Mason Birthday

We have been so busy. I really hope this is not how the whole summer is going to go. It has been awhile since I have wrote anything of sustenance so that is my goal for today. Some things have happened over the last week or so that I can laugh about NOW. I think we will start with last Friday.
Last Thursday we got rain. I don't mean a little rain. I mean we got r-a-i-n. It was a torrential downpour. We got about 4 inches here at the house. Ames got around 7. Friday morning while watching the news I hear that parts of Ames are flooding. I wasn't concerned about this for awhile because I don't drive into Ames very often. Then I remembered that we had Mason's cake and sandwiches ordered at the new Super Walmart to be picked up in the morning before his party on Saturday. I might have started to panic at that point. The Super Walmart is located on the same road they had just shut down for the flooding. Then they show the parking lot on TV. Almost the whole parking lot is under water. So I make an executive decision and call another Super Walmart close by and switch my order to that store. It might be a little farther to drive but at least I knew we would be able to get our sandwiches and cake for the 25 or so people that would be invading my house on Saturday.
I then spend the next 2 hours on the phone getting everything canceled and set up. Let me rephrase that, I spent 2 hours on hold with the Walmart in Ames trying to cancel. While on hold with the bakery, the bakery calls my home phone. Let me just say 'Are you f'n kidding me? They leave me on hold to call other people.' So they were calling me as a courteous call (HAHA) to say that the City of Ames had closed the store due to rising waters and that they won't be able to get my cake done. So I asked her if they had a line on hold she said 'yes' so I told her to pick it up. Yep it was me on my cell! So I had her pick me back up from my home line being on hold and transfer me over to the deli. That was a quick call I wasn't even on the phone 5 minutes. So why didn't they just answer my call earlier instead of leaving me on hold. I might still be a little upset about that...
Saturday finally rolls around and the Walmart deli in Ames calls to see if I want the sandwiches on white or wheat. I was to say the very least annoyed. I told them as nicely as I could that I had called yesterday to cancel the order. Believe it, or not, she got upset with me. I kindly explained to her that I did my part and that it wasn't my fault if one of her co-workers dropped the ball and then I hung up.
I had planned to go and get the cake and sandwiches by myself. You know to give myself a chance to relax, calm down, maybe hear my own thoughts (translation- sneak a cig) because I knew the day was going to be busy and stressful. Well I didn't get to go by myself. Nope! Austin was having none of that. So Mason and I set out to town and what do you know the car needed gas and my sweet child has learned that if he screeches just right it annoys mommy and keeps himself awake. So after making a quick and painful stop at the gas station I turned up the radio real loud and made the rest of the trip in relative silence. I don't know how long after leaving the gas station Mason fell asleep but he did. So after getting to Walmart I opened the doors to the car and enjoyed myself a cig. It was over 3 months old and dried out real bad so it went real quick but I didn't care.
I left the house at 9:30 and Austin called at 12 to see where I was at. He got lucky I was only about 5 minutes from the house. Walmart was packed. It took forever. Mason got lucky and the bakery ladies gave him a cookie covered in pink frosting. Everything got covered in pink frosting. Including me! Mason was much better on the way home. I think he was asleep before we even got out of town. While I was gone Austin did vacuum and get some things ready. Lucky for him because otherwise I would have been very upset. Bonus for me he didn't smell any smoke on me. That or he knew better than to say anything.
Everyone showed up about 1 or so. Lucky for us it was sunny out so no one was in the house too much. While at Walmart I bought bubble wands for the kids to play with so that kept them fairly occupied and out of our hair. We did the food, cake, ice cream, presents and talked. I would like to think that everyone had a good time but when you have little kids together it is not a party until they all cry at least once. So in that regard it was a blast. yippee.
Mason basically just took all the frosting off of his little cake and rubbed it all over his little face. He tore the cake in half but I don't think he actually ate it. He did end up with frosting in his nose that stayed there for 3 days because he wouldn't let me pick it out. I figured it wouldn't kill him so I didn't fight him about it.
Towards the end of the party a snake joined us. Yes a snake. A BIG snake. My b-i-l Jesse ran to the garage and grabbed some hedge clippers and snipped the snake but what do you know that just made it mad. So I went and got a spade. The snake was M-A-D and kept striking at the spade so finally I got it put on it just below the head and proceeded to cut the head off. Now it is a dead snake. I was rather proud of myself. I didn't just stand there and scream and act the wimp. Austin was rather surprised. I know that he would have just put it in a bucket and taken it to the creek and I would have had to worry about it every time I stepped outside. This way I don't. I can walk outside without having a panic attack.
So after that things calmed down. Almost everyone left about 5 or so. Mom, Dad, Mare, Jesse, Major, and Hunter left about 7:30. It was a long day. Good but long.