Nate's Birthday at the MOA...

We bought both boys unlimited wristbands on Saturday, January 25th for Nate's birthday gift/celebration.  We left right away in the morning and were the first of few to arrive before the rides even opened.  It was so nice the first couple of hours to not have to wait in long lines.  It was also amazing how fast four hours flew by.  We ate lunch at Twin City Grill and then headed back for a few more rides.  It was such a fun day, and both boys genuinely appreciated it. 

 This was Nate's second ride.  As you can see from his face, it took a while for him to warm up. 

 I love that the boys are not too far apart in age that they can still ride together.

 

 Yes, that is an ice cream cone and a giant M&M cookie after already having one dessert.  Don't judge!  What's a mom to say on her son's birthday?!

Nate's Big Day...

Nate's actual birthday wasn't overly exciting.  We went to the Dollar Store and Target to have him pick out gifts.  ET wanted to buy him something at the Dollar Store.  Nate picked out two Lego sets at Target (these are his first official little Legos).  We came home, he chose his lunch and then we ate leftover cupcakes.  We sang and said a prayer as a family.  It was quiet, yet intimate and perfect if you ask me.  That evening ET and Nate were both invited to another birthday party at Lookout Ridge.  Nate was a little confused that it wasn't his birthday party, but I did my best to explain.  We had a lot of fun things planned for this weekend, but we wanted to celebrate the next weekend with a day at the MOA.

Nate got upset because he couldn't blow out the candles, and he felt the heat on his forehead.  I think it even hurt a little.  Good thing he still has his eyebrows! Ha!

 The cutest four year in the whole world...

Nate went to bed that night with a developing cold.  He woke an hour later coughing terribly, and then threw up.  He was diagnosed with strep a couple days later and put on antibiotics.  He has had strep twice since Christmas now.  Bummer!  It is no fun being sick on your birthday, but it could have been a lot worse.

Superhero Training...

On Saturday, January 18th me and my boys went to the annual mother/son community event held at the nearby high school.  This was Nate's first year with me, and ET's second.  We met friends there, and we all had a blast.  They had a couple inflatable bounce houses, basketball, floor hockey, belly bumpers, angry birds slingshot, various games, tattoos, and more.  It is a pretty cool event.

Me and my guys...

  Official superheros...

Nate's Birthday Celebration with Daycare...

We kept Nate's birthday somewhat simple this year.  I told Nate we are not going to do a party, but we would celebrate at the MOA instead.  On Friday, Nate requested broccoli, cupcakes, and brownies.  Yes, he really did request broccoli - goofy kid!  To satisfy, I made him brownie cupcakes and he chose the sprinkles.

For lunch we made snowman pancakes for fun...

 I can't believe he is actually four!

 Group shot minus Ryker and Jonny...

Wild Game...

On the Tuesday before Nathan's birthday, Children's Hospital (where Nate gets speech therapy) called and offered us a five pack of tickets to a wild game in a catered suite!  Matthew Cooke is the one who owns the suite and donates it out for various reasons.  We were so thankful for his generosity.

ET and Nate invited their good friend Autumn.  It was a such a great night to be able to break away from routine for a while.  ET watched the game intensely, but was bummed that the Wild never scored.  The pictures go without saying we all had a blast!

 Autumn's family surprised Nate with a Wild jersey for his birthday gift.  Try not to look straight into ET's eyes. He might put a spell on you.  Ha!

Hot dogs, mac 'n' cheese, popcorn, chips...The perfect suite for kids!  Nate really is trying to smile here. :)

The kids made a sign with supplies that the suite had provided.  Here Nate is trying to chew and smile at the same time again.

 They wanted so badly to be put on the big screen.

 Nordy even came to visit our suite and we got free t-shirts!  How cool is that!

Autumn is a very special girl in our family.  I love that ET and Autumn are practically best friends, and the boy/girl thing doesn't bother them at all.