Someone Crashed My Fourth of July Party

I know that technically “It wasn’t MY party,” and yes, I like all the people that came but seriously … I have a few expectations and one of those is that the world revolves around me.  For the last several years my personal party planners Tiffanie and Don get up in the wee hours of the morning, schlep a couple coolers of food, a canopy, and a tarp to mark our area and drive into Boston to hold a prime spot for me to watch the fireworks.  That way I can mosey my way into Boston at a realistic hour, enjoy an icy drink and watch fireworks with little cleanup before heading home.  

But this year the pleasure of my company wasn’t enough apparently (whatever) and four other families came too.  Darn it!  I had this completely worked out and now these four families are going to tell four families, and those four families are going …  I’m watching my sweet deal slip through my fingers.  Tiffanie is going to have to bring me a really good treat next year to console me!

The fireworks, of course, were spectacular!  This year was much more enjoyable because I left Will at home.  I asked Jake if he’d stay home and watch Will and surprisingly he said yes.  Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth I didn’t press my luck by asking, “Are you sure?”  I might not have gone this year if I had to bring Will because it was so painful to do last year both literally (because he dug his fingernails into my arms) and figuratively (because of  … uh, multiple issues).

We’ll see how many people come next year.  I might have follow Tiffanie around and tell people they decided not to go.

Ringing In the New Year (in hindsight I’m really glad we didn’t go to First Night in Boston)

One of my husband’s friends came over last night but since their kids are young they left before 7:00.  I dropped off Bri at a slumber party and then things got really fun!  My husband and I played Agricola with Lizzy while Jake and Will watched videos on the computer.

Then Jake started puking.

We put the kids to bed and then played Agricola four more times.

Then we went to bed.

Then my husband started puking.

Then Lizzy puked.

Then we got up. 

I cancelled Jake’s party for today.

I decided to go pick up Bri before I started puking.

She told me that she puked at exactly 12:05am.

I stopped at the store for 7up and crackers.

I asked my husband if he wanted to play Agricola again but he said maybe later.

Neither I nor Will have puked yet.

Christmas 2009

Yesterday we invited my husband’s cousin and her husband over for dinner.  The kids love having people over so it was fun.  They brought a gingerbread house to build and decorate which was a great idea.  I think we will have to do that in the future.  It will be a fun tradition.  Unfortunately, they left all the candy as well, darn them!

Late last night I walked downstairs to get the Christmas presents but Bri was sitting next to her dad on the couch watching TV.  I growled, “Go to bed!”  She immediately did.  I guess she properly interpreted the growl as an “I’m really tired and if I don’t put out the presents now; I’m going to bed and they’ll get the presents tomorrow after I wake up” kind of growl.

This morning at 7:00am I heard little Lizzy feet run down the hallway to the living room.  Jake came in a couple of times to get us up but I said we weren’t getting up until everyone was up.  I eventually got up but Will was back in bed muttering “So exciting” over and over before switching to “Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 2.”  We got him up but he wasn’t interested in any presents – because after all, why would he be?  We got him to open a couple but then he walked downstairs to watch TV, or maybe, just to get away from us.

I almost messed up Lizzy’s presents but fortunately didn’t.  She wanted the Indiana Jones number 2 set but I bought her number 4.  But she decided 4 was better.  My response was, “huh?  Oh, there is more than one set.”  I think the kids were happy with what they got but I know I have a Harry Potter DVD somewhere.  So, I have no idea what else I have hidden from myself.  I inevitably find things I’ve bought for Christmas months later. 

The 4th of July

For the first time in 8 years we did not go into Boston to watch the fireworks. We were exhausted from Six Flags and the people who usually drive in at 8:00 am to get a great spot right on the Charles didn’t. So, we couldn’t drive in at 6:00pm, eat the snacks and drinks someone else hauled in it, and have a front row seat for the fireworks. Doing it ourselves seemed like too much effort. So we went to Newton.

After being use to seeing one of the best fireworks displays in the country, Newton’s seemed kind of lame. I recognize that any city’s wouldn’t seem great but it didn’t help that I wrote down the wrong directions and we had to wait for the fireworks to start then drive in that direction and as a result we ended up seeing them from the side of a road the day before garbage day. We parked beside a gigantic mound of trash and peered down the street towards the sky. Will enjoyed them for a while then was ready to go even before it was over. I agreed with him. Am I ruined forever for normal fireworks? I worry so. Maybe if I have snacks and a chair it would be ok. Certainly I need to watch them in a park rather than by a pile of trash.