Lucas's 7th Birthday, part 1

We decided to do something different this year.

Since he is going to have a larger party next year when he is 8, we thought we would do something totally random for the big 7.  He kept asking if he was going to get a party,and I told him no parties till he was 8, so he was just "okay" about having a little day.

Boy did we get him this year!
First, we sang to him.

Where he got mad because Bridget wouldn't let him answer.
He calmed down pretty quickly once he realized, she will always be that way.

I told him I needed to pick up something before we had breakfast, but I didn't want him to see what I was getting so he needed to be blindfolded.

The whole drive he said, "I promise I won't peek. I don't want to ruin the surprise."

When we pulled up to our first stop, I made him walk up to the door.
He couldn't take off the blindfold until the door opened.

I wish I got a picture of what he saw.
It was ROBERT! Lucas's best little buddy.

He was in his pajamas too! We had one more stop, and it was CARTER! Awesome!

Then I took the kids out to Cracker Barrel for Breakfast.
Just the 3 boys, it was so much fun!

 They had a great time giggling and laughing about silly boy stuff and smells.

After Cracker Barrel, we went to Krispy Kreme, since it was too early for cake. :)

Nathan and the rest of our brood came for doughnuts.

The boys took home 1/2 a dozen home to their family, and the golf tee game from cracker barrel.

It was a perfect start to the day. :)
Lucas was totally surprised and told me that he wouldn't tell Bridget about it so she could be surprised for her 7th birthday. How thoughtful. :)

After Breakfast we drove the boys home and went right to the splash park, but there was one thing we were forgetting...PRESENTS!

Which I will post about tomorrow!

Super De Duper!

Today I got an awesome call!

RMNH has selected Mason as the Preemie Super Grower of the month! (August) He gets to go to the hospital and show everyone how awesome he is! I also get to talk to moms who have a preemie currently, and hold their hands through all the paperwork and questions! I am super proud of my little man, and want to stick my tongue out to the doctors who wanted me to abort this kid with "issues" - PS - he doesn't have a single one, except maybe his obsession with graham crackers.

They call graduates of the preemie crew, check on their development, and then they decide between the top 10 to be the Super Grower. I am so excited! I wish I could take credit for how well he is doing, but really it all goes to him. He is and always has been a great little baby. He never cried, or was "hard", everything else was hard. The therapies, the other 4 little ones, the appointments, Bertha Lynn, and the insurance companies who still to this day are trying to charge me for a Feb 2011 baby, an April 2011 baby, and a Dec 2011 baby. *eyeroll* Something's got to give people, I couldn't have had that many babies in a year. Haha.

Mason is a tough little man and absolutely adores his best friend and sister, Juliet.

They are inseparable. As soon as she wakes up, she gets him. As soon as he wakes up, he gets her.

It is literally like having twins. They don't know what it is like to be apart and would be completely lost without each other. For that, I am grateful. Having two little ones in the same year is hard enough, and if they weren't BFF's it would make life that much harder.

And now, a little proof that they are tiiiight.

I was giving Juliet a bath and Mason jumped right in. If she is havin fun, so is he!

It is hard to see how small he is, but who cares?

We just love him SO much!

Even if he spills more water than he actually drinks. :)

17. Zoo!

I don't really like the zoo, but the kids always ask to go in the summer. Today seemed as good as any to go.

I "packed up" lunch, a term I am going to use lightly because they ate leftover chicken, grapes, homemade gorilla bars, and juice boxes.

Lunch of champions. We got there right at 11:45 and it was packed. So we sat in an unconventional place by the felines, in the shade, and watched the zebras while we ate.

 I didn't pack the double stroller, because I wanted them to be able to explore.

Just like I predicted, at 12:30 people started to leave and the animals came out.

Mason sporting his 5th hair cut in his life, the boy can grow hair, but not teeth. Go figure.

Also, his faces of excitement and astonishment, never disappoint.

The Sea Lions and Seals were amazing. They were playing and making all kinds of noises. The kids were entranced.

When did Bridget get so big?

She caught me!

 The stroller was basically used as a stool for the littles.

 This was my first time to see the entire Elephant redo...

 Throughout the zoo they had these learning stations. We only hit 5 of the 13.

We couldn't find 2 of them and the kids passed on some.

 The kids learning about trunks.

It was a fun day, we were there for almost 4 hours.

Which is a lot when you have 3 kids with translucent skin. hehehe.

We came home just in time to hit the grocery store and make dinner.

We watched The Secret Garden and polished off strawberry shortcakes for dessert.

And, as I type this my FREAKING neighbors are STILL messing with fireworks.

I love America, but I hate the 4th of July.

*eyeroll*

15. Make Bagged Ice Cream, 16. Fireworks

We had an adventurous day. 

First, we went on a 4 mile bike ride. That puts us at 41 miles of walking/running/biking, for the summer so far. Our goal is 100 miles.

Then, we let the kids cool off in the sprinklers, in the back yard.

After that, we all played in the back, which included Nathan doing crazy things on the trampoline.

We fixed the toilets, installed a new screen door, and then it was time for dinner. We had Steak, Roasted Broccoli and Herb and Butter Rice. (which was a new recipe and was actually good!)

After dinner, we made ice cream.

 Some of us enjoyed shaking the bags, more than others...

We made vanilla, caramel, and chocolate ice cream.

It was delicious and the consistency of soft serve. The kids thought it tasted like Blue Bell, but that is because it was melty and creamy just like Blue Bell.

Hey look, I was there too!

I am going to go into the chemistry of making ice cream like this, tomorrow.

Since the anticipation of firework watching will be over.

We took the kids to this beautiful spot to watch fireworks. It was completely deserted.

 It was in the low 70s and breezy, what a beautiful night.

Look at the awesome sky.

We let the kids ride their scooters while we waited for it to get dark.

It was great because they were field paying and getting super,super dirty. 

I am glad we weren't in "4th of july outfits"

Nathan made fun of me because the one holiday we don't dress alike or dress up is for the 4th.

I replied "well, everyone does it then, so we aren't special"

I am totally weird, and I know it.

Mason was in awe. Our particular spot was awesome because we could see fireworks in a complete 360. 

Eerie, Downtown Brighton, Adams County, Thornton Rec, Broomfield, and Arvada (in the distance).

Aww, its us.

Then we came home and tried our ice cream again, after a stint in the freezer.

 

 I think caramel was the best. The other kids liked the chocolate because it tasted like a frosty.

Waaah. My girls are growing up.

After we finished ice cream, it was 11:00pm.

Our neighbors were playing with fireworks on their driveway, so the older kids watched for a bit and then went to bed. I hope they sleep bast 7 tomorrow.

It was a fun and tiring day. I know everyone had fun because there was a certain dirty smell.

Happy Fourth of July!