AJ's Birthday Party with Friends

AJ wanted his birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's this year. The kids were excited about this evening, and we arrived at the restaurant in good spirits. Once we found our table, the kids headed off to play and spend their tokens before the pizza came. 

H in the train

 After playing for about an hour, the staff called the birthday kids and their guests up to sing and grab some free tickets.

Clapping with the music

 Finally, the pizza arrived, and everyone settled down to chow down.

K savoring her pizza

H and I. H has a mouthful of food.

Finally, it was cake time. AJ had received some Swedish car candy from Katarina, and he wanted to put them on his cake. After pondering this for a while, I came up with an easy solution. I got the chocolate cake I wanted, and he got the cars. It was a winning situation all around.

AJ's cake

Happy Birthday to you, AJ!

Since AJ was the birthday boy, he got a turn in the ticket blaster -- a chance to grab as many tickets as he could in 30 seconds.


AJ in the ticket blaster

 While AJ was in the ticket blaster, H finished off K's cake and started in on mine.

H loves chocolate like his Mommy does


 Finally, it was time to open presents.


AJ opening one of his presents

 AJ was extremely satisfied with his evening. We should have left a little earlier, though. As it got later, the kids started to get cranky. K has said she wants a birthday party there as well, but I think we shall look into other options before we agree to another chaotic evening.

Pumpkin Patch Perusal

Since Katarina was visiting last week, I decided she needed to have a common American experience of visiting a pumpkin patch in the fall. I heard about one through our homeschooling association, and I decided it would be a great place for the kids and my Swedish friend.

After getting ready for the morning, we headed out to meet some friends at the farm. This place is great because they have built so many buildings from different eras in history. Of course, we had to explore the various buildings first.

AJ and Katarina in the Viking ship

Inside the Viking "house"

K and Katarina by an old stagecoach

In addition to the buildings, they have a couple of different playgrounds where the kids can expend their energy.

K on the monkey bars

Some of the buildings house authentic relics of various ages and people groups.

The original Baby Björn ;)

Near one of the playgrounds was a room that housed a doll collection.

K and the doll collection. She really loved this part.

The farm also houses a variety of animals, including rabbits, geese, goats, ponies, and horses. The kids are allowed to hold and pet the numerous bunnies, and my kids took turns cuddling with the hopping hares.

K and her bunny friend

AJ cuddling with a bunny

H taking a turn holding a rabbit

Feeding the goats. I warned my kids that they will eat anything, and I had to rescue AJ's jacket from one of the goats.

After viewing all the animals, we walked over to the pumpkin patch. They had a hay ride for the schools who were visiting, but they also allowed us a short ride around the field.

An assortment of pumpkins they had displayed.



Katarina and our new friend





My boys with their friend as they walked toward the wagon full of hay.



The pumpkin patch

The kids all piled in a small wagon to go pick out their own pumpkins.

K with her pumpkin

AJ and his pumpkin. We made some pumpkin bread out of it. Yummy!

H and his pumpkin. He kept throwing it like a ball.

The three kiddos with their pumpkins

Katarina and a pumpkin



Our friend pulling the kids and their pumpkins back


After picking out the pumpkins, we decided it was time to head home. The kids really wanted to stay longer, but we needed to eat lunch, and K had her ballet lesson that afternoon.

We all thoroughly enjoyed our morning, and I think we will have to make this an annual tradition. We not only relished our time there, but now we also have tons of pumpkin to use for baking.

Random Activities with Friends

I recently added a subject to K's curriculum -- Cooking/Baking. She has been baking with me since she was one, so this isn't technically new, but we are making a more deliberate effort at her education in the kitchen.

When Katarina was here, we combined baking bread with a Swedish lesson. Katarina took the lead in baking the bread, and we kind of made it up on the way, building on her basic recipe.

K times two

K wasn't the only one who enjoyed Katarina's visit. AJ really opens up to her, and here he is sharing a story with her in Swedish.

I love the looks on his face. I can really tell that she holds a special place in his heart.

Afternoon Hike

Last Sunday, a dear friend from Sweden came for a visit. I picked her up Sunday morning, we packed a picnic lunch, picked up some friends, and drove up to the monument for an afternoon outdoors.

After eating, we headed out on the trail with the kids.



Pausing to look at the view before the trail started



Katarina

 The kids hit the trail with great enthusiasm. They loved running, climbing, and exploring the trail.

K climbing up a fallen tree branch



H finding a "treasure"



"Look what I found, Mom!"



K and her friend

The four kiddos found a little overhang carved out in the rocks



Katarina volunteered to carry all the water bottles.

This trail was short enough to keep the kids' excitement from waning, yet it still offered magnificent views. Plus, it was level, which made it easier on this pregnant momma.

One of the views

The kids loved climbing around the rocks

H holding a tissue to his hurt knee.

A face carved out in one of the rocks

Can you find AJ?

Sweet boy

 Another view

We all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, and I look forward to future hikes. I did appreciate the extra sets of eyes on the trail, and I believe I will need the help in any upcoming ventures. With the winding trail coming quite close to the edge, the ratio of three adults to four children was much-appreciated.

AJ's 5th Birthday Bash

We celebrated AJ's birthday a day early as Timo was flying to Sweden the day of his actual birthday. He chose fishing cupcakes like the ones I had made for K a couple of years ago. This time, I let the kids put the straws, floss, and fish on the icing themselves, and they really enjoyed contributing.



One of AJ's birthday cupcakes

 Timo came home early for this event, and AJ wanted to open some presents right away. We obliged and allowed him to open a few before dinner.

AJ with round one of his presents



H waiting patiently for AJ to open the presents

  AJ chose the largest present to open first. No surprise there: he's 5.

AJ and his roundhouse

 Next, K convinced AJ to open a present from her -- her colored pencils and a card she made with a neighbor lady. Next, he opened a present from my parents.

A cube puzzle: six puzzles in one for my puzzle-loving boy

 After opening the puzzle, we ate dinner. AJ had chosen ribs, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. Once he finished his vegetables, it was time for cupcakes.


AJ and his cupcake. Happy birthday, big boy!

 We still have presents coming for him, and he also has another party coming with his friends. My sweet boy gets a whole week of celebrations.