Weekend Top Five 7/6/09

Yeah, I know everyone is posting 4th of July pictures, so I will be too. If you follow me on facebook, you've already seen quite a few. With Noah's birthday on the 4th, it is often hard to distinguish between birthday activities and holiday ones, so they generally get pretty meshed together.

Warning: this post will be a little Noah-heavy. What can I say? It was a birthday weekend.

5. Visits To Grandma's House
Thursday we visited my parents to return their van that we had borrowed last weekend. The boys had fun playing with a young cousin that they don't see very often and Noah got his first birthday present. Although he has never even seen the Ben 10 show on Cartoon Network, he was all about the toys and was excited to get some little alien guys and also a projector watch.

He spent the rest of the day wanting people to go into dark rooms to "show movies" with the watch.











4. The Newest Member of the Family
My MIL came on Friday to get Noah his birthday present.

Yup, our home now has a new family member...a hamster named Snowflake.

There was much scrutiny while picking the little gal out at the store. Hamster vs. Gerbil. Hamster won out simply because their life span is a little longer.










This was one proud boy bringing his new friend home


















After getting the cage set up, Noah spent the ENTIRE day (and every moment possible since) watching her, playing with her, holding her, and talking to her.

A book we have said that if we don't let her sleep, she will have a shortened life span. I keep trying to remind Noah of this, but if it is true, then this little gal will have the shortest, but happiest life span ever.




He even made a sign for above her cage saying,"This is Snowflake". The lines are confetti according to the artist.

The name Snowflake was about the fifth name he finally settled on, because the store sign says that she will turn white in the winter. I guess that is yet to be seen.













About an hour after we got the cage set up, Noah opened a birthday card from my mother that had some cash in it. He used the money to go buy a ball for Snowflake. He is so proud to have used his own money for it.








At the moment, I am scared to hold the little rodent, but Noah loves her and she seems to settle right into his hands. Now if we can keep little brother from opening the cage, we will be all set.

3. 7th Birthday Boy
We decided NOT to throw a big party this year, with the 4th being a Saturday. Instead, we let Noah open his presents in the morning when Steve got home from work. The birthday was kind of in two parts: the presents from us in the morning, and the cupcakes with friends at the fireworks at night. I have decided through the years that it is easier to NOT bring an entire cake to share at the fireworks at night. I have been thinking about some major changes we'll make next year, but thankfully that is 365 days away.










2. Fourth Of July Festivities
We go to park and set up a blanket with some friends each Fourth of July. We have gotten together with the same group (with some variations through the years) for at least 15 years now, since before any of us have had kids.

This year our group numbered 11 people, 7 of them being children. I can't believe we got a picture with all of us.





I took this shot of Noah, not realizing that there was a firework in the background until I looked at it afterward.

This is one of about 6 pictures that I got this night that really remind me how handsome my boys are.







And of course, Aaron's usual pose of freaking out over the fireworks. I DO think he has some sort of sensory disorder that is starting to show its presence. We'll wait and see what unveils.

I did, however, manage to get him to keep his ears uncovered for the majority of the event.







I am not going to share too many pictures from the evening though, because I have a great Thursday Thirteen brewing. Stay tuned...

1. Pool
On Sunday when Aaron and I got home from church, we headed over to the city pool for some swimming. Unlike last week, the boys didn't swim for as long. Maybe they were tired from the fireworks the night before, or maybe the novelty has worn off a little. But we still had a fun time.

Noah has now learned how to do a flip off of the diving board










and Aaron and Daddy broke the rules and did flips when the lifeguard wasn't looking.










A fun but exhausting weekend.

The Week Ahead:
The boys start swimming lessons this week that last for two weeks. I need to get Noah in for his 7 year check up as well as find a new pediatrician since ours is leaving. Also, getting thank you notes written for Noah's birthday may take all week since he protests too much writing at once. I also have some ideas in mind to try to get Aaron's outbursts under control. I haven't blogged about them, but they are starting to take a toll on everyone in the family and we need to do something. I also lost my phone at some point on Satruday night and need to figure out what to do about that.

As usualy, please let me know if you blogged your weekend so I can come visit.