On Silver Siennas and Canine Chocolate Toxicity

1. Does anyone know how many silver Toyota Sienna minivans there are in Overland Park? I actually tried unsuccessfully, several times, to unlock and get into one at Party City on Friday, only to discover that mine was parked one car over. Possible explanations may include the fact that I was under the influence of the frenzied insanity that accompanies planning and preparing for a birthday party during the holiday season. And the fact that there are silver Siennas EVERYWHERE.

2. Does anyone know how much chocolate it takes to make a dog sick? Fly (our 12 year old mutt) ate about a pound of assorted seasonal and chocolate Hershey's kisses. She also devoured a treat bag filled with chocolate bark with almonds and toffee bits. Both were gifts Bob and I received at church from students. Only slightly less than the worry I have that Fly will become deathly ill is the annoyance at how much I wanted a peppermint kiss tonight!! The real mystery? Not one piece of foil wrapper was found anywhere. Possible explanations may include the very real possibility that the bag of kisses are buried under the mountain of junk in my silver Sienna.

Happy 6th Birthday Aidan!!

On Friday it was Aidan's 6th birthday. Finally, after a countdown that started weeks ago, Aidan was able to have the birthday of his dreams! Well, he did want a Bakugan party, but since I was unable to locate any Bakugan party paraphernalia, and feeling totally un-creative due to the added stress of the holiday, he had to settle for a Clone Wars party. A Clone Wars Pool party that is. We had the party at the local rec center, which turned out to be a great facility. With temps in the teens, a dip in the pool was a fun way to spend the afternoon.

The bakery didn't have Star Wars cakes (hey: it's time to retire the Sponge Bob cake people!), and since I don't do cakes, I found some Star Wars figures to put on top. The kids totally believed that it was an official Star Wars cake.

Aidan and Tristan, Jedi Knights in training. Don't they totally look menacing?

As a simple, quiet and cheap activity, we started out with a coloring contest. It totally bought us enough time before we could get into the pool.

Presents.

Waiting for the pool to open!

A special thanks to Ashley and Aunt Annie for being my skinny swim girls and getting in the pool with the kids so I didn't have to!

After the party was over, we picked up Daddy and headed to T-Rex, our favorite birthday dinner destination.

festivus for the rest of us...

As much as I try to keep a firm grasp on all the stuff going on during the holidays, this year has gotten away from me. Just like last year. And just like next year. It's the nature of the game I guess, especially with me. It didn't help that we were all sick for almost a week straight, and we've had a few doses of some good old Midwestern weather. Regardless of all the holiday insanity, we're still having a great time, with tons to be grateful for.

So far this week, we made marshmallow snowmen, Christmas cards, Santa did some shopping, and the kids did some partying.

On Sunday, Andrew and Ashley stopped by. The kids were still in their pjs at 11am. Here's Aidan "sleeping" under the tree.

Uncle Andrew & Jack

Who knows what Aidan's doing...

Taking a nap on the living room floor with Ashley.

On Wednesday, Aidan's class celebrated his birthday with cupcakes. He got to wear a birthday hat all day, and pick who helped pass out the treats.


Today, Mia's preschool put on their annual Christmas program. They did such a great job! She said that she was going to be shy, but she looked totally comfortable up there.

The zoom wasn't working on the camera, and the video camera ran out of battery 2 minutes in (even though Bob charged it last week...time for a new one!)

It's Snuggie Time!

Would you still be my friend if you caught me sporting one of these genius getups? It's 11 degrees (F) outside and although I laughed at this commercial yesterday, it's starting to look really nice. Logistically, I don't know how I'd pull it off. Could I get up off the couch fast enough to stop Jack from playing in the toilet? Is there room for 3 small children in it? And when would I realistically have time to sit around in a blanket that doubles as clothing? Much less, reading?

P.S. If you're reading this and think you've had a brilliant idea for a Christmas gift...DON'T.

Kickoff to Christmas!!

Tonight we kicked off our own 12 Days of Christmas festivities with a visit from Santa's Elves. Every year they drop off new holiday jammies for the kids to snuggle up in. They typically bring them on Christmas Eve, but we've been moved up on the schedule, which gives the kids more time to anticipate Christmas. Here they are in their pjs...Jack's have Christmas sock monkeys on them! After getting in their pjs, we had breakfast for dinner (mommy and daddy weren't feeling well enough to make a real dinner), complete with bacon, eggs and pancakes. The kids loved it!

P.S. Aidan's black eye is at its worst...hopefully it will look better by Christmas!

On Friday, our ward had its holiday party. Unfortunately, Bob was working late, and Mia and I were home sick. Annie, Pieter and Grandma took Aidan and Jack for some food and festivities. Even though Aidan had an important message to relay from Mia, he could not be persuaded to sit on Santa's lap. Surprisingly, Jack did, and he is all business in his photos. Photos of kids and Santa always crack me up!

Dance Performance & Preschool Holiday Party

On Wednesday, Mia had her final dance recital. Grandma had an unexpected snow day, so she got to come along to see what Mia's been up to in dance class. Mia was, well, a performer. She was so cute, but a bit of a trouble maker...she's a little class clown. We also found that her style of ballet is very energetic! She's one of a kind, this girl. After waking up at 6 am and shelling out $188 to register her for dance class in January, Mia informed me that she'd rather take gymnastics.

Today was Mia's preschool Christmas party.
It started with a reading of the Polar Express by Jackson's dad...

Yummy cookies courtesy of Jenni Mac's Bakery...

Guess what's in the stocking...

Making marshmallow snowmen...

Mia the Reindeer...

...and some rocking out, preschool style.

Update on Aidan

Nose was broken, but no surgery or further intervention required...it should heal nicely on its own. We'll have plenty of birthday and holiday photo ops to document the black eye and nose fully!