Jack is Five!

Our little Jack turned five years old today! He had been really looking forward to his birthday for a long time. He was very involved in the planning process this year. He picked purple balloons, blue and green streamers, and green wrapping paper for the presents.

He woke up a few times the night before, probably because he was so excited! Then at breakfast, he said, "Why don't I feel any different if I'm five years old now?" :o) 

At school, he got to wear a special birthday hat, and he brought his favorite chocolate chip muffins to share with everyone for a treat. He was very excited about that.

Originally, Jack asked for a cake with all five of The Incredibles on it (Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Violet, Dash, and baby JackJack.) Well, Mom wasn't quite up to the task, so we looked around at local bakeries to see if they could make an "Incredibles" cake. Unfortunately, the movie is somewhat old, and no one would make one. But when Jack saw this Superman cake at Walmart, he really wanted it! So there we go. Thanks, Walmart!

After Dad got home from work, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jack. He specifically wanted a number five candle on his cake instead of five individual candles. He really was very involved with his birthday!

Make a wish!

He wanted to take the characters off right away. Then he figured he might as well lick them clean!

Next it was present time! (Green wrapping paper.)

Ryan was enjoying some snacks while Jack opened his presents.

Jack loves Sonic the Hedgehog. For some reason, he got really attached to the character after watching a cartoon on Netflix. One of the things he really, really wanted for his birthday was Sonic pajamas. Well, we didn't find pajamas, but we did find two t-shirts. He wore one for the rest of the day, and the other he wore to bed after his bath!

He also requested a trampoline, although that might have been an idea put there by Mom and Dad. Either way, he was very happy to see a medium-sized trampoline in the basement! We figure the little ones can use it throughout the year until the kids are old enough to get a full-sized one for the backyard. 

We're hoping to wear out the kids every day so they'll sleep well. :o)

Jack chose McDonald's for his birthday dinner (although he actually wanted to go to UNO's, which is a pizza restaurant, and we'll go there later this week) and he was very excited to wear his Sonic shirt there!

Ryan enjoyed a cookie after dinner. He's saying "cookie" in this picture. The kid can't walk yet, but he sure is building a good vocabulary!

After presents and McDonald's, we had some birthday cake at home. Jack mostly ate the frosting off the top. 

Ryan thoroughly enjoyed his cake, although a lot of it ended up on his face/tray/floor/hands. Yum!

We are so grateful to have Jack in our family. He is so loving, sweet, intelligent, creative, funny, and energetic. We love him so very much! Happy birthday, Jack!

Picnic Time!

Here are a few pictures from our picnic in the park the other day. Jack and Callie loved it! It was perfect weather for a lovely picnic. We tried flying kites, but it wasn't quite breezy enough. We still got to play with bubbles and silly string, though!

Jungle Jolt

We recently visited a new indoor play center called Jungle Jolt in a nearby city. There are actually several indoor play centers around, so it's kind of fun to try them all out. We'll stick with our membership to the Museum of Play, though, for the best deal!

Ryan is getting pretty skilled at pulling himself up on things to stand. He'll be walking in no time!

Callie tried out the game area that uses some kind of projection that is interactive when the kids walk on the floor. Pretty cool!

Jack was immediately drawn to this big, black curtain near the entrance. He had to know what was behind it! As it turns out, it's a laser maze. These visible laser beams light up all over the room, and the player has to make his way across the room without touching the beams. He has to duck or jump or twist his way over to the end of the room, then make it back to the entrance. 

Jack spent a good deal of time trying to convince others to go in so he could watch them play, but he was too scared to go in by himself. He would step into the dark room, then run out, then step in again, then change his mind!

He was finally brave enough to complete the course and he was so excited when he popped out of the room! After that, it was hard to get him out of there! (Sorry for the blurriness. He was jumping around with excitement!)

Callie and Ryan opted for a more quiet area where they could explore new toys. 

Jack and Callie's friend, Andy, came along with us. We had a lot of fun and we might just go back for another visit. Jack really wants to go back to that laser room!

Oh, and yes, they are all wearing matching Elmo shirts. It was easy to keep track of them in the big play center!