Ward Party Mayhem...

So, this is how the usual story goes...we head to the Ward Summer Party...we being me and the kids since Don is still at work. Upon arriving, I first scan the food table to see if there is anything that has a remote chance of making into the tummy of either child. I then do a quick take of who is there and who I need to talk to before I leave. In the meantime...I look up to find Kade already halfway across the field. I quickly dump off our things on a table next to the trusted neighbor and start "the chase." Sydnie quickly loses interest and decides she is going to go and find something more interesting to captivate her attention than running after her little brother...again. Kade--who love, love, loves to run, looks back and giggles as he realizes he has me beat. Thus begins our game for the evening. After I concede the race to him, Kade decides to join me by the food table as I quickly serve up a hopeful plateful of food--even though I know very well...I'm never going to get to eat it...and my kids are never going to stop long enough to eat. Meanwhile, I've lost my grip on Kade and while attempting to keep Sydnie from emptying the entire Gott cooler-full of ice water on her feet (darn the novelty of those things!) I look to see that Kade has quickly found the large mud puddles at the bottom of the giant 'slip and slide.' I sigh and place the ridiculous plateful of food on the table next to my aforementioned pile of things and run to grab Kade. My neighbor Brooke, a.k.a. the "Fun Mom," convinces me that Kade is already wet and his diaper is already soggy...so why not let him just go down the slide? Sure. Why not? So up Kade goes and down he comes....making him the ward record holder on the 'slip and slide' for not only being the youngest slider...but also for having the soggiest, slipperiest Huggies around. After a couple of rounds of sliding, he decides to air dry and takes to running across the field as fast as those soggy Huggies would take him. He even tried to join a softball game. About the time that those playing ball are saying, "who is this random half-naked kid, and where is HIS MOM?" I turn to find Sydnie taking off her shoes and socks in preparation for her turn on the slide...fully clothed. "Hey Alicia! Sydnie wants to go down the slide, too!" Of course she does! And off she goes. Meanwhile I am playing the game of "Where's Kade" as he continues to run, run, run. [He did make it easy on me though. I just looked for the mini-man in the droopy diaper]. I run back to the pavilion so I can "meet and greet" some new ward members, hug the sweet older ladies in the ward, and grab a camera. I turn back to look for my kids in full realization that I am NOT the Fun Mom, and that I've completely lost control at this point. The amazing thing was that in spite of my desperation, frustration and failure...both of my kids were loving their little lives in that moment and laughing in sync with their shivers. Lesson learned. I may not be the "Fun Mom," but I can learn. I may not be perfect, and that's OK. My kids are going to have fun in spite of me so I may as well get on board! ;)

Just let me know if you see a little guy running past your house in his Huggies--as hard as I try, and as fast as I run--he still just might be mine ;)