I Can Take the Screaming and Yelling

Riley finally got to have his birthday party today.  It was a really fun party.  He had a puppy theme, and I could only find puppy themed stuff on the internet, and everytime I went to click on the check out button, I just couldn't do it.  I don't know why.  Maybe it's because I felt like I was spending too much on the crap.  So he had a hodgepogde puppy party.  We used the puppy themed "Happy Birthday!" sign I had purchased two years ago for Zach's puppy party (huh, interesting.  I just realized that was Zach's 7th birthday, too).  There were unopened napikins too (that I forgot to use).  His cake had Scooby Doo on it, and in the treat bags, I put Snoopy pencils, and Star Wars yo-yos.  Well, what can you do, right?
Any way, Kaleb woke up this morning saying his tummy hurt.  I asked him why, and he said it was because he ate too much.  I was still in bed, so I just assumed that meant his brothers (or Dad) had helped him get his breakfast.  When I came downstairs, he told me he hadn't eaten yet.  "Oh, well, that's why your tummy hurts," I said.  "You're hungry."  Well, he wouldn't eat anything and he felt warm.  His temperature was 99.5.  Nothing to be too concerned about, but throughout the day, it kept going up.  I thought, well, I will just stick him in his room while the party is going on.  But he is just as whiny as his dad when he is sick.  I was betting that I couldn't just leave him in his room for an hour.  Kurtis couldn't just take the day off from work, he'd already done that on Tuesday, so I called my mom.  She agreed to come and help me.  My mom's the best!  She helped me get everthing ready and then just before the party, we took Kaleb up to his room.  Poor kid.  He did want to go to the party, and was so excited for it yesterday.  He knew why he couldn't come though.  He's so understanding like that.  He just whimpers a lot when he's sick.  Which is hard to listen to.  His dad moans.  I can't take it after awhile.
Soon, it was party time!  The cousins came (they are still here), and Auntie Kristie stayed (she's so awesome!).  The friends came!  We played a game where I hid bone-shaped pieces of cardboard all over the front room.  The kids had to get on their hands and knees and crawl around like puppies and find their bones.  It was cute.  Then we played pin the tail on the donkey (a classic game that everyone loves), and then we had a barking contest.  After that, we decorated sugar cookies with frosting and candy.  They loved it!  It was easy and I just got to sit back and watch them and take pictures.  Then we had cake and ice cream.  It was a funfettie cake from Pillsbury.  I dyed the vanilla frosting green.  Then we opened presents.  Then the kids got to run around and play until their parents said they had to come home.  So that party, I can mark off as a success.  Kids love me. :)

Kaleb seems a little bit better.  He ate some dinner and a cookie.  I'm glad.  I hate it when my kids are sick.  Riley was much more tolerable when he was sick.  He just layed on the couch and didn't move or make a sound unless he needed something.  I can deal with that.  Whinies?  Not so much.  They grate on my nerves.  But hey, I have all boys, so I suppose I will have to put up with them for a long, long time.  Then, when they get married, their wives can listen to them moan and groan.  I'm just grateful Kurtis doesn't get sick very often. ;)

The Bone Finding contest.  That boy in the orange won because Riley really found the most, but he knew where they all were, so it doesn't count.

Pin the Tail on the Donkey!

The winner of the dog barking contest!  Go Katie!  That was a hard one to judge.

Decorating cookies!

Blowing out the candles!

And finally, Presents!