Winter Party (and "The Sleepover")
Part One: The Party
On Saturday we held our 7th annual Wash Away the Winter Blues party. We've had this celebration every year since moving to Richmond, with the exception of last year because Parker had just been born. This is always a great opportunity for us to catch up with friends and have some fun. It's also an opportunity for us to pretend that we're still in our early twenties. Eight years ago (before we all had kids) it was typical for us to stay up until 3 or 4am, with friends sleeping all over the house. We would slowly wake up around 10am and take a few hours to eat breakfast, lay around the house talking, and eventually get cleaned up and everyone would go home. Now that kids have entered our world, the party is a little different. It started at 6pm, because when you're old you can't wait until 9pm to start eating and drinking. We also hired a babysitter to watch our kids and the O'Neill kids, who were spending the night. A smaller crowd than in years past (about 25) but still a great time had by all! Several friends drove down from Northern Virginia, and Cleatus entertained us with the tales of being a police officer in Arlington. We made it until 1:30am and then finally kicked everyone out so we could crash. That's a late night for people who are normally in bed at 9:30pm!
Part Two: The Sleepover
We made the mistake of telling Ainsley in January that we would be having this party and her friend Whitney would come stay with us. Due to the number of people sleeping at the house, they could have a sleepover in her bedroom. Ever since then, she asks at least twice a week 'How many days until Whitney comes to sleep at my house?' I even made her a calendar so she could mark off the days until "The Sleepover." As the big day approached, we talked about how Whitney would be sleeping on the small air mattress in her room, how she needed to be a good friend and share her things, how the babysitter would come and play with them upstairs while the mommies and daddies played downstairs. Friday she wanted to start getting ready, but we convinced her to wait until Saturday. By the time she woke up Saturday morning she could barely contain her excitement. At dance class she told one of the other parents about it: "My best friend Whitney is coming for a sleepover today! She's going to sleep on the mattress made with air in my room. We're going to play and talk and eat popcorn and sleep in my room! I have lots to do to get ready. I want everything to be perfect!" That's my daughter - a little planner!
She helped bring some toys up to her room, and picked out the sheets for Whitney's bed. She picked out which pajamas she wanted to wear (her pink princess pajamas, of course). When Tim, Caroline, Whitney and Colin finally arrived Saturday afternoon, she was so anxious to take Whitney upstairs and show her everything. The two girls immediately starting playing with the kitchen and princess castle. Before long they were both wearing princess pajamas. Our babysitter arrived after dinner and kept both girls and both baby boys upstairs to play until bedtime. After the boys went to bed, Ainsley and Whitney watched some movies on the iPad in her bed, and continued playing long after their normal bedtime. A sleepover means getting to stay up late, right? At 8:00 we brought them downstairs to see everyone and say goodnight. We figured by the time they brushed teeth and read books and whispered for a while, they'd probably be asleep by 9. Wrong! After several visits from all 4 of the parents and the babysitter, they finally settled down by 10:00. One of the last conversations I heard on the baby monitor (around 10:30pm) just melted my heart. Keep in mind, this is after I had been in her room several times to tell her to stop talking, be quiet, and go to sleep or Whitney would have to move to the other room. Poor Whitney was snuggled up in her bed, so quiet, and clearly wanting to go to sleep. My little chatterbox just couldn't stop herself from talking.
Ainsley: "Whitney! This is so much fun!"
Silence
Ainsley: "Whitney! Are you my friend?"
Silence
Ainsley: "Whitney! Do you like me?"
Silence
Ainsley: "Whitney! Do you like me, yes or no?"
Whitney: "BE QUIET!"
Finally a few minutes later I think they finally fell asleep. The following morning I heard Ainsley's excited voice on the monitor: "Whitney, this was the best sleepover ever!!! Thanks for coming!!" Adorable. Except it was 5:30am.
On Saturday we held our 7th annual Wash Away the Winter Blues party. We've had this celebration every year since moving to Richmond, with the exception of last year because Parker had just been born. This is always a great opportunity for us to catch up with friends and have some fun. It's also an opportunity for us to pretend that we're still in our early twenties. Eight years ago (before we all had kids) it was typical for us to stay up until 3 or 4am, with friends sleeping all over the house. We would slowly wake up around 10am and take a few hours to eat breakfast, lay around the house talking, and eventually get cleaned up and everyone would go home. Now that kids have entered our world, the party is a little different. It started at 6pm, because when you're old you can't wait until 9pm to start eating and drinking. We also hired a babysitter to watch our kids and the O'Neill kids, who were spending the night. A smaller crowd than in years past (about 25) but still a great time had by all! Several friends drove down from Northern Virginia, and Cleatus entertained us with the tales of being a police officer in Arlington. We made it until 1:30am and then finally kicked everyone out so we could crash. That's a late night for people who are normally in bed at 9:30pm!
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| See how tired we look? This was at 11:30pm. We're getting old... |
We made the mistake of telling Ainsley in January that we would be having this party and her friend Whitney would come stay with us. Due to the number of people sleeping at the house, they could have a sleepover in her bedroom. Ever since then, she asks at least twice a week 'How many days until Whitney comes to sleep at my house?' I even made her a calendar so she could mark off the days until "The Sleepover." As the big day approached, we talked about how Whitney would be sleeping on the small air mattress in her room, how she needed to be a good friend and share her things, how the babysitter would come and play with them upstairs while the mommies and daddies played downstairs. Friday she wanted to start getting ready, but we convinced her to wait until Saturday. By the time she woke up Saturday morning she could barely contain her excitement. At dance class she told one of the other parents about it: "My best friend Whitney is coming for a sleepover today! She's going to sleep on the mattress made with air in my room. We're going to play and talk and eat popcorn and sleep in my room! I have lots to do to get ready. I want everything to be perfect!" That's my daughter - a little planner!
She helped bring some toys up to her room, and picked out the sheets for Whitney's bed. She picked out which pajamas she wanted to wear (her pink princess pajamas, of course). When Tim, Caroline, Whitney and Colin finally arrived Saturday afternoon, she was so anxious to take Whitney upstairs and show her everything. The two girls immediately starting playing with the kitchen and princess castle. Before long they were both wearing princess pajamas. Our babysitter arrived after dinner and kept both girls and both baby boys upstairs to play until bedtime. After the boys went to bed, Ainsley and Whitney watched some movies on the iPad in her bed, and continued playing long after their normal bedtime. A sleepover means getting to stay up late, right? At 8:00 we brought them downstairs to see everyone and say goodnight. We figured by the time they brushed teeth and read books and whispered for a while, they'd probably be asleep by 9. Wrong! After several visits from all 4 of the parents and the babysitter, they finally settled down by 10:00. One of the last conversations I heard on the baby monitor (around 10:30pm) just melted my heart. Keep in mind, this is after I had been in her room several times to tell her to stop talking, be quiet, and go to sleep or Whitney would have to move to the other room. Poor Whitney was snuggled up in her bed, so quiet, and clearly wanting to go to sleep. My little chatterbox just couldn't stop herself from talking.
Ainsley: "Whitney! This is so much fun!"
Silence
Ainsley: "Whitney! Are you my friend?"
Silence
Ainsley: "Whitney! Do you like me?"
Silence
Ainsley: "Whitney! Do you like me, yes or no?"
Whitney: "BE QUIET!"
Finally a few minutes later I think they finally fell asleep. The following morning I heard Ainsley's excited voice on the monitor: "Whitney, this was the best sleepover ever!!! Thanks for coming!!" Adorable. Except it was 5:30am.
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