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.

The first of many graduations

Yesterday was the first of many graduations that our family will celebrate in the years to come. Levi had his preschool program and graduation. It was so cute, and he did a great job. I love watching him up on stage. With his facial expressions and contagious smile, he is a joy to watch. We all had a great evening. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I even had some tears in my eyes.

I am so thankful for the preschool that we have at our church. I think it has been Levi's favorite place to be. He has grown so much in the last two years and I'm thankful for his compassionate and energetic teachers who have loved him and encouraged him. I wish he could stay there forever, but it probably won't be very cool to be a "friendly frog" or a "happy hippo" when he's 10 years old. But next year Ben will start school a couple of mornings a week, and I know he will LOVE it.

Levi celebrating his birthday with his class and getting 5 tickles
Giving his teacher a hug and getting his "diploma"
Levi and his buddies
Meredith and Levi
During the program Michael looked over at me and noticed the tears in my eyes and said, "If you are crying at this, imagine what you'll be like at his wedding!" Thankfully we have a LONG time before that.

5 years

How did Levi go from this?
to this?
Levi is 5 years old today. There's something about the age of 5. It sounds old. He doesn't sound like a toddler or a preschooler anymore. He's FIVE.

On one hand I'm so happy and excited for Levi. What a fun time it is for him! And I'm proud of him because of who he is. But on the other hand I'm sad. Sad because these last 5 years have flown by, and it makes me realize that the next 5 will go just as quickly and soon he'll be 10.

I just adore this kid. His smile that makes me smile too. His compassion and tender heart that cares about everyone. His kisses, hugs and expressive spirit that never leave us wondering what he's thinking. His love for people and ability to remember everyone's name. Actually, his ability to remember just about everything! His joyful spirit and ability to make anything fun. His passion that keeps him loving what he loves and hating what he hates. His strong will that doesn't break for just anyone or anything. I could go on and on.

Some day Levi will grow up, and I won't be his "mommy" anymore so I'm treasuring each and every day that I get to kiss his injuries, cuddle with him to read books, bake cookies with him, jump on the trampoline with him, play baseball and soccer in the backyard, and have car races.

Our day's celebrations were simple but fun. Levi had a friend over in the morning and we picked up Chick-fil-a for lunch as a special treat. He helped me make his birthday cake this afternoon and we spent some time reading together. Grandma then arrived and after Daddy got home from work we opened presents. It was so much fun to watch him open presents. Ben might not agree with that, but soon he'll have his own birthday. Graham had some fun, too.
We let Levi choose whatever he wanted for dinner tonight, and he chose "the mac and cheese place" (otherwise known as Noodles & Company). And then it was back home where we blew out the candles on the cake.
In a couple of weeks we'll celebrate Levi and Ben's birthdays together with all of their friends but for now I'm just enjoying this time as a family to celebrate our Levi. With his last preschool program and graduation tomorrow night, all of this might be more than I can handle!

Happy Birthday, Levi! I love you to pieces.

Easter

We had the greatest Easter weekend. We celebrated with my entire family and had a wonderful time. My oldest sister, her husband and their 3 kids came from Nebraska, and my brother, his wife and their new baby girl came from Colorado to join my crew, my mom and my sister, her husband and their 4 kids. It was the first time that we were able to meet our new little niece and the first time all 11 grandkids have been together.

While it is absolutely crazy when all of us are under one roof, it is so much fun. The kids just love each other. I am so thankful for that. It brings me joy to watch my boys playing and giggling with their cousins. It was a low key weekend but with that many kids, it was still eventful.

Dyeing Easter eggs at Grandma's house (with a very fake smile)
All the cousins minus the 2 youngest at the Arboretum
Levi and Emme
I just love this picture of Levi with his oldest cousin Nathan. I know I've written about him before, but I'm so thankful that he takes such an interest in all of his little cousins.
Some of the boys
We tried really hard to get a picture of all 11 kids, but can you tell who wasn't cooperating? Graham is such a little stinker.
These 2 are just too cute
I love this picture of all the kids, but Graham still wasn't cooperating. At least it's real, right?!
The Easter bunny visited our house
Graham LOVES Bob and Larry so he was very excited about his gift
Looking through their baskets
All dressed up for church
A decent picture of our family at my mom's house after church on Sunday (Look who isn't cooperating again!)
Sweet boys (but notice who has Graham's new Easter gifts!)
I love this picture of Ben, mainly because it's a great representation of our Easter...Ben with Graham's new toys. What you don't see in the picture is Graham crying because Ben took them away from him.
Easter egg hunt at Grandma's
Graham was content with just 1 egg
And this is what Levi and Ben looked like about 3 minutes after we left my mom's house on Sunday evening
But not Graham. He was happy because he had his toys all to himself