Start blowing up the balloons.

Put on your armor and protect yourself.  It's time for the annual kids' birthday parties.  This weekend (Memorial day weekend) is when the fun goes down.  I swore up and down that we would never have another kid's birthday party at our house.  It's so much easier, less stressful and more fun for everyone to have the party elsewhere.  Outsource, baby!  I'm all about paying hundreds of dollars and letting someone else run the party and entertain the kids.  It's so nice not having to clean the house beforehand and again, afterwards. I am much better standing back and taking pictures.

Get this!  I am not only having Ian's party at the house, but Sam's too!  Oh my!!  Ian really wanted to have a sleepover party.  The next thing you know, we've got 7 boys, plus Ian spending the night on Friday.  If you ever seen my house, you are going to wonder like I am how that is going to work.  I've got some fun things planned.  With this many boys, we can do 3 legged races, water balloon toss, and egg on spoon races.  We will do make your own pizza for dinner and a build your own ice cream sundae for dessert.  Ian is letting the boys vote on what movie will be shown at night.  Hopefully getting them to run around after dinner will make them sleepy when the lights are off and the movie is playing.  Is it too much to ask that a few fall asleep during this time?

Sam's party was originally going to be at the Oaks Community Center in our neighborhood.  But when I saw how the RSVPs were coming in, it didn't make sense to rent this huge space for 8 or 9 kids.  So, we are moving her party to the house.  It is going to be a Waddle-Dawdle movement party.  A woman named Ashley is going to arrive, run the party and get the kids moving and shaking.  I will highly be encouraging parents to  drop-off.

Every year I do this to myself.  Throw both parties back-to-back and then we are done for the rest of the year.  Just got to make it to Sunday and my breathing will return back to normal.

Please say a little prayer for us that the house will still be standing come Saturday evening.  I am not sure what we are in store for and will be prepared for the worst, but expect the best.  Let the fun begin!