Sunday...BRRR it's cold out!

This morning we had Ryan's preschool church program. He was a mouse. He was not thrilled apparently about that...














Later with Candy cane in his mouth, things were a different story.

Also here is Meghan before her choir concert.




This afternoon we are taking the girls and their friends Lauren and Jaye to go see Miracle on 34th Street at the community theatre. The boys are going with Lhonda and Bob to Noelle's church program. Maybe she will sing better than Ryan.

We were planning on getting them all dressed up to go see Santa tonight and then drive around and see the lights, but with the windchill being as low as it is I think we will stay in and go on Christmas Eve in the morning. BRRRRR!

And Katie has finished the 2nd Harry Potter book and is on book 3! Yeah Katie!

Harry Potter Rules in this house!

Well we are trying to recover this morning from Meghan's Harry Potter sleepover for her 10th birthday which is Monday. I was gone most of the day for DI training in Hunter, ND but Chris and the kids worked the whole day getting things together. Chris dressed up as Professor Snape and I dressed as Professor McGonagal. Thankfully the weather was still beautiful so they played outside a bit on the trampoline.

We had pizza and then sent the kids on a scavenger hunt to find Meghan's big birthday present from us. We had gotten her all the Harry Potter books and wrapped them in brown paper and then hide them all over the place. Each had a clue to the next and some of the clues were tricky to read. One they had to use a mirror to read because it was backwards, another they had to use a marker to color on because the clue was written on white paper with white crayon. Anyway they were all found and the last clue led them to the their Potions class with Professor Snape.

The kids did about 4-5 potions, experiments including making lightning in their mouths with Wint-o-green Lifesavers and making a volcano with a balloon. Afterwards they played the Harry Potter DVD game and hide and go seek in the dark. Ryan and Aaron got so much attention and they loved it.

The party was not without tears of course and over the course of the evening 4/8 of them cried, including the birthday girl, but it was her party so why not.

I think they slept last night but I don't know as I put my earplugs in at 12. They were up though and on the trampoline at 6:30. Not sure the neighbors were thrilled, but oh well.

I have 3 extra pairs of socks and a headband left at our house. Overall it was a great party. Happy 10th Birthday Meghan!

Reading the backwards clue

Professor Snape

Snape's special potion

Making a volcano

The Birthday girl

Look what I did!

Look what I finished last night... A Griffindor scarf! Yeah! It's not perfect of course but for my limited knitting skills I am pleased!

And it's off to Houston he goes...

I guess I should have expected a business trip to pop up soon. They always do, especially this time of year because it is our busiest for the family.

So Chris calls this morning and tells me he has to go to Houston on Sunday till Weds. Well oh joy! So here are the things I had to cover.

1. Family pictures. They were rescheduled from last weekend because of the rain for Sunday at 4. The last flight out of Fargo to Minneapolis and onto Houston is at 4:30. SO I call Noelle, she has nothing till the 26th. Well then there is the issue of the weather and how many times are we going to reschedule. She is booked Thurs and Fri next week. I call Chris, he says pull the kids out of school either tomorrow or Fri and get them done. Noelle is booked those days till 3. I work at 5. Since it is 1 1/2 hrs to Crookston not feasible. So we are now pulling them out of school on Thurs for the day, pictures in Crookston at 11 and Chris rescheduled his 1:30 mtg. UGH!

2. Find babysitter for Tues Night and Weds Night - our college age babysitter has band till 6. I work at 5. HMMMM!

3. Ask our kind neighbors to take Meghan and Lauren to choir on Tues morning instead of Chris driving. and beg them to cover from 5-6 on Weds or until our babysitter arrives. Of course at this point we don't know if she can babysit. lol

4. Reschedule my nails from Monday night to Sat morning.

But lucky for us there is no church for the girls on Weds night, so I don't have to worry about getting them to church and just have to adjust to a little more driving around for the kids.

On the plus side - costumes are going well. Katie's is done, Meghan's is done, I just have to put the fringe on her scarf, Chris's is done - needs buttons I guess, Ryan's costume for preschool is done, his trick or treating one is almost done. SO that leaves mine and Aaron's. Yeah! Go Jen!

The DI meeting went well and I will be picking up the registration forms on Friday and hopefully getting the teams formed over the weekend. I am going to Michael's today for parchment paper to create Meghan's birthday party invites for her Harry Potter party on Nov 1st. I may make it till then. HAHA!

Cheers!