Party People in the House Today

We decided to have the kids birthday parties at home this year.  Crazy? Maybe.  Fun?  Definitly!  Same day, different times. 

We started with Duchess's party at 1:00.  We had 5 princesses.  They decorated tiaras:

Then they went on a Princess adventure (designed by The Hubby):

The Rainbow Castle

The Rainbow Tunnel

The Pool of Rubys



The Carriages

They ate cupcakes:

And then played:

Overall pretty tame and quiet.  They all seemed to have a good time and didn't want to leave. 

And then came the SuperHeros! Whew! Those second graders have a lot of energy! The big kids started off by decoratind their own masks and doning capes:

Then they did the Superhero Training Course:



The Tower of Power!

Lightening Bolt Throw!

Terrible Tunnel!

I didn't get pictures of the River Rope Swing, the Pool of Fire or the Fast Getaway because they were fast! 

But the dance party in the playroom?  Got that!  Put on a little Kids Bop 19 CD and these kids went wild!  I have never seen such dance moves.  Boys and girls were equally loving it. 

It did get a little out of control, but they all had a great time and no one got hurt. After pick up we had kids still out in the obstical course for another 45 minutes.  I'll take that as a good sign!   But Pump it Up or Lego Discovery Center are looking really good for next year...

Finished!

Yahoo!  We are finished with all the construction!  No more dumpster!  No more Porta-Potty!  No more workers at our back door at 8 am everyday!  No more money in our bank account...

In all honestly, it has not been terrible and the end result is wonderful.  I love, love, love our new bedroom and bathroom and the playroom is so much better.  The last month was a bit inconvenient, but the majority was okay.  We still have decorating to do and there is still a lot of stuff in the garage that needs to be brought back in or donated.  If we've lived without since February there is a good chance that we don't need it. 

Some things I have learned through this process:
- think twice before making an insurance claim, or quit your job so you can keep on top of the claim.  It is a full-time job.  We made a claim on our roof as it was damaged in a hail storm.  The insurance company was easy to deal with- it has been the mortgage company that is a nightmare.  For some reason, they have to be listed as a payee on each check.  The paperwork required to get it endorsed is ridiculous.  That's all I'll say about that because I'll get all worked up again.

- don't ask a subcontractor "When will you be here?"  Ask " Will you be here Friday?"  Otherwise they are very non-commital. 

- You really do have to watch the subcontractors closely.  The tile guy does not care about the new paint on your baseboards.  The paint guy does not care about the windows.  When the painter comes to do touch ups, you will have to point out every. single. place that needs touch ups.  I guess he can't see the brown spot 6 inches away from the one I just pointed to.

- the finishing details really do take forever.  Everyone had warned us about that, but I really didn't expect it to take that long.

I'm sure there is more, but now a review in pictures!  Still lots of decorating to do, but we are just enjoying it as it is for now!

Before:

back yard with tree

old master bedroom

old playroom

old master bath

 

New:

Huck's room

playroom



Interview with a Seven Year-old

Happy Birthday!  My oldest baby is 7 years-old...  What a special boy he is!

Bubba, at what age do you think a person is a grown-up?  28 ,just seems right
If you could be invisible for one day, what would you do?  I would sneak up on my sister and scare her.

What is something that makes our family special? Our name has a silent "K". 

Are you a good friend?  yes  Why?  Because I am really nice to other people and I let them play games with me.

How would the world be different if animals could talk?  I would ask my pet fish if he could teach me how to swim like a fish

What is the best thing about being a kid?  Not having to go to school in the summer; because you have to work in the summer

What is the worst thing?  Having to ask before going outside to play

What is your favorite place in the world?  Gulf Shores, AL  because there is a beach there and a pool and we get to swim

If you could give one gift to every kid in the world, what would it be?  Legos

Tell me 5 words that you would use to describe yourself.  nice, cool, funny, crazy, and creative

If you could invent something, what would it be?  a robot that you could ask to give you anything you wanted

What is your favorite:
color: obviously green, why wouldn't I like green
food: pizza
song: Elephants have wrinkles
book: Ready, Freddy
activity: art
toy: transformers
subject at school: math
friend: Samuel
animal: cheetah
TV show: Phineas and Ferb, Storage Wars
movie: Star Wars
What does Dad like to do?  play video games with me

What does Mom like to do?  that's a hard one... (thinking, thinking, thinking...) 

What makes you special?  my silver teeth

What is one thing you would most like to do?  play Lego Batman on Wii

What would you like to write a book about?  super heroes

Describe what you look like.  brown hair, brown eyes, peach skin

What are you looking forward to this summer?  going to Gulf Shores

What did you accomplished as a 6 year-old?  first grade, joined Cub Scouts, how to ride a scooter, how to roller blade, play the Wii better, read chapter books


It's been a great year.  I am so proud of all you have done and how you have grown.  First grade was fun, challenging and a great opportunity for you.  You continued to do well with your school work.  Math was your favorite- I thought some of the work you did was crazy hard for 6 year-olds but you did it without much difficulty.  Your reading improved so much.  You can independently read chapter books, sound out words you don't know and discuss the story after you read it.  We did learn that we need to practice spelling words throughout the week instead of at the last minute!  You enjoyed your specials- music and art continued to be favorites.  You have good friends at school.  Samuel is your best buddy but you played with many of the other kids as well. 

Awesome Mrs Beck!

Awards Ceremony- Best Artist, Stars Recognition, Super Scientist, Super Star Reader

Best Buddies!  Samuel

Class Photo

This year you joined Cub Scouts.  Your pack is made up of boys from 4 or 5 different schools.  At first you were a little hesitant because you didn't know many boys, but you have grown more confident over the year.  You were a Tiger Scout this year and you den had 24 boys!  They split you up into 3 smaller groups and Mr Boone was your den leader.  Your bet buddies in Cub Scouts are Jacob and Quang.  Through Scouts you went on your first overnight camp-out with Uncle Mike, went to Twilight Camp, earned 5 belt loops and earned your Tiger badge. 

Spring Campout

Twilight Camp with Jacob

pinewood derby

You are a great big brother to Huck.  Your face lights up when you see him and vice versa.  After Mama and Dada his next word was Bubu for Bubba.  You and Duchess can play together nicely as well.  The two of you come up with great imaginary games.  You both like to have "sleep overs" when it is not a school night and sometimes stay up very late talking and laughing.  Of course, you have moments when you fight, but I think all siblings do.  The two of you are taking ballet and tap class together this summer.

You still love to play outside.  You mastered your scooter and are working on roller blading.  You have been swimming several times this summer already and are doing great- jumping in from the side, diving for toys, swimming underwater...  One goal for this summer is to learn to ride a two- wheeler! 

For your birthday this year we celebrated with just our immediate family.  The only thing you asked for was a snorkel, which you got from MomMom.  You also got Legos, an electronic Nerf gun, Socker Boopers (boxing glove-type things) and some water guns.  You asked for crab legs for dinner so we went  to Red Lobster.  I tried to make you a light saber cupcake cake but it looked more like a sword... 

I am very proud of you and am looking forward to watching you grow even more this coming year!  We love you!