A Very Merry Un-Birthday To You!

Charis' 8th Birthday Party...er...Un-Birthday Party!

"Im late, I'm late, for a very important date.  No time to say hello, goodbye!  I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"  

- White Rabbit.

From mid-February until last weekend this quote was on a continuous loop in the back of my mind.  I love parties and planning around a theme (I know I've said this before).  They are fun and exciting, but for some reason when it comes to my kids birthday parties, I drag my feet.  I dread figuring out what weekend will work, who to invite, who not to invite, and using the postal service wears me out.  When all those things are accomplished, the rest is actually fun!

So since we missed Charis' actual birthday, and any weekend remotely close to her birthday, we decided to have an UN-birthday party.  We made the invitations with the quote above and invited her friends to celebrate their un-birthday's along with Charis.

After everyone arrived we loaded up the kids and drove them "through the looking glass" to Wonderland! (a.k.a. Gramma Sally's Garden).   It's a land where nothing makes sense, but everything is Wonderful!  We played several games...

Kick the Milk (A Gramma Sally original) There is no point to this game.  You just run around and kick empty milk cartons.  What could be better.

Fishing for Bugs - Instead of using bugs as bait to catch fish in water, you fish for (magnetic) bugs in the dirt.

Silly Hot Potato - A small package is passed around until the timer goes off.  Whoever has the package when the time is up gets to open it.

Inside is a small gift and a piece of paper with something silly written on it.

All the kids then have to do/act out whatever is on the slip of paper.  This one was make a funny face.

After all the games we loaded back up and returned to our house for a Mad Hatter Tea Party and un-birthday presents.

We also decorated "tea cups" for them to take home.

I didn't have many pictures turn out from this part of the party, but we will still have the memories.  Though it would have been nice of me not to procrastinate, I loved that we could do Charis' party outside and that we could have a party that didn't focus completely on her.  She still had a little "It's my birthday" syndrome, but much less than usual (thank goodness no tears this year).

Look Mama No Training Wheels!

Anya has been wanting to learn to ride a bike without training wheels for a looooonnnnng time.  I can't even remember a day of bike riding without her incessant pestering to "PUH-LEASE" take off her training wheels.  I'll admit, I'd been dragging my heels.  I knew I was in for a lot of work, and I wasn't ready yet.

Teaching Anya is...well...teaching Anya....*sigh*....I'm not sure anyone can actually teach Anya anything.  No matter how hard I try, or what method I use she either seems to accidentally absorb the information, you are trying to teach her, or she doesn't.  End of story.  It's not rebellion, it's just the way she is.  The strange thing is that she is usually equally happy with either result.  I knew somehow this was going to be different.  She wanted to learn, she neeeeeeeded to learn and not doing so would NOT be okay!

 So I took a deep breath, pulled out the wrench and removed those training wheels, muttering under my breath all the while. *great parenting - I know*  As soon as the wheels were off, she hopped on and adjusted her helmet.  I held onto the back of her seat and gave her a little nudge.  She forgot, unfortunately, that she was in control of her bike and we ran off the sidewalk nearly missing the neighbors tree.

I explained that she still needed steer as well as pedal, and things would go much smoother.  She hopped back on, I grabbed her seat and she began to steer like a pro.  However, she just let her legs dangle limply instead of using them to pedal.  "You're doing great", I said.  "Are you sure you know how to teach people how to ride bikes?" she replied.  *mutter, mutter, mutter*

"Okay, you're gonna get it, hop back on and this time try to use your arms and your legs together". I try pathetically to encourage her.  Because, really, I don't think she's gonna get it.  I felt terrible, but I had no faith in either my ability to teach, or her ability to learn at that point.  She then got back on her bike, turned her face to mine and smiled sweetly.  I'm expecting a heartfelt "Thanks for helping me", but instead I hear, "Mom, I really think I could do this better on my own.  I don't think you know what you are doing."  I had to laugh.  She's right.  I have no idea what I am doing.  So I let go.  And she rode her bike.

It turns out she wasn't the one that needed to be taught.  It was me that needed to let go.

Look What I Can Do!

Presenting...

...the newest members of the Nadvornik Clan.

Natalie Emma (Charis').  Natalie is a Silver Laced Wyandotte.

Maionne (My-ON) Sophia (Anya's).  Maionne is a Mystery Chick.  Anya was adamant that her chick be all black, including the feet.  So we picked her out of a batch of "Rainbow Layers".

Gretel Louise (Mine).  Gretel didn't have a middle name until now, but I felt bad because all the other chicks have middle names.  All my female pets get the middle name Louise...so Louise it is.  Gretel is a Barred Plymouth Rock.

 And last, but not least...Ned Triceratops (Micaiah's obviously) Ned is also a Barred Plymouth Rock.  Oh and don't let the name fool you, Ned is a hen.  Roosters aren't allowed within the city limits.

These little guys are already so much fun.  I spent the first afternoon just staring at them and watching them interact.  I think I sat a watched them for over an hour, shamefully squandering away nap time on poultry voyeurism.  It was ridiculously fascinating to see that they all had different personalities, and that they were in incredibly like the personalities of the children who owned them.  Natalie is the ring leader, bossy and proud.  She keeps all the other chicks in line.  Maionne is loud!  I cannot believe the amount of chattering and squawking that emanates from that little puff ball.    Ned is a bit of a bully.  He especially likes to pick on Maionne, pecking at her feet.  I'm pretty sure he does it just for the ear piercing reaction.  He is never disappointed.  And then there is Gretel.  Gretel is cool, calm and collected.  Nothing ruffles this bird's feathers.  Okay so that is where the similarities end.

Hopefully all goes well with these little guys and they provide some tasty eggs for us.  If nothing else they will be entertaining, and yet another lesson in responsibility for the kids.  As they grow and change I'm sure I will have many more stories to tell.

P.S. My kids do have other, more redeeming, personality traits.  The chicks just didn't seem to mimic any of those.

The Beginning of the End!

As if my house wasn't messy enough...(Can a house ever really be "messy enough"?), now I don't have cabinet doors to hide my junk! But, though it's not a pretty sight right now it signifies the beginning of the END of our kitchen remodel. Hooray!

Hopefully I will have some after pictures to post before the end of the year. I wish that last comment was sarcasm, but you never know...