Building a "Take-Home" Party

So apparently if you want to have a Lego party @ the store, you have to book it on a Sunday am (strike 1) in 2011 (strike 2) @ Bell Square (kinda strike 3 since can only currently fit own children inside the Vue:)-Thus as shown in previous post, we made a fun afternoon of picking up our "Take-Home Party" and mom recently survived the actual deal though I swear doing it @ home is more stressful--talk about pressure when I'm comparing it to my creative friends & their @ home-themed festivities...hmmm-no thanks! I mean, whatever it takes to celebrate my firstborn!
Started out by building scene together that told a story begun by b-day boy while we waited for friends to arrive-Here's aerial view!Then we made the most outta current mess in boys' room by searching for the exclusive birthday brick (perhaps part o' the rip-off that was his pkg deal:) on the table-Dane & Luke, like most little bros, thought party was for them:)Next it was inevitable that we find out which team could build the tallest tower-winner=31 inches without support OR falling one time!T'was a bit crowded so then moved the party downstairs to do relay where they had to sort and transport certain color Legos from mixed bowl to bucket @ other end o' the room-














Needed some sugar in their systems, so decorated Lego figures (courtesy o' sugar cookie cutters from Lego store in Downtown Disney); apparently wasn't insult to Cole's masculinity who also inherited his dad's artistic ability as seen in this naked, yet tan man sporting belt!?!














Offered yellow frosting if they wanted to stay true to form as well as mini m&m's for facial features and pull-apart licorice for hair since we actually included few special girls in Cole's life. Liv decided to ice her tongue instead like Smurfette-that was sweet idea:) Her sister Maren showed off her finished product as well-Always a party with the Dent girls!















Last but not least, everyone worked hard on his/her own Lego creations! Cousin Annie, as youngest party guest, was quite proud of her first set! Meanwhile some of his friends including Seth are acclaimed professional builders, but never seems to get old to whip out those instructions!













Oh yeah, gotta open presents (thanks generous friends & fam) and sing again to the birthday boy:) so we can fit in cake & ice cream before sending 'em all home all revved up!! If you can't tell 'cuz my best intentions/mental pictures rarely translate into actual finished product, it's Lego bricks in shape of 8:) Have to give credit to my father-in-law for frosting in entirety despite his & Chris' vote to head to store bakery instead!
You're welcome Cole, if I do say so myself...and very worth it to show our love--we are so glad you have been in our lives for 8 yrs; however, I, for one, am also grateful I only committed to parties with multiple friends on the even years:)

Past Bedtime!

Luke cracks us all up-mostly in the car while I'm making his older brothers cater to his every whim...But here are some of his antics when he should be asleep already!

FHE with the Hawks

Never made it up to the VMAC to see training camp last summer, so decided it was high time we see what a Seahawks' open practice was all about...A dozen of our family members hopped aboard the shuttle bus from The Landing in Renton to their practice facility right on the water=gorgeous setting that made me all the more excited for football season to begin!!



Of course it was too much to ask for the sun to come out over the weekend, but it was in full force on the hillside overlooking the field. Thus we all benefitted from free water and cheap ice cream treats:)
















My boys took their turn spinning prize wheel and won a trip through Autograph Alley, but alas! Their posters of Hasselbeck and Tatupu remained unsigned since the players are randomly selected each time--10 in all though!



















Our favorite college teams also start practice this weekend, so instead of Hawk starters we bonded with a Husky...and Cougar in the meantime!
Rachel's girls were sportin' the lime green & fit right in...Never mind what was going on behind them:)Worked up an appetite...just ask Huey!
Then it was time to exercise the ole' vocal cords--

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Please forgive me for indulging once again with my youngest featuring his 2 current fav pasttimes=Justin Bieber sing-along n' Backyardigans! (Can also be heard freq humming "Float Flutter Fly!" from Quest to the Flying Rock episode:)

Pre-Party before Parting :) :(

Since some of our very best friends are missing Cole's 8 y.o. birthday festivities by just a week, we decided we needed to include 'em in an early celebration...hmmm...tough choice between Bahamas vs Puyallup, but we're certainly gonna miss Kanekoas! In meantime, made the most of Monday we had left-
Took 'em up to Lego Store in Bell Square to pick up party stuff-2.5 hours later, they were sufficiently overdosed on legos and i felt like mother of the year for lettin' 'em just play! Usually their stores are sandwiched in between my errands, so this was a party in and of itself!!
Stocking up on figures for the goodie bags n' special one apiece to call their very own! Luke loved being able to build to his heart's content without his bros making him leave 'em & their creations alone!
Not only did they have every set under the sun, but also games and computer action for 'em to try out...
Cole's is all set to par-ty!
Next we had to have dessert first and they were cool literally with cheap sundae from McD's! Gotta love the dollar menu!Luke was pretty stoked when the bigger boys left him with rest o' ice cream so they could play!

Then it was back to the fun park we found last month to show 'em the beach/playground combo that was perfect esp when still 75 degrees around 6:30P?!



We could've stayed all night, but alas! They hadn't eaten their gourmet chicken nuggets for dinner that were waiting in my freezer (don't worry, supplemented with carrot sticks/apple slices:)
ps I admire every single one of you who cruise around daily with 5 kids 'cuz that's no easy task albeit with these good boys!

Finding Joy in Bremerton

Have passed Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton a few times en route to visit friends in Silverdale, but haven't stopped there since USS Missouri was docked and therefore my boys were nonexistent. So-oo this past Sat, I decided Parkers needed to start playdate with Palmers on the USS Turner Joy.
Seemed mini compared to the aircraft carriers we passed in the harbor, but still fun to check off my list of things to do in this great state...
First attraction onboard was this mounted gun platform--


















All the boys in Captain's Quarters, then Dane orders full speed ahead!














Luke deciding if the bunks in the berthing chamber (sounded funny by the tour guide to envision in the Navy:) are more comfy than the carseat he ended up using for nap that afternoon--Meanwhile Cole takes a closer look from Captain's vantage point!















Observing the sick room and the Captain's office/bunk--Sorry the official nautical/military terms have sailed from my brain!

















The Olympic Mtns n' other peninsula outings are calling me as I feel like I've barely scratched the surface o' WA?! Of course, the boys thought it was pretty cool but literally wanted to be that way themselves n' couldn't wait to get to Palmers' pool on such a sunny day! Water guns with buddies not pictured but made for happy sons for the refreshing rest of the afternoon. They were overjoyed when relaxation cont with a movie to end the night and rare opportunity for mom to even watch with 'em!