Headlights in the Fog

The Best Birthday Party EVER!

After last year's expensive invite-the-whole-class-to-play-at-an-indoor-gym party, we decided to scale things back a bit for Jack's 6th birthday. He invited his three best friends. They all happen to be lego-obsessed. What better idea could there be then taking these wonderful boys to the Lego store and letting them pick out something for themselves? There were parameters, of course, of what they could choose (mostly based on piece count per set.) The boys had such a great time looking at everything with each other and making decisions about what they wanted. I felt a lot like I was a fairy god mother. The above picture is the immediately after leaving the store shot. Below is the before picture:

And another after shot:
We then took the boys out for pizza and then back to our house for cake. Not just any cake, mind you... oh no, Carvel made a custom cake just for us... it was the cake decorator's idea... yes, the cake was in the shape of a giant red Lego brick!

I tell you what, I'm a little Lego-ed out right now. During the party, Jack would yell out, "This is the best party EVER!" to which the other boys would say "YES IT IS THE BEST PARTY EVER!!!" Moments like that warms a mom's heart.
At least once a week, we pick up 2 of Jack's friends, Julien and Louis, from school and bring them back to our house for a playdate. One day, I was walking behind Jack and Louis on the way to our house from school (a 1/4 of a block walk) and Louis said, "Jack, are we going to your house?" and Jack replied in the affirmative to which Louis replied, "You have the BEST house EVER!" I mentally stopped for a moment and took that in. I get down on myself for not having my house be spic-sparkling clean all the time... but really, the highest compliment is that of a 6 year old boy saying it is the best.

The Boy is 6!

Jack turned 6 yesterday amidst must fanfare and lego-ing. Legos were the topic of the day...  well, normally legos are the topic of the day, but when you get a super huge Lego Star Wars (Clone Wars version) before you even eat breakfast, well then, really, all you can talk about is lego and Star Wars. I thought ahead and lined up our sitter to come for the afternoon so I could assemble these pieces:

That is 799 pieces of pure lego. 5 hours and 2 lengthy instruction books later we had this:

I have to say I did a most excellent job with the exception of the front and back 'legs.' In my defense, the instructions were not clear on exactly how to attach them. After Jack came in to the bathroom while I was showering this morning saying, "We need to superglue those legs on NOW!" I meditated on the fact that lego had put out such a flawed design. Realizing that the error was probably mine and not lego's, I decided to revisit the instructions where I then realized my misstep.
This afternoon while I was thinking about what to write today on the blog, I realized how surreal life can be with young kids. Kitty was running in and out of the backdoor with bright white sunscreen smeared all around her mouth while holding a pink princess balloon tied to a blue travel mug. (She had tried going outside with her balloon and I had to explain the concept of a balloon flying away forever.) Jack was in the front room deliriously happy playing with his new Star Wars toy and making all the sounds one might hear in a Star Wars movie.
Yesterday in the car, Jack said, "When I don't feel well after we've been driving in the car that means I am Car SIX." I laughed so hard at that one that Kitty asked me to please stop.
Kitty has been imaginary playing 'puppy' for weeks now. We have lots of very small stuffed puppies (They were McDonald's Happy Meal toys awhile back.) They are all getting names and personalities. She's been talking to Puppy on my old cell phone recently, even going so far as to put her finger up at you when you try to talk to her while she is on the phone. She comes by that gesture honestly, as I use it whenever the kids try to talk to me at length while I am on the phone. 
The kids started their new gymnastic classes (at the same time, but two different classes for their ages.) They both loved it. On the way home they both fell asleep... so I know it was a workout.

In closing, Kitty is quite the photog (remember her taking pictures of me in the shower?) Below is a recent picture she took of me which I like very much:

What are you talking about?

It feels like a lot has been going around here... but when I stop to think about it, it is all everyday life things pretty much. Things like a pile of birthday cards to be written in, addressed and sent. Things like me doing an 'art in the classroom' presentation with another Mom in Jack's class.

Things like trying to keep one step ahead of Kitty... and that's no small challenge. Things like spending over an hour at the library just hanging out and reading books. Things like photographing Jack's homemade pirate ship for a lego contest. Solomon seems to have liked our scene... so much so that he made himself a part of it:

Things like getting together with friends and laugh, laugh laughing. Things like waiting in line at the drug store while trying to keep Kitty from flooding the immediate area with the water fountain. Things like a snow day:

Things like discussing lego Star Wars Clone Wars so much that you are brainwashed in to thinking you are as enthusiastic about it as Jack is. Things like listening to Jack read a book to you... and the simple magic that hearing him sound out words is. Things like Kitty suddenly needing me all the time... and not needing her daddy and how hard that is for him. Things like sprawling all over the floor to paint with some really cool paint markers:

And lastly, things like your husband taking picture after picture of you until you start making funny faces and he laughs out loud at the one that could be titled, "What are you talking about?"...