October 22: Another Birthday Party for Tysen

 Ty's final birthday party was with a few friends.  He wanted a Dinosaur Party!  We played Caveman, Caveman, Dinosaur (think Duck, Duck, Goose), Feed the Dino (Bean Bag Toss), Dinosaur Tail where the kids wore a "dino tail" and knocked over a stack of boxes, Find the Dino, Dino Says (like Simon Says), read dinosaur stories, and colored dinosaur pictures.  Overall, the event went well and ended with a dino feast of Dino chicken nuggets, rainbow jello, carrots, chips, and dirt dessert with dino crackers.  Happy Birthday, Tysen!

Can't you hear the dinosaurs roaring?

October 15: Birthday Party #1 and the Grand Rapids Kid's Marathon

It's a season of birthday parties for Tysen!  His 4th birthday is three days away and the week of partying has begun!

Happy 4th Birthday, Ty!

On an unrelated note, today was the Grand Rapids Kid's Marathon!  We've been preparing for this race since mid-August, and while we weren't as die-hard about it as we could have been, it was an excellent experience!  The idea is for kids to run or walk 1 mile three times a week for about 8 weeks.  The last 1.2 miles the kids all run together to total 26.2 miles.  The course is downtown Grand Rapids and is part of the Grand Rapids marathon which is run the next day.  During our 8 week prep period we walked some and biked some, and actually didn't complete all 25 one-mile treks, but we were intentional about our activity and had fun doing it as a family!  Maybe next year will be more of an offical marathon for our family, but this year was an excellent starting point.

The actual race day was WINDY!  Ty had a cold so he wasn't super excited about walking for the race which means he got a piggy-back ride from Daddy for part of the way.  Koen wasn't excited about it either, but once Daddy made it competitive ("I can beat you to that stop sign" etc.) Koen enjoyed himself, or maybe he just enjoyed beating Daddy.

The mascots posed with the kids and Seth after completing the race and receiving their medals.  They even gave one to Brielle who "strolled" the race.  The boys were SO proud of their medals...Ty even wore his to church the next day!  Koen was so proud he kept looking at it, so he was the one who noticed that the medal's date was 2010 instead of 2011!  We probably would have never noticed...leave it to Koen! :)

After the race, area businesses provided snacks for the kids:  yogurt, bananas, apples, and Culver's frozen custard.  Yep, our kids went for the ice cream despite the chilly, windy day.  Can't say I blame them! :)

May 14 and 15: Koen's 6th Birthday Parties!!!

School friends!

Koen turned 6 on Sunday!  It was a busy weekend of celebration!  On Saturday afternoon we hosted five of Koen's classmates for a little party.  Having recently discovered a Tigger and Pooh movie at the library, he wanted to have a party based the the Super Sleuths those two characters play in the stories.  His idea actually turned out pretty well! 

We started with a game of pin the "X" on the treasure (I had taken grocery bags and created a treasure map).  From there we headed into the basement for a candy hunt -- they boys were super pumped about that one!!!  We all returned upstairs for a few rounds of hide-and-seek while Seth and I made lunch: hot dogs, chips, carrots, and the highlight -- rainbow jello.  After lunch was the much-anticipated scavenger hunt.  Koen had specifically asked to have one.  I'd gone online and found a little help for ideas, but ended up creating my own which turned out pretty cute, if I say so myself.  (I included it at the end of the post in case you were curious.)  :)  At each spot the boys had to do some kind of activity, partly for fun and partly to help the hunt take longer!  In the end, the boys were directed to the freezer for the ice cream and then back to the table for cupcakes which they were allowed to decorate themselves.  All in all, it was a special afternoon for the birthday boy!   

After a few hours of downtime we had a second celebration with some family.  No organized games at that party, but still a lovely time. 

Koen wanted a Tweety bird cake this year,
but when we found this candle at a garage sale
a few weeks ago he wanted to do that instead!  :)

Happy face...

...happy boy!!!

Koen’s Scavenger Hunt

1. Look for the thing that goes under your head, and that would be nice in Koen’s cozy bed.
2. Be careful when you get near me, I can be really HOT!  But I’m done making hot dogs so be off like a shot. 
3. I’m home for lots of things you really like:  a scooter, a wagon, and even your bike!
4. We’re so glad you’re here today, each with a big grin!  Go back to that spot where you came in!
5. You use me to watch your favorite show.  Race to me now…don’t be so slow!
6. My keys are black and white and aren’t on a ring, and when someone plays me you can really sing!
7. That’s the dirtiest shirt I’ve ever seen!  Don’t worry, I’ll get it all clean!
8. Knife, fork, plate, cup.  When you find all these things be sure to look UP! 
9. Have fun with the bubbles, have fun with the soap.  You won’t forget to play with toys, I hope. 
10. Ring, ring.  Someone’s calling you to say hi or hello.  Better pick it up before the machine starts to go.
11. If you’re looking for toys come on down and you’ll see, a great place to play for you and for me. 
12. Your clean clothes are all wet?  No problem, I say!  Put them in me…they’ll be dry right away! 
13. Brrr!  It’s freezing cold!  I’d rather hold ice cream, not silver or gold.
14. Great job!  You’ve found all the clues! Head back to the table for some really good news!