I have a giant post to do to get caught up! First, I am so proud to have two amazing 5yr olds. The post will start with their birthday party, not necessarily in chronological order!

We had a great turnout for the party. It was not too little and not too big. We appreciate all of the friends that joined us to celebrate! Three of Trevor’s classmates were there too. The boys had frequently seen bouncy rentals in the public park pavilions and didn’t really get why they couldn’t go jump at someone else’s party. So we got them their own castle for the day! It just fit in the yard!

Crazy bouncers!

Trevor could have had any cake he wanted, but he picked this one from Costco. He really liked the pattern. It was very tasty! There were five candles on each half.

Brendan does not like the Happy Birthday song. 🙂

The night before the party, Trevor was having anxiety about busting open the piñata. He liked it too much and wanted to just keep it! He got in to the smashing when it was time!

Brendan had no qualms.

We got through the line of seven kids at least four or five times. Some had some pretty strong hits!

Trevor dealt the final blow

It was a really nice group, they were civil about cleaning up candy!

Trevor and his buddy Brolin twinning in piñata-wear.

Piñata hat Bailey

We will make this a fashion trend!

I have a lot of pictures of all of the other activities keeping us busy. Trevor still loves his swimming lessons. I took more shots of the pool because it is such a nice place!

Brendan has to wait with me and have his formula

The parent waiting area is very comfy but he is headed to the playroom

Someone made a mess? But who?

Trevor’s underwater swimming is getting better!

The instructor transports packets of boys from one end of the pool to the other

I did not take pictures at the HopeWalk 🙁 Brendan and I didn’t feel well and it was so hot. It was a very cool event nonetheless. We have to give a giant thanks to Pete, Jen, Landon, and Virginia for being on our team. We didn’t even get a picture in our team shirts. We will have to do it again next year! I appreciate all of the support from the walkers and the generous donations. As a team, we raised $750 for the organization!

The boys have been buried in amazing birthday presents. One of the first to arrive was this science lab kit. They LOVE doing experiments. I set them loose with a pile of baking soda and vinegar and they played for hours.

Trevor kept saying things like, “Hmmm, interesting.” and “Strange. Strange indeed.” and then he said. “Scientists find out why things go wrong. And they make explosions. I want to be a scientist when I grow up.”

The trial for “Ninja school” is finishing up this week. Trevor is officially a member and Brendan decided that he had enough. It makes him too tired. They do some hard exercise, practice their kata, and then play some high energy games that work on focus and coordination.

Many of the games involve avoiding getting whacked by noodles. 😀 Sometimes they can only belly crawl to escape.

Or run on knees to escape

Or crab walk

Trevor has his first tip test on Tuesday and in a few weeks he can take a belt test. He has only gone to 10 classes, so we do not have high expectations. But we were told that the belt tests are very fun and that taking them is good experience.

As we start the journey of their 6th year, we go head first in to holidays and so much to do.

We are sending strength and love to Great Aunt Lillian who is in the hospital. We think about her every day.