Colin's family birthday party

On the eve of the triplet's birthday, I realized that I forgot to post pictures from Colin's family party. I really wanted to because we had such a great time and appreciated all the family that were able to come in town for it.

My father in law with Owen

Colin wanted to do the same thing as he did with his friends. Build something and have cake!
So we did.

Macy and her Dad, my brother Kyle hard at work

All girl!

These two crack me up.  

"Mace, I got this"

And then there's these two:

Reese and Owen are four months apart in age. Is it just me or do they look quite similar here??

I'm always grateful when family can get together for any occasion! It was especially fun to watch the cousin's together. 

And now, there's lots to do to prepare for our fire truck birthday party for the triplets tomorrow! 

A Workshop Birthday Party

This year Colin asked to have a birthday party at Lowe's and to invite a few friends from the neighborhood and preschool.

Yes, Lowe's was his dream birthday party location! It all started when about a month ago, he attended a friend's birthday at Crazy Bounce, a kids place that has lots of huge inflatable bounce houses.

"Mommy, why is _____'s birthday party at Crazy Bounce?"

"Because that's where he chose to have his party."

There is silence for a minute.......

"Wait a minute! You mean when it's your birthday, you can choose where you have your party?!"

Apparently this hadn't occurred to him before, perhaps since we've mostly had family gatherings in our home for birthdays.

"Then I want my party at Lowe's!" He was adamant and for a month it was all he talked about whenever his birthday was brought up.

I tried SO hard to set up a party at Lowe's but they were not very receptive. :(

I think it all worked out for the best. Although his party wasn't at Lowe's, we did our best to give him a workshop themed birthday party.

Chris and I had so much fun watching him light up, first when his friends started arriving, then when he saw his cake and then as he, his friends and his brothers completed a workshop project and bounced in our bounce house. We loved watching him give out his carefully chosen goodie bags and thank his friends for coming. Our often shy guy was really out of his shell and totally in his element on his birthday. As it should be, right? It was a perfect morning simply because he was so happy and the other children seemed to have a great time too.

We surprised him with his cake.

A toolbox! This cake wasn't even out of the box three seconds before little fingers got to it! That's okay, Finn was our taster I guess.

Each child chose a hard hat, a hammer and a Build and Grow kit (either a birdhouse or a race car). Then, the hammering began!

Afterward we served sandwiches and jello in the shapes of different tools (thanks to tool cookie cutters).

I was so excited when I found a saw cake cutter on Amazon!

Sorry for the blurry picture, can you see the tool candles? They came in a pack of five which was perfect!

Later in the day, we took the boys to Menards, where Colin picked out a new saw and the boys all got duct tape (just how every five year old wants to cap off their birthday, right?). On the way home we stopped at Panera. We rarely go out to eat as a family because of food allergies/ intolerances and also because of having five small children. However, they were SO well behaved at dinner that Chris and I were shocked. It was so fun!

Before bed Colin begged us to let him put together his new big wheel bike, a gift from our nanny. So there we all sat in the playroom, Everett, Finn, Carter, Owen and I watching Colin and Chris put it together. Afterward, the boys each took it for a spin around the house.

On Saturday we'll celebrate with our families, including his cousins Macy and Reese. We can't wait to see them!!!

After that, the March birthday madness continues, with Chris's birthday up next followed by the triplets! :)

Five Years

Dear Colin,

On the night after you were born I remember being surprised at how frequently newborns wanted to eat. I honestly thought babies slept for longer stretches. HA!

Boy did I have a lot to learn about babies! And YOU. You taught me. You taught me how to be a Mommy.

We were buddies instantaneously. I often think back on that first night after you were born, when I held you against me, in that quiet, dark hospital room. I remember feeling like there was SO much I still didn't know about babies and yet also feeling so completely whole and at peace. I'd love to go back just for a few minutes and relive that quiet, snuggly night getting to know you.

Time marches on and now you are FIVE!

From the kitchen counter where I prepare meals and clean up, I have a direct view of your workshop. Most afternoons you can be found there working and tinkering with things.

Here you are today, being silly. You built that swing door for when you want to close shop. In other words, to keep your brothers out. haha!

You built most of this. For example, when we took a plastic cover off an IKEA picture frame (which would have been discarded) you swooped in out of nowhere saying, "I'll take this!". It became the front of your workshop and it was a clever solution to a problem you were having. Little hands reaching in and grabbing things.

We say that it's your responsibility to keep your workshop tidy but truthfully it's a mess most days! You know where everything is though. To you it's not a mess, it's just a busy work zone!

Know this, I LOVE watching you work. It makes me smile every time I see you in there happy as a clam, building stuff. It makes loading the dishwasher and making meals much more entertaining!

Today, we had a blast celebrating your birthday. So much fun, that I'm exhausted! So I'm going to post pictures from your "workshop party" tomorrow!

We love you so much little c and thank God for you every day,

Happy Birthday!!!!

Here you are with your brothers, excitedly waiting for your party to start!