X-Wing Fighter

Here is the completed X-Wing Fighter that Caleb got for his birthday.

Jedi Training

Star Wars. The Lost Episode.

It is a time of turmoil in the galaxy.
Five years ago a baby boy was born. His name was Caleb, and he was strong with the force. Hidden away on a remote planet called Earth, Caleb's Jedi training has been progressing well. But now the Sith have learned of the boy and seek him diligently. To overcome this threat, Caleb will need the help of others, so a call is sent out for other brave younglings to come and learn the ways of the Jedi. Only with their strength and courage can the Sith be defeated and the Jedi order preserved.

Caleb decided that he wanted the theme of his 5th birthday party to be Star Wars. He has been obsessed with all things Star Wars for quite some time. We invited his friends over using the wording above on the invitations, which was borrowed from here.

Each child dressed as a padawan for their Jedi training. That training consisted of reflex testing, target practice, teamwork and attention testing, thermal detonator throwing, and light saber use. The light sabers were a huge hit as we expected. I made the light sabers out of painted pool noodles, PVC pipe, and duct tape.

Caleb thoroughly enjoyed his party and undergoing Jedi training with his friends. You can see more photos of the party here.

Wesley's 2nd Birthday

Today we celebrated Wesley's 2nd birthday. The boys and I drove down to Palm Bay for the party. Caleb was sad when he heard that Lily was not going to make it because she was sick and was convinced the party was not going to be any fun. He ended up having a blast and said it was the best party ever. I sure hope his Star Wars birthday next month can top that! The cousins had a lot of fun playing together and listening to Gran and Pop Pop read them stories.

There are a bunch more photos of the party here.

Liliana's 4th Birthday

This weekend we celebrated Liliana's 4th birthday. We drove up to Gainesville to spend the weekend with the Sotos, Gran, Aunt Nikki, and Wesley.

The party was a blast as was the weekend. The cousins thoroughly enjoyed each other's company and got along well together. The noise level was a bit loud at times, but what do you expect when you get five cousins together who are all under the age of 5? There are a bunch more photos of the weekend here.

It is going to be so much fun seeing the cousins grow up together over the next several years.

Let the Wild Rumpus Start! (Eli's 1st Birthday Party)

Today was Eli's first birthday party. He officially turned 1 yesterday. It is hard to believe that he is already a year old. In some ways, it seems like he has been with us forever, and in some ways, it feels like I was just pregnant.

Since we call Eli our little monster, I decided to do a Where the Wild Things Are theme. I made invitations that had Eli's face in Max's wolf costume. I put that same picture on a t-shirt that Eli wore. I decorated the cake with green icing, palm trees, and cardboard cutouts of Max and the wild things. We blew up some green balloons that the kids, especially Eli, really enjoyed playing with.

A lot of family and friends came to the house for the celebration. Eli was excited to see everyone and to play with his cousins.

We started with presents since we knew the cake would be messy. Eli was not as into unwrapping presents as he was at Christmas time. At Christmas, he tried unwrapping every gift he could get his hands on. I think he might have been a bit overwhelmed today. Everyone was watching, and all the big kids were trying to unwrap presents for him. He got some neat new toys that I am sure he will enjoy playing with. He also got some very cute clothes.

We did the cake next. I stripped him down to his diaper because I didn't want him to stain his Wild Things t-shirt with green icing. He took his time checking the cake out before slowly tearing it apart. He really enjoyed the cake taking some very large bites. We got some great pictures of him eating it and smiling. He ate almost the whole piece we gave him. He made a pretty good mess on himself and promptly took a bath right afterwards.

It was a fun, albeit crazy day. It is too bad that Eli won't remember this special and momentous day.