Party Time

Would anyone like to plan Trent's third birthday party? His party last week was so much fun, but I am so not a party-planner. You know you have problems when you plan a small birthday party at a place that provides everything, but you still don't do anything until the day of the party, which is also a day you did not take off work. Just add it to my Mother of the Year nomination form. :) Thank goodness the little man was oblivious to my pre-party anxiety; he had a blast with family, friends, and Chuck E, which made it all 110% worth it! Here are some pictures from the party...

The last one was taken when Chuck E left the room. Trent tried to follow him, but we told him Chuck E was gone. I'm sure we will be back to see Chuck E soon!

Special thanks to my great friend Kelli for taking pictures during the party! Having a photographer there was definitely my best party-planning idea!

Venison and bedtime rituals

Warning: If you are a vegetarian, you should probably skip this post.

I tried deer meat venison for the first time last week, and I spit out my only bite it didn't go very well. I felt a little guilty, because it was Trent's birthday, and Mike was excited about using venison for the first time. We decided to make tacos. The first bad sign was that I did not like the smell of it when it was cooking. {Background info: I have a very sensitive nose, and I can not eat things that smell odd/bad. I have never tried tuna fish. I beg Mike to eat it in another room and throw the leftovers away outside. I also don't like preparing meat. I can do it, but raw meat freaks me out a little bit.} The deer meat didn't necessarily stink, but it didn't smell good either. It looked fine, but I waited on Mike to get home to take a look/smell before I put in the seasoning. He insisted it was fine, and he swears he liked the taste. Trent took a few bites, but I think after he saw me spit out my first bite, he was a little skeptical. In my opinion, it tasted like it smelled, and it did not taste anything like regular/beef taco meat. I wish I would have liked it, and I'm willing to try it again {especially since we have a lot more in the freezer!}. If any of you cook with venison, please pass along recipes and advice. Mike will love you for it!

In other news, Trent has a new bedtime ritual. After we bathe, read, and pray, he now insists that we arrange his animals in their sleep positions.

He puts his arms around them... until it's time to go to sleep.

Then he assumes his position: thumb in mouth, other hand twirling hair.

Don't worry, he's not a sissy. He drives a tractor.

TWO

Happy 2nd birthday Trent! We love you SOOO much!

Has it really been two weeks?

I can't believe Christmas was two weeks ago! We started a new tradition this year and spent the night at our house. It made it much easier for Santa.

We decided to start the three gifts tradition next year. Santa started shopping early this year and got lots of good deals on small stuff. He also totally forgot about our stockings, but maybe that was because we forgot to leave him milk and cookies.

The tricycle was by far his favorite gift, and he immediately started riding it down the hall. He quickly realized that he did not need to pedal and began riding "Fred Flinstone" style.

We headed to Christmas lunch with the Gunter family, but by the time we got there after a 45-minute drive, Trent had a fever of 102.5. After Tylenol, Motrin, and the stripping of a turtleneck, he was up for some lunch and presents.

Since Trent was sick and my camera was still smoking from our trip to Opp, I didn't take many pictures during our second Christmas celebration. I did, however, get a cute one of the Paschal family.

I really wish we could spend more time with the whole "Gunter" gang. We always have so much fun together, and this man, "Paw Paw" is our fearless leader:) He is an incredible man, and he pulled some funny stuff out of his big bag of fun this year.


After afternoon naps, we had our final Christmas celebration at my parents' house. It was so much fun that we got brave and attempted some family pictures.



Can you tell Trent's medicine is wearing off in this one?


We were all reminded of childhood innocence when after opening countless gifts, Trent and Trevor picked these $2 stocking stuffers to entertain us the rest of the night.

Later, we were shocked to find our first White Christmas outside!

He was unamused, but I think it was due to the fever.

It sounds like he might get another chance at snow in the next couple of days!

Reed Family Christmas

My mother-in-law loves Christmas, and it's evident the minute you enter her house.

They have a very pretty Christmas tree, and she joked that they may keep it decorated all year... in the basement:)

This village is amazing, and we had to make sure Trent didn't mistake it for his Little People.

We Mike, John and Brandon spent the first night putting together Trent's big gift from Mimi and Papa. {I was just the sticker girl. Men aren't very good at placing stickers.}



We ran a few errands the next morning, and I convinced Mike to pose in front of his old stomping grounds. As you can see, Trent was more interested in jumping off the brick.

The rest of the Reeds arrived around lunch time, and thanks to my crafty and patient sister-in-law, we started our Reindeer and Santa place mats.

I was shocked that Trent enjoyed this activity and actually liked his hand being painted. I was prepared to use lots of force to get a single handprint, but he willingly did lots of them.

And this, my friends, is one of the many reasons why I LOVE this child. She poses for my pictures even when I don't beg and act crazy.

The almost-finished products...


The next day, we had a big breakfast and opened presents.


He loved his tractor!


We played in the $2 snow I found at Big Lots.


The snow faded quickly, but luckily Papa and Uncle B were there to provide more fun entertainment.


Since the first craft went well, we decided to make some cookies and let our little ones decorate them.


You can tell that somebody was doing more than just decorating. Cookies, icing and lots of m&m's ended up being lunch.


They turned out pretty cute and very yummy.


And that concludes our first Christmas of 2010. I don't have nearly as many pictures from our second and third celebrations, since Trent got a fever virus around noon on Saturday. Thank goodness for Ibuprofin and Tylenol!

We wish you a Merry Christmas

We hope your Christmas is filled with joy and laughter!



And most importantly, let us all remember the reason we celebrate Christmas- the birth of Jesus.

Merry Christmas 2010.

Love,

Mike, April and Trent