Birthday Party

LG's birthday week is officially over. It ended on Sat. evening with her birthday party. I was not very into having a party this time. Mainly because I feel like I have had 50,000 other things going on. As of Thursday, I didn't even have a menu of food! We managed to pull it together though.

My mom was here on Thursday and Friday so I managed to get some errands done. She and LG worked in the yard pulling weeds which really helped. Earlier in the week, I planted flowers in the backyard and weeded out there. I didn't plant a ton but I did manage to fill the planters that have been empty for almost a year.

I also did a major house clean. I figure that a party is a great time to really get your house organized. I often don't clean (read: scrub the floors, etc) too much because your house just gets dirty from all the people. This time I cleaned the back room, so much so that you could see my dresser and the computer work space! I also really cleaned up in the front room/dining room and kitchen. It feels good to have a de-cluttered house.

Saturday morning we got up and after everyone was ready we headed to Costco. We got some food, drinks, etc. Before LG it would have been mostly drinks and a bit of food but this time was very different. We also had to think about what the kids would eat! We managed to only spend $180 at Costco which I thought was really good. This included a $30 pack of diapers!

After Costco Husband and LG went to the park with Avo. I went home and finished cleaning. I was very productive! We ate lunch at Avo's because I didn't want to get anything dirty. Ha ha! LG went down for her nap and I headed to Safeway to pick up the rest of the stuff including the cake.

LG took a great nap and then headed back to Safeway with Husband for ice and balloons. She loved it although a balloon popped when they were getting in the car. She didn't cry but she was worried the whole way home. I met them out front and she had this look on her face that said, "Do not move!" She told me all about the balloons popping several times.

Friends starting coming over around 4. LG did really good. Her behavior has improved drastically since I have been back and things have settled down. She was sharing and playing in the backyard. She didn't scream once. The kids played in the water table, with bubbles and chalk and ran on the grass. They all did so great together. We only had one minor incident with Jack and LG running into each other but everyone was ok.

We BBQ'd and everyone ate and had a good time. It was really nice because everyone interacted together. Friends from mom's group and friends from other areas of life all hanging out with kids. I smiled several times thinking about it. It can be really hard to mix groups of friends but everyone got along swimmingly!

The kids did a pinata. I got the kind that you just pull the ribbons and it opens rather than having a bunch of 2 year olds swinging bats. The only problem was that no one could pull hard enough so they had to have some help. I put musical toys, suckers and Smarties inside the pinata. I was trying to avoid candy but it was cheaper than filling it with more toys!

Afterwards, we had cake and opened presents. LG got some great stuff. A cleaning set (I can't find it online) which she was excited to see. A Little People Shop which speaks English and Spanish and she can't stop playing with it. A George Jack N the Box and a George Bath Bubble Blower. She liked them all! She also got a fun new Dora Ride on Toy. A great birthday all around.


Everyone was gone by 7:30pm which is very different since that is the time our parties used to start. LG had a tough time settling down and didn't fall asleep until almost 9pm. She woke up at 7 the next morning but because we had set the clocks forward it was like waking up at 6. She wasn't pretty yesterday morning. She made up for it by taking a 3.5 hour nap in the afternoon and all is back to normal!