Our Ulitimate Star Wars Party

I'll just start this post by stating that I love birthdays.  I have always loved birthdays and birthday parties.  I love sweet and simple ones that involve a little cupcake, candle, and song.  I love big, fun ones that involve themes, games, decorations, and big cakes.  As a little girl, each year, I would plan out my theme, the games, and food we would have, and my mom and I would have so much fun organizing what we were going to do at the party.

Did I mention I love parties?  As a mom this has transformed to a love and joy of planning parties for my kids.  And to me it's not just a party... it's a celebration of life, and of who my child is, and what God has done in their life... embracing joy, and this moment, and just celebrating!

So this year, Liam wanted a Lego Star Wars party.  First, I know nothing about Star Wars and so this really intimated me!  Second, we decided that we would let Liam invite friends from our neighborhood, our homeschool friends, and church friends... so it was going to be a bit bigger than I'm used to with lots of little boys.  This meant I would need lots of structure and no down time! 

The Internet and photoshop were my lifesavers and in the end, I was able to put together a fun Star Wars party for 12 little boys!  And what a blast we all had!

The party began by giving the boys each a name tag with a glow stick light saber and ring attached to it.  We had our first Jedi Council meeting and I informed them that they were going on a training mission to become Junior Jedi.  They would have 9 different tasks to complete, and for each task, they would earn a Star Wars card to put on their name tag. 

If they had earned all nine cards by the end of our mission training, they would then receive the ultimate Junior Jedi Reward!  We also included in our council meeting a lesson on proper Jedi behavior (a must have with this many little 7 year old boys)...
HELP OTHERS
USE WISDOM IN THE CHOICES YOU MAKE
NEVER USE YOUR POWER FOR EVIL
DEFEND JUSTICE THROUGHOUT THE GALAXY
(These definitely came in handy when things would get a little wild!)

TASK 1: Use Wisdom to guess how many Legos are in the jar.

The boys had a great time trying to guess how many Legos we had put into the jar.  Although some came close, no one guess the answer.  (it was 95 by the way!)

TASK 2:  Jedi Use the Force Word Scramble

I had printed out the phrase JEDI USE THE FORCE for the boys to unscramble.  I made sure to print out each word in a different color so after awhile I could give them a clue as to how the words might go together.  Both groups were able to unscramble the words and figure out the phrase!

TASK 3:  Droid Detonator Training

This was a super fun game for the boys!  I had made a droid army by putting droid pictures on water bottles and then covered some small balls (or detonators) with foil.  They had four detonators to try and knock down as many bottles as they could. 

They could have played this game for much longer if I let them!

TASK 4:  Pilot Pod Racers
Each boy got to make and design their own paper air plane/pod racer and then they had to successfully fly it through the Blue Galaxy Hole.  They came up with some great designs and had fun trying to hit their target. 

TASK 5:  Rescue Frozen Han Solo
This was probably the favorite game of the night!  The goal was to work as a team and rescue Han Solo who had been captured by Darth Vader and frozen in carbonite!

They used ladles to pour water over the ice blocks with a little Han Solo inside. 

There was lots of yelling and jumping and in the end it came down to the wire as to which team rescued him first!

TASK 6:  Star Wars Search

Inside this box of silver tinsel was about 25 Lego pieces and a couple of Lego Star Wars figures.  The boys had 30 seconds to see how many they could find in the tinsel and get into the container.  They got 5 points for Legos, 10 points for figures, and minus one point for each piece of tinsel that they didn't get back into the box. (that last rule worked really well!)  :)

TASK 7:  Droid Shoot

Another Droid Army appeared, and this time the boys were able to choose their weapon and try to shoot down as many droids as they could.  It was fun to see them think about which weapon they wanted to use... should they go for a bigger one with less shots, or a little one with many shots?  Either way, they had a blast!

TASK 8:  Rescue Princess Leia
This was another super fun game.  I told the boys that Princess Leia had been trapped in a Togorrian Trap (whatever that is?) and that they needed to rescue her!  Inside of our bedroom I had blown up about 50 balloons and inside each balloons was a small picture of a Lego Star Wars character.  In only one of the balloons was Princess Leia.  They had to pop all the balloons to find the princess and rescue her! 

This game was fast and loud and crazy and according to the boys... awesome!  It didn't take long before the princess had been successfully rescued and they could all earn their Princess Leia card! 

TASK 9:  Light Saber Training

We started by having Tim lead them in training.  They learned to activate and deactivate them on Tim's command.  They boys worked on strikes and blocks and copied every one of Tim's moves to perfection.  We worked on reflexes as they were each to try and keep a balloon in the air with their Light Saber.  After that, each boy was able to "battle" Tim with their Light Saber, which they loved! 

After all was said and done, we had our last Jedi Council meeting.  I asked if they had completed the nine training tasks and collected nine Star Wars Cards.  We then went over proper Jedi behavior, and I asked if they had complied with the Jedi Rules.  Since they had, I informed them that they had become official Junior Jedi and that they had earned their Light Saber to take home.  And yes, they were all thrilled!

What a fun and amazing evening we had!  It was such a blessing to be able to see Liam interact with all his friends and for everyone to have such a great time!  Mission completed! 

Happy 7th Birthday Liam!

Zoo Time

We ditched school at home this morning and instead did school at the zoo...

We had so much fun! 

Seven...

Yesterday my firstborn turned seven.  Seven.  Seven seems old to me because it is so much closer to 10 than six is.  From what I can tell, seven is the start of that transformation from little boy to bigger boy.  Old enough to ride your bike up and down the street, yet young enough to still want to cuddle with Mama.  I think seven is going to be a good year...

Liam's birthday was such a fun and amazing day for all of us.  A birthday breakfast out with Mama.  An afternoon bike shopping date with Dad.  A reorganized bedroom (out with the train/Lego table and in with a desk), as well as a family outing to Red Robin for supper.

Our big surprise for Liam was that after the little ones were put to bed, he was going to stay up with us and watch the first Star Wars movie (which he hadn't seen yet...)  This was his reaction....

I think he was a little happy.

It was an amazing day!  A great birthday celebration all around!   

Liam, I think my favorite moment of the whole day was at 9:51 PM.  You had begged us to be able to stay up until the moment you were born... when you would officially be seven.  So, since we were going to watch the movie anyway, we thought it would be fun.  When that moment came, and you realized that you were officially seven years old, my heart skipped a beat and my breath was taken away.  As I looked at the clock, in that instant I was transported back seven years ago to that exact moment that they placed this warm, new, little baby in my arms.  All those feelings, all that joy, all that love and amazement… it came rushing back to me like a flood as I now held you, my big boy, in my arms and just soaked in the moment.  It was the moment I became a mama seven year ago.  It was the moment I first met you.  It was a moment God had planned out long before the foundation of the world was laid, and it was a moment that after seven years I’m still praising Him for.  Precious and indescribable to me, full of pure joy and thankfulness. 

My sweet Liam,
I don't seem to have the words to describe this adventure that you started me on as a mama.  It is the most thrilling, rewarding, terrifying, heart-wrenching, joyous, amazing adventure I will ever be on.  Thank you for making me a mama... thank you for being you.

I love your smile
I love your creativity - whether building with Legos, telling a story, or entertaining yourself.
I love your mind and how you think.

I love the sparkle in your eyes.
I love your intensity even though some days is more than I can handle.
I love the focus you have towards the things you love.
I love the passion you have for people and things.
I love your heart.

I love your intellect and how you think about things and learn.
I love your love for God and how you also enjoy memorizing God's Word.
I love your sweetness in the little notes you give me or drawings you make.

I love that YOU are the one who made me a mommy.
I love that you are my son.

Happy Birthday Liam!

Reminders....

We've had a rough week... and it's only Tuesday. 

Today I was sure it had to say "Opposite Day" on the calendar because if I said no, they said yes.  If I said stay, they went.  If I said quiet, they yelled.  If I said get along, they fought.  If I said jump, they sat.  It's been hard.  It's been ugly.  It's been intense.  It's been simply exhausting. 

As a mama of three, on these days it takes every fiber of my being to keep on going and keep on loving.  My flesh wants to yell, and be angry, and stomp, and scream in frustration (and yes, some times my flesh is strong... and it wins). 

But I'm trying... trying hard to love them, to coach them, to speak words of life into them instead of words that break my relationship with them.  I'm trying hard to not depend on myself but depend on Him because that's the only way my I can rise above my flesh and win this battle. 

It is days like these I need simple reminders of how tender they are, how sweet they are, and what a pure and simple blessing each of them is to me. 

I caught her reading to her baby dolls at bedtime... all she wants is to be a mama. Precious!

How they were given to me as a gift, a gift that I need to treasure and raise up to love and glorify God. 

Playing diggers with his trucks and some cereal.  May he hold on to enjoying "little boy things" for a bit longer!

He never said it would be easy.  He never said I would do it right or perfect.  But He promises to forgive, to guide, and to give wisdom.  Knowing that helps me to take a deep breath, smile, and start fresh... even if it is 2:00 in the afternoon!

He is a stinker and is into everything... but he can melt my heart in an instant!

Thank you Father for Your grace... thank you for these blessings who are my children.

Happy St. Patrick's Day (a little late!)

We hope you had a fun and very green weekend!

Sending big smiles to you from our Irish Crew...

Ainsley, Kallan, and Liam

My Friend in California

I have known my friend Kara all my life.  I really can't remember not knowing her. 

Our moms are dear friends and we grew up together just being friends.  My mom was Kara's babysitter for years, so every day she was at my house just like a little sister, and we would play and play the day away.  School, Beauty Salon, Babies, Big Wheels, Barbies, Mandie and Jenny dolls... many of my childhood memories involve Kara. 

Not only was she at my house almost everyday, but we also took dance lessons together, had sleepovers with each other, went to piano lessons together and played duets at recitals, our families camped out to California together (twice), and best of all we would have these all-summer-long Barbie marathons where we would play for hours each day... day after day... with our Barbies... setting up carpet sample houses, and just having the time of our lives! 

She was the dark-haired one and I was the blond.  I was the older, and she was the younger.  She was the skinny one, I had a little more fluff.  She could tan easily in the summer, and I just burned.  We did sports together, Christmas time together, and stood by each other as we watched the other one say "I do".  And through it all, thick and thin... we were friends.  Never fighting or getting mad at each other.  Always caring for one another deeply and looking out for each other. 

That's what friends are all about.

She's been out in California for awhile now, and we have been able to visit her a few times.  Since it had been a few years, we thought it would be fun to go again.  We decided to keep our older two home, and just take Kallan.  Kara and Brian have a little guy who will be two in June, so we knew it would be fun for the two boys to be together and get to know each other.  I couldn't wait to see them together... for me, I knew this would be the highlight of my trip! 

As sweet as I thought it would be to watch Teven and Kallan play together, I can't describe how much my heart was blessed to see my little guy playing with my dear friend's little guy.

 I kept having flash backs to when Kara and I were younger and how we played with each other.  His dark hair and Kallan's blond hair.  His dark skin and Kallan's light skin.  His ability to talk like crazy, and Kallan's ability to jump and run.  Two little peas in a pod... two little friends...

so different, yet so the same. 

There is something about this trip I will never forget... it was such a special time.  Being able to watch my friend be a mommy to her little guy.  Seeing Kallan and Teven, our two little boys, playing together and remembering back to so many days with my friend.  Just relaxing, and talking, and enjoying life together.  Blessing... upon blessing with my childhood friend!