Resolutions, resolutions...
I'm hoping to get back to a little (or maybe a lot) of blogging here. There are so many memories I don't want to forget...even if I have to backtrack to April! Sooo...starting where I left off - Caleb's birthday!
Like usual, our oldest always has his party theme picked out months - even years - in advance. (I kid you not, he already had the next three years planned out before this party was even over.) One of his favorite TV shows for a while now has been a PBS kids show called Wild Kratts. The premise is two brothers go off exploring different habitats to learn about animals - often defeating villains who are trying harm the creatures for some type of profitable outcome. The brothers use what they call "creature powers" to help them along the way, and they educate everyone about the unique survival tools each of the animals have. Caleb soaks in and memorizes every bit of what they're sharing; he can't get enough! That said, a Wild Kratt party it was this year.
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| Thank you, Pinterest, for this super easy cupcake idea. |
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| This, on the other hand didn't turn out quite like I'd planned. That turtle sure does have a big noggin'. |
To keep things simple, we though having a party at Rockland - Caleb's favorite park - would be perfect. Lots for the kids to run and do, plus a great nature trail nearby for a scavenger hunt. The PBS website had lots of fun printables and ideas, and Pinterest and Target helped with the rest! Again, I probably got more carried away than I should have with party planning (I love this stuff!), but thankfully Wayne and Loretta were very helpful at getting everything set up and ready.
It was a bit of a chilly day, but not too bad. Our family and friends braved it, and we still had a ton of fun.
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| Grandma and Granddaddy snuggled up in some blankets! |
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| Hadley was excited to see some of her friends - Marie and Payton. |
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| Little Reid |
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| There is one happy kid! |
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| It's so fun when the day is all about you and all your friends show up! |
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| Camden |
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| Celia |
Everyone played a little before we called them in for some snake subs and other creature snacks.
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| Even some of Caleb's old friends he hadn't seen in about a year came! Chase (his best bud from preschool) and our friends Max, Nick, and Natalia (who moved away before the school year began) made it to celebrate with us. |
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| Most of our co-op buddies were there too! |
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| Chase's mom Tressa and her friend Johnny and Susie with Celia |
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| Silly girls partying it up! |
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| Stacey and Granny, of course! |
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| Looks like Uncle Brandon was chilly! |
After we wrapped up with the food, we called everyone together again for a scavenger hunt. I wasn't sure if we'd be able to pull them off the playground long enough to give it a shot, but to my surprise they were really into it. The loop is about a mile and none of them complained. The list I found kept them busy til the end!
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| On a mission... |
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| ...getting it done. |
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| Anabella was so sweet to Hadley like usual. She had to make sure that everything she found Hadley marked off on her paper too. Teamwork! |
Cake was next!
Followed by more play time.
Then, the presents! This is one of my favorite parts to look back on, not because of the gifts though. Look at those genuine smiles.
Everyone got a little bug catcher set I found at the Dollar Tree when they left to keep the creature adventuring going, plus there were some little bags with fun printables of official Wild Kratt gear from the PBS website.
Later that week, Caleb wasted no time putting his new gifts to good use.
On his real birthday, our poor guy was sick with a stomach bug and didn't get to go out to have a special day like he'd hoped. He still got to open some gifts from Mommy and Daddy that we'd saved and we tried to make the day as cheerful as we could. Plus, NaNa gave him a rain check and took him to Red Lobster another time. I think he's a pretty blessed little boy.
Caleb, you bring us so much laughter and happiness. You look at the world in a unique way and inspire all of us to be life longer learners. With all our love to our little boy, Mommy and Daddy
