Ba-Bu-Bum-Bum...

...Tron!
Kaleb's favorite movie is Tron: Legacy. He usually watches it once a day if we let him. He runs around 'singing' a tune from the movie "ba-bu-bum-bum...Tron!"
We decided he needed a Tron party to celebrate his 4th birthday. He was so excited when we told him we were going to make him a Tron cake.
A few days before the party I made cake and froze it. The next day I tried my first attempt at marshmallow fondant. It was a yucky mess! It probably didn't help that I needed some of the worst colors; neon blue, black, and orange. It turned out okay. I'm not sure if I would make it again.

I envisioned the cake and Jake cut out the pieces for me. He created a couple light-cycles and a disc for the top. He did such a great job!

It was the night before the part, about 11:00 as Jake and I worked on completing the cake. I didn't want to worry about it on party day. We both fell into bed exhausted, sighing about the things we do for our kids.
The next morning when Kaleb discovered the cake he squealed with excitement and couldn't wait to eat it. Throughout the day he kept asking to see it. Seeing his ear-to-ear grin made our late night and planning completely worth everything. I am grateful we were able to make his birthday such a special day.
Day of the party lots of family showed up in the afternoon. I put them to work setting up for the party:
Jake's sister Hailey put her skills to work and wrote on the cake. Thank you Hailey! This is something I need to practice, you did a much better job than I would have.

Jake's sisters Shawna and Raygan, Hailey and her two kids Jesse and Carolina. Jake's brother Dan and his wife Hannah with their kids Oakley and Peyton. And Jake's grandma and grandpa.
Thank you everyone for coming so far to spend the day with us. I know Kaleb loved having you here, he's still talking about what a good day it was.

Kaleb also had some friends from church show up. It was a full and very warm house!
Party table consisted of neon colors and lots of glowing light necklaces/bracelets, also the coolest glowing straws.
It was a simple affair with cake, mint icecream, a big bowl of mint mojito and fruit. Thankfully I also had a dozen cupcakes, we had just enough cake for everyone.

Kaleb's reaction was priceless when Jake walked out with the cake. He was so excited, he oooh'd and shouted "yeah!"

 Happy birthday Kaleb!

I'm sure all the moms appreciated the black and neon blue frosting that dyed their kids teeth, hands, and faces.

We probably should have borrowed another table from someone so the kids didn't have to sit on the floor.

Surprisingly Breahna slept the whole time, right in the middle of all the chaos

Kaleb seems so much older. For the first time he enjoyed opening his presents and ripping off the wrapping paper.

We gave him a balance bike. It eliminates the need for training wheels. There are no peddles so it teaches a kid to balance and then go straight to a two-wheel bike with peddles. I know we'll have to really work with Kaleb. I'm sure Alexander will like it more than Kaleb, but he has to wait until September to get one for his birthday.

The present of the day was when we gave both boys a lightsaber.
A few weeks ago Alexander woke up and came in asking for a blue lightsaber. I told him we didn't have one. He went and got my purse, handed it to me, "lets get in the white truck, go get one"
'We're not going to get a lightsaber'
He went to get a Star Wars book, opened to a picutre; "a blue lightsaber, like this one"
I know what you are talking about, we don't have one. All day long he was fixated on a blue lightsaber. I tried to find a substitute, here's a broom handle, a plastic sword...nothing would replace his need for a blue lightsaber.
We decided it was time for the boys to get lightsabers. They were so excited. Alexander even told everyone, "I have a lightsaber like Anikin and Kaleb has a red one like Darth Vader"
I think Alexander needs a Star Wars birthday party in September.

After the party we went down the block to play at the splash park for an hour before the water was turned off for the evening. It was getting a bit chilly by this hour in the evening. But, there were less people so that was almost worth it.
Grandma and grandpa and Shawna had to leave but the rest of the family found enough air mattresses and floor space and settled down for the night.
Thank you again everyone for coming. We loved having you here!
It was great having so many hands willing to hold Breahna

On a random note, since I am fixated on pictures of our newest addition:

One of the nice things about digital cameras is how easy it is to take 20 pictures and more-than-likely successfully get at least one good one. The problem with this same scenario is when all 20 turn out good, which one do I post or print when they are all basically the same but all so cute and worth sharing?

Breahna is usually a happy and content baby. We can already get her to smile with certain noises or just by talking to her. Did I mention how ticklish she is? Occasionally we can get a one-syllable laugh out of her when she gets really excited. It's so fun having her around!
(and now I'll limit myself to only 4 pictures)