To Infinity and Beyond

I'm not quite sure what all has happened this past week, but I'm sure I haven't had even a minute to recap the boys' birthday party. Or maybe I haven't wanted to remember the chaos of last weekend. Whatever the reason, here is a brief (or maybe not-so-brief) summary of the "To Infinity and Beyond" party...

Levi decided he wanted a Toy Story party for his 5th birthday, which meant that Ben decided he too wanted a Toy Story party. After trying to convince Ben of another theme, Levi had the great idea to have their parties together. With birthdays only 3 weeks apart and many of the same friends, it was a great plan. So we invited all their friends and planned for the big day. The weather was supposed to be perfect (which is important when you have 20-something kids at your house) and we were more than ready with games including space ranger training (otherwise known as an obstacle course), a hunt for hundreds of little green army men all over the backyard and pin the body parts on Mr. Potato Head.

The first glitch in the plan occurred when Levi woke up with a sore throat on Saturday morning, the day of the party. After a visit to the doctor, strep throat was confirmed, and the party was postponed until Sunday afternoon. Levi was so sad, and it was absolutely painful to see his disappointment. With all the party stuff out and ready, it was a bit of a bummer.

Sunday came and so did the clouds. While Saturday was sunny and warm, Sunday was dreary and cool. We prayed for no rain and set up as planned. The backyard was ready...
And the cake was ready to be devoured...
The kids started to arrive, but unfortunately, so did the rain. At first it was just some sprinkles and the kids didn't seem to mind. They hunted for the green army men and were having a blast, but when the rain grew stronger we had to move the tables and the action inside. We thought maybe the rain would let up so Levi and Ben opened presents to buy some time. Wow, that was crazy!
We were able to head outdoors during some light sprinkles for Space Ranger training.
But we had to move the Mr. Potato Head game inside. The kids were each blindfolded and given a body party to put on Mr. Potato Head. It's funny how much the kids enjoyed this. They really are easy to please at this age.
Here's the finished product. Good try, kids, but I think you might need some practice.
It was still raining so we went ahead and blew out the candles inside.
Despite strep throat and the rain, the boys had a great time. Here they are with cousin Emme after the party was over. Their smiles tell it all.