OCD-Obsessive Christmas Disorder

The Christmas tree has been standing NAKED in our family room since the day after Thanksgiving. I knew decorations were past due when family friend, JT commented about the sparseness of decor (BTW he is 8...yes I was chastised by an 8 year old)!

We remedied that last night. I was in charge of pulling the ornaments out of the tote and Rob wrangled the children off the step ladder. At one point I found myself telling Ben "you will not whine, you will enjoy this fun family tradition. AND you will remember it as being a magical and fun time when you grow up dang it!" (just so you know he wasn't convinced).

After that speech, I overheard Rob commiserating with Ben saying that he hated this part too (stemming from his childhood tree decorating memories). After that, Rob told the kids they could just put the ornaments anywhere, because as soon as "you go to bed, Mom will just rearrange them anyway". How rude! I am not that Obsessive Compulsive, am I?

*Sigh*

I hate when Rob is right about my flaws...no wait, my personality quirks. But he was...and I did. I rearranged a good amount of ornaments on the tree. I'm sorry, but it seem not only unsightly but also unsafe to have the majority of the ornaments on the bottom 1/3 of the tree. As one of the safety officers of my family, I feel it is my duty to protect others from the hazards that my haphazard ornament presentation presented.

I love Christmas, which is why I think I will consider my OCD to stand for Obsessive Christmas Disorder. Despite my crazy tendencies I hope my kids will look back at these times with fondness and love! Ben shouldn't grow up with as much animosity for decorating Christmas trees as Rob...I don't make him do the lights! (that was a VERY touchy subject for the first 10 years of our marriage. Even still I have to bat my eyelashes and pert-near beg to get Rob to put up the outdoor Christmas lights. But this is another whole blog in and of itself-I'm not the only neurotic one in the family)

By the time we finished with some indoor s'mores everyone was all smiles again. This might be a salvageable tradition yet!

Don't Worry Mom...

Ben seems like a good candidate to become a gentle giant, I mean if the kids stops growing at 6'5" it will be a miracle. I figured his size would be intimidating enough without having to use any violence to defend anyone smaller or in need. I always thought that I wanted my boys to stand up for others...Truth be told I still do.

BUT when Ben hops in the car after Kindergarten one day and announces that he got into a fight today it does make me start to panic. I have a feeling if we are already starting this in Kindergarten, it's going to be a long 13 years. I took inventory of his face and visible parts, no bruises or marks, always a plus. I downgraded my panic to level yellow and started to probe for more information.

Our conversation went down something like this...

Me: Is everyone ok?

Ben: Yep.

Me: Why were you in a fight?

Ben: These wicked (yes he said wicked) boys came up to my little friend Cooper and SHOVED him to the ground. I HAD to help him Mom. And so did Blake, but I got there first.

Me: So what happened?

Ben: Blake punched the naughty boy he was fighting, and I grabbed the other boys hands. He was a wiggly sucker, but I held on and kept grabbing his hands if he wiggled away. But don't worry about it Mom...we totally won!

Me(while rubbing my temples): Why didn't you just get the recess guard?

Ben: There wasn't time. They were gonna get poor Cooper and me & Blake weren't gonna let them. But it's all okay, cuz we beat them.

Me: Ben are you the biggest boy in Kindergarten?

Ben: Yep. I was bigger than these bad boys, but don't worry Mom, they aren't Kindergartners. I wouldn't beat on the little Kindergartners.

Me: How old are these boys?

Ben: They are first graders. But I really am bigger than they are. That one was really squirmy and strong but I knew he'd hit me if I let him go, so I just held on. Cuz I dunno know how to punch like Blake...he's a really good puncher.

Me(fighting a smile): You know you're not supposed to fight? And you will get kicked out of school if they catch you fighting?

Ben: But Mom what else could I do when they were all fighting Cooper? I can't let mean kids just beat up my friends.

Me(thinking he has a somewhat valid point): Well here's what my dad told me about fighting. "You NEVER start the fight, but if you have to be in one you make sure to FINISH the fight. If you are involved you're going to get kicked out of school anyway, so you may as well come out on top".

Ben: Okay...but Mom I don't know how to really fight with punches and all that.

Mom: You'll have to take that up with your dad.

Ben: OK Mom. Don't worry Mom, I won't get beat up.

And with a hug and kiss off he went.

I acknowledge this was probably not one of my better parenting moments, but he had some valid arguments. And since he wasn't throwing punches...what am I going to do?All in all, there are worse things in this world than having a boy who wants to defend those that are weak or picked on. I leave it in Rob's capable hands as to how to teach Ben to defend himself so I don't worry...as much.

Now the question remains, how many times will I get a call from the principal before High School Graduation? We shall see.

PS: After talking to his teacher, we figured out the boys they were fighting weren't first graders...they were third graders. Great...

Derailed, but still THANKFUL!!!

How the holiday's keep getting derailed by illness is beyond me, BUT hopefully since we've gone the rounds the last two we will be EXEMPT for Christmas. Despite the fact that we had to cancel our trip to St. George (the suitcases were in the car) due to vomiting, I still have much to be grateful for.

I am grateful for my washing machine, Lysol, Clorox wipes, waterproof mattress covers, a helpful husband, and that vomiting eventually does stop.

Truthfully, I am grateful for those things, but also so many more! I am thankful for Lauren, and how sweet, concerned and helpful she is. For Ben and his passion and exuberance for everything. I am grateful for Rachel's funny sense of humor and her spunky nature. Hayden is my snuggly boy, who always has a smile on his face and a mischievous twinkle in his eye. My children are wonderful!

I have a great deal of gratitude in my heart for Rob. He is the most AMAZING husband ever! He helps me clean up the kids puke, he spends time with our children (and actually enjoys it). He shaved off that infernal beard just because I hated it, he is kind, thoughtful, considerate, loving, pretty dang hot, funny and takes such good care of us (he's currently reading a Zombie Survival Guide, so he can keep us safe no matter what we may encounter)!

I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and His willingness to sacrifice His life to provide a way for me to return to His presence. I am grateful for a loving and kind Heavenly Father. He knows who I am, loves me, and blesses me.

I am grateful for:
family (we have the best families & are fortunate to live near so many of them)
our home
freedoms & those who protect them
our country
food
clothing
friends (I wouldn't be nearly as sane as I am without you)
modern medicine/conveniences (Thank you for not making me a pioneer.I would've died on the trail)

I am blessed in so many ways and can't even begin to fully express all the thanks in my heart. I love my life!

The Prickly Plague

There are some men in the world that need beards:
*Some need one for medical reasons.
*Hunters need it to complete the crazy camo motif-you know it helps them hide in the trees.
*Lumberjacks need beards to try to help distract from all the plaid they wear.
*Terrorists need a beard to trap bugs or small food particles-never know when they may get their next meal while hiding in the spider hole.

Since my wonderful husband falls into NONE of the previously mentioned categories, I would think that he has NO GOOD REASON for the scruff that is growing on his face!!!

I love you dearly Rob, but the beard HAS TO GO! I admit that it's my own fault that you grew a beard in the first place-curse you Count Dooku Halloween costume!!! But since "laziness" isn't one of the acceptable reasons to have a beard I think you really should remedy the situation that is plaguing our lives...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!?!? I miss your smooth, lovely face! I really do love you, you crazy bearded man!

Time Saving Tips by Lauren

Lauren apparently had an epiphany yesterday...If you sleep with your clothes UNDER your jammies it saves time getting dressed in the morning. We left the kids with a baby sitter last night and I couldn't understand why she didn't have them put their jammies on. But I didn't really care since I didn't have to put them to bed!

It didn't occur to me until tonight when the girls came out in their pajamas OVER the outfit for tomorrow. I asked why and Lauren's simple reply was that it made it quicker in the morning. Brilliant as that is, I had to burst her bubble by telling her why that is a gross concept! She & Rachel promptly remedied the situation! Too bad, the girls will just have to get dressed in the morning like everyone else!!!

Don't tell PETA, but...

Knowing good and well that we are not pet people, I made one (no make that 5) of the biggest mistakes of my married life this last Spring. My sister, Katie, and I decided we were really FUNNY girls and bought my brother, Robert 2 ducks. He made the mistake of claiming that a duck would be a cool pet, especially if it followed him around his yard quacking. That sounded like an open invitation to me! When we went to buy him the 2 cute, little, fuzzy ducklings I made the FATAL mistake of bringing my children. What a STUPID woman I can be! I think I'm going to blame Robert for introducing the very idea of ducks into our world! What a naughty brother!

All I heard all weekend was. We need some ducks too. I caved. In a true moment of weakness I gave in and stopped at the pet store. Three ducklings later and we were on our way home. The "helpful" pet store employees told me the ducklings had to stay inside for about 6 weeks so they didn't get eaten by the neighborhood cats. Made sense to me, they would live in their little terrarium and we could watch them lovingly. What could possibly go wrong?

NEVER ask what can go wrong...

Who knew that ducks grow at an alarming rate? Certainly not me! By the end of 5 weeks they were almost full grown! We had to set up a baby corral around a kiddie pool in my salon. This was not building the loving pet bond I had envisioned. I admit, they did follow me around the yard during the day when we went out to play or do yard work, but that hardly made up for the duck smell that was lingering in my salon! Nor did the fact that one of the ducks was slightly neurotic help their cause (ironically it was Lauren's duck, Cookie, and the only male in the bunch).

It has been funny to watch the neighbors driving past do a triple take and watch the word 'duck' form on their lips. They aren't too bad as far as pets go. They aren't excessively noisy, they make for a good show and tell (at least Rachel's duck, Bubba, does), they are funny to watch play in the pool, they can forage for bugs if we forget to feed them, and so on. But the weather has turned colder and I am now wondering what we are going to do with 3 ducks during the winter.

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention these ducks are NOT the type that migrate? They are Pekins, the kind you eat in good Chinese restaurants. Which brings in another whole dimension to my duck "tail". Rob wants to eat them. The girls have finally consented to let him feast on Cookie and Bubba (with the stipulation that they get a dog once the ducks are gone). Ben cries every time this conversation comes up...it looks like Sassy is safe for the time being.

It's bad enough that one day Rachel was standing on the deck looking lovingly at the ducks playing in the water and saying in her little raspy voice "poor, poor ducks. Daddy's gonna eat you so I can have a dog". I think their days are numbered!

My other two mistakes came in the form of kittens. I found an abandoned feral kitten in our backyard under the dump truck tire. It was so small that it barely covered my hand and it had to be bottle fed. I dutifully loved and fed and cared for Oreo for 3 and 1/2 weeks. In the end he didn't make it. I was worried about my kids, but kids are resilient and moved on quickly enough!
My mom found another stray kitten which she so kindly bestowed upon us after Oreo's death. Wolverine was an awesome cat, he was fluffy and orange and cuddly. He actually turned into my cat and I was happy when he would purr upon seeing me!

We really were not destined to be pet people...Wolverine ran away when we left town in a hurry for a funeral. I think he just got too lonely and went and found a new home. Truth be told, I cried when I found out he was gone. Seriously, why couldn't it have been the damn ducks that ran away? We obviously weren't meant to have a kitten!

Rob and I very seldom fight, and the kitten situation was the closest we've come to fighting in years. I can't believe he didn't divorce me for the cats-he HATES cats!!! So, like I said...Don't tell PETA and for now we will avoid acquiring more pets...it's safer for everyone!

In the mean time, does anyone want a few ducks?

Tall Bob with a Jeep

When I was at BYU living the wild single life (as wild as one can get and still be eligible to go to the Y), I had 3 quirky criteria for the type of man I was going to marry. There are the usual standards: strong testimony, returned missionary, hard-working, intelligent, good kisser, handsome, etc...those are qualities I expected. These 3 qualities were in addition to all of the normal desired traits. They were something more...more of a long-running roommate joke than anything!!!

Criteria1: He had to be named Bob. This dates back to High School when I called everybody Bob. If I didn't know someone's name they were automatically called Bob. I decided it would be easier for me to remember my husbands name if it was already Bob.

Criteria 2: He had to be tall. I dated some guys that weren't tall, which was fine, but the majority of them were over 6'2" (I was so happy to get to college and find there were whole TEAMS of men that were tall-and they were actually willing to date someone over 5'2". I never made it to the basketball team...I started with the football team and ended with the volleyball players!Pleasant Grove High School unfortunately was NOT a tall-boy dating mecca). Now there was such a thing as too tall...I went out dancing with a guy that was 6'10" and I felt like part of the freak parade! I digress...sorry!

Criteria 3: He needed to drive a Jeep. Valerie, Rachel and I were going through a 2 year phase where we wanted to date guys with Jeeps so we could go up digging in the canyons.

Ironically, Rob fit the bill for ALL of the qualities! When he showed up for our first date, my roommates, Valerie and Rachel, flipped out. They knew I was going on a date with a man named BOB (back then, Rob was known to all his friends as Bob. A habit I had to break when I met his mom-I'll explain that some other time). They swung open the door and saw a TALL Bob...Rob is 6'4" (a perfect height, I can wear 4" stiletto heels and still feel shorter than him). The most amazing part was when we walked out to the parking lot and hopped into his JEEP! Rachel and Valerie stood on our balcony giving me the thumbs-up sign and yelling "he drives a Jeep-HE'S A TALL BOB WITH A JEEP...it's him"!

Rob kept asking what all the ruckus was about and it took me half of the evening to come clean and admit my quirky criteria lists. If you want to completely scare a twenty-something year old man, tell him that he is the only man you have met that fits your 3 main criteria for marriage on your first date! I did put it more delicately than that, but all he heard was RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY!!! He almost went and dropped me off right then without so much as a backward glance, but thankfully he persevered (I think he was persuaded by my kissing prowess-hahaha).

The moral of the story? Set your standards high...if you want a Tall Bob with a Jeep don't settle for anything less! I have NEVER once been unsatisfied with my goal achievement!

Fetch Me the Smelling Salts

Why do old movies where the men wear high collars, waist coats and breeches make me swoon? It is a pity that they are no longer in fashion...of course I don't think I would want to wear a corset and hoop skirt (I can only envision the mayhem that would ensue from trying to stuff that kind of outfit into the Suburban).

I love, love, LOVE the BBC movies, especially Pride & Prejudice and North & South (thank you Crystal for introducing me to Mr. Thornton). Between Mr. Darcy's brooding and Mr. Thornton's smoldering it's enough to give a girl the vapors...quick fetch me the smelling salts! While I was captivated by Mr. Darcy for a long time, Mr. Thornton has passed him by (I think its the blue eyes and dark hair...reminds me of Rob). Be still my beating heart!

Since Rob is working late, I'm off to swoon!

The Halloween that was kind of a Hallowasn't

Stinkin' H1N1 flu...my poor babies are sick and it totally ruined Lauren's Halloween. This year Halloween shall now be known as Hallowasn't! Poor Lauren missed trick-or-treating. Luckily for her she got all of the treats without doing any of the work! Still kind of disappointing to not have her trotting out the door with the rest of our Jedi force.

The kids are taking turns passing the flu around, so we could be out of circulation until Thanksgiving at this rate.Oh well, better Halloween than down for Christmas!


I wonder if I should be blaming myself somewhat since I didn't fight to get them vaccinated. I've never put much stock into flu shots since every time we've gotten one everybody seems to get sicker than on years that we don't get shot. The guilt will pass soon enough, no doubt quicker than it should, but I made my decision and now I must deal with the consequences. And truth be told I probably won't get them shot next year either! However, I have become a firm believer in what Tamiflu can do. Miraculous stuff! Highly recommend it!

But I digress...back to Hallowasn't.
Rob took the kids out Trick-or-Treating for over 2 hours. I was betting Yoda, aka Hayden, would only last about a half an hour but that kid is driven by the almighty sugar rush. A regular glutton he is (imagine that being said in a Yoda voice)! He was bouncing, literally, off the furniture for at least 45 minutes after they returned...pretty funny to watch (until I was trying to corral him for bed).

Rachel rocked the Princess Leia buns and Rob couldn't get her to stop running from door to door for the first 2 culs-de-sac. Obi-Wan, Ben, Kanobi came home and instantly started doling out half his candy to Lauren...without being asked, and without picking through to find the ones he didn't like. He is such a generous and kind soul!

The sick Queen Amadala and I lounged at home to oversee the candy dispensing. Actually I grudgingly put down my book, North & South (smolder on Mr. Thornton) to hand out candy and she was quarantined in her room watching Halloween flicks. It was truly a different Hallowasn't than we are used to, but it's done and we can move on to Thanksgiving and Christmas...maybe, if everyone will hurry up and get better!

Long Forgotten Joys of a Road Trip...Sans Kids

For my birthday I got tickets to Wicked. It was over-priced and instantly sold out in Salt Lake, fortunately, we had an old college friend, Aaron Cali, offer to get us tickets to see it in Denver with his family. The show was Wiz-tacular, I mean spectacular. I loved, loved, LOVED it! I really hope it comes to Salt Lake again so we can take our girls-they would thoroughly enjoy it!


After we got tickets we initially thought of flying, but the call of the open road over-ruled that notion (that and the fact that I hate rental cars-it's weird and I've never admitted it aloud to ANYONE...but there it is).

Now I want there to be no misunderstanding, I love my kids, and I love taking my kids on vacation. But there are a couple perks to leaving them home with Grandma (and after hearing the reports of all the fun they had with Grandma, I think they had a better Fall Break than if I had stayed home with them)! Some of obvious joys that are associated with traveling without kids...no fighting, no frequent potty stops (including those that take place along the highway), and there was no dreaded question "are we there yet?". I didn't miss the "stop touching me" conversation...not once did Rob utter that phrase (I think that sounds dirtier than I meant it, which makes it even funnier).

Some of joys were less obvious. For example: we got to listen to OUR playlist the entire time, no Hannah Montana, Jonahs Brothers, Demi Lavato, or Weird Al on this trip! Or even better was when the radio was off entirely and we were having those "boring grown-up" conversations WITHOUT interruptions! We drove around for quite awhile looking for a restaurant for lunch. I didn't mourn the loss of the usual meal time decision making process... "It's McDonald's...I have to go potty RIGHT NOW...I don't like this place...What toys do they have in the kids meals...I'm STARVING TO DEATH".

We were able to stop at random places along our way without being asked "what are we doing here?". For example, on our way out we wanted to stop at the Continental Divide. Rob remembered stopping there when he was younger, and it sounded like a great picture spot, so that became our quest. We looked for the signs for 40 minutes. We were flying through the middle of the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnels, when I spied the sign showing that we were UNDER the Divide. There is no photo-op in a traffic filed tunnel. It's then that Rob realized his family must have been on Highway 6 not I70. We were not turning around at that point, so instead we took the scenic route on our way home. We hopped out of the car in our short sleeved tee-shirts and got some crazy looks from the people in their snow pants and parkas. We stayed long enough to get a good look around, a picture and watch a kid wimp out of a snowboard jump (we were hoping for some good youtube material since the person who built the jump failed to account for the giant rock at the end of the landing area...maybe that's why the kid wimped out?).

We stopped at a Gold Mine for a tour...hence the sexy hard hat picture. Anything that looked remotely interesting we pulled off the road to explore and photograph.We did things my kids would have been bored out of their mind doing. We toured the US Mint, found Buffalo Bill's grave, and walked along the Colorado River. I crunched through the leaves at our hotel, we meandered through the 16th Street Mall and had an eternally long lunch at Chili's (it took so long that Rob had to run back to the car to feed the meter before our food even came out...I missed Zach, the BEST Chili's waiter EVER).

I had such a great birthday season this year (I say season because the celebrating lasted over several weeks)! Thanks Rob for being such a thoroughly delightful traveling companion. I look forward to our next vacation...whether or not we take kids is still up in the air! Actually, if we did try to leave town sans kids I think we'd be facing a mutiny from either the kids or my Mom! Thanks Mom for entertaining our brood. Thanks Rob for an amazing time...Love you Babe!

A Love Affair with Autumn

Autumn is, in my opinion, the BEST of all seasons. I love to watch the colors change up on the mountains and in my yard. I like that during the day I can still wear flip flops, but at night I need a jacket (since it is after October 1st it terribly unfashionable I know but, flip flops are so comfy that in my book it negates the fashion faux pas).

I love pulling out the winter clothes...it's like rediscovering long lost friends (there is something comforting about a good hoodie). It is magical to listen to the sound of crunching leaves and the sight of deep orange pumpkins nestled on porches makes my heart soar. It smells crisp and clean like laundry fresh out of the dryer (although there is that not so clean smell that happens for a short period while the lake turns over...but I try to block that from my brain).

Soup is an acceptable dinner, hot chocolate no longer sounds repulsively HOT but toasty and comforting, and the smell of baking pumpkin bread fills the house. I don't want you to think I've forgotten the best part of Fall...Halloween. I have warped at least one of our children into thinking it's a great holiday. I asked Ben what his favorite holiday was and he said Halloween. My dad would be horrified to hear that the answer was anything besides Christmas...he always wondered where I fit into the family with my strange obsession on this "Pagan Ritual...begging for food dressed up like a spook-stupid holiday". I didn't have to pierce anything, wear a mow-hawk, sneak out or date someone my dad hated to rebel...my form of rebellion came by dressing up and participating in Halloween! Of course now that he is the grandpa he is completely interested in what costumes the kids are going to wear and what time they are coming to his house to Trick-or-Treat. My Dad is awesome!

Another part of Autumn for me is making Halloween costumes. I love making costumes, I'm not very good at it but I love it anyway! My theory is, I don't need a pattern, that will just confuse me, and if it doesn't look quite right, hot glue can fix it! Oh what a seamstress I am! I should have not been such a jerk to my mom when I was a teenager and she was trying to teach me to be a domestic diva. Sorry Mom...you're a saint for trying!

One of the funniest things I have going with Halloween is that I have my kids believing that we HAVE to have a family costume theme. I'm waiting for Lauren or Ben to catch on that most families don't do this and request to stop. Rachel tried to rebel from this years Star Wars theme and announced she was going to be Cinderella. Lauren promptly replied "You can't. You wouldn't match the rest of the family & that's just not going to work." Ironically Rachel took that as gospel truth and never brought up Cinderella again. Ben has already put in his suggestion for next year's theme...but it usually changes about twice during the year so I'm just going to file the suggestion away in my brain for now.

A Birthday That Rocked

I typically love birthdays...including my own-until three years ago when I turned thirty. That was the year I got Bell's Palsy a week before my birthday (that was a kick in the head). I began to realize that things don't seem to work as well or be in the same places as they were when I was in my twenties. I knew that happened to other people, but in true ignorance of youth I thought it would take longer to catch up with me...Hahaha the joke's on me! But ny thirty-third birthday ROCKED, and that makes me think maybe my birthday's aren't really so bad...FOR NOW!!!

We celebrated in fabulous parental fashion. The night before my b day, Rob & I went to Parent/Teacher Conference, then to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (and thankfully Rob did NOT tell them to sing to me-I was not going to sit on the saddle and endure that). We finished out our night at Home Depot buying some fencing to try to keep the damn ducks in the backyard. I know it sounds absolutely boring, but I didn't have to make dinner, or put the kids in bed-that is a wonderful gift! I got some good gifts from family and friends-it's nice to be so loved!


On my birthday my amazing friends, Ali, Ann, Crystal and Wendi, took me to dinner at the Olive Garden then we went back to Wendi's to play Beatles Rock Band. It was hysterical! I knew I was inept at drumming, but I also showed NO promise on the guitar either (although in my defense nobody told me how to play the guitar right the first time)! Wendi showed off her mad Whammy Bar skills that made me green with envy! We played until 1:30 in the morning (sorry Brian)...


I am so thankful for such a great group of friends that are willing to be crazy with me (I prefer to not be the only citizen of Crazieville)! You girls are the BEST!!! Thanks for a truly memorable birthday!!!


The next part of my Birthday was going to Denver to see Wicked with Rob...and NO CHILDREN!!! More on that adventure to come soon!

Indiana Ben & the Birthday of Doom

For ten days I obsessed over Indiana Jones. Not in the normal "Harrison Ford was a hottie with a whip" kind of way. It was the "How am I going to entertain a gaggle of 6-8 year old boys for two hours Indiana Jones style". Since we decided to only let the kids have a friend birthday party every other year, I was feeling some self-inflicted pressure. Ben's 6th birthday had to rock!

My dirty little secret is that I ACTUALLY LIKE planning and throwing parties and making themed cakes. Ben's birthday bash was no exception! I admit...it was MAYBE a little over-the-top. I knew I was in deeper than I thought when Rob asked how much this was costing & I couldn't give a more exact answer than "probably more expensive than taking them all to Pirate Island, but cheaper than going to Disneyland". Somehow I don't think that made him feel better.

I made fabric whips, satchels, blowguns and hieroglyphics for Ben's friends (nothing like sending a bunch of boys home with a couple of weapons-what a good friend and neighbor I am). Because we haven't finished the backyard we had to be white trash and have the party in the front (which almost drives me crazy). Upon arrival, the guests came to Base Camp (Rob set up a tarp tent, and I put artifacts in the planters, and they sat on a bunch of canvas tarps). Ben's guests were treated to a dinner of boiled snakes (hot dogs cooked in green food coloring), beetle wings (chips), giant spider eyes (grapes), ants on a log (celery filled with peanut butter & raisins) and monkey brains (Jell-o). Rob was a good sport & searched half of Salt Lake County for a brain mold the week before the party ( I love that man for SO many reasons...this time it's because he found me a brain mold)!

After eating we had a note from Indy telling them clues to their next destination. Everyone also got their satchel at Base Camp-you have to have something to carry all your loot in right?


The first stop on the adventure was lion taming. Everyone got a whip and had to knock the "lion" off his stool. We have a size 4 lion costume that fits Rachel's giant dog and voila we have a lion that needs a good whipping! Of course Hayden had to get in on the action. His whipping technique was decent for a one year old, but in the end the lion simply had to be pushed off! My sister, Melissa, was in town from Ohio and came to help with the party. I was grateful she was able to be here (I miss her something fierce)!



On the next leg of our journey we went to a Balloon Fight in Cairo. Each person had to grab a balloon out of the yard toy, slide down the slide, shimmy through the tunnel and pop the balloon. Then run back and do it again. I was going to do water balloons but with the weather getting chilly at night I decided I didn't want a bunch of frozen, wet boys by the end of the party. Some of these kids didn't weigh enough to pop the balloons. They tried to stomp it, sit on it, squeeze it but to no avail...Rob had to help by pinching the balloons as they squeezed it. After all the balloons were popped they recieved a bag of mini-marshmallows (which, like any good parent, I told them the marshmallows might be poisoned so don't eat them). They needed some ammo for a later activity and what better ammo is there than marshmallows?




Next stop: Swing Across Snake River. Objective: Make it across the river (aka. a blue tarp with rubber snakes on it) without falling in. Rob rigged up a swing between some ladders, the boys loved this and had to do it again, and again and AGAIN! When they finally had enough swinging they got a marshmallow blow gun.








From the swing we went to the Tiki Snatch. The guests had to run along a 2x10 snatch a statue and run back without being annihilated by a giant boulder (my exercise ball wrapped in brown paper). Rob & Melissa were teasing me because I popped a couple kids with the boulder a little harder than I meant to! Of course, because they are boys they thought that was funny. No tears were shed so I don't know what the problem was!

Onward to the Creepy Tunnel in search of the Holy Grail. I taped several big boxes together. Then put spider webs between the boxes, bubble wrap on the bottom of the boxes and put loads of rubber rats, spiders, and lizards in the tunnel. One boy told me he WOULD NOT be going through the Tunnel, it was too yucky. The kids had to crawl through the spider web filled tunnel and once on other side they ran to the Snake infested Dig Site to find a Holy Grail.



They filled the Grail with water and ran along a 2x4-this is where the marshmallow guns came into play. As one person ran through the others fired marshmallows at them trying to make them spill their water.










Next we moved on to the mines of India where they loaded into the mine car (a sled pulled by Rob) and had to make it around the corners without derailing. Poor Rob was a little winded after pulling so many mine cars. At the end of the mine shaft was a hieroglyphic tablets for each child. I made up an alphabet and wrote each kids name on the tablet. They didn't get the deciphering key until they completed the next task.








The Garage of Doom...the final task was to build a Temple of Doom out of candy Lego bricks (which they picked up at an earlier location). Once they finished they received the paper to decode their hieroglyph. They also were able to unravel the mystery written on the wall...Meet back at Base Camp.





While I was helping the adventurers build their Temples, Rob & Melissa were at Base Camp lighting tiki torches, and getting out cake & ice cream and moving the gifts out of the tent. Lauren was busy hiding items for a scavenger hunt (in case we had to wait for parents to arrive). Initially I was very worried about the timing, but it worked out perfectly for the allotted two hours!


It was funny and/or semi-embarrassing to note that partying out front made quite a brouhaha. There were neighbors driving by that stopped and came back to find out what we were doing, some older boys hung around on the outskirts of our yard watching, and a couple people said they didn't know if we could be friends anymore after seeing how party-crazy I am. Thanks Melissa and Rob, without you both I would have failed miserably! But it was such a success that I put all the props, and instructions in a box labeled Indiana Jones Party in the basement for use when Hayden is old enough to appreciate it! After this gig, I'm thinking that maybe I will only do parties for the kids between the ages of 4-10...then again they might be turning 18 & I will be begging them to let me throw them a party. Only time will tell!

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY BEN!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!