Isaac turned 7!

Isaac is 7! Like most parents, I'm still not sure how it has happened, where the time has gone, and will be repeating these sentiments next year! Isaac has never had a friend party before. His birthday is in January and almost always ends up on the coldest day of the month. Since we never have room in our apartment and outside isn't an option, he has just always missed out. Carter's birthday, in September, is always beautiful, so he got his first friends party this last year. Since Isaac is the older brother and Carter got one first, I PROMISED him that he could have one this year. I faithfully watched the weather, picked a mild day, and a party we had! He wanted a Ninja party, which turned out to be a lot of fun.

We started out with some "Ninja, Ninja, Master" while we waited for all of the guests to arrive. Then they donned their Ninja belts and began their quest to discover all the Ninja scrolls. They had to do a task and follow the clues to find and receive each scroll. They broke boards (styrofoam and spray paint have a chemical reaction...just in case you ever wanted to know!), did somersaults, broke through a box wall, manuevered ninja swords, completed an obstacle course, and finally they each had their own chinese lantern to kick down and break open for their candy prize.

After their quest, we played "red rover" while the pizza cooked. Carter was by far the smallest boy and held tough for a few rounds, but opted out after a while. It was fun watching those boys charge through each other.

We ate pizza while watching "Kung Fu Panda" then blew out the candles and opened presents.

I got a lot of video, but not very many pictures. We all had a blast. I owe my fun to Starla. She watched Ashlyn, cooked the pizzas, served the food and cake, cleaned the kitchen, etc., so I could enjoy the party and not worry about the other stuff. She was a lifesaver! Thank you!

One of my favorite parts of the quest was when they broke the boards. It all happened so fast I didn't get any pictures, but I had a couple left over, so I had Isaac and Carter reinact it for me.

Watch out, Starla!

Isaac received some great gifts from his friends. They had much better ideas than I did! That evening we opened up an ultimate fighting game that one of his friends gave him. We all had fun, but I think Ashlyn loved it the most. I'm just having a hard time trying to not take over his Webkinz...

We celebrated his actual birthday at my in-laws house while Jennifer was here. It was on MLK Day, so he didn't have school, much to his relief. When I told him he had school on his birthday (before I realized it was a holiday) he cried. He excels in school, but it's not his favorite place. He'd rather be home.

He requested donuts for breakfast, but couldn't quite take down all seven that I gave him - plus holes.

He raked in a few more gifts, then spent the day playing with them, his Webkinz, and as much Wii as he wanted.

I strongly believe you can never blow out too many candles on your birthday, so we lit up another cake and he made another wish. Thanks Nana for the cake!

We headed home and finished off the day with some happy meals. Happy Birthday, Isaac!