the sweetest little three year old in the world becomes the sweetest little four year old in the world

It's 4:45 am, and Harry is sleeping, really sleeping, not the sedative induced sleep he's had for the past few weeks, peacefully. Some time after this is all over, I'll probably reflect on it and thank everyone here. But right now, I'm going to tell you all about this sweet boy's birthday. His illness started a week to the day after his party, and in the mad rush of worry, prayer, heartbreak, and difficult decisions, I haven't had time or felt comfortable taking time to share all about it. But things are definitely on the upswing now, so here are all the details of his special day.

Harry loooves Wild Kratts, so he decided that he wanted a Wild Kratts party months ago. The easiest place to have an animal centered party, and a place he loves to go anyway, is the nearby nature center. So, the planning began! The most important part of transforming into a Wild Kratt is the Creature Power Suit. So armed with t-shirts from the Dollar Tree, bargain bin fabric from Walmart, and my hot glue gun, I made the special vests for each party guest. Harry wanted a green suit so he could be Chris, rather than Martin, who wears blue. Harry's next request was to play bingo, and he also wanted to incorporate cheetahs, so the kids earned cheetah Creature Power Badges for playing. The two other games he chose were the cocoon game (each team wrapped their caterpillar in crepe paper. Once all the covered, the kid who was the caterpillar broke free as a butterfly!) and the bumble bee game, (the kids popped balloons filled with prizes. Big thanks to our PBS station for providing the Wild Kratts stickers.) This was a good alternative to a pinata in an indoor space. Then we had the amazing cake that Cory made. (I'm so glad he is so good and creative with the kids cakes, because I am not!) And he opened his presents. Then it was time to run around and "be cwazy" in the nature center. Harry had so, so much fun. Thank you to everyone who made his birthday so special. We love you all.
Here are some pictures of my sweet boy and his party.

Here are some websites that gave me ideas:
Thunder Clouds and a Furrowed Brow

Crazy Wonderful

Kara's Creative Place

Purex Winners!

I chose Purex winners last night! Congratulations to Stephanie and Bethany, who won the Ultrapacks, and to Pat and Trisha, won won the Triple Action detergent. Trisha, I will need your address, please :) Everyone else, I'll hand them to you in person next time I see you. (I meant to give Stephanie hers today! Oh well!) Thanks to everyone who entered! Hopefully, in the next few days, I will post all about Harry's birthday party. Congrats again to the winners!

Purex Giveaway!

Remember a few weeks ago when I did this Purex review? Well, last week, they sent me some coupons for FREE products to use for a giveaway! There will be four winners total. Two people will win a coupon for a free full sized package of Purex Triple Action Laundry Detergent, and two people will win a coupon for a free full sized package of Purex Ultra Packs. Yay!!! To enter, as always, follow the blog and leave a comment saying you want to win! I will draw the winners one week from today, Friday, February 17, using random.org. Good Luck!

P.S. If you can't wait to try the new products go here to get a free sample of Purex Triple Action. (They will be giving away free samples of the action packs in a few weeks. You can only get one or the other, so if you want the action packs, don't request the Triple Action detergent!)

Happy Groundhog Day!

For the past few days, Jack, who wants to celebrate everything, has been asking what our big plans were for celebrating Groundhog Day. (Seriously, two days ago, he asked how we were going to celebrate it being the last day of January.) My reply that we would read Ten Grouchy Groundhogs did not impress him. (Side note: Why is it that I happened upon the groundhog book 148 times in the weeks before today, but couldn't find it anywhere when we actually needed it? I ended up stealing an extra copy from the box o books that are meant to be gifts. Oh well!) So to make it seem more of an occasion, the boys and I decided to make groundhog cupcakes. We have a family of groundhogs living near our backyard, two parents and their ten, yes ten, offspring. So, step one for groundhog cupcakes was setting out the groundhog traps. Just kidding! The part about the groundhog family living near us was true, but, instead, we tried these Fun-da-middles cupcakes that I got for a crazy good deal at the salvage store. Jack has been begging me to make them, so it seemed like the perfect occasion. Harry and Jack helped bake and decorate the treats, and nothing makes it seem like a party like cake, right? So here's to six more weeks of winter and having a party just because you can! Now I need to get the kids to bed so Cory and I can enjoy some Bill Murray goodness that I forgot that I bought at a yard sale a few months ago :)

Addie liked the cupcakes too!

A good day (and a laundry detergent review!)

Today was the kind of day that makes me feel like I actually know how to do my job. After feeling completely frazzled by the end of the day yesterday, today was a very welcome alternative. We woke up to snow, which completely thrilled the kids, and to a clean house, which completely thrilled me (even though it meant that Cory and I spent last night cleaning it.) After the boys were at school, Addie and I got a new, delicious recipe for dinner in the crockpot, (tortellini in a tomato alfredo sauce, yum!) put the dough for these awesome Olive Garden knock off breadsticks, and mixed up this yummy Amish baked oatmeal to throw in the oven during dinner to have for dessert. When Harry got home from school, I implemented the new screen time ticket system I've been meaning to start for awhile. (All I did was make tickets out of construction paper. Why did I not get that done sooner???) He only used two tickets, and we read High Five, played counting games, and built Disney World out of Blocks. When Jack got home, all three kids played together nicely, and he did his homework without complaining. While the kids cleaned the happily cleaned the playroom, (I know, right?) I got started on making Creature Power Suits for Harry's birthday party. Then, after Addie was in bed, Jack, Harry and I played TWO board games, (The Cat in the Hat, I Can do That! and Hi Ho Cherry-O,) Jack started his third chapter book, (the first without pictures, he was quick to point out,) and we read some Harry Potter before bed. Then they went to bed without any complaints! It was the kind of day that makes it feel like I'm pretty darn good at what I do compared to most of the other days when the house is a mess, the kids are whining, I'm seriously considering serving cereal for dinner, and nobody has any intention of going to sleep! I'm going to remember this day next time I'm having a "the kids are driving me crazy!!!! day. I kinda felt like SuperMom today ;) This probably sounds braggy, but I assure you, most days are not like this!

My little Wild Kratts!

In a totally blatent change of subject, that I am going to attempt a clever tie in with, during some of my extra time today (I really had extra time! Awesome!!!) I made a (small) dent in the ever present mountain of laundry in the laundry room. It is a constant battle, that, admittedly, I am usually losing. Recently, Purex gave me a bunch of really great new products to try! Anything that helps make the job I hate most easier is a winner in my book. The first thing I got to try was Purex Triple Action Laundry Detergent. I tried the free and clear version, which I really liked. It was safe for regular or HE machines. I thought that was pretty convenient. It got the clothes really clean, and I didn't have to worry about the kids having any reactions to dye or perfumes. The next product I tried was the new Purex Ultra Packs. These are pretty cool. They are little packets (like the kind I use for my dishwasher.) You just toss the packet into the machine, put the clothes in, and start the machine. No measuring at all! And it got the clothes really clean. The plastic cover dissolves and releases the detergent into the wash. (I got the free and clear version of this too.) And the last awesome product I tried was Purex Crystals Fabric Softener. I got the Tropicla Splash scent and used it on the boys' bedding. It's been about a week since I used it, and it still smells yummy and fresh every time I tuck them in!
Why am I telling you all of this, you ask? Well... *hopefully* I will get a chance to do giveaways for one or all of these products for you, lovely readers. I really hope I get to share some laundry cleaning awesomeness with you!!!

The Boys' First Christmas Pagent!

Last Sunday, Jack and Harry were in their first Christmas pagent, organized by Clarice, the awesome children's minister at our church. Much like t-ball in the summer, few things are more nostalgia invoking than a children's Christmas pagent. (Erica and Kurt Adam: Do you remember being the three wiseman in the DANK Christmas plays? Erica and I wore the green and blue velvet gown things, and Kurt wore a purple tunic. Then one year they decided everyone would be shepherds. We wore the same costumes and were the best dressed shepherd's Bethlehem had ever seen. And the whole thing was a poem we recited in German; we were never really sure what we were saying! Wasn't everyone a member of a German-American cultural organization?)

Jack was a wiseman, and Harry was a shepherd. The whole thing was completely adorable. All the kids walked somberly down the aisle toward the amazing set, except, of course, for Harry, who ran the whole way. As everyone laughed at him, Jack started towards the set, and thought everyone was laughing about his belt that he was suddenly self conscious about :( But other than that it was perfect. The kids sang songs like "Take Me Out to the Stable" to the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," and "Mary had a Baby Boy" to the tune of "Mary had a Little Lamb." All the kids did a great job, and Jack and Harry proved what little hams they are once again!

Here are some pictures!

I had to throw in one picture of Addie in her pretty dress!

A Catastrophe of Elfin Proportions...

As we were rushing around the house on Friday to try and get out the door for our annual pilgrimmage to see Santa and eat at the Walnut Room, disaster struck our elf, Fred. Fred was perched on to of the chalkboard in the kitchen, where he had left a message: "Fred was here." Jack decided he wanted to write a message back to him. Half way through the "F," the chalkboard wobbled, and Fred plunged to the floor, but not before bouncing off Jack's shoulder first. Jack was devastated. Amidst his sobbing and giant tears, I learned what happened. As I tried to calm him down by explaining that it was just an accident, and that I was certain that Fred had not lost his magic when Jack accidentally touched him, Cory was giving me the signal to not say anymore. It turns out that Fred's leg had broken off and was m.i.a. As Fred was quickly hidden before the kids noticed the missing limb, I swept the kitchen floor hoping to catch the leg. While I was doing that, having told the kids that Fred was probably hiding because he was shaken up from his fall, Jack went and got a jingle bell ornament. He shook the bells saying, through sniffles, "Maybe if he hears a Christmas sound, he'll want to come back." It was simultaneously adorable and heart breaking. I was starting to panic internally about the leg when Harry piped up, "Hey! I found Fred's foot!" (Or, if you know Harry: "Hey! I thound Thred's thoot!) As he didn't seem upset at all, I thanked him for the leg and hid it in the palm of my hand. In the meantime, the bells not working, Jack remembered that in the Elf on the Shelf movie, the elf got hot chocolate as medicine to make him better. When I reached into the cabinet for a mug, Jack was concerned that it was way to big for Fred. Knowing that Addie had a little porcelain tea set in her closet, (Cory got it for her birthday,) I used that opportunity to sneak Fred and the glue gun upstairs while I looked for a suitably sized mug. The hot chocolate (and me hiding in the upstairs bathroom with a hot glue gun) worked its magic, and soon Fred was "drawn to the scent of the hot chocolate," according to Cory, and was sitting on the window sill waiting for his mug of chocolatey goodness. Jack left a few cookie crumbs, and when we got home the next night, Fred was sitting at a different window with an empty mug. And all was well with the world.