A Galactic Party!

Six years ago, a baby boy was born and he was strong with the force. Now he is ready to celebrate his sixth birthday:





and begin his training at the Jedi Training Academy:



Young Padawans are invited to learn the ways of the Jedi alongside Ethan instructed by Obi Wan Jacobi and Princess Sarleah:



Jedi training includes weapon handling:







Force training:




Sensory Exploration:



and Thermal Detonator Detection:



Security of the Jedi Academy will be in full force:



For their efforts in learning the Jedi ways, young Padawans will be given a variety of nourishment including (but not limited to), WOOKIE COOKIES, SKYWALKER SALSA, OBI WAN KABOBS, PIZZA THE HUTT, YODA SODA, AND GALACTIC PARTY PUNCH:







Birthday cake will be enjoyed by all:





and gift giving will be appreciated:











After these young Padawans master the ways of the Jedi, their final mission will be to destroy the Death Star in hopes of freeing the Galactic Empire from the evil Emperor:







Young Padawans...MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!

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We celebrated Ethan's 6th birthday party with an all out Star Wars Blast! The kids had a lot of fun and I learned that having 3 girls and ONE boy is a perfect combination. The invitations I made were amazing! I got so many compliments on them and it's great because they turned out to be cheaper than just buying them from the store!



I haven't been in my creative mood for a very long time so preparing for the party was rather difficult. I put off everything until the very last minute, but was able to get it all done just in the nick of time!

I made these awesome pool noodle light sabers, they probably cost me about $1 each to make (if that). With all the "Jedi training" going on in the house, it was best that they were kid friendly. No one cried after training...so that's good. I found instructions on how to make these online. It's really simple. 1 pool noodle cut in half (makes two sabers), black duck tape, silver duck tape. You can actually find shiny silver duck take at Walmart. I used the duck tape to create a "handle" on the pool noodle and VOILA! A kid safe light saber...I wish it were safe around fragile nativities though...I lost Joseph during a battle...*sigh*

I made the death star pinata too. I would have paid for one if I could have found one online, but alas, I only found instructions on how to make one. I hadn't paper mache'd since elementary school. It was rather easy, but very messy and VERY time consuming. It turned out ok. I'm not the best artist around, but for something that was going to be destroyed in a matter of minutes, I think it worked out just fine. I wasn't sure how sturdy it would be so I made all the kids hit it with the foam light sabers first. Then I gave Ethan the whiffel ball bat and he took that sucker down! I learned that one should make individual baggies for each kid when filling a pinata so that everyone will get their fair share of loot. It worked out real well!

Pizza from Little Ceasers cost me $40 and I stored about a whole one in my fridge after the party, and the rest of the food probably cost me about $15...Not too bad in that department. Unfortunately, when I get an idea that I really like, I usually figure out a way to do it and I thought that it would be really cool to get each boy a Star Wars T-shirt for their gift bags. That is where I spent the fortune...let's just say they were $7 plus tax a piece and we had 8 kids here...you do the math.



All in all, it was a rather simple party, just loud and crazy. Ethan had a blast and couldn't wait to get into all those awesome gifts he received! I can't believe my baby boy is almost 6 years old!!! I remember ordering food at Del Taco, 39 weeks pregnant with him, and my water breaking in the middle of ordering french fries! Seems like only yesterday...how time flies!

Powder

Patrick bought Raya new ski's and all the equipment needed for a day on the slopes. The following photo was taken directly off of Boreal's website...it's Raya!

Kid Quote of the Week!

Carly: "Mom! I found something!!"

Me: "You did? What?"

Carly: "My Brain!"

Giving Thanks!

During Thanksgiving Break, I took a day and spent it away from the house and left the kids with a babysitter. The kids had a lot of fun and so did I. When I got home, there were turkey hand prints all over the house and this:



This was really cool. It had a bunch of different things that the kids were thankful for. It read:

WE'RE THANKFUL FOR...

Ethan: "I am very happy that Carly helps me clean my room."

Carly is happy for her family.

Raya: "I'm thankful for the time me and my dad spend together skiing."

Malia: "I am thankful for food!!!!!!"

Raya: "I am grateful for the turkey on the table on Thanksgiving."

Malia: "I am thankful for my nice warm house that I sleep in."

Ethan: "I am really happy that I have a mom and dad."

It was fun to see this up on the wall as a reminder that we not only need to be thankful for the big things in our lives but also the simple things in our lives.

The past few years I have hosted Thanksgiving dinner at my house. It actually worked out really well because we would have both Patrick's side of the family and my side of the family together, but since I was still recovering from knee surgery, I just wasn't up for the task this year. So my cousin Nate hosted it at his house and my Aunt Patty planned the activities. It was very nice and I enjoyed spending time with the family. I was especially grateful that I only had to bring mashed potatoes and pie!

Nate is an avid hunter. He has gone all over the world and hunted many animals. His living room is filled with trophy's like these:









We got to hang out with a few reindeer, a moose, and other various animals including a bear!

The kids got to color:


(Cousins: Rylie Poindexter and Carly)



(Carly showing off her awesome coloring skills)

and make gingerbread houses:

















The food was yummy:


(Nate making candied yams)




(Mom and David)

And the company was even better:


(Nate, Jenn (adopted sister), Chris (Jen's friend/boyrfriend), and Hollis (Nate's friend)


(Sister-in-Law Kelli and niece Rylie Poindexter)


(Dad and his half sister Sue that if I've ever met her before, I can't remember)


(Patrick chatting it up with my Uncle Alvin)


(Raya standing next to one of the many art pieces on Nate's wall painted by my brother Jake)

Decorations were festive:



and the Force was strong:


(Brother Jared was playing Star Wars with Ethan)

I am really grateful for many things in my life! We were able to share what we were grateful for with the family. I shared that I was grateful for my health. I've been pretty healthy my entire life and the knee surgery has really made me grateful that I don't have to deal with different illnesses on a regular basis. I am also grateful for the opportunity that I have to stay at home and raise the children that Patrick and I have brought into the world. I didn't have kids to have someone else raise them and know that it isn't possible for some families to have a stay at home parent. The sacrifices that we make so that I can stay home is worth it. I am also grateful that Patrick has a job. Especially in this recession that we are in. He not only has a job, but he gets paid pretty well. I am grateful for many other things, but all of these things are the sprinkles on the cake...the cake being my family. I can't imagine going through my life without the love and support of my family (both biological and by marriage)...and especially for my kids. They are amazing and I am one lucky Mom!

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone....seriously, where has 2010 gone? Christmas and New Years is right around the corner...oh boy, I better get busy shopping!