The "Big Number 5" Birthday Party

After we baked our cake but before we had lunch, Great Grandma Good called to see if she could swing by. Originally she was going to come to the party but instead was helping Gayle close her pool that afternoon. So, she asked if she could come earlier and give the Bean his gifts. We said sure! And it was nice visiting with her. I thought the above picture of her and the boys turned out great!

Joshua had fun opening his gifts. He has a really cool car that does wheelies (Caleb has been trying to take it every chance he has!) and a Cars Monopoly game. She also got him treats and this really cool Mater card that says "when it comes to birthday cake" and then you can see the inside pops out with his big teeth and says "Fill 'er up!" Joshua kept making the teeth pop up - he thought this was super cool!

Grandma also held Ryan for a little while as we visited. After she left, we fed the boys lunch and put them down for a nap so that we could work on finishing preparing for the party.

As we were eating, the heavens let loose. We had been having an outdoor party, but alas, it was not going to work! Why, God, did we need even more rain on this special day? All week the forecast had called for sunshine and upper 60s. At the last minute it poured and ruined our plans. But, we weren't going to let it ruin our party.

Joshua prayed that the rain would end. Eventually, we just set up inside, and we were scrambling to finish moving the party. Aunt Missy & Uncle Kevin arrived half an hour early. We weren't done setting up, and I hadn't fed Ryan yet. So, I asked them to blow up balloons. Kevin popped one, I think (I was upstairs feeding the Schnook) and Missy screamed. Joshua thought this was funny!

Meanwhile Caleb kept sleeping until Mamaw arrived and I made him get up and go downstairs. Mamaw & Ken also came early to give Joshua his gift of cars in a suitcase and a book. They left shortly thereafter to pick up Sono - her former foreign exchange student - from the airport.

Within the next 20 minutes or so, more guests began to arrive. We were pretty well set up by that point. We headed to the back porch (which is covered) to paint the pumpkins.

I loved Joshua's smile as he was painting his pumpkin! His favorite color is green, so he painted the entire thing that one color.

Caleb wore a majority of his paint. He was literally covered from head to foot. Needless to say, even though we were tired, the boys got a bath that night!

I thought Faith had the most creative pumpkin with her face painted on it.

I surprised Isabella when I snapped this picture. :)

I can't believe how much taller Grace is than Jordon when they're just about the same age.

Nonie was holding Ryan at the time - I appreciated people watching him so I could help serve and take pictures at the party.

After we were done painting pumpkins, the kids put on the birthday hats they found inside. It was adorable. Whereas at one time I couldn't get the boys to put on a hat, they LOVED them this year!

Here's Joshua & his good buddy Kyler. They call themselves 'twins' and enjoy playing together.

I called Joshua out to blow out his birthday cake candles, and we all sang to him. He loves being center of attention!

He enjoyed eating his cake, ice cream, pretzels, chips and grapes. We also had juice boxes for the kiddos, and fresh brewed coffee, soda or water for the adults.

I thought this picture of Dad and his girlfriend Robin cleaning up John & Daniel was hysterical. Jen came by herself with the five kids, and they lent a hand inside.

My friend Suzanne drove in from NJ to come to the party with little Ian. I can't believe how big he's getting! I think he had fun because he gave me a big hug and kiss when they left. :) :) :)
 



When most people were done eating the cake, ice cream and snacks, I told Joshua it was time to open his gifts. He was thrilled! He said this was his favorite part of the night (and painting pumpkins was a close second). He loves being center of attention, especially with the kiddos, and he loves presents, too!

He got lots of nice games, a couple videos, some CDs, a dinosaur, some cars, a buzz rocket ship, a bulldozer, a craft to do, Cars play doh, a couple books, a piston cup cup, a blanket, a Finn McMissile car, a CD of Bible verses, and much more! Thank you so much, everyone, for the lovely gifts.

When the presents were done, the kids and most adults headed outside to play. It was great because the kids had energy to burn. And other than a ton of paint and mud in my house, I would say the party went really well and everyone had a good time. I had put it would end at 4:30 and everyone was still there at 5:30 when I told Joshua that Nonie & Poppy were going to take Joshua to Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday that evening. Eventually people started to trickle out, and I desperately needed to feed Ryan again.

Joshua had a great time with Jordon, Nonie & Poppy at Chuck E. Cheese that night. He came home with a rocket and some smarties and lots of great memories. Thanks for taking him! It ended up being a nice day even with the rain. Joshua LOVED it and that's all that matters to us! This was the last day Joshua would ever be four years old!