Retro Casserole Party followed by a little real life

The best addition to my kitchen supplies in a very long time! A dinosaur salt and pepper shaker! The cost of a new dino salt and pepper shaker set seemed completely reasonable while I was out shopping in preparation for our 2nd annual retro-casserole party! The retro-casserole party is my favorite time of the year.  We hosted it this year and had a blast even though we bought new sets of plates, glassware, silverware, folding tables/chairs and who knows what else! It was worth all of it.  

All our favorite people were able to attend.

Cousin Katy came!

My posse.  I wouldn't have survived many a day without these two from picking up a child last minute, to supplying me with Mt. Dew, to letting me scream about things and move on like nothing happened.  Skies the limit.

We put all the folding tables together in the dining room to create a giant table for people to sit around.  If you were sitting in the back corner you weren't going anywhere.  It was the best night of 20+ people crammed into a room.  We shook it up a bit this year and made people draw numbers when they arrived and their number corresponded with where, at the table, they sat.

We had so much fun we barely got a picture of the two of us!

And just like that reality strikes and you wake up the next day with kids screaming and crying for who knows what reason. Whee. Parenthood.  These weren't taken the next day but somehow they need up in this post so we are rolling with it.  It's not all fun and games in our household.  Sometimes there are tears and screaming.

I actually feel about like this every time I do laundry.  

I almost forgot what this picture was about.  And then I remembered why we had to slather Cater down with peanut butter from her fingertips to her elbows.  She thought it was awesome. I thought it was awful.  We had set humane mouse traps around the house.  The kid that are sticky so the mouse isn't killed immediately but rather dies a slow death on a sticky trap.  Seems more humane huh??? Cate found herself stuck to one of the mouse traps and had pulled it off and restock herself over and over again.  We had to remove the glue from her hands/arms and per Google, peanut butter was about our only option.  It worked.  The glue traps vanished after that or maybe the next episode of a kid getting stuck in one.  

Christmas In Florida

We visited Grammy and Poppy in Florida for Christmas 2017.  The yellow house had been torn down and rebuilt into a beautiful functional home for all of us to come together and enjoy. 

Austin looks the same size as Cate.  He probably is by now.  

An official kids table!

New unicorn slippers.

A trip to the beach can solve all of life's problems.

...and then again...so can ice cream.

I don't remember why Cater is crying but she was ticked off about something.  We've grown accustomed to her episodes of rage and anger.

There are now three boys.  There are now four girls.  Those boys  need to stick together.  Team meeting. Huddle.

Giving the little guy life lessons.

Grammy and Poppy arranged for a friend to come over and take pictures of the grand kids in their matching outfits.  Parents of children were not allowed bc apparently we make things worse.  I am offended. Gasp.  

After the kids had their pictures taken they were allowed to change into their swim suits for the gigantic surprise rubber duck.  It took Craig and I quite awhile to get it blown up and then get it onto the lanai b/c it was too big to fit through very many door ways.  The best part of the gigantic rubber duck which sadly wasn't caught on camera or video was Craig attempting to jump onto it. He completely missed it. The duck floated off and he almost drowned. He didn't really almost drown b/c the pool isn't that deep but it was amazing.  I, the graceful one, jumped onto the duck with no problems at all.

New headphones for everyone! It's a win b/c no adult wants to listen to the obnoxious nonsense that comes from a child's iPad!

So many things to do

Cater's first hair cut. It was minimal but the haircut I had given her previously was starting to show itself.  It was not an impressive use of scissors. 

I got the outside of the house all decorated.  The benefit of a mild start to the winter.

We watched the holiday train arrive at the station in OP.  Anwen is the one hoisting Cater off the ground.

Miss M's portrait of her sister.

and of Me...

Embarking on a trip to see Santa.

A trip to see Santa always requires a train ride too.

November is the month of November when we run the streets of OP. You can run N/S, E/W, or all of them.  Bekah is crazy and so we ran them all. Every last one of them.  It equates to over 100 miles.  We ran them all in approx 15 day or less.  My mind is blurry b/c all we did was run and run some more.  There were days when we would have to drop one car at our final running destination and drive to the start in someone else's car. It was very methodically planned.  Usually by Bekah.  We often would have to run with five kids, three strollers, blankets, snacks, and more.  Let's just say we might not have been driving with enough car seats/seat belts for all the people/stuff we crammed in each car.  I am going to miss Govember this year. A lot.

The last miles to finish up the card.  Sweet sweet miles those were. The kids were really the troopers b/c we would subject them to a lot of chilly weather and time in their strollers.  We did provide them with electronics so it wasn't as bad as it sounds!

It's clearly Christmas season!

November finishers.  The first five people got a free shirt for running 100+ miles.  Four of the five were preschool parents/teachers! People who run together :)

The start to winter was mild enough we were able to go to LP Zoo Lights and enjoy the lights instead of walk around miserable b/c everyone was uncomfortable.

It has been years and years since all three fell asleep in the car at the same time. I am not sure it's happened since.  Miracles do happen :)