Friday Free-For-All

The bird is back.  We've named him "Stupid". Stupid pecks at our bathroom window, both living room windows and now our bedroom window. He comes around on most days, except the rainy ones.  I'll catch Stupid peering through the glass, as if he's looking for something and hopping around on the ledge trying to get a better look inside.  Maybe Stupid really isn't stupid.  Maybe he's stupid smart!  Maybe he's a spy.  Lucky bird...

I think Jude could survive off of grapes, applesauce and oatmeal if I would allow it.  That boy shovels that stuff in his mouth like its going out of style!

Everything about birthday parties gives me anxiety.  The preparation. The creativity needed.  The anticipation.  The event itself, because that involves small talk (and this year with mothers whom I've never even met before).  But I love my family.  And I am just gonna have to resolve to laboring this act of love...5 times a year...and this is when the number of children I have gives me anxiety, ha!  Man will I be a happier, more light-hearted mama after Saturday afternoon.

Rainy has had so much fun celebrating her birthday "public-school-style"!  You know, they sing to you, the parents get to visit and bring in cupcakes to the class, the siblings get to come too...so much fun!  So, on Wednesday evening I herded the Colony into the store to pick out 3 dozen cupcakes.  You know, the things that have to be picked up, just so, and carried, just so, and maneuvered oh-so-carefully.  I had 5 sets of hands that wanted to "help" pick, carry and maneuver these fragile little sugar piles.  It took way longer than it ever should have taken to get them to the cashier belt, only to find an early 20-something guy who had NO IDEA how to handle cupcakes! He began flipping them backwards, forwards and upside down to scan and bag them (I mean really, who BAGS cupcakes LONGWAYS into a bag!)...SERIOUSLY?!  Do you KNOW how long it took me to get those 3-dozen cupcakes to you looking like they did?    *sigh*    Oh well, I think Rainy was so engulfed in excitement that she didn't even notice:)  And that's a good thing, because as soon as Spiderman  stepped in to help put them in the car he dropped a dozen of them on their heads, ha!  You just gotta laugh, right?

We got to participate in "reading our socks off" time for literacy day!

We did make it to Rainy's class to pass out cupcakes.  It was so cute.  I left PacMan Jude with a friend and took Alethia and Cai with me.  As soon as we walked in Rainy's class she lit up!  She started parading her siblings around like trophies.  I'm telling you, you would have thought that Alethia was a princess the way they were making over her!:)  Rainy was absolutely BEAMING!  She takes pride in being the older sister to this Colony and it fills my heart.  You could tell that Rainy talks about them to her friends a lot.  One girl came up and said, "Hey Rainy's sister who was adopted and I can't remember your name.  You're SO cute!"  When we went down to kiss Zeke before leaving the kids in his class were in awe of Zeke's brown-skinned sister.  You could just see their wheels spinning:)  One of Zeke's friends kept coming up with a confused look on his face.  I said, "Hey Kian!"  He just stared and then responded, "That's Zeke's sister?  He (pointing to Cai) looks just like him:)  He has a brown sister?"  I LOVED it!  And Alethia walked around like royalty the rest of the day.

Well, I have a busy weekend of party anticipation to get ready for:)

HAPPY FRIDAY YA'LL!