Black and White

My kids have recently made friends with a neighborhood family.  They have five kids, and Porter waits at the bus stop with some of them, although they attend a different school.  They came over one day while we were out in the yard, and we all had a good time playing in the tree house and running around outside.  Then they came over the next day.  And the next.  And they started coming over in the morning before school.  And being here every day while I cooked dinner.  They are very polite, nice kids.  The older girls dote on Molly, and my kids really seem to like them. 

But.  It's a lot.  No matter how nice they are, four or five extra kids is more mess and attention, and it was getting hard.  And then one day after school, Porter was playing with his Legos while Molly was napping.  We saw them coming down the hill, and I could see in Porter's face that he didn't want to play.  He just needs his down time, he's always been like that.  They came anyway, and it was all fine. 

Afterwards, I told Porter that if they ever came over and he didn't feel like playing, he could tell them that I needed him to do something and that it wasn't a good time.  I know it's hard for him to say no and to be assertive, so I was trying to give him an easy out without hurting anyone's feelings. 

He looked at me funny, and said "Mom, wouldn't that be a lie?"  Sigh.  Yes, bud, I guess so.

It's so hard to know how to teach your kids about life.  Because, yes, lying is bad.  But you also don't want to hurt feelings.  So I thought about it.  And he's right, lying is probably the wrong way to go about it.  He's going to have to figure out how to tell them he doesn't want to play.  Or he's just going to have to suck it up.  And deal with life his own way.  That goes for me too.  Thanks Porter, for teaching me the lesson this time.

Post Party Pictures

The owl cake was pretty easy to make, and everyone got a kick out of it.  Here's the link where I got the idea, I didn't even have everything mentioned and it turned out fine.  Cedar wasn't so sure about the whole candle/singing thing, but she did love chocolate cake.

Also, if you have leftover chicken (I've also done similar things with salmon), here's a great wrap idea.  These are super yummy, and easy to reinvent with whatever you have on hand.  The cheese and a bit of sour cream make them really nice and creamy.  And the browning step in the pan is a must.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Happy First Birthday to my sweet, sweet Cedar.  Even though you have no idea, we are all so excited to share this special day with you.  Keep on rockin' girl.

Also, a year?  Really?  Sigh.