May the Force Be With You

This year's birthday theme was Star Wars! :)

The funny thing is that the kids haven't seen a single Star Wars movie yet, but Aiden has read multiple Star Wars books from the library, and he has fallen in love with the characters. And not seeing the movies did not diminish the fun one bit!

It was fun to decorate for him, though I managed to choose some sort of boot-leg version from Amazon, so if you looked too closely at some of the characters, you'd realize they were slightly off haha. But Aiden didn't seem to mind, and it still made the house festive :)

After a yummy breakfast, we opened presents. There was no shortage of Star Wars-themed gifts, but he has received a fun Pooh Bear hat, a fun new game, and some GI Joes! I love that the kids make cards for each other; it's such a sweet little tradition. And I love how they hide them, and how excited they get to give them to each other.

Of course, no Star Wars birthday would be complete without epic light saber battles! Aiden was excited to receive a hood {to dress up as a Jedi, of course, but he has also wanted a hood for other dress up needs as well haha}, and the light sabers he received light up and make the official sounds and everything. Every little boy's dream! :)

The rest of the day, we played at the park, played our new game {SkyJo}, played with GI Joes, brushed up on our Star Wars knowledge, and had more epic light saber battles. We got to chat with family in Texas, and even received a special message from Darth Vader {Uncle Bryan}!

And, of course, there was cake! Happy Birthday, Aiden...may the force be with you!

Aiden :: 8 Years

Happy 8th Birthday, my sweet boy!

My Dearest Aiden,

You have been talking for months about your birthday. Counting down the days, talking about themes, adding to your wishlist...to say that you are excited about your birthday is an understatement :)

Yesterday, when you woke up, I gave you a super long hug and said I was just going to have to hold you all day, since it was your last day of being 7 years old. You laughed, and pulled away, and said, "Mo-om" in that annoyed little boy way, and my heart knew that I couldn't keep you little forever. I have known that for many years now. But because you are my Aiden, you still came back for an extra hug anyway, and my heart was just so grateful for your heart. How you love big and fully. 

You are in that unique transition of being a little boy, wanting to play and be silly and still needing your Mama, but also wanting to grow up and be a big kid and do big kid things. You are still into battles and sports and wrestling and building forts and playing in the dirt. Pooh is still by your side. You say the wildest things sometimes, and make me laugh on a regular basis. I love watching you build your relationship with your brother and your sister. 

I love you, sweet boy, and I have loved celebrating YOU on your birthday! I love your hugs and snuggles, and I am so grateful you are my 8 year old boy!

Love,

Mom

{iPhone Rewind} :: August

We worked on a puzzle together over the course of a few days, and Eli was really focused on it!

We wrapped up our Summer of Fun! We didn't quite get to all the things on our list, but we still did a lot and had a great summer!

"Look, Mommy! I made a rocking chair for Norm!" Haha- I love this cute boy :)

We started reading The Wingfeather Saga and apparently there's a lot of suspense for Aiden haha

"Look, Mom! I can do a turban like Maddie!"

"You survived the first week back to school" flowers from Mike :)

We have been learning the books of the Bible {in order}, and the kids have done so great!

Aunt Vi sent some more beads to make bracelets, and the kids wasted no time making more!

Maddie wrote her first book! There are chapters and pictures, and she did such an amazing job. It was not a school assignment {she actually strongly dislikes writing haha}. She just decided one day she was going to write on her own and she sat down with her own creative mind and did it all herself. I'm so proud of her!

He has always made this face LOL

We found a fox hanging out in our backyard! He/she was there for quite awhile, and it was so fun to watch it.

Aiden lost another tooth! We were so glad when this one came out, because the adult tooth had already started coming in behind it!

Since my mom was in town, she got to join me for our Women's Fall Welcome Dessert :)

I love getting to serve alongside these ladies! {Bible study, retreat, MOLO leaders}

Grandma crocheted Aiden a blanket for his birthday, and he has carried that thing with him everywhere. Anyone surprised by the colors he chose?

Just a few days after Aiden lost his top tooth, he lost another tooth, completely unexpectedly! He as eating a hard cookie and it just popped out. He was not a fan, but it saved us a little bit of the anxiety leading up to the loss, so I'm grateful it came out the way it did.

I love when Maddie and I get to go for haircuts :)

Maddie's drawings make me happy :)

I made an apple pie with the apples we picked at Stribling Orchard. It didn't turn out half bad!

We had a cookout with our community group, and Eli really loved playing this game with Mike

The kids loved painting rocks at Mrs. Celeste and Mr. Matt's house! (And it was a HUGE win that Aiden did so well with Ellie - their dog - so close to him)

Avengers...Assemble!

This year, Aiden picked an Avengers theme for his birthday! It started with Captain America, and then Hulk, and then he kept learning about all the fun superheroes...so Avengers it was!

This year was extra special because Grandma and Papa were here to celebrate with us. They got to be a part of our birthday fun, from decorations and presents to cake and the park. It was a fun day, and Aiden loved every minute of it!

Eli and Maddie had made him sweet cards/drawings and notes for his birthday, and it was so sweet to see them excited to give them to their brother. 

All of his presents this year were Avenger-themed. So he now has all the action figures he needs for epic battles! He is also outfitted in full Captain America gear to save the universe :)

One of the highlight gifts was a DK Marvel Character Encyclopedia. He has sat and poured over that book for days. He made Grandma sit and read him all of the character profiles haha. It has definitely been a favorite!

The rest of the day was filled with Avengers tattoos, cake, and a fun trip to the playground. And of course, more epic battles with Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor. At one point, Maddie got involved with her Barbies, and there were battles for Barbies to be matched with each Avenger haha. So lots of fun times, had by all :)

Happy Birthday, Aiden!