Team O'Hare: Creating stress

This kid makes my morning, day and night.

About 4 years ago my girlfriend Holly had hosted a ornament exchange, and even though I knew no one at the party I had a ton of fun. Since then I have always wanted to host one of my own, and this year I finally buckled down and did it. We had a cookie and ornament exchange, and to my surprise even though it was in the middle of the week I had a full house. Kevin and I perfected my candy cane martini, nailed out the menu and made up our left/right game for the ornament exchange by personalizing it with who was going to be at the party. That Kevin..he sure is a big help and a great poet. :) I was fortunate enough to have my girlfriend Melissa come over a few hours early to help me. I was thinking that she would be helping me drink some martinis before the party, but what actually happened is I put her to work. I swear I would have never gotten any food served if it was not for her. Thank you Mel! Getting ready for any kind of party with two children is almost impossible, and in the midst of it I wonder why I do this to myself. It is so stressful!! Kevin sat upstairs with the boys, but once Jack heard the commotion downstairs there was no way he was hiding out. He is such a charmer and wanted to be in the middle of the action, which I can't blame him with all the pretty ladies that were around. So we had bungee corded the doors shut so he would stay up there with Kevin, and the look of his face was a bit heartbreaking that I almost changed my mind. But as you ladies know sometimes we all just need some GIRL time. But when everything was said and done I had a blast laughing and being silly with my girlfriends, eating way too many sweets and taking straight vodka shots (whose idea was that anyway???) that I hope to do this every year!!

This was the ornament I exchanged. I made it out of sparkly modge podge and newspaper (obviously) . I loved it but when I showed it to Kevin he thought it was hideous. So lucky or unlucky for Lindsay, she is the one who ended up with it. :)

Last year we had a progressive dinner with our friends here in the neighborhood. At the 1st house we did drinks and appetizers, 2nd house was the main course dinner and 3rd house was desserts and after dinner drinks. It was so much fun we decided to do it again this year but with a little bit of a twist. We added one more house AND decided just to do an appetizer, drink and dessert at each house. We started at 3PM, and it ended about 11PM. It went by so quickly, and even though I had some (or a lot of ) alcohol I did not even get a buzz... I guess that it what happens when you finally get the kids settled and yourself at one house then to turn around and get everyone back into the car to the next house. Exhausting but exciting. With my love for Christmas and Holiday decor one of my favorite things to do is see everyone's houses all decorated. Everyone has a different style, but its all very beautifully done. I feel like Christmas just makes everything a little bit more cozy. We were the last house this year, and we really got to try out our new bar that Kevin built. It was the first time that we had all the adults in one room and the toddlers in the playroom and they actually stayed there. There was no fighting, no whining, no nothing. They just played hard while we drank and laughed. We succeeded in what we wanted this tradition to be about. Getting friends together over the Holiday and really enjoying ourselves. We left this year's annual get together with some inside jokes and well some more inside jokes. Thank you Jack for your never ending bathroom drama and for Caleb's accomplice in it, Brian for not knowing how to pour his own drink out of the keg or make it stop and Natasha's absolute LOVE for some homemade cranberry lime vodka.....I guess you had to be there for any of this to be funny but I assure you I will be laughing about all of these for years. Thank you Michelle for all these wonderful pictures you took!!

Brian, Scott and Kevin at Bar O'Hare

Jack, Lera and Teagan...Lucky guy.

Here we go! All the toddlers.

One of my all time favorite pictures of Isla and Michelle. Both stunning!

Scott, Brian, Kevin and Dave

Shanna, Natasha, Michelle and Me

Natasha and sweet Brecki.

You may think these are burgers but you would be wrong. They are all dessert. I can not tell you exactly what is what but I am still amazed about these wonderful treats that Dave and Shanna whipped up. I know for sure the "bun" is sugar cookie.

Tired Brecki.

This week we ventured out to see the spectacular singing bears. I have heard so much about them, and I thought Jack would LOVE it. It was an animatronic orchestra (robotic bears). We left thinking we would get there a bit early maybe to get a coffee and not be rushed. Needless to say it was an absolute disaster trying to get there. Driving there was not the issue for me which is unusual because this is why these sorts of events are usually a disaster for me. The problem was that the building I wanted to get to was connected to about 5 other buildings and I had NO clue where to go AND I had my mega monster double stroller AND there were no elevators, just stairs. At one point I called Kevin and yelled at him. Why? I don't know. It makes me feel better to act like its his fault that I'm stressed out and lost. He must really love me because I wonder what I would do if the tables were turned. Probably not answer the phone. :) I have to tell you this because its actually quite funny now. When I got to my first set of stairs I was completely dumbfounded. #1. I couldn't believe I was going to be late and #2. How was I going to get my sit and stand stroller down these stairs. I asked two elderly ladies how to work a handicap elevator that was next to the stairs. They had no clue, but luckily one of the nice ladies offered and helped me carry my stroller down the first flight of stairs. I was really very nervous that she was going to fall backwards and 911 would be called. So at my second flight of stairs I decided to take Jack and Brecken out...fold up my stroller carry Brecken in one arm and my stroller in the other and have Jack running in front or behind me while we went up and down probably 3 more flights of stairs. I was so overwhelmed and stressed when I got to my friends at the singing bears I wanted to cry but instead I swore I would NEVER be doing this again. But after seeing Jack, Molly, Bethany, Breck and Landon love on this absolutely unforgettable orchestra I know I will be doing this again and again..I will just be better prepared and without a stroller.