Wiliam's Birthday Party

We celebrated Wiliam's 8th birthday a little early with his friends. We'll be in Yellowstone on June 2nd. It was our second annual Star Wars themed birthday party. It started with light saber battles, before the guests arrived.

The light saber battles continued.

Really, the entire party was about light saber battles.

When we were done with out "actual" light saber battles, we turned our attention to the Star Wars Wii game and participated in virtual light saber battles. The two other children in this photo knew this game but it was new to William. So they let him play and coached him cooperatively through level after level. It was pretty amazing teamwork! Eventually they all took turns. No adults needed! I was so impressed.

The kids were so good that I got to relax on the couch after my Jedi training ( keeping a balloon in the air using the force).

I made the cake, but Sean decorated it. Who knew the guy was so talented with icing? I thought it looked super cool - and I've sort of hated Star Wars since the 80's!

Congrats, William! You're growing up to be a really cool kid. You've come such a long way from that birthday party in which you threw a 45 minute tantrum over a matchbox car! Way to go!

Karen and Mike are Married!

Oops, upside down post!

Welcome, Karen. Congratulations to both of you!
We fully support this union and are so thrilled for this couple!

The ceremony was beautiful. As was the bride.
Still placing petals. To me, it was beautiful.
She placed each petal, one at a time, so slowly that she finally got ushered along by the matron of honor.
The flower girl smiled very nicely and was very precise about placing each individual rose petal.

Eric was a crazy man and there was a body of water in the courtyard...so I walked down the aisle, too!
The flower girl and the ring bearer, ready to go! Eric was supposed to be the ring bearer - but he got fired after the rehearsal for throwing the pillow repeatedly and then screaming "MINE" and refusing to give the pillow to the best man once he got down the aisle.
Eric provided comic relief, a tantrum dressed in a tuxedo. Behind Sean is Perris, the young woman who was paid to help us out so we could enjoy the wedding. She did a wonderful job.
The flower girl all ready to go, feeling like a princess and acting like one, too.
The wedding day, Friday May 13th, was finally here! We gathered by the pond for photos.

YAY, no camera!

Because we still have not replaced our camera, the initial phase of my horrible man-like man-haircut, in which I have been made to resemble a man, will go unnoticed UNTIL THE WEDDING next week. Hopefully between my bowl cut with fangs and my daughter's black eye and pirate stitches we will be able to sidestep the photographer who should focus all attentions on the most beautiful and most non-man-haircutted bride!!! I have just ordered a princess Beatrice hat to hide behind for the ceremonies. It should come soon.

If I Had a Camera

If I had a camera, I'd take a picture of Eric sitting with both feet on the table while eating his cereal. Then I'd give him a mixed message by telling him sternly to get his feet off the table.

If I had a camera, I'd take a picture of Margaret with her black eye and three stitches which she got Monday night after the coffee table developed extrordinary gravitational pull. She's all ready to walk down the aisle as a flower girl now, Karen!!

If I had a camera, I'd take a picture of William strutting in the door last night after his soccer team won 8-0!

If I had a camera, I'd take a picture of love between the brothers and the sisters, all over this world.

The Children Speak

William: Legos is one of the only things I think about in my mind. And craziness is huge in my brain.

William: Will you be dressing up in a bunny suit tonight? Cameron's older sister says there is no Easter Bunny.

Margaret: Would you like lemon or cherry soup?

Margaret: Nobody ever comes over to play with me, EVER, EVER, EVER.

Eric: BALL, KICK.

Eric: HOP-HOP. ( Bunny)

Playhouse!!

This is Oma and Grandpa's birthday present for William, Margaret, and Eric. And OH, has it been an exciting two days! It arrived yesterday in a VERY BIG TRUCK in two VERY BIG cardboard boxes, so big they wouldn't fit down the stair unless they were cut and folded! Mama and Dada worked over two days to put the outside playhouse together. We employed some creative phrasology. Sean did a lot of the work, after impatiently banishing the rest of the family from his immediate location. It has a working doorbell! Windows that open and shut!!! But if that were not enough---the cardboard it came in and 670 feet of duct tape is now a CASTLE in the basement. A Dutch castle. With peep holes for all heights of children. And a dead dolphin (?) and an alligator and a path and monsters. And it is called : LULU CASTLE. And cardboard swords are necessary. As is a Ninga costume. And a princess outfit. AND WE CAN BARELY STOP FOR LUNCH we are so driven to CREATE and PLAY more and more and more! Thanks, O and G!

Time to take up water aerobics.

Techocrumble

Our camera has bitten the dust. Literally. Thank you, Margaret.

Seems to be a technology curse at Household McCrea of the West...

Dr.Hausfrau Can Walk Again!

I have now recovered from the horrible pain and Frankenstein-like gait from running a hilly Mini Marathon without training on hills!

Horsetooth Half Marathon

I finished this half marathon today and had fun for 12/13ths of it! My friend Merek completed her first mini today. It was perfect weather and beautiful scenery. I'm glad to be home now enjoying the post-run munchies.

Soccer Season Begins

Soccer season is here again. In Laramie, this means the first practice was already cancelled due to snow! Sean the Brave is the coach again this year at William's request. It was 35 F with blustery winds this morning. These kids did not complain. They worked really hard and lost 5-2.

Margaret and Eric and I came about half-way through to cheer them on. Eric Who Loves the Ball, however, refused to be contained. He kept getting a second ball from the sidelines and charging the field-fast! He wouldn't stop, he tantrumed in two-year-old fashion when I tried to put him in his stroller. We solved this issue by watching from the contained warmth of the car window while listening to German children songs and playing Mr. Potato-head.

Sean coached his heart out, William played with passion. He dealt with their loss slightly better than in years past but still earned a lecture about how this is supposed to be fun. Soccer season is here again - and I'm.........the Soccer Mom.

Open School Spring Performance!

Oh, we were so excited! Margaret had been practicing her songs and her line. "And now, Miss. Jenn's class will perform 'The Farm Song'', for days! We got all ready, she wanted to wear my eye shadow (at least somebody wears my eye shadow!), I painted her nails sparkly purple to match her dress (Thanks, Mimi!). She is wearing one of my REAL necklaces! This is how she posed when I asked her to please sit like a lady.

Margaret, preparing for her role to hold up the straw house in the play The Three Little Pigs.

YAY! Spring performance! Yay Margaret!

How to Shop With the Family

Sean was tired and I was wired (coffee!!!), so I took all three of our peeps to the grocery store. I bribed the older children to help me and BE GOOD. Bribery works! William pushed Eric in the stroller and Margaret helped me load the cart up with an unmentionable amount of food. We were all very jolly and entertaining to at least ourselves, and perhaps others.... It's Laramie, so I ran into FIVE people we knew. You all know how long that takes, to talk to the Ladies in the grocery! The children were very patient. I tried to keep it short. Several aisles down the way I noticed that Eric had acquired a small Nerf football without my notice. Within seconds, he had unwrapped it and taken a small nibble from the corner- It was his! Imagine me, my overflowing cart, my stroller, my darting unpredictable children clogging up each aisle as we tried to get through - William pushing Eric and me shouting "Precision, William! This is a delicate maneuver! " alternating with "WATCH HIS LEGS AND THAT STAND OF GLASS OBJECTS, um, darling. And thank you." Eric kept throwing the football from his stroller down the aisle and other customers kept returning it to him. I think he played ball with at least 12 people throughout the store. I tried to take the ball away from him, but then decided it was cuter for him to throw the ball repeatedly than it was for him to shout for his "BAAAALLLLL" repeatedly. Finally, we made it to the blessed check out. The home stretch! We unloaded the cart and placed our huge pile of cloth bags proudly on the counter. We spaced out for several minutes and then started bagging frantically. Two years later, the cashier asked " Do you have your Safeway card?" After a bit of scrambling through my purse, I said, "No! I don't even have my wallet! Can I leave my groceries here while the crazy lady goes home to collect her things?"

Margaret's New Ride

Yesterday, Margaret went from kicking and screaming at the sight of the bike to riding all the way around Undine park with only one of my fingers touching the bike for support! What a learning curve! Good job getting over your FEAR OF THE BIKE, Margaret!

Don't Bother Calling

Eric just gave the phone a little swim in the toilet.

After the Show

The absolute best part of my day was taking Margaret to a show - just the girls. I brought the stroller along but Margaret walked/ran with her kittens the entire mile to the University auditorium. We went to the Celebration of the Nepalese New Year, 2068 BS on campus. Margaret paid attention for two hours, through their painful jokes, beautiful costumes, song, and dance. When they started to talk about human trafficking I decided that was a birthday conversation I didn't feel like having yet, so we went out to dinner. Margaret ate 2 pickles, 10 chips, and 5 bites of ice cream. It felt very fancy to be out LATE AT NIGHT ( 7:30pm). She rode in the stroller talking constantly without a breath all the way home as the sun set. We saw a rabbit, and a boy with a kite! I felt like the luckiest person alive. Welcome to age five, Margaret. It looks goood on you.

Margaret is Five!

When Margaret woke up she was greeted by some presents. Eric was eager to help her with the wrapping paper! She got a house of kittens from Beeba! They have gone everywhere with her since.

She got a sleeping bag - light purple!- from mom and dad. She slept in it last night.

The party didn't go exactly as planned. We had scheduled a party at the gymnastics place so we could bounce on trampolines. They called six hours later to let us know they had had "a severe scheduling mix-up" and that is why they stood us up - offered us a new party, this time for free! We're planning an un-birthday party for the near future, as soon as the parents can handle the thought again :) . So the party moved on, really quite smoothly and happily, to our house. It's snowing outside right now but yesterday it was *perfect* weather and we were all pleased to get to be outside instead anyway.

The pink cupcakes with purple frosting are a big hit with kids and adults won't touch them! I consider this a perfect solution!

Enthusiastic reveler.

A typical birthday scene.

Margaret and her friends handled the change in scene with poise and a grand time was had by all!

Our New Plan

It is often VERY WINDY up here on this mountaintop as spring actually blows in. Sometimes you can't even go outside it is so windy. Sometimes it blows you a foot to the side as you try to pedal your bike like the wicked witch...60 mph gusts are not uncommon. I cut my hair, wanting to be able to walk outside without getting hair sticking like needles in my eyeballs. But turns out I didn't have to cut my hair to deal with the wind. Sean was reading a book last night and he came up with a new plan for us!!! "The Chuckchee, a people indigenous to Siberia, had their own special way of dealing with unruly winds. A Chuckchee man would chant, 'Western Wind, look here! Look down on my buttocks. We are going to give you some fat. Cease blowing!' The nineteenth-century European visitor who reported this ritual described it as follows: 'The man pronouncing the incantation lets his breeches fall down, and bucks leeward, exposing his bare buttocks to the wind. At every word he claps his hands.' " It's supposed to get windy this afternoon and I can't wait!!!

The Flower Girl Dress

Margaret's flower girl dress has arrived and fits perfectly. Karen found this dress - what a fancy and beautiful choice! The excitement at Chez McCrea (of the West) is rising!!!

Hair Products for Men

It was strangely quiet in the house and I found myself cooking dinner in peace. I kept thinking "Better go find out what Eric is doing..." but I kept putting it off. I mean, it was just SO NICE to stand there in the kitchen. Margaret was telling me stories about her day. William was playing basketball in the back yard. But where WAS Eric? I set off to find him -and there he was in the bathroom applying Sean's L'Oreal Paris StudioLine Texturizing Gel-Cream "Messy & Piecey Effects" hair product to his naked po-po. When he saw me he looked up and said "Dada Po-po".

Funnier still is that this picture is a reenactment. Yes, blog readers, I gave the product back to him about an hour later just for the sake of this post which I couldn't image without the picture.