A Birthday Party

I decided five days before his birthday that Seth would really enjoy a party, something simple with a few friends.  We will be in the process of moving next year, most likely, and not have our friends around.  I am so thankful for all the folks out there who post detailed step-by-step instructions on their own kids' birthday parties.  Lego is easy and popular, and I copied. 

In the days before Craig made an awesome mini-figure head pinata.

I wanted to make bean bags for a game and for the kids to take home.  I learned that you can't buy felt here, so I found the perfect bright yellow kitchen cleaning rags at the grocery store (cheap!).  A dear friend here had a bit of black felt.  She came over one morning and cut out the face pieces while I sewed them on.  My friend is a graphic design major that paints and sews and does all things artistic, so her faces really look like the faces.

Safiya made Lego pizza pockets.

Eight kiddos, ages 4 to 9 came.  First they colored a mini-figure and a head.

Then, we played pin the head on the Lego guy.

Then, we played balloon tennis with paper plates taped to craft sticks.

Then, hot potato with one of the bean bags.

Then a little snack supper.

Then cupcakes

Then the pinata. 

It was fast and fun. 

I forgot to mention that Seth's best birthday present of all wasn't really a present.  He knows all about Star Wars thanks to fabulous marketing, but he hasn't actually seen them.  His dad has been telling him for at least two years that he has to be seven.  So, he assumed that the day he turned seven he would get to see one.  Craig took a half-day off from work, took Seth to get a pizza, and then they went to a friends' house without kiddos and watched the fourth/first-made Star Wars.  He thought it was the coolest!

Seth is Seven!

Seth turned 7 July 11th.  He is just so Seth, full of energy and curiosity, busy!!, so sweet and thoughtful (mostly), and such a good big brother (usually).  He thinks deeply and loves to ask hard questions about faith, the world, people, or whatever he happens to be reading or learning.   He is a bit of an old soul, loving Dad's National Geographics and always asking to read the nature stories on BBC news. 

Silly hats for Seth's birthday were make-your-own Lego mini-figure faces

Pancakes were the same... Lego themed

Watermelon light sabers

Then we learned that Lord Business (the bad guy from The Lego Movie) had stolen the gifts, and all of the toys (except the dinosaurs) were trying to rescue them.  The boys had to go on a mission to defeat the dinos and rescue the gifts.  (So glad we have a creative Daddy.)

One of the stops along the way... I love that you can see Max cheering them on.

The final, giant battle against the dinos.  The boys won. 

We swim

We are so, so glad that our place came with a pool.  It is pretty unattractive as far as pools go... Our landlord believes any tile replacement should be done with whatever pattern and color you can find (cheaply) with no regard for the original pattern or color.  It is a fairly small deep end only pool that we had converted into a shallow end only.  So, we climb down the ladder into our box.  But, we have lots of summer days in the 100's, and  swimming children are happy children, and swimming children are then tired children, and tired children at the end of the day make a happy mama. 

Happy Second Birthday, Max

What a difference a year makes.  He is wild and sweet.  He is funny and loves to be funny.  He is a fit thrower.  (Our first two did not prepare us for fits like these.)  He loves and adores his brothers.  He says new words everyday and loves to kiss and hug. 

June 4, 2013

June 4, 2014

Still sucking two fingers

Our traditions, birthday pancakes and silly hats for breakfast

The very last minute cakes

PlayMobil FunPark

While in Germany we spent two days with the kids at Playmobil FunPark.  Really for kids under 8 or so, I can't imagine a more fun place to play.  It is just a gigantic park full of life-size Playmobil toys, everything for climbing and conquering.  I do think that it is a bit more fun because the Germans are a little bit less safety driven than the US.

We were right here just a few years ago.  Click here and scroll down a few photos to see this viking with a much younger Seth.

I loved this giant cow that you could really milk (water).  Sorry I missed her head in the photo.  

There is a gigantic buildingwith a gigantic room full of all the Playmobil sets.  Kids are free to sit, play, and build until their hearts are content.

A Week Away

Late May we all traveled to Germany for a week together, away from the crazy high temps, work, routine, etc.  I was sent to Germany for a 12-week prenatal appointment since I am "advanced maternal age", which might qualify as the longest travel ever for a fairly routine doctor's appointment.  We flew to Frankfurt and then traveled to Garmisch, where we lived in 2010-11. 

Old friends... so wonderful

View from our rental

In the field behind our rental (across the street from our old apartment).  Ahhh, so lovely.

 

 

 

Co-o-o-o-old water and skinny legs

Dos Vadonya Kindergarten

In May Seth graduated from his Russian kindergarten.  Precious, of course.  He is still attending this summer, though he feels totally slighted by this.  He is shy to speak Russian around us, his non-native speaking family, but I love it when I get to hear him chat with his teachers and friends.

                                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"friendship"

 

 

 

 

 

Good kindergarten level skills, I think

 

 

 

Receiving his certificate from his teacher, Ms. Oxana.