Spring Break Part 3 (The End)

Jonah's Firetruck party was a hit not only for the kids, but the adults too. Our Firestation was so awesome. They let us do the whole party in the bay of the Firestation. The kids were able to climb on the outside of the truck and also sit in the drivers seat. I got some great pics. The firefighters did a great job showing us everything on the truck and also what it is used for. Then, one fireman put on all his gear (which they have 1 minute per item to get on) and show the kids his transformation from regular man to alien looking firefighter. The kids were able to go up to him with all his gear on and see that he was not scarey, but their friend. All that gear they wear weighs over 50 pounds and they have to wear it while driving the truck (I can't even drive my van when I have my coat on). Then, they had Chris put on the fireman gear. He looked great! I was wishing we could have had it for later that night when we were alone(just kidding). Now let me share with you what not to do for icing a cake. Anyone who has tried to make red icing knows how hard it is to obtain red color that is not pink looking. Therefore, to achieve the non-pink firetruck color we added 2 1/4 bottles of red Wilton coloring. The cakes looked great (except that they leaned to one side and looked like they had flats) however, adding too much icing makes the taste VERY BITTER. Needless to say my cakes (after pics) ended up in the trash. The kids enjoyed the ice cream cups and after we got home my uncle went to the grocery store and got us a cake. It was fabulous!!! My favorite part of Jonah's b-day week is the way his face lights up when you sing the Happy Birthday song to him. It is precious. My favorite story about Jonah right now is that when you ask him what his name is, he says, Jonah and the whale. Jonah being his first name and the whale being his middle name. We have watched the Veggie Tale Jonah and the whale DVD a few times.

Mad Scientist B-Day Party

For Noah's 10th b-day we had a Mad Scientist B-day party. It was one of the easiest parties I have done, least expensive and so much FUN! We invited all the boys in Noah's class (14) but only 7 were able to make it. It was a great number. Before the party I had gotten some science experiment books from our library. I picked 22 experiements and made a booklet for the boys to take home. Chris made me narrow that number to a smaller one for the actual party. I choose 8, some the boys did and some Chris (Dr. Einstein-Tynerhoff) demonstrated. The favorites were the ones that exploded (mentos in a 2L soda makes a gyser) and a fuji film canister with vinger and antacids). Besides the booklets for party favors I had sacks with extra stuff for them to do experiments at home (with parental supervision), pop rocks candy, magnifying glassess, and other weird candy (the Dollar Tree was an excellent resource). I did individual Volcano cakes (mini bundt cakes with a scoop of icecream on top and chocolate frosting (slightly heated) drizzled on top. They were a huge hit and very yummy! The boys and adults had a great time and even learned something.

Blessed

I am an extremely blessed woman. I turned 35 today. I received so many phone calls, cards and special gifts. It was a marvelous day. Thank you to all of you for making my day so special. I look forward to using all my special gifts. My cards are beautiful and your thoughtful words make me feel so loved. I truly enjoyed the phone messages or talking to those who caught me. Turning 35 today was a lot less painful than I thought it would be. I feel loved and treasured by so many.

The other reason I am so blessed on my birthday is because 10 years ago I received a pretty awesome gift, my oldest son, Noah. It is very special to share this day with him. It has been amazing to watch him grow and mature over the years. He has become such a fine young man. I am so proud of him and all his achievements. Sunday we will have a Mad Scientist Birthday Party. It should be a blast (no pun intended). In between now and then we need to test the experiments and make a volcano cake. I will attemp to post pictures next week.