Party Time

I didn't think it was possible, but I am officially sugared out.  And the kids are, too -- they just don't realize it yet.  Yesterday morning was our church Christmas party -- a breakfast affair with sausage, eggs, fruit platters, and lots and lots of cinnamon rolls.  In addition to that, the kids made sugar cone Christmas trees with icing and candy and chowed down on sugar cookie eagles that were the refreshments at the Eagle Court of Honor following the breakfast.  

A couple of hours later, EVERYONE was crashing from the sugar high and it was not a pretty sight.  I had Ethan freaking out when I told him to clean the kid bathroom for his Saturday chore and then freaking out all over again when I told Grace to do it instead.  When I let Ethan have the kid bathroom and told Grace she could do the one on the main floor, Sophie chimed in with her own meltdown of epic proportions.  You know -- a major, screaming, crying, fighting, thrashing on the floor kind of fit.  Who would have ever thought that cleaning a toilet could inspire such mania?  It was insane.  

It took about an hour,  but we eventually managed to stop Sophie's fit and get the bathrooms clean.  Both of which were necessary to prep the house for the kid ornament exchange we had planned for later in the afternoon.  In retrospect, this was NOT the smartest move but more sugar was then poured into the mix when Ethan made brownies for refreshments and I made sugar cookies for the kids to ice and decorate.  Luckily, with only a couple of other families invited over the party was totally manageable and a lot of fun.  Everything about the gathering was SUPER low-key which made it that much easier to pull off.  The kids all said at dinnertime that the ornament exchange was their favorite part of the day and are pushing for it to become an annual tradition.   So long as they continue to do everything for it themselves, I will gladly oblige and provide the house for hosting.  Hahaha.  

Finished ornaments waiting for the party to start.

Even though Sophie and Grace worked on some ornaments together over the weekend, Ethan's finished penguins must have inspired her and around 9 o'clock on Friday night Grace decided she wanted to make her own ornament from scratch.  By using some Crayola Air-Dry Modeling Clay that I had bought at JoAnn's the day before and some other odds and ends from around the house, she succeeded in making marshmallow snowmen inspired by the s'more ornaments that both Scott and Ethan have.  She really is a resourceful little creative genius.  

She stuck the hooks into the top of the "marshmallows" and used Perler Beads for the eyes and mouth.  The nose and arms are made from bits of Cheerios.

Kind of creepy yet super cute, right?  Hahaha.

Sophie's "ornament" was made from a headband she destroyed to upcycle the "diamonds" into her Christmas craft.  When asked, she said that Grace made her do it.  While that may be the case, this ornament is most definitely "Sophie."  

Alex woke up from his nap about 15 minutes before our friends arrived and was in a horrific mood.  Poor little lamb has not worked up a tolerance yet to having so much sugar in his system.  He was NOT a happy camper.  For a good half hour he was completely inconsolable even with me holding him and trying to calm him down.  After a few minutes of the crying and thrashing about I figured he could do that just as well on the floor while I finished getting the cookies ready for the party.  The rest of the kids were bouncing off the walls with excitement and once everyone was here it was a bit nuts for a few minutes.  I managed to snap pictures of all the individual ornaments as well as one big group shot with everyone holding theirs up before letting the kids loose to do their exchange, decorate some cookies, and go on and play while I got to sit and visit with my friends.  It was a nice little party.

Christmas trees by Chase.

Stars by Mariah.

And little reindeer by Haela.

Back Row (L to R) -- Haela, Grace, Mariah, Ethan

Front Row (L to R) -- Chase, Sophie, and Jane {holding up one of Grace's ornaments}

Sugar Cookie time.

Poor little lover boy finally perking up from his fit.  Mostly due to the prospect of having another cookie. 

After the party was over we ate dinner and managed to get the kids in bed super early.  All in all it was a rather pleasant evening.  The past week was so busy that a quiet night at home was a welcome respite.  Thankfully, there's hardly anything on the calendar this week and with the countdown to Christmas winding down, that is definitely a good thing!  I've got more than enough projects to keep me busy.  :)