Ahoy, ye buccaneers!! ~ Preston's birthday party

We have our first friend birthday party when the kids turn FIVE and Preston had been planning the details for a YEAR!!  Who was coming, what kind of cake, must have a pinata, etc.  Ohhhh, was he so excited, helping me write out and deliver invitations, picking up supplies at the store or ordering things online!

The loot bags~ they aren't professional but still turned out cute!

 The cake~ Preston especially loved the little sword on top!

 The outdoor decor~ the Jolly Roger flag is a must!

We started things off by having a treasure hunt to collect all the items that pirates need to go about their pirate duties!

Bandanas!

 Swords! (battling the sun for this pic)

 Eye patches!

 And then, the final treasure...

 Jewels and coins!

LtoR- Preston, Bryce Haerring, Gracie Larson, Hazel Kong,
Reagan Christensen, Cole Jenson, Landon Sam, Paislee Hatch

We played some fun pirate games, like Captain Hook's Ring Toss

 And everyone had to walk the plank, of course!

 Pinata time!!

 Last, we did cake & ice cream and presents.  

My cutest little Preston pirate!

 Mommy & Preston with our meanest pirate faces!

It was the craziest, busiest morning (I had an early morning 8 mile run, Brooklyn had a mandatory dance rehearsal, we had to pick up the cake, PLUS finish getting everything set up), but seeing Preston love every second of it was worth all the stress!  And then I passed out for a nap.  Haha!

A New Year's Day tradition!

The weather in Arizona in January is positively glorious, perfect for getting some good ole fresh air.  This was our second annual hike to the Wind Caves at Usery Pass on New Year's Day.  It's a pretty easy, fairly quick hike that the whole family can enjoy.  We play silly games along the way, like the Disney alphabet game; A is for Ariel, B is for Bambi, C is for Captain Hook... and the kids get to take turns being the pace setter.  After hiking back down, we ate our packed lunch at a ramada that the LeBaron family reserved.  Love being active with my family!

I'm not sure how much longer Matt can keep Hayden strapped to him in the Baby Bjorn, but it worked!

We made it to the top!1

Happy Birthday, Preston!!!

Preston has waited soooooooooooo long to turn 5!!!  He was a little disappointed to find out he didn't get to start kindergarten that very day, darn it!

Preston is go-go-go, all the time!  He loves being outside, climbing, playing video games, watching movies, building Legos, and having books read to him.  He is my VERY good eater and will eat just about anything, except for potatoes, unless in french fry form!  He can write his name, knows simple math facts and can't wait to start real school like his big brothers and sister!

The birthday LOOT!

When I saw this fart gun from Despicable Me 2, I knew instantly Preston would die over it!  

And I was right!

 A new Razor scooter, just like the big kids'!

The fart gun is out of the box!

SKYLANDERS SwapForce!!!!  He wanted this so badly because both brothers have other versions of the game and he "needed" his own.  It's amazing, at 5 years old, the knowledge he possesses about these little gremlin guys!!

Happy 5th Birthday, Preston!!

5 yr stats

Weight: 42 lbs

Height: 44.75 in

Merry Christmas!!!

We had a very nice Christmas this year.  I still remember the excitement I had as a child, not being able to sleep on Christmas Eve, and being anxious to get out and check out what Santa had brought!  It's fun watching my kids do the same.

The TRAP 2013 - BeLLs

 The kids did a great job slithering under the net so the bells wouldn't jingle!

 Ready to come down the stairs!!

Brooklyn got a camera!!

Aaaaaaaaand, we're 0/2 on the horsey gifts.

Cowgirl hat, new horsey "packpack," and Minnie panties

Lots of Lego mania over here!!

 Duct tape creations are all the rage with the tween group~

 Blake has been reminding me that he's the only one that didn't have a couch or chair to lounge on...

And he's been bugging for forEVER about getting Minecraft, which we made him think there wasn't a chance ;)

Ahh, this girl!!

 Matt got me just what I asked for- a Garmin running watch :)

This is my "you-blew-the-budget-we-agreed-upon" face.  He spoiled me with an iPad mini, too!

I was kinda stumped on what to get Matt, but ended up getting him a meat smoker.  Can't wait to try it!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Matching jammies