Life with the Party...

I've been neglecting the blog again.  Not for lack of deep inspiring posts that will surely make an important contribution to the literary world (yeah, right) but for lack of time.  The week + of time away from work with the little ones derailed me more than I'd originally thought.

And while I loved the time at home playing with the kids and staying on top of household duties (my laundry pile has grown to enormous sizes again) I must admit that I'm glad we're back into a routine.  I feel confident that if I were to be able to stay home full time that we would develop a routine of our own - but we didn't have time to really create one in the extended absence from our 'normal' lives.

So it's back to life - back to reality - with the day-to-day grind.  School, homework, tap class, church programming and dinners on Wednesday nights (can I just say hallelujah on that one?), French class, and just starting up - soccer for James.

And back to work for me - getting caught up on project work, back in the groove of designing and coding websites, creating PR materials for our projects, the stuff I actually really like.

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I'm starting to plan James' 4th birthday party - which amazes me.  Not the party planning part ('cause you all know I L-O-V-E an excuse to plan a party) but the fact that my first born son is going to be four years old in a few short weeks.  It just doesn't seem right that he should be so old.  So grown up.

I think part of that is due to the fact that I feel like I missed out in his baby-hood and toddler-hood.  I was in such a fog following my mom's stroke that I honestly don't recall a lot of his teeny-tiny stages.  I realized this the other day when I started hunting for pictures for his annual banner.  I've stolen the idea from mommy blogs - but I love seeing how the children grow from infancy through the years.  So there is one picture from each year of their life in a banner - infancy, one year, two years, etc...on display at their birthday party.  I looked back at the pictures of James from his first birthday and don't remember much of it.

That makes me sad.

But thankfully we (or rather I) seem to have pulled out of the fog - and can now focus on the little boy he is becoming.  And what better way to celebrate my super-silly son then with a non-sensical Dr. Seuss party?

I'm having so much fun reading and re-reading all of the Dr. Seuss classics to pull ideas from - from "One Fish Two Fish" to the old "Cat In The Hat" to the "Sneetches" and the Grinch - all of the characters will be there - in one form or another.

And I've even hired a really awesome treat - that I can't wait to have at the party - but I can't tell you just yet - lest the secret get out.  (Hows that for a teaser?)

We'll celebrate his big day the week after his birthday - as we'll be out of town for his actual birth-day.  Our new church parish retreat to the mountains of North Carolina is the weekend of the 19th - and we're attending with some new friends.  I can't wait.  Fresh mountain air.  Growing friendships.  Space to run and play.

Of course we'll find some way to celebrate his actual day there - probably cupcakes and a few gifts from mommy and daddy - and then the BIG day on the 26th.

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Other random thoughts - the boys have both been sick.  Ear infections - again.  Apparently Deonne and I breed children with bad ear canals.  All three kids have tubes - but apparently James and Jack's are starting to come out and/or are clogged with who-knows-what precipitating the ear infections.  They're both just finishing up their antibiotics - hopefully they'll stay clear - at least for a little while.

And I'm battling walking pneumonia.  Turns out that really bad cold I thought was just a cold wasn't just a cold after all.  I finished the antibiotics - but still don't feel 100% - so probably need to go back for another evaluation.  Awesome.

Deonne and I are taking a parenting bible study class at church.  We're following John Rosemond's book "parenting by the book" - as in - the Bible.  It's been really good.  We're learning a lot.  And implementing some of his techniques with our most head strong child.  Anna has been having a hard time.  I wish I could say this was a first - but if you've read this blog for any amount of time you'll know that it's a common occurrence.  She is so smart.  So bright.  Seriously - off the charts smart.  But also very headstrong.  And stubborn.  And sassy. 

Without going into the long drama and details - I'll sum it up by telling you that she's effectively lost everything in her room.  Seriously.  She's down to a bed, a nightstand, a chest of drawers, and two lamps.  We did leave her bookcase and books - but every toy, every barbie, every 'thing' that she had in there is gone.  Harsh?  Perhaps.  But she's working to earn her things back - and hopefully realize they are a privilege and not a right.

Sometimes parenting sucks, doesn't it?

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So totally random post - updates from the Party of Five.  More to come in a more timely manner - I hope!