we like, we like to party

saturday was quite a busy day for the bean. while i trotted off to get my hair did, the hub and FIL took her to a party.

FIL's company throws a big christmas party just for the employees' kids and grandkids, and he was excited to show her off this year. i got the bean all dressed up in a festive outfit (complete with leg warmers) and off they went.

at first, she hung out with her daddy - first in the ergo, then clutching onto his legs for dear life.

her proud grandpa was more than happy to tote her around.

it was quite an elaborate party - games, face painting, moon bouncers, even pony and train rides. this is gonna be fun as hell next year, when she can get more into it.

of course, what's a kids' christmas party without santa? there was even a pro photographer present. the "official" photo:

and one from our camera.

grandpa helped her grab some candy during a game (i don't know exactly what the game was, but they came home with a paper bag with a few pieces of candy inside). look at how little she is compared to the rest of the kids in line!

she likes balloons.

and then when they got home, i was waiting to change her into some comfy jeans and head off to our next engagement - LP's bowling birthday party. a quick stop at target for our gift, and then we arrived at the bowling alley.

we were totally late, but i'd already told MommyBelle that we wouldn't be bowling anyway, so it was all good. LP was right smack-dab in the thick of things, doing her bumper bowling thang.

this amused me:

LFM was rockin' his new stroller - no more janky, crooked wheel and mini WD-40 can in the basket!

i laughed my ass off when i walked into the party room and saw this:

i'd totally been making fun of MB, who had spent an entire day baking and decorating a thousand cupcakes. i teased her about burning them to a crisp, and as i sat in the stylists' chair, waiting for my color to soak into the grays, she sheepishly called me from ralph's. turns out that the end result wasn't exactly as she'd hoped and so she ended up picking this baby up. dahahahahahaha!!

the room was cute, and all decorated in LP's favorite colors - pink and purple.

there was a play kitchen set in the corner of the room, which the bean was drawn to like a magnet.

loved, loved, loved LP's furry pink boots. a little bit exactly the opposite of the rest of her outfit, but that's a 4-year-old for ya.

MB is an anal party freak like yours truly, so i wasn't surprised to find these most adorable, most perfect goody bags filled with candy and toys for the older kids. and she'd made cute little personalized bowling tees and little trophies for the wee ones (including the bean).

and then it was pizza time! these are blurry as hell, but come on - i was snapping them with the iPhone while trying to feed the bean at the same time. and her little faces were cracking me up.

i ate a few or six pieces of pizza, chatted with MB and her sister for a bit, tried to help pick up the trash on the tables, and then as the kids filed out of the room, tokens in hand, we made our exit. it'd been a long, busy morning and afternoon for the bean, and she was sorely in need of some shuteye. and we didn't even make it out of the parking lot before she dropped off.

and as for my 'do? well, it's just reshaped into the cut i originally got in january. after a few weird cuts and a lot of shaggy growing-out weeks, i decided i wanted to go back to the "pob."

it's so good to have my nugget back to normal again.