Double-Down on the Birthday Parties

On Saturday we had the funny coincidence of being invited to two birthday parties.  One in the morning, one in the late afternoon.  As a mom this equaled a perfect way to spend a chilly, on and off rainy Fall day!  Not to mention how fun it is to celebrate these special moments with friends of course.  In the morning we went to Alex's 4th Birthday Party which was at a volunteer fire department station!!  Koen stayed at home with Doug since he was a little old for the event (although he was a little jealous upon the reports he heard from the little guys when we got home).  He had soccer practice.  He got 5 goals!  Here's an action shot.

Of course, Tav and Penn loved the party experience at the fire station.  The firemen on duty were so nice and let the kids do whatever they wanted in and out of the vehicles.  It was amazing (my mind was of course wondering what on earth would happen if an emergency occurred while we were there, but thankfully that didn't happen (on second thought, it would've probably just been more wonderment for the boys watch everyone and all the vehicles spring into action!!)).  Here are the pictures I got of my junior firefighters.

Apparently Penn is in a rush to get to the emergency, "quick guys go that way!"

I had to point out this real life example of what we have read about in firemen...look how the boots are attached to the pants with suspenders to just pull up and on in just a second.

Penn's all ready to "rock and roll" (his favorite new saying) in the back of the pumper truck.  Check out the cool backless seat with the oxygen tank in the back with the straps all ready to go.

Lots of friends were there, including Tav's buddy, Claire.  Look how cute she is!

Eventually it was time for snacks, games and cake.  The boys happily obliged of course.

"Happy Birthday to Alex!"  Pretty cool fire truck cake with sparkler candles!

Hope all your wishes come true, Alex!  Thanks for inviting us to your party, we had a blast!

Now, our second party was a neighbor baby boy that was turning 1.  The party was packed with neighborhood friends and it was such a nice way to spend the evening together while Doug had to work (wedding and church service).  Our friends were so gracious too opening their home to so many friends and kids and just going with the flow despite the chaos and the noise.  I was actually impressed with Koen since he was the oldest kid there.  Vicki, the mom of Hudson, the birthday boy, always does a great job with parties.  For this one she did a nautical theme.  So cute!  Check out the awesome boat she made.  The boys loved it.  Ahoy, Melder men.  A 3 hour tour anyone?

The boys also enjoyed a beautiful meal at the party which was a huge blessing to me that I didn't have to worry about dinner.  Thanks so much, Dan and Vicki.  Happy birthday, Hudson!

Phew, a big day for sure!  But definitely fun!