Calling All Superheroes!

Happy 4th Birthday to Sam!  In September, we celebrated Sam's birthday all week long.  First up, his 4-year-old check up with the doctor.  Just a few stats:  at age 4 he weighs 30 lbs, is 39.5" tall, and got his shots like a champ :)  On a more exciting note, on his actual birthday, he got his brand new bike!                                                                                

Then he got a bunch of presents in the mail from our amazing family :)  Whenever the "package man" brings something, it usually gets opened right away...in the entryway.  Sam was so excited for presents he made me set everything up IMMEDIATELY.  The boys played for hours with the action figures and trains!

On Saturday, I mustered up the courage and energy to throw Sam his very first friend birthday party.  Lately he is REALLY into any and all superheroes, so we went with a Superhero theme.

Here are all the superheroes who came to save the day!  This was one of the only shots I got where most everyone was looking at me :)

Next up were some games!  First we took down some notorious supervillans with bean bags.  (There were more, but they didn't make it into the shot)

Next they used their super-strength to break through walls.  This game was pretty labor intensive (since we had to set the "wall" back up again each time), so I didn't get a picture until afterward.  This was a favorite of all the kids :)

Next up, walking over the hot lava pit!

Finally, Pin the Logo on Superman!  Here they are pointing to their shield.  Love the smile E!

Lunchtime!

After lunch, we opened presents and let the kids play.

It was pretty cute to see all the little superheroes running around in their capes and masks :)

Finally it was time for cake!

The cake turned out pretty well, I think.

Austin must have liked it...he ate 2 or 3 helpings!

Deserving a MAJOR thank you are Tara and Angie and Jenny for your help during the party!  I probably would have had a nervous breakdown halfway through otherwise :)  Happy Birthday Sammy!

Sleepless in Seattle

Visiting Seattle, just a short 3 hour drive from our house, has been at the top of our NW bucket list for a while.  We've lived in the NW for 2 years now and we still hadn't been there.  But in September, Ryan had a day off for Labor Day weekend and enough CC points for a free hotel stay, so we took full advantage and drove up.  Cue photo dump!

First stop: Pike Place Market.  You know, the place where the big guys in rain boots hurl giant fish through the air?  Basically, its a Farmers Market on steroids.  Rows and rows of fresh flowers, fruits, veggies, seafood, and food carts.  I could spend all day (and all my money) there if given the chance.  Luckily for our budget, my pregnant woman nose/nausea could only take so much fresh fish smell.

This is where they throw the fish.  We saw a lady almost get whacked by one.

My three handsome boys

Next stop: the Seattle Aquarium!  The kids tolerated the market, but they LOVED this place.  Where else could you wave to a friendly scuba diver cleaning a giant tank?

Sam getting strangled by a giant Pacific octopus.  (Yes, he posed for this all on his own.  I am, naturally, very proud.)

Austin running up and down the dock as much as his little heart delighted.

The boys loved the big wavy flannel board.

Austin learned a new word during this trip..."FEEESH!"

The touch & feel tide pools were a true test of bravery.  Sam was very hesitant to touch anything.  Austin tried to jump in and immediately touched everything.  I stood carefully to the side and took pictures.

After the Aquarium, we gave Sam the choice of our next activity: the Space Needle or the Seattle Great Wheel.  He chose the Great Wheel, which was perfect because we were right there.  The Great Wheel is a really big Ferris wheel with big windows all around a la the London Eye, although not nearly as big.

View of the city and the Space Needle

Tah-Dah!  It was fun and everyone really enjoyed it.

After the Wheel, we walked around the waterfront, grabbed some lunch at Ivar's, and then headed back to our hotel for afternoon naps.

Some of us started our naps sooner than others.

Last stop: The Museum of Flight.  AKA Heaven on Earth for little boys.

This was a seriously cool place.

Austin and I hanging out in the SR-71 Blackbird.  Just one of the fastest planes ever.  No big deal :)

Yes, I am an airplane geek.  Please don't judge.

Sam the Fighter Jet Pilot

The Top Guns formerly known as Ryan and Austin.

One of the best parts of the museum was the Kids Flight Zone.  They have a bunch of aircraft the kids could actually touch and climb into.  They were real hobby airplanes too, not models, so that was neat.

We weren't sure we would ever get the boys to leave.  They were so happy!

Sam kept running from station to station.  He almost didn't know what to do with himself.

Sam was hilarious in the helicopter.  He kept moving the controls and watching behind him to see what it would do.

I couldn't get either one to look at me for pictures.  They were too busy flying their helicopter.

Austin really liked the hot air balloon ("ARROON!" in Austin-speak).

Once we finally tore the kids away from the Kids Zone, we headed across the street to the museum's air park   They have a bunch of jets all lined up there.  The two that were open when we went were an old Air Force One and the Concorde. 

Sam was really excited to see the Concorde.  ("MOM! That's the fastest jet EVER.")

The 747 wasn't open, but Sam wanted his picture taken in front of the "JUMBO jet".

The visit wasn't complete without a quick stop by the gift shop for a toy airplane each.  Remember how I could spend all my money at the Market?  Sam & Austin could spend all their money at the gift shop.  After much deliberating, we finally narrowed down their choices.

The Blackbird for Austin.

And a Navy Jet for Sam.

It was a great weekend :)