A Lego Birthday Party

Since the boys' birthdays are just a few weeks apart, we thought we would try a joint party this year. I had a hard time deciding on a theme that both boys would love.  Henry likes Star Wars and the Octonauts.  Georgie likes balls and working on house projects with Grandpa S.  I had settled on a "non-theme" theme party with generic everything, but then one morning I watched as both boys were playing with legos and eureka!  Both boys love legos!  A lego party would be perfect.

Henry helped string the banner.

George helped hang balloons.

Claire is my master party planner and loves to help decorate. 

Since it was a brunch, we had breakfast sandwiches, hash browns and fruit salad, along with some yummy extras that the grandmas brought to share.

Family gathered Saturday mid-morning to begin the birthday celebration.

George figured out that he could use the fan to 

blow the balloons around for a fun game. 

The Sternberg cousins enjoyed their hash browns.

The adults had a nice time visiting with each other. 

And then the real fun began...

Presents!

George the Tool Man.  

Please nobody tell him they are just plastic.

 

Henry pointed out the Great White Shark and explained to us 

that they don't have gills like the blue whales.

The boy is terrified of bugs, but this Bug Explorer Kit was right up his alley.

Grandpa helped George open his gift.

A perfect tower to knock over.

The kids tested the weight limit on Grandpa's homemade balance beam.

A perfect balance beam for staying out of the hot lava.  

Just what every 5-year-old needs!

Aunt Melissa joined in some Lego fun.

And to complete our Lego Birthday Party, a couple of Lego cakes, 

as well as some No-Bake Cookies from Grandma S.  

George needed a little help with his candles, but I didn't realize until afterwards that I had put three candles on his cake!  No wonder he didn't want to blow them out.  I'm sure he was trying to tell me there was an extra candle, but we were all caught up in the excitement.  Don't get ahead of yourself George.  You have a whole year before you need that extra candle.

  

A couple of Post Party Pictures  

Henry with his new race track

I wondered where Claire and George went until I found them in Claire's room. They must have been tuckered out from all the birthday fun.

Henry's Birthday

Happy Birthday Henry!  You are 5 years old!

You are typically the first to wake at our house, and so you come into our room and say cheerfully, "Good Morning!  How did you sleep?"  I respond, "I am still sleeping buddy".  To which you naturally ask, "Can you get me some cereal?"

On your birthday, though, instead of heading down for breakfast right away, you were excited to open your presents.  You had found them awhile back in the basement, and so you asked eagerly, "Can I open my Octonaut toys?"  

George modeling your new Captain Barnacles mask.

After opening gifts, you enjoyed the chocolate chip waffles you had picked out for breakfast, and then you and Dad got ready to go on your class field trip.

You and your class went to Calvin College's ecosystem preserve where you learned a lot about wildlife.

You and Gryffin made sure to get front row seats.

In the afternoon, we had a special visitor for your birthday - your teacher, Ms. Sybil.  She does a home visit twice a year for her preschoolers, and it worked well for her to come for your birthday. You (and George) enjoyed showing her your new room and your toys.

For dinner you chose to have macaroni & cheese and corn.  A birthday meal fit for a 5-year-old.

An Octonauts birthday cake decorated by Claire and Dad.  You wanted lemon cake for today and chocolate cake for your party with extended family.  Two good choices!

Happy to be FIVE.

Three days later, on May 15th, we watched a few home videos from May 15th, 2011. You were just getting settled into the NICU, waiting for your first surgery to repair your omphalocele. 

Can't believe how far you have come in five years.  You were so little, so fragile.  And now, you've surpassed both the doctor's expectations and our hopes.  We are so proud of you.

You are quirky and energetic.  You are funny and sensitive and full of imagination. You are serious with your studies, but playful at home.  You like legos, cars, and riding your bike.  You tell great knock, knock jokes.  Lately, your favorite show is Octonauts and have become amazingly knowledgeable about marine life, surprising us all, and sometimes even strangers, with interesting trivia.

We love you Henry Sam!  

April Review

April showered more house projects, but we had a lot of fun along the way.

staining with a smile

I had so much fun as chaperon on a mini field trip for Henry's class where we walked down the road to the "big kid campus" to watch the 1st-3rd Grade Talent Show.  Pictured is Henry and his best buddy Gryffin (on the left) with their teacher Ms. Sybil. 

Watching traffic from the overpass.  

Ms. Sybil made sure to teach the children how to signal for the trucks to honk their horns.  The kids loved it!  Gotta appreciate the well-rounded education our children get at a Montessori school.  

A selfie while waiting for the talent show to begin.  

Gryffin cracks me up.  One performance into the show, he asked "Is that the last one?"  Uh, no Gryffin.  He collapses in angst, "This is the worst!"  The next hour was spent trying to keep him awake, which was not an easy task I tell you!

On the bright side, it made my day when Claire asked her teacher if she could go sit by her mom during the show.  I know the day will come when she will be embarrassed to sit by me, but until then, I will soak it up. 

A Spring Cake for Spring Break!

Getting ready to paint bedrooms.

Covering our kids in Scripture.

Our prayer for Claire: Zephaniah 3:17 and Philippians 4:13

Our prayer for Henry: 1 Samuel 1:27

Our Prayer for George: Galatians 6:9

We are SO THANKFUL for all our painting helpers.

Pictured is Joe's buddy, Casey, who helped paint the kids' bedrooms.

Also, Joe's mom and her friend Mary helped paint the nursery and our bedroom.

My dear friend, Mindy, helped paint the sitting area and the stairwell.   

We decided to stay with rather neutral colors for the kids' bedrooms since their favorite colors change on an almost weekly basis.  But in an effort to help them customize their space, we let them paint their closets with the color of their choosing, which they seemed happy with.

Just a bit of prep work and then Claire is ready to paint her closet.

Grandpa and George hang Claire's closet shelves.

We have been amazed through this renovation process at how George has become obsessed with working with Grandpa.  He would stay by his side all day, wanting to know exactly what Grandpa was doing.

With the painting done, Claire and Henry wanted to spend their first night upstairs.  Claire set up her sleeping bag, and without hesitation, Henry set his next to hers.  Claire graciously allowed him to share her room for the night.  

Night #2, however, didn't go quite so smoothly.  Claire was ready to have her room to herself, and so without an ounce of subtlety, she picked up Henry's sleeping bag and threw it outside her door. Henry, ever so calmly, picked it up and put it right back where it was.  Not sure he's as eager to have his own room.

Somebody get that boy a hammer.  He has work to do.

We enjoyed an evening with our Pastor and his family.  

Plenty of time to talk council matters and still play some Mario Kart.

George visited with Great Grandma Puplis while Grandpa and Grandma 

Puplis took advantage of a nice weekend to help paint the upstairs doors.

It's official!  

Furniture has come out of storage, and the kids are moved into their rooms.

George does have a mattress on the floor in Henry's room so that he can practice sleeping in a big boy bed.  I think he still benefits from being contained in a crib, but Henry loves to have him close.

Finally warming up to the idea of having his own space.

This is the unfortunate result of our Queen-sized box spring that refused to fit up the steps.  Where there is a will...and some tools...there is a way.

Another picture of George shadowing Quality Builders.

He saw Grandpa on his stool and had to get his own.  He would much rather play with tools than toys.  We've tried to appease him with plastic or wooden tool toys, but he knows the real thing, and he won't settle for less.  Gives me gray hair, but it's just so cute.