I have a 5 year old!!

You can't go wrong by starting the birthday celebrations with the oldest and youngest members of the family, especially when they're just so darn cute!

Sam and Papa celebrate their birthdays together since they're only a few days apart (with Grandma Tigger's in between!).

Grandma gave Sam a really fun animal game, but it paled in comparison to the tape measure! When he opened it his eyes lit up and he ran over to Grandma and Papa, gave them a big hug, and said something like, "Thanks guys, how did you know I always wanted one of these? I love it!" He was so grateful, it was really sweet...and hilarious!

On Sam's birthday we had a few friends over for a little party. Mike was too efficient for me, he'd already removed the "Happy Birthday" candles by the time I was ready for a picture. Sam wanted a Transformer cake, and it was actually a lot more work than you'd think by looking at it. I cut the fondant very carefully. And I made it grey, but it turned purple overnight. Sam didn't seem to notice, and the kids still ate it!

I thought I was buying noise makers, but they weren't! They were just blowers. What a great birthday surprise for Mom and Dad!

The kids all loved them. It didn't take long for the boys to turn them into weapons though. It never does. After cake and ice cream and opening some super cool presents, we headed down to a place called Bouncin' off the Walls. The kids LOVED it, and they were totally exhausted by the time we left. All in all, a great birthday!

Will wanted to play basketball the whole time. He is obsessed with balls. All balls. If something is remotely circle-shaped he calls it a ball. And tries to play with it like a ball. (We were just in St. George for the marathon, and while we were down there he discovered that he could put a golf ball in a sock and then swing it around. He swung a little less vigorously after he hit himself with it. He's such a funny kid.)

This was everyone's favorite, and I have to admit, it is pretty fun! I think they went down this slide for a solid hour before they did anything else.

Molly and I hung out while all the kids played. Mike dressed her for the party, headband and all. She probably has about 50 different flower clips, I love them! And since they're so easy and cheap to make, why not?

We had such a fun day with our Sam, we're so glad he's been with us for 5 years! He's a SMART kid, reading everything (and I mean everything) in sight. He loves learning, and he loves going to preschool. He can't wait for kindergarten, especially since he missed the cutoff by one day. He's a fun older brother, and he's always so sweet with his baby sister! Will misses him like crazy when he goes to preschool and he'll ask me, "Is Sam here?" They're best buddies! And their favorite show to watch with their dad is Ninja Warrior!

Sam, aka Monster Man, aka Rocket Fire, aka Punching Tiger Man, aka Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Fire Breathe