Anderson's birthday adventure

Anderson turned four a month and a half ago, yet I am only now just getting around to uploading the pictures. Seriously with the time passing so quickly. It needs to stop already.

When Anderson celebrated his first birthday we started a tradition of birthday adventures. The boys may never remember what they received for any particular birthday, but the hope is that they carry with them always the memories that were created and (hopefully) captured. It's certainly not an original idea, but it makes for a special day. I have learned over the years that the best plan is to not have any at all and this year was no exception. Perhaps in the future entire birthdays will be spent at Disneyland or some other attraction, but for now just just hitting up a few favorite places for fun and treats all in one day seems to be just our speed.

This year began as all the others, with balloons and presents before the sun even thought about coming up. Anderson received his very own light-up light saber as all good jedis should. (Jedis? Ewoks? Stormtroopers? I have no idea, but he does and that's all that matters.)

After saving the planet (really, I have no idea what Star Wars is about, but I think they live in space, right?) all morning the boys and I (Gabe was working for  a few hours) hit up the bagel shop and Jamba Juice for a late breakfast/early lunch. Anderson was sure to tell every single person that crossed his path that it was his birthday. That's my boy.

After bagels we realized we had just enough time to get to Shipley Nature Center before they closed for the day. Why they close at 1:00 I will never understand, but at least it makes it more of a treat, I suppose.

They held hands as they walked around and I swear my heart was about to burst. That just doesn't happen everyday with these two.

Beck learned how to spear a fish and Anderson learned how to throw a boomarang thanks to some handy guides.

 We identified bugs and spotted lizards

 and got entirely too close to the edge of the pond.

 Inside, we identified leaves and trees

 and matched bird calls to their taxidermied bodies.

 Beck played with bugs

 and Anderson read us a story and put on a puppet show.

 and I tried, unsuccessfully, to to get them to sit still just long enough to get just one picture where they were facing the same direction.

 I'm not sure it will ever happen.

 Anderson had taken off at this point.

We went home for a dinosaur break

and wouldn't you know the ice cream man came down our street.

After a sugar re-fuel we went to the park to burn it off.

And then we went for birthday burgers and sundaes on the pier



It was another perfect birthday adventure for a perfect little birthday boy. Beck's adventure was just two weeks later and was strikingly similar! Don't mess with a good thing, right?!

Anderson turned 4 | Dinosaur Party

Anderson wanted a dinosaur party this year (so much easier than the monster truck, kitty cat, and rainbow theme he chose last year!). I searched around on-line to gather some ideas, but nothing quite fit the bill. Most everything I found was either too scary, too cartoony, or just plain ugly. There was, however, no shortage of over-the-top parties that included dinosaur bone excavations, real paleontologists, and lava-flowing volcano cakes. And while I sincerely hope that one day Anderson is lucky enough to attend such a party thrown by a clearly much more dedicated mother than I, all he got was a total down-home, homemade little party with actual party games for a few classmates on a Monday afternoon after school. It's all about keeping expectations low, right?

I kept it all very simple and kept the budget at around $30 total by using what I already had. Most importantly, I only focused on details that Anderson would care about and cut a number of things from my "maybe" list. Needless to say, the fossilized baby dinosaurs in homemade dirt eggs did not make the cut. Yet, miraculously, the dozen hand-made miniature dinosaur egg piñatas filled with plastic dinos and candy did manage to get finished. It's all about priorities, you know. These were so not necessary, but so cute. I would cover my kitchen floor in liquid starch all over again for those little paper-mache balls. I cut out a giant dinosaur for the mirror in the entry which came down only yesterday, nearly a month later, because, well, "I loooove him, mommy!!!" and I changed out the pictures in the frames to be more dino-friendly. Yep, still there. I also used a cardboard box I had lying around (leftover from the giant 50 I made for the anniversary party) and cut it into a flying pterodactyl which, by the way, was pretty spectacular (even if I did forget to give him an eyeball) and took a total of maybe 10 minutes to complete. I got the idea from the super cute party here. Because the party was at 2:00 I served only cake, dinosaur footprint cookies, and drinks.

I made a pin the arm on the T-Rex game and we also had a stegosaurus/triceratops hybrid piñata. I found some dinosaur cut-outs and, at the last minute, threw together a little craft table with whatever supplies I had in the closet. My boys have zero patience for such things, but apparently girls love crafts and anything with sequins. Other than that, the activities consisted of the boys running around in dinosaur tails (which I made as Christmas gifts for the boys following this tutorial) and wrestling each other to the ground.

It was a fun afternoon and I am so happy that I kept the party small by limiting it to only Anderson's classmates. With only about 12 kids total (including siblings) Anderson was able to play with everyone and have a genuinely good (and not overwhelming) time. It also allowed me time to just sit and get to know the moms of the kids in his class which I had never been able to do.

Party Success.

Two

Beck,
Two years ago I met you and although I loved you completely, I did not know you. I could not have begun to guess who you would become or how you would change me both as a mother and as a human. You have brought more joy than you can imagine and you have filled a void I never even knew existed before you. You are strong-willed, obstinate, and feisty which, if describing anyone else, may seem like unfortunate descriptors, yet when describing you they fill me with great hope and comfort for these are the qualities of a leader. You are your own little person; you follow your heart and your desire. You are a risk-taker. You are adventurous and fearless and you give me a mini heart attack almost daily. You are a fighter and have been since before you even came into this world. You are kind, loving, and heart-achinlgy sweet and I know, without a doubt, that you were given to me to make me a better mom.You are so loved and so incredibly special.  Happy birthday, Baby Beck. "I love you" just doesn't seem like enough.

Four

Anderson,
Today you turn four years old. Four years of hugs, four years of laughs, four years of the brightest days. Your smile is contagious, your sweet giggle hysterical. No longer a toddler, but not quite a big boy you are trying to figure out this great big world. You are curious, passionate, and kind. You give the biggest hugs, the best kisses, and the coziest snuggles. You are a champion negotiator and a master dinosaur player. You are the most perfect you and my world is better because you are mine. I love you more than you'll ever know. Happy birthday, sweet boy.

Getting ready

Trying my hardest not to let procrastination take over as I plan for Anderson's little after-school party next week. But it's sooo hard.