Fashion Fabulous Friday

Pirates of the Caribbean Birthday Party Edition

I was seriously excited when JR said he wanted a Pirates of the Caribbean theme for his birthday, cause I knew that meant one thing.

Costumes!

I might have had a little too much fun dressing up the party guests.

It wouldn't be Kyle if he didn't demand 'pink'.

Kyle and Reed had been walking around with skulls and crossbones on their cheeks for a few days. 

They happily let me practice on them before the "big event".

 The eye-patches got the flip-up treatment quite a bit. 

It's kinda hard to paint pottery and eat pizza with one eye.

The earrings became a huge hit later in the party. (You can see Jacob wearing one here.)

I saw earrings dangling from everywhere.

Especially their noses!

But what do you expect from a party with 11 boys and 1 girl?

Come On In!

Jason and I hosted our Annual Christmas Open House last night. 

I had the camera set out so I would be sure and take pictures. 

But I thought, Hum, maybe I should take a picture of the table before everyone arrives.

And then I said, "Here Jason, take a picture of us...just in case."

 And those were the last two pictures taken. 

We had a great turn out, and so much fun!  I think we had about 30 adults and 20+ kids. 

Speaking of kids... 

They had their own little party downstairs in our play room. 

So it was with a deep breath that I went downstairs to check out the "damage".

I quickly started laughing when I spotted this.

A sock sticking out of the piano! 

Is this the kid version of the lampshade on the head?

I think it's safe to say we all had fun.

Witty Titles Aren't Coming Easy Either

I really can't seem to get it together this Christmas. 

 Even though I've got all the kids' presents bought, (did I mention I was also in charge of buying the kids' gifts for all the grandparents?) my to-do list seems to get longer each day, and I'm not even sure how it's happening.  

My reaction when I discovered JR didn't have spelling sentences this week was nothing short of ridiculous.

"You don't have spelling this week! Ohhh! Did you tell your teacher,"THANK YOU!"?

(And I may or may not have said "Woohoo!" and done some form of a little happy dance.)

With all that said, the side of my brain that crafts amusing stories about the family just isn't working like it should. 

So today you get some pictures of us before Jason's work Christmas party. Even with two pictures combined, you still won't see each kid looking at the camera, not rubbing their face, or standing still so as not to be blurry.

Oh, and I think the House Fashionista approved of my dress.

 It was covered in large sequin discs, (JD helped me pick it out in Houston. You can read about his take on that day here.) and Kyle couldn't help petting it.  I'd say that's a seal of approval! 

(And yes, he's wearing his Halloween costume....again.)

Party.Party.Party.Party.Party.

You counted right.

That would be five parties.

Five parties from Saturday to Saturday.

Party hop with me...

Party #1- I hosted a Christmas themed baby shower. 

Of course, I have no pictures since I was trying to be a good hostess. 

AKA: "Okay y'all, so get something to eat and drink whenever you want. And don't worry, we won't be smelling diapers smeared in chocolate candy.  Our game for today is just to visit with each other." 

Party #2- Jason's surprise 40th birthday party. 

Surprisingly (pun intended), I really did surprise him!

I knew he had no idea when I casually told him where we were going to dinner and he said, "Why are we going there? I went there for lunch one time and I didn't like the food."

(He did like the food for his birthday dinner.)

But how could you not? Just look at that cake they made him!

Party #3-Kyle and Reed celebrate Price's 3rd birthday. 

We let the boys party during small group with chocolate donuts. 

(I use the term "small group" in the truest form of the word since the only members are Niki and me!)

I couldn't find any birthday candles, but the boys seemed to think that was just fine!

  Photos taken by Niki (which is why they are amazing).

Party #4- JR attended an ice skating birthday party. 

JR and his buddy/our neighbor Jacob (who was not the birthday boy).

Party #5- Shelly's 30th sort-of surprise birthday party.

I went in search of appropriate party hats for the big occasion, and since I don't have a Target, Hobby Lobby, or Party City in a sixty mile radius I came up empty handed.  I took my own stash of Christmas hats as a substitute.  (On a related note, can you believe our WalMart doesn't sell feather boas?! What a travesty!)

Picture stolen from Shelly's Facebook page.

Tiffany, Jill, Tiffany, and Ashley waiting for the birthday girl to arrive.

Picture taken with my sad, little camera phone since Jason took the real camera on his hunting trip.

With all these parties I'm finally feeling in my element.  Let's keep it up!

Egg-n 'Em On

I've always celebrated Easter at my cousin's house. (And when I say "always" I'm talking the last 20+ years, so yeah, always.) We made the trek down to Texas last Easter and learned that a weekend trip full of airplanes and rent cars with this pack of kids is not exactly easy or relaxing. We made the decision to stay here, but realized we have no Easter traditions of our own, and had no idea how we should spend the day.
Jason wanted to have an Easter brunch after church so we headed out to the Sky Ute Casino. Yes, I'm painfully aware of the irony of going to a casino for Easter Brunch, but they have a nice buffet, and it's not like we spent the afternoon at the slot machines.

We knew just an Easter brunch wasn't enough for this family, so a few days before Easter I emailed some of our neighbors to come over for an egg hunt. It was a beautiful day and with 11 kids coming over, the bouncy house, and all our riding toys, it turned into a little party. (And you know how we love a party!)

We started off with two dozen cascarones (confetti eggs). None of the kids or parents had seen them before, so JR was excited to show everybody how they worked. And of course, the kids loved them.

Kyle loved them so much that when all the cascarones were gone, he went and found the plastic hiding eggs and started smashing them on his own head. Of course he was showered in candy instead of confetti, but he liked that just as much.

After the celebratory cascarones, it was time for the egg hunt. Here's the egg hunt starting line.

And now for the absolute best part. I have no pictures of the egg hunt or the rest of the party. I was actually enjoying talking and visiting so much that I forgot all about taking pictures. Now that's a sign of a fun day!

One Last Peep

Okay, so I've only got a few more hours to talk Peeps before Easter is over, so I'll hurry this along. We hosted an egg hunt/mini Easter party for our neighbors this afternoon, and here's one of the things I served. The pictures I saw of this on the Internet were much cuter than how mine turned out, but the kids loved it. I'm talking loved it. Big hit.

Peeps Blue Raspberry Sparkle

Pina Coladas and Parkas

I was proclaiming my excitement on Facebook yesterday that:
A. We were invited to a New Year's Eve Party.
B. It was a themed party requiring "beachwear"
and
C. We had a babysitter.
So here we are all duded up in our tropical attire. (The babies had already gone to bed before we left.) I'm sure the Texans are probably thinking we walked out of the house as is, since I know of plenty of New Year's I've worn shorts. But you Coloradoans and Minnesotans know better. I actually wore my biggest coat (Jason refers to it as a "parka") and snow boots, then changed into my heels once there. (I guess Texans are the only ones who wear heels to the beach, since I was the only girl not in flip-flops. But at 5'2" even my flip-flops have heels, so I would have been wearing them no matter what.)
The party was super fun, and the hosts had hired bongo musicians who brought all kinds of instruments for everyone to play (think maracas, cow bells, and all kinds of drums). Alas, nobody went "McConaughey" with their bongos...the closest we got was when one of the girls almost lost her strapless dress in the hula-hoop contest. (And yes, Durangoans, they bought their hula-hoop from the Hula-Hoop Lady...always buying local.)
As we rang in the new year, Jason leaned over and said, "Well, here we are in another crazy place. It's 4 degrees outside, we're dressed like we're going to the beach, and people are banging on bongo drums."
Just another year for us Ingys.

It Happens in Threes

Today was the day. The excitement trifecta:

Pajama day.
Party day.
Play date.

The Perfect Storm of activities which all converged this December 18th and jolted JR out of bed at 6:00 AM. It was almost too much for his little 6 year old heart to endure. But endure we did. And when I say "we", I most obviously mean "me", as JR was much too busy swinging from the rafters to notice The Storm he was riding out.

So let's start at the beginning.

Pajama Day.
And just to kick it up a notch...Star Wars pajamas.


School Christmas party.
Like Hugh Hefner, Kyle and Reed also enjoy lounging in pajamas all day, so it was an easy wardrobe choice for them on PJ day. As you can see, I didn't have any problems keeping them occupied while the kids were at the all school sing-a-long.


But when the party started it was a completely different story. Of course they were both insistent on sitting in JR's chair. And since JR isn't a little girl, he was having none of that. I finally satisfied everbody by pulling up 2 extra chairs.


And to complete the excitement trifecta: Play date.
It'd been a long day, so I took the liberty of taking the kids to Happy Hour. Now don't get all up-in-arms, I bought the first round! Sure I had 5 kids in the car, but nothing tates as good as a Sonic slushy after a hard day.

It Was a Party!

I know I've gone 2 days without updating, but I've been in fast and furious baking and cleaning-up mode. I was getting pretty nervous that I would be the one eating all these baked goods when it started snowing yesterday. But with 44 people coming by last night, I'd say our open house was a huge success. Jason's Texas chili (7 pounds of meat worth) was a big hit with the Coloradoans, and my baked goods seemed to go over well with our younger guests. And you know it was a fun party if we were too busy to take pictures! Harry took this one of Jason and me before the party started, and it's the only one we took all night. Although, I did snap some pictures of the tables right before the guests arrived.

Sausage, craker, and cheese platters also a huge hit. Leftovers = none!

Baked goods area

Candy cane kiss brownie bites...super yummy

Beverage center (And yes, that's that the super yummy slightly famous coffee punch in the punch bowl.)

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My Feet Still Hurt from My Party Shoes

Durango isn't known for its fashion forwardness. Unlike Houston, you'll never (and I mean never, ever, ever) see a stay-at-home mom pushing a grocery cart in heels. I was even overdressed on JR's first day of school in work-out wear. (I saw two moms wearing pajama bottoms.) But, as you can see, Jason and I did get all duded up last night for the Exterran Christmas Party. I told JR at lunch that he was supposed to tell me I looked pretty when he would see me all dressed up later.

JR's response: What if I don't?
Me: Well, you're always supposed to tell girls they look pretty when they're dressed up; it's good manners.

I figure we need every kind of head start we can get turning these boys into gentleman. Sigh....

And now a section of the blog just for my mom. The rest of you may talk amongst yourselves.
Yes, I wore my hair up. And yes, I wore lots of make-up. Like a whole face-full!

Birthday Cubed

After 3 parties we're finally done celebrating Jason's birthday. And he says his birthday gets forgotten being around Thanksgiving. Huh!


Here's our celebration before we left for Houston. JR and I made the cake, evident by JR's signature sprinkles all in one spot garnish.



Party #2 in Houston. Birthday cupcakes and Blue Bell ice cream!



And then Jason's actual birthday (the day before Thanksgiving) at Windy Hill.


Whew! Needless to say, I'm partied out!

Hadn't Heard That One Before...

Yes, Jason's dad's 70th birthday extravaganza was a success. And you know it just wouldn't be an 'event' unless I had a story for you. So you'd think a 70 year old birthday party would have an older male clientele, and I'd be the one getting hit on. But alas, it was my husband who was on the receiving end of a pick-up line that I'm quite sure won't be catching on anytime soon. Jason and I were on the dance floor when a woman stumbled up to us. She got inbetween Jason and me like I wasn't even standing there, and quick as could be, she was all over him. And what was her big come on line?
Gesturing with her hands up and down her body: "I'm an all natural 52 year old."
Now you know I couldn't make this up. Jason's comment to me, "I guess I really do need to dye my hair if All Natural 52 year olds are thinking they can come on to me."
Today we were telling my mom this story and she says, "Jan? What did you do?"
Me: "Um, I just stood there and laughed."
My mom: "What? Loretta Lynn wouldn't have stood for that! She would have whooped that woman!"
So basically I've been away from Colorado for 48 hours and I've had a 52 year old Cougar try to steal my husband, and my mom preach from the playbook of Loretta Lynn. Seriously Y'all, Don't Mess With Texas.

JR's 6th Birthday Party

Baby Talk: Easter Party #21

Guest Bloggers: Kyle and Reed Ingersoll

K: We were super excited to go to Texas for Easter and see all our grandparents. We also attended the 21st annual Easter party at our Aunt Lu's. (She's really mommy's cousin, but we like to call everybody "aunt".)

R: Here's JR and "favorite cousin Caleb" about to eat lunch.
K: And now that we've seen JR, I think that's quite enough of him. Let's see how we spent the day!


R: We rode Big Wheels.



K:We tried to take a family Easter egg hunt picture.
R: I don't think we did too good. Elizabeth is the only one smiling and looking at the camera!


R: Mommy tried to help me hunt more eggs, but after I found three I was satisfied. I had way more fun just playing with my eggs than looking for more.

K: Me too! Daddy finally gave up trying to make me hunt more when I started crying. Not sure why we needed any more. These two were super fun!

R: We were too little to hold the big pinata stick, so we beat him with a maraca. It was awesome!

K: I hit him so hard I think I broke him!

R: Umm, No you didn't.

R: We loved all the food, but the cookies were the best.

K: It was great. Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw kept telling Mommy, "Go get these babies some more cookies."

R: It was a fun day. We loved the Easter party!

My 25th B-Day

I had a fun 25th birthday. Kelly and I went to the spa in the morning and we had a dinner party here at the house that night. There were 13 of us, and as you can see in the video below, I got out all my costumes for everybody to enjoy! It's just not a party without costumes!

20th Annual Family Easter Party

We all had a great time at the annual family Easter party. The food was dee-lish and we had a huge crowd (did we ever do an official head count?) JR had a blast playing with all of his cousins, they really wore him out!

The little boys found themselves with plenty of people to hold them, so they loved that. Here's Kyle with Jason and Reed with my dad.

My cousin, Lu, had a bouncy castle for the kids this year. JR screamed, "It's Scooby Doo!" when he saw it. The kids really loved bouncing, and you can imagine what a big, sweaty, mess JR looked like by the end of the day.

Now I know everybody is on pins and needles wondering about the Easter Bonnet competition. Well, as you will see from the picture there were some fierce competitors. But, not to worry, I was able to pull out the win.

I'm going to be eating candy for a month. JR came home with a truck full of eggs from the Easter egg hunt....good thing the Easter Bunny didn't get JR much candy!

The kids also had a few of the confetti eggs to crack on each other. Here's JR about to smash one on Caleb's head.

Since almost all the cousins are boys, they really aren't into the typical Easter pinatas...So this year it was the Red Easter Power Ranger. Look what the poor thing looked like after they were done with it!

We even had a slide show of 20 years of Easter parties. Thanks, Kristi, for doing that...I know how much work that was! What a fun day!