Birthday parties. To most, two birthdays in three days doesn’t sound like that big of a deal but two birthday parties with THREE KIDS… it’s like herding cats. Craig was home this weekend so it was MUCH easier because he is amazing but there are still so many obstacles and circumstances that can affect family outings. This post will be the most relatable one yet whether you have one munch or six.

The first was Friday night at a gymnastics place for Jaxon’s buddy Wyatt. I planned my day out perfectly so that I could utilize the most of my morning/afternoon working. But then my one year old puked in his bed because he picked up the “crud” that everyone has had this winter which includes a wet, snotty cough. Then a model had a scheduling conflict and I had to scramble to replace her. Then my daughter peed her pants 2 times (potty training=THE. WORST). Then my husband had some excellent opportunities come through that we had to work on (Stay tuned!) THEN we had to pick up Jax from school (45 minutes there 45 minutes back) and pick up a gift for the party because I like to procrastinate. All the while we have to dress (matching always) the family, crank out dishes between emails and calls, run the barf sheets through the wash so my house didn’t smell like sour milk and feed these little humans decent meals so they don’t get hangry (a very real thing in my house). And I haven’t even gotten to the party part yet…

Make it to the party with work wrapped, present in hand and my babes looking like rockstars. I feel confident, I feel that fourth cup of cold coffee kicking in and I feel ready to take on this rainbow room of amazingness. Jaxon is six and pretty self sufficient. He is incredible on trampolines so I try and keep eyes on him in fear of missing the sweet flips. Craig stays with him so he can get video and pictures. I take the two littles to the other end of the gym for bounce house and foam pit fun. You would think that a one year old isn’t that difficult and that my precious three year old is a perfect angel that stays by my side. HA. Dakota is a tiny independent monkey and this is her Mecca. She starts jumping into every pit, running from one obstacle to another trying to keep up with the big kids, all the while my “baby” is climbing the third row of a rope net. At this point we have lost a shoe, a hair bow, my sanity and I am now visibly sweating. That’s when the “team” stepped in. My girlfriends came to the rescue tag teaming, busting out baby wipes while a teething baby Gray was leaving a trail of drool on the mats, and one jumped into a germ infested bounce house to rescue the rogue bow. AND it’s not just mommys. Our super dad friend took Kota around with the big kids so she could feel included and made sure she got a piece of pizza and cake. Overall, kiddos had the best time, we made special memories with special friends and we all slept like babies that night.

Party number two tonight was “Sabannah’s” bowling birthday! Again, we leave the house confident, everyone’s dressed in purple and we are ready to party. It started at 3:00PM so naturally Graydon fell asleep at 2:50PM just in time to be woken up and forced to stay awake because mommy forgot the stroller. Strike one (and not the good kind of bowling strike). We walk in knowing daddy and Jax were bowling and Kota, Gray and I would be cheerleaders. As the guys are getting their shoes Kota throws a miniature fit because she wants to wear clown shoes too. We spend the $4.00 on the damn shoes because I am not about to get into an argument with a three year old boss lady in public. Strike two. Fortunately there wasn’t actually a strike three except that daddy ended up getting three strikes!!! The Henson family knows the hectic that comes with a musician’s life because their daddy is one too. That and they have been around our babes since they were born. So when my thighs are burning trying to bounce baby Gray to sleep Allie tags me out so I can take a break and she can smell his baby breath. When my glass of wine is down to it’s last sip Amanda is right there with the refill or something stronger depending on the stress level she can read on my face. When Jaxon needs more quarters to play arcade games Josh is already putting them into his hand. People like this are gold and when you find them KEEP THEM.

Teamwork truly does make the dream work. My dream has always been to have a big family but once you have more than two, you are outnumbered. You need to be sure you have a foundation of friends that know the secret SOS parent code. I thank GOD we do. Parent or single, friend or stranger, lover of kids or lover of cats… I hope you all know that when you pick up that bottle that my baby threw, when you open that door for my giant stroller, when you compliment us on our twinning efforts or my kids manners… you have made my day. You give us parents the courage to conquer the next birthday party, the next restaurant or the next movie. Just kidding about the movie… I have three kids under six years old I’m brave but hell I’m not stupid.