35 years ago today...

i was born. i'm gonna party like it's 1979. which probably means watch color television. 

title: a big weekend! subtitle: i should have kept krissy's shoes

for our 11 year anniversary, davidrussell is taking me here:

21C museum hotel

louisville friends, 

please meet us for a drink in the Proof bar on friday night.

next, we'll pick up our kids from my dad's and all go here:

get into your yellow submarine and meet us saturday on the river. this could be the whitest thing davidrussell ever does...

recipe for a pirate party

every kid needs a pirate party. ours turned out pretty darn well. so well, in fact, i wanted to share with you my personal recipe. here are some suggested ingredients for a fun, 3 year old birthday pirate party:

1. evite invitation - they have a couple of cute pirate graphics and b/c you have to fill it out yourself, there's lots of opportunity pirate jargon.

2. pirate apparel - these should be included in your favors, but give them to the kids as soon as they arrive. we had eye patches and hats. and grown-up krissy even brought fake earrings.

3. a pirate. (or a dad that's willing to dress up like a pirate.)

and also a parrot...

3. a treasure map. i downloaded this one and printed it out on kaki 11x17. when the little pirates arrive, have maps and crayons/markers ready at tables. encourage them to begin making their treasure map b/c later "we might have to search for the treasuaaah!" the maps are a nice way to corral the kids until everyone arrives.

4. tattoos - very important. while the kids color their maps, recruit a grown-up to be the tattoo dude or lady and put tattoos on the kids. sara p. helped me out with this. she is bode's teacher and brought bode's special friend, sara e., to the party. (yes, there are lots of saras. try to keep up.) 

5. now with the apparel, tattoos and treasure maps, the kids are totally in the pirate spirit. and they are also already in their seats so if you plan to serve food, this is the perfect time to do it. i kept it simple with pizza. and dave brought Pirate's Booty so we ate that, too.

6. How I Became a Pirate - as the kids finish their food, read this book to them. it's such a cute book and towards the end of the story, the pirates bury the treasure in jeremy's backyard. after the story, give guests their sand buckets (see #7) and maps and lead them to the backyard to look for the treasuaaah!

7. buckets and treasure - ok, here's where i'll speak more about favors and activities. provide guests with their own sand bucket and shovel. (i found these in the dollar aisle at target.) find a creative way to personalize them (i simply used a sharpie.) the bucket serves as the "goodie bag." but the goodie bag is empty b/c the goodies are buried in the backyard. 

we found small treasure chest piggy banks that we filled with candy, little pirate-ish toys and tattoos. we created one per guest. 

8. pirate cove in your own backyard - (this is where the treasure is buried!) choose a nook area of your backyard. you'll need a tarp, 10 - 15 bags of sand (we only used 8 bags and it wasn't quite enough), and some creepy pirate accessories. remember, pirate coves are not pleasant. basically, you just want to create a beach in your backyard. (we would have worked a baby pool into this shindig, but it was too chilly.) 

before the party, bury the "treasure" in the sand. in addition to the treasure chests, we buried other stuff like containers of candy and packs of stickers so there was plenty of stuff to dig up.

9. digging for treasure - ok, so the story is over and all the kids have their buckets and maps. release them to the backyard and let them dig in the sand and fill their buckets with loot. our little pirates had so much fun playing in the sand that they really kept forgetting they were supposed to be finding treasure. it was a hoot.

10. pirate cake - we had a captain jack cake but any pirate cake will do. after we were all sandy, we decided to just stay outside. we had cake, opened presents and the kids played until parents picked up and/or it was time to go. 

so that's my recipe for a pretty fun pirate party that my 3 year old just might remember... or not. oh, and i almost forgot...

the pirate cove and the whole party for that matter wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for my man, davidrussell. if anyone is wondering what an incredible dad looks like, they need look no further than this black pirate. ooo, i love that guy.

nhlanhla gladstone

gladstone left us today. he spent 5 days with us during his visit to the u.s. from mamelodi, south africa. his schedule kept him busy, but we did manage to introduce him to s'mores and mexican food. i'm not sure he was impressed with either.

he's a 22 year old college student, musician, and a bit of a goofball. my kids adore him, especially bode. we'll miss him, but i suspect he'll be back someday.

bode is 3!

while here he's simply mild-mannered bode enjoying his morning "coffee" (o.j. and apple juice mixed together), later today he'll become... 

Captain Buccaneer Bode of the Seven Seas of the Ohio! Argh!

yes, bode has been alive for 3 years and he's actually getting a party this year. not that a cupcake and balloons isn't good enough, but it seems like whatever parents do for the 1st child is cut in half for the 2nd. half the photos, half the parties, half the gifts. oh well. when the 2nd child comes, then it's double the fun, right?

this morning bode and i chatted over coffee about his birthday:

me - "bode! 3 years ago you were in my belly and you came out."

bode - "yeah, i was a baby in yo' bellee. and i said, 'ha, ha, ha.'"

me - "you were laughing inside my belly?"

bode - "yeah. i said, 'ha, ha, ha' and i was tickling you. and you lookin' around and you said, (his voice deepens) 'hey, who's that ticklin' me?'" 

i thought, that sounds about right. although i didn't realize i sound like a stuffy old man when i talk. 

this isn't the first time bode has demonstrated a remarkable memory. i was happy to hear his perspective from the "inside."

anyway, what am i doing talking to you people?! i still have to bury the treasure, make the grog and swab the poopdeck. 

semi-annual haircut

mac's semi-annual haircut took place friday. tempers ran high, but mac endured. david held on to his patience by a thread. 

look at the little clenched fist. if he knew the words "go beep yourself, daddy," he would have said them. i guess he would have also told me what i could do with the beepin' camera, for that matter.

after an emotional bath, it was Noggen and dry Kix. can i a guy re-group for the love? 

it always ends well. he giggles when he looks in the mirror. he likes the change. while we think it's all very hip and cool to have a little surfer "do," it's a summertime pain for a little boy that gets hot, takes a lot of baths and can't see b/c his hair is in his eyes. now maybe he's just more of a jack johnson surfer. i'm just glad to see his forehead. i was missing it.

happy mother's day!

it's good to be a mom. and it only gets better. the first few years of motherhood means a lot of "daddy signing baby's name" and "oh, look at the gift baby got mommy." it feels a little ridiculous, but it's also sweet. anyway, the boys are gaining a better understanding of holidays like today and they are excited. it's very sweet and fun. all 3 boys gave me super sweet gifts - a new watering can, and new gardening gloves in my favorite color. and also my favorite flowers in my favorite color. they're even my favorite kind of flower to get - the kind i can plant rather than the kind i can put in a vase. (there's probably a more poetic way to say that.) also an iTunes gift card - (anyone want to recommend a good musical download?)

of course, mother's day tends to be one of those "make mom a craft at school" holidays. i don't know if it ever gets old, but i was very excited. plus, this year has been the first year that mac has "got it." i picked him up from school last week and he handed me a big card and decorated brown bag. he said, "here, mommy, this is for you. happy mother's day!" it's a very normal thing to do, but the first time your child says it on his own without prompting, etc., it's pretty darn cool. anyway, inside the bag was a flower the kids had obviously potted in class. but my favorite of all is the card. mac had shared all last week that they were learning about caterpillars and butterflies. when i received the card, i discovered why....

c'mon. it's a butterfly. is that the sweetest little card ever? and look what's inside:

you can't read that? what is wrong with you? it says: I love you.  Happy Mom Day. Mac. (not necessarily in that order.) anyway, this is the first card the little guy wrote all by himself. this mom stuff doesn't get easier, but it certainly gets more fun. and more sweet. and more noomie noomie.