Slippery when wet

It's funny how the idea of "party" changes once there are kids around. Our friends Jeremiah and Lisa hosted a Christmas party at their house last night. Most of the attendees were part of a gourmet club started a few years ago for young couples with no kids. Last night's soiree consisted of 7 couples with 9 kids. The oldest kids recently turned 4.

And that is why parties have changed. Start the party around 5, that way everybody gets their nap. By eight o'clock everybody is heading for the door to meet the scheduled bedtime. Polite conversation has changed slightly as well. I found myself having an in depth conversation in the kitchen discussing the finer points of diaper blowouts, different colors and consistencies of poop.

On our way home Alison was playing with her VeggieTales nativity scene. It has a battery operated angel that sings "Jesus Our Brother Kind and Good." We were just about home when all of a sudden Alison blurts out "If you push her nose she says 'Jesus'!"

That in itself got me laughing, but then Jennifer turned and asked Alison "What do you say if we push your nose?"

Jennifer played in bell choir this morning at church, so I got the kids ready and went for the first service and the offertory of second service. The choir played a great rendition of "O Little Town".


Vision Bank had their annual picture with all the employees' kids to be published in the paper today. It's a small little Christmas party pretty much focused on the kids. Eli did great for the pictures. After the pictures were done, all the kids watched "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". When the show was almost over, Dan (the bank president) came out and gave all the kids stuffed Rudolphs.

Eli was happy to be along for the ride today. He traveled very well and was happy whenever he woke up.












We had to leave the bank party pretty quickly to get over to church for the Sunday School program. We made it just in time and Alison willingly ran to the front to sing. She stood right in front and at least tried to sing each song.
At the end, Jennifer met her at the front and brought her back. Alison came running to me, exclaiming "I get a wreath! I get a wreath!"

It was sunset by the time we got home, and there were four deer in the field behind the house. Alison and I went out to see if we could get a closer look, but they weren't visible by the time we got out. Alison made a couple of snow angels before we went back inside.

After Alison went in, I scooped some frozen dog doo out of the snow before going inside. Daisy seems to prefer to go over to the neighbors for business, so I try to get the evidence removed as soon as possible.

Shortly after I got inside, Jennifer hollered from the bedroom that Alison got sick and threw up. I came running in to help and saw Jennifer holding Alison's hair back over the toilet while trying to stifle her own gag reflex. I ran towards her in my sock feet and nearly wiped out when my foot slipped on an unnoticed puddle of recycled chicken mcnuggets on the tile floor. I laughed at the pure gross factor of it, but that just made Jennifer even greener. Alison seems to feel much better now, so I don't know if it was the same bug that got Eli and myself, or if it was just a hard day. After the mess was mopped up, I cleaned out Eli's diaper genie and took out the garbage.

I think I've come up with the next episode of Mike Rowe's "Dirty Jobs".