The much-anticipated party

Wyatt had his first 'official' birthday party this year for his 5th birthday. I say first 'official' because it was the first time he had a party with his buddies and not just family and 'adult' friends. He was so excited and could hardly sleep the night before. He had been asking to go to Chuck E Cheese, which we found hilarious because he had never even been before! But he invited his two best friends from school, Justin and Sammy, to come to Chuck E Cheese and they were all so excited.

He woke up bright and early, unable to contain his excitement! He was also very excited to see the cake I had made him--a hockey cake, at his request.

Matt and I made a few funny observations during our time at Chuck E Cheese. Other than being entertained by some of the odd people you see there, we couldn't help but notice how different Wyatt's 5-yr old experience was than what we remembered from going as a kid. Matt and I both used to play 'ski-ball' the entire time, not only because it was the most fun game but largely due to the number of tickets you could get from playing it. Wyatt and his friends, on the other hand, cared less about the tickets and more about the enjoyment of the games. In fact, they played in the 'playland' thing for most of their time and when it was just about time to leave, we had to make them use up the rest of their tokens and trade in their tickets. As a result, Matt and I were able to utilize our rusty bowling skills and play a few rounds of ski-ball ourselves!

Wyatt's party was on the saturday before his birthday and his patience was at the breaking point by the time Monday rolled around---he couldn't wait to open his presents! He had gotten one in the mail from my parents that just sat by our fireplace for a few days on top of the ones he got from us. And he LOVES opening presents. He enjoys playing with the presents as well, but I think he would be content to unwrap boxes all day long. He's a bit like his mother--loving surprises!

I don't usually write much on here about what we get our kids for their birthdays, but this gift was pretty perfect for him. Wyatt has always loved playing with his little cars (hot wheels-type) and any other figurine things. So when a friend of mine told me about this set called "Hockey Guys", I knew it was perfect for Wyatt. I had put a few of the guys from the set on his cake, so when he opened this up, he immediately recognized them and was so excited to have a full set. (He loved the figurines on this cake and had wanted to give one to Sammy and one to Justin--which was so sweet--but I couldn't let him since they were part of this set. He really didn't understand why I wouldn't let him give them to his friends until Monday when he opened this up!)

He kept saying, "Mom and Dad, how did you know I wanted this?" (Keep in mind he'd never seen it before.)

"This is the best give I have ever gotten"

"Thank you so much for getting this---I always wanted this!"

It was a great 5th birthday and Wyatt had a blast! It was low-key (which I love) and he felt very special on his big day!

p.s. You may notice the Colorado Avalanche jersey Wyatt is wearing in most of these pictures. It was given to him by his BSF teacher, Mrs. Erickson. She has 3 sons who all played or are still playing hockey and they used to collect these NHL jerseys. She asked me if she could give one to Wyatt for his birthday. I told her that was very sweet, but told her she could keep them since I assumed they held special memories for her and her sons. Her response just touched my heart and exemplified many of the women I've met this year at BSF..."Yes, it is special to me. But what good does it do just sitting in a closet at my house when it could bring so much joy to Wyatt?" What a great perspective! And it has brought him so much joy--he absolutely loves it!