Ben's Birthday

It's been a month, so I should blog about Ben's Bday- since I don't see scrapbook time in my near future.

I can't quite pin down where I lost her, but at some point between losing our house, moving, and my husband being on crutches for 3 months and in a walking boot for additional one month- the Jamie of years past vanished. I've never been all put together- no, wouldn't claim that on a good day ever, but I had time to get things done. Granted, never timely- but they got done. I used to dust, and put away laundry. I can remember having a clean kitchen countertop before. I had time for crafts like making completely frivolous Victorian style cones, and hand knitting Christmas presents two years in a row. Once upon a time I made time to scrapbook everyday, and took and developed frequent pictures. And surely you've seen pictures of the birthday partys I have thrown my kids. You may not have been there to see me almost vomit when the crowds arrived, but nevertheless, partys happened.

This last summer, and into fall I could not find my footing. I still do not have everything unpacked. Some things I know are still in the boxes somewhere- travel mugs, extra tension rods, the cord to my Slice... I want to crawl into one of the boxes and not come out for awhile.

I couldn't even fathom throwing Ben a birthday party here. No way. This house feels so incomplete sometimes, and never fully straightened up. I mean, it feels like home for sure. It is cozy, and cute, and extremely liveable, but just unsettled. For example, today- I kid you not- I discovered the laundry Theo folded last night was still damp, and in a pinch to not be late getting Hunter off to school- I hung the laundry, bras and all, on various parts of my living room, and dining room furniture. Looks like a family of gypsies just passed through.

You cannot see the floor in the boys' room. And after I spend an entire day cleaning it, this happens again. And then again. I'm over it. Frankly. They have been cleaning it now- taking a few hours here and there all week. I will beg Theo to change the sheets on the bunkbed (no-no for my back), before he goes hunting this weekend. I will vaccum and swiffer up there- dust the shelves. But I don't have the time to keep this place clean- even after we purged a garage full of stuff at yard sale and thrift store dump-offs.

So, as my anxiety built for the upcoming 7th birthday of my baby boy, I was searching for a way to not have a party. Given Ben's obsession with Lego Store, the big theme park at the Mall of America sounded like the best solution. We could take him into the store to pick out legos with the money his grandma sent, and then buy ride passes and ride the day away. He loved the idea! I was so relieved, and actually thoroughly enjoyed his birthday for once. We rode the log ride over and over (they let us with the kids, so we only had to pay for their passes). They rode with dad. Ben took breaks to just sit in the lego play area and build stuff. He held my hand and slowly walked through the lego store plotting the next 16 years of lego building. A wonderful day.

Here are a few pictures.

We were all exhausted by the end of the day!