Belated Birthday Fun

Keeping up family tradition, I have had "family" birthday parties and "friend" birthday parties for my boys, from about school age until they turn 10. We've had pirate parties, tie-dye parties, "hebby equib-ment" parties, train parties, ice-skating parties, and some I've probably forgotten. I went, rather loosely, along the lines of letting them invite however many kids as they are old... and they have to count their brothers... kind of. But by 10 it starts getting a bit crazy, so I've told them at that point they can pick one or two friends and go do something special. I wasn't up to much, right around Tate's birthday, but my boys know they're as important as the Presidents... they have an actual birthday, and then, their birthday "observed", like a national holiday :0)

Tate opted for swimming at the local pool. GREAT! Fun, easy, not weather-dependent, and not too expensive... right down my alley! I love the fact that by this age they are pretty self-sufficient. Kerry had to stay pretty close to Gunnar, and I did keep counting heads, but really the boys were all fine. Here are five of the SEVEN...













The pics are all pretty blurry, but it's not like the boys would hold still, for heaven's sake! It gives a more realistic idea of the experience...


Tate, as always, could not have been more full of the joy of the moment :0)















Tate, again...








And Wyatt. Often when we go to the pool, the slide is not open, so this was a treat.








However... It may have been Tate's birthday, but Gunnar had a very special moment. You have to be 48" tall to be allowed on the slide. When I measured Gunnar at home this morning, I was getting 47 1/2". And sure enough, the first lifeguard on duty turned him back. But he was not deterred. When the life-guards rotated, a few minutes later, he tried again... standing very tall. Then I could see, but not hear, a conversation with the new life-guard, and he was allowed up the stairs to the top! (Apparently they made an exception because he is quite small for seven.) Oh the JOY!!! With or without his 'water wings', he went down that slide until they closed the pool! He could barely touch the bottom, where the slide dumps into the pool, but he just took a big breath and waited for the current to swirl him over to the edge... oh so brave.