Birthday season recap and the Bear's baptism

 
All of our kids have birthdays within just over 2 months, so we have come to call this time of year "birthday season."  The Bear starts things off, and for his birthday this year he wanted to go to a place called Boondocks with his siblings.  They have laser tag, go-karts, bumper boats, mini-golf, a 4D theater, bowling, and arcade, etc.  We got the kids each a day pass and they tried nearly everything Boondocks has to offer.



 
Bear also asked to have a giant sub from Subway for dinner, (and Cheetos- every year he asks for those) and we invited some extended family and our new neighbors to join us.

 
He had wanted a birthday cake shaped like a hoagie as well, but it was my first time baking in our new home and I didn't account for the high elevation, and my cake totally flopped.  So instead he picked out an Oreo cake (and cupcake) at the local grocery store.

 
Happy birthday Bear!  We sure love your giggles, cuddles, and self-confidence.


 
Next up was our Buddy boy! He chose to have a Nacho Bar for dinner and cheesecake with lemon curd for dessert.

 
This move has hit our Buddy super hard.  It made his birthday complete to have old friends from Germany come and celebrate with us.

 
Sometimes you just need to be around people who "get you."

  
(Me too!)

 
We also took the family to try out a nearby indoor pool complex. It was no Miramar, but the kiddos had a fun day. Buddy is quite possibly the best big brother in the world. He is kind, generous, serious, and sweet.  We love him to pieces.

 
Next up was the Bear's baptism.  In our church, we don't believe in original sin, so we don't practice infant baptism.  We believe that children are born innocent, and it is only when they are old enough to understand that their choices have consequences that they are able to choose for themselves to be baptized.  The Bear made that choice and was baptized by Dad in September.

 
We were thrilled to be living close enough to Grandma and Grandpa and cousins, and to have them come join us for his special day.

 
Next up was Sissy's birthday! She chose to have cheese fondue for dinner and the exact same cake as the Bear. She also invited our new neighbors and a new friend from Kindergarten, to celebrate with us. Apparently this is the only photo that I took! A few days later Dad took the kids to check out a local wave pool, but I was not feeling well, so I didn't get any photos. We love our littlest one's determination, enthusiasm, and even sometimes her sass. She makes our family complete!

 
Finally it was Cha-Cha's turn to celebrate.  She asked me to make a cake shaped like a "stack of books" and this is what I came up with, featuring a favorite title on top.  (The bottom book was supposed to be by Charlotte Bronte, but I ran out of room, ha!)

 
She invited over a couple of new girlfriends for a tea time of her favorite things- sandwiches, kiwis and oranges, lemon drops, and peanuts.

 
They played games and watched a movie and generally had a fun day just spending time together.

 
For dinner she chose Outback Steakhouse.  This girl loves to have a steak dinner! We love her creativity, thoughtful heart, and sincerity. 

And now we have a teenager!  
Complete with cell phone, glasses, and very soon... braces!
 

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