off to more partying because my little (heehee) nephew James was celebrating his 1st birthday. Strangely, we were NOT the only white peeps in attendance. Man, James really needs to start diversifying who he hangs out with. After more yummy cake and grub, breaking in all his new toys, and the inevitable wrestling matches, we ended up back home trying to get all ours ready for bed. 

(pics to steal from Dee later)

We'd lined up babysitting and Jeremy and I managed to sneak off to do some furniture shopping (for the piano-room that I sort of randomly and impulsively decided to repaint and start redoing last Saturday).  I got in repainted and finally got the curtains hung that I picked out months ago. So it's slowly coming together. Let's just say there's zebra print involved. I was especially excited when I found this table that matches what I had a mind  and was a steal because it was a floor model and on major-clearance. Sorry--I didn't take the time to clean the glass or polish it before the photo and now it's driving me crazy. 

And we got one step closer to picking a couch for the room, which is really saying something since I obsess about decisions like that endlessly. I hate the thought that I could order and pay $$$ for something and then hate it. But I'm getting closer to finding exactly what I want...we'll see. 

And I can't finish this gargantuan post because I have to take the two hairy boys (Alex and Avery) to get their afros trimmed while Aidan repeatedly asks me if he gets to get his cut, too. If only, because he'd be so good and wants to so badly. If he'd just get that hair growing cuz no matter how he begs, I can't stand paying them to trim four hairs by 1/8 inch.

A recap of Easter Sunday and the report of our dreadful new 3 PM church time to follow tonight...or in the morning if I'm able to sneak off and get my hairs redone tonight. yeehaw. Should I go purple or pink or maybe? Or stick to the same ole blonde and red highlights...T.B.D.