Parties, Potties, and other Preposterousness

Jacob's Birthday was the Friday before last. He was in Florida with Me-Maw and Pop, so we celebrated his Birthday this past Saturday. Friday night we watched The Big Lebowski while we wrapped presents. I also blew up the inflatable donkey for the Pin the Tail on the Donkey Game. It was very difficult due to the placement of the "blow hole." (Danielle just suggested blow hole as I'm writing this, I asked her what you might call it... I had been thinking Nozzle or Mouth Piece or something. Whatever, as long as you know what I am talking about.) It is situated between the legs, so once you start blowing it up, the legs inflate and there isn't room for your face to get in anymore. I said something to that effect and Darren had some smart remark. Roll Eyes. Danielle had made a list of everything that had to be done the next morning to prepare. Darren and I did some of the cleaning after she went to bed. Well, he cleaned, like washing windows and actual cleaning, I pretty much just collected stuff that belonged to me that was everywhere and put it in my room, and picked up some of the kids' toys. He said that it would minimize the destruction of Tropical Storm Danielle. In the morning she was impressed with us and very happy. I was on Balloon and Streamer Hanging duty. I made a swag in the dining room windows and from the windows to the chandelier and from the chandelier to the picture on the adjacent wall and from the chandelier to the window into the kitchen, on the opposite wall of the windows. Good luck trying to follow that sentence. The streamers were dark blue, light blue, red, green, and yellow. I also blew up balloons and hung them on the walls at the points where the streamers were attached. I tried to hang one on the wall doing that static thing where you rub it in your hair, but I was trying to do it to Olivia, and she was having none of it. It didn't work because she wouldn't let me do it long enough, and she just wanted to get away from me after that so she didn't even understand what I was trying to do. I also made a streamer swag in the window next to the front door, and off of the mantle.

The theme was Thomas the Tank Engine, and Danielle had gotten the cutest cake. It had white icing and a Thomas picture painted on a piece of chocolate in the center. The cake was set out on the dining room table and the kids were being shooed out all morning. At one point, Danielle went into her bedroom to change clothes. Darren was on the sofa, I was sitting in on of the chairs. The dining room and living room aren't really separate, they are two distinct rooms but there is no wall in between. BUT... The kids ate the Thomas off the cake! The whole top of the cake had lines running through it, trails left by little fingers dragging through the icing. We got in almost as much trouble as Olivia and Jacob.

When all the guests arrived, we started the games. The children played Musical Chairs. Danielle played the hated Thomas Song for the game haha. It was hard to hear it over the kids though, I think they couldn't hear it either, and also they just didn't fully understand the concept, but they were all pretty little. Some of the kids, when the music stopped, just stood there and didn't sit down until everyone said "Someone has to quick sit down," several times. Sometimes they sat down while the music was still playing. And then there was Barrett. He will be 2, so he really didn't get it, but he was fun. He just sat in his chair the whole time and watched everyone else run around him in a circle. So cute. There ended up being a second game, so this time Danielle had the bright idea to hold his hand and have him run too. He ended up getting trampled in the stampede. Poor thing, Good Job Danielle, Good Job!

Pin the Tail on the Donkey ended up being tough too. It is an inflatable donkey, 3-dimensional, with a felt bull's eye on its bum with velcro tails, not just a poster on the wall. So it was hung from the chandelier in the playroom area and it would move and be a pain when they tried to pin the tail on. They could get to the donkey okay, but they had trouble finding the bootie. Jacob peeked out from behind his mask and took it off completely finally. But even with being able to see he didn't make it on the center.

Then it was time to open gifts. Jacob got to mine, that is, the one from me. People were telling him it was my present, so when he opened it he came over and handed it to me and said "Here Travis, here's you present." But I said no, its yours, I gave it to you. Everyone was laughing.

Jacob got a bunch of trains and train tracks for his birthday. Danielle and Darren gave him this big playset that Darren put together. Danielle and I couldn't wait until bedtime so that we could play with it and make a super track! We made a big intricate railroad system. We started running 5 or 6 trains all at once. It was hard to keep on top of the switches to make sure that none crashed. We failed miserably. Finally we just decided to stage a horrible train wreck. There was like an 11 train pile-up, with downed trees, and houses and train stations up on end and sheep and cows running rampant and even a dinosaur. It was the worst accident, I ever seen. Just like Large Marge in Pee Wee's Big Adventure.

Jacob turned three now, so no more diapers! He is a big boy now so he has to use the potty! He has been using the toilet for number one, but he still wouldn't go number two in the bathroom. Danielle and I went shopping at Target with Olivia, and Jacob stayed home with Darren. When we got home Darren told us Jacob had pooped in the potty! Wow! Hooray! Don't get too excited though. Hold your applause. I was doing bath time that night, that's how I happened to be in the bathroom and see the following... Olivia went to use the bathroom, and she didn't sit back far enough and ending up peeing on the floor. Within minutes, Jacob went to go. He uses a step-stool. It was a bit far from the toilet, but rather than push it closer like usual, he decided to just stand on it where it was and go from there. You win some, you lose some. He used the potty like a big boy and then they both pee on the floor.

Going through hand-me-down winter clothing for Olivia, Danielle found a single pink Hello Kitty glove. I sat on the couch and snapped pictures of myself, posing in just about every angle you can imagine to spotlight the glove. Danielle was dying, it was just too funny! Then she was visited by Thing Addams. Maybe I'll post those pictures on here at a later date.

xoxo, Travvy