Party Time

Alexander has been counting down the days until his birthday for months.  He knew exactly what he wanted for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and was sure to let me know!  Alex recently fell in love with kebabs and that was high on his priority list for his birthday.  (For breakfast he requested Reese's Puffs and for lunch he wanted pizza).

His primary teacher, Sis. Fackrell, stopped by with a balloon and treats which he was thrilled about.  He was also fairly certain that he would be getting a homemade quilt for his birthday.  (I had gotten James' done just in time for his birthday so I guess I started something! I guess I'd bet get started on Henry's!!)  He really was so excited to get it.

He was happy about all his gifts--especially the Lego minifigures that arrived at our house just right before we opened gifts!  He really is a very appreciative little boy.

This monstrosity came from the DI when Rich was doing service there one night!

Once again, Alex requested a donut tower for his birthday treat.

Since the beginning of the school year Alex has wanted to have a birthday party. Finally his wish came true!  He chose a Star Wars theme.  (I'm always surprised at the themes my boys choose.  I don't think we've had a repeat yet.)

His party fell on Memorial Day weekend so not everyone could come but it turned out to be the perfect number!  As we waited for everyone to arrive we decorated the table with Star Wars stickers and crayons.

(Tanu, Charles, Alex)

I put William and James in charge of the games.  They did a much better job than I could have!  First they played "Force Training".  The boys had to use their light sabers to keep their balloons from touching the ground.

Next the boys played "Yoda I am with a stick and a staff"  (their Star Wars version of "I'm an old lady with a stick and a staff.)  It was pretty hilarious to watch.

We also played "Luke, Luke, Vader"

And we played "Sith Tag" which is like "infection" or zombie tag.

The game that everyone was looking forward to was the Death Star pinata.  We made sure everyone got 3 good hits in.  We had one snag when Charles hit it in just the right spot and broke the string off!  Oops!

His choice for treats was chocolate cupcakes with nutella frosting.  (He's a little obsessed with nutella these days.)

After opening gifts we played a few more games.  We played hot/cold which the boys called "Use the force" and Vader Vader who's got the Vader.

I think that all the boys had a great time and it was so nice to turn the reigns of the games over to the boys!  They did a great job!

Calico Tank Trail at Red Rock

We've been wanting to go on a hike down at Red Rock for a while now.  We finally had a free weekend a few weeks back so we seized the opportunity and drove down for a short hike.  We tried the Calico Tank Trail this time.

The boys really liked climbing up the rocks.  Henry probably told us 100 times, "I'm a good rock climber!"  And he was!  He was our happiest hiker the entire way.

William really liked these little cave formations in the rock.

There were a lot of people on the trail that afternoon (probably because it was a gorgeous day) but not many children.  Several of the hikers commented that our boys were such great hikers.

There were a few pools of water along the way.  Alex found what looked to be some tadpoles.

And William found a few lizards as well.

Lydia did great but started getting fussy because she was tired and hungry so we stopped in this cool shady spot to quickly feed her and have a little snack.

We finally made it to the tank!  Hooray!

We climbed up just a little bit higher for a spectacular view.

One of the other hikers offered to take a picture with me in it as well... proof that Lydia and I were there!

A couple of these same hikers told us how impressed they were with our little "mountain goats."  Soon after that comment though the boys decided that they were "dying" right there on the rocks.

William was a great leader and made sure that the paths were safe to go down before heading down them.  And even though we had a few spills (I think Henry fell 20 times!) everyone was tough and kept on hiking.

The boys even made a few trail markers along the path.

The boys really were excellent hikers.  I think this is the best hike we've been on since we've had kids!  Rich didn't have to carry a single boy.

I'm grateful that although we live in a big city we have places like this nearby where we can get out and enjoy Heavenly Father's beautiful creations!

Alexander

Oh Alex!  I can't believe you are 6 years old today.  I'm so glad that you have loved school and making friends this year in kindergarten.  You are a hard worker and I love your "super hero smile."  You are so loving and appreciative of others.  Happy birthday my little friend!

What is your favorite...
color? blue
food?  Kebabs
game? Battleship
toy?  legos
show? Superhero Squad
animal?  bat
book? Pirates love underpants
song? Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam
What do you like to do?  make up games
Who is your best friend?  Lydia
What do you want to be when you grow up? video game inventor
Do you have a girlfriend?  no

I am - Alex

I am afraid of - nothing

I like - my family

I like to eat - kebabs

I don't like - poop

I know - math

I want to be - an awesome boy

I like to watch - Super Hero Squad

My hero is- dad (first he said "Jeanine"... I told him he couldn't use my name... so he switched to dad)

I cry when - someone is mean to me

I'm happy when - people play with me

Mom gets mad when - I scream

Mom is happy when - I don't scream

I can't wait for - school

Something Mom says to me - "Stop screaming!"

Something Dad says to me - "Go tell the brothers that they can't have ice cream."

My favorite place to go is - Legoland!

My Mom makes me laugh by - you don't ever make me laugh

My Dad makes me laugh by - telling me funny jokes

I know my mom loves me because - she is nice to me

I know my dad loves me because - he plays king-of-the-bed with me

Heckethorn Field Day

The boys really look forward to Field Day every year.  I got to go help William's class spray their hair red.  They thought that was pretty awesome.  It was great for me to walk around and watch the boys play!  We didn't last long though because Henry wanted to go home.  I really don't blame him though--it's no fun if you can't join in on the games!  I'm glad that I could go for just a little bit and see them have so much fun at school.