Happy 9th Birthday!

We've been so busy I haven't had a chance yet to really reflect on Daniel's birthday! And the kids informed me the other day that I forgot to get balloons (the foil kind) for Daniel's birthday! Oops. I guess I was little out of the loop this year, a little distracted. His birthday came up fast, too! I'll let you in on a little tip, too- candle packages often come in quantities of 8...for a 9th birthday, you sort of need more than one package! That was another oops, only in that I planned to use Daniel's Lego candles and it didn't even occur to me I'd need more! Of course I had other candles to use, just not all Lego ones. So, yeah, Daniel's birthday was absolutely a blast and he was SO surprised with a few of our presents for him which was SUPER fun, but I sort of felt distanced and distracted, which has just sort of been my mood this Fall all around. I'm not feeling very connected and with it. I'd like to regain my hold on things and life. But- let's get back to 9th birthday fun!

Daniel's birthday fell on a Friday this year, which this time around, really struck him- "you mean it's not on a WEEKEND?!" This has never bothered him before, but he's getting older and wiser! So he had school that day and gymnastics that day (to his chagrin, since both cut into his play time!), but we still managed to squeeze in a lot of fun! Birthday doorway streamers, donut breakfast, lunch treats and notes, presents after school complete with a treasure hunt all made by Annabel (her idea completely! so sweet! SO fun!!), his requested Jersey Mike's for dinner (brought home- to maximize play time with new toys!), and delicious brownies for dessert! The weekend afterwards was full of a myriad of chores and activities and other fun that as far as Daniel was concerned cut into his new toy play time, but we managed to make the most of our weekend, too! And we'd had so many other birthday celebrations before this and more to come, too, that I wasn't too worried...he still had a GREAT birthday! And he just LOVES the presents we got him- it was so cool to surprise him with some long coveted things, things he didn't really think he'd ever get!

So far, 9 has been pretty great! I love the responsibility and thoughtfulness Daniel has developed even more already. Daniel's just such a great guy and we think the world of him!

Happy 9th Birthday, Daniel! We think you are AWESOME and love you SO much!

Here's Daniel's last night as an 8 year old!!

(We're about to take Garfield outside to do Daniel's science report on the moon.)

Annabel was SO thoughtful about what she got Daniel for his birthday this year. She got him the "yellow"-themed Lego box because it made a lion. Awww. And then she wanted to get him some Hot Wheels so he didn't get "over-Lego-ed"- too cute! Annabel also made Daniel an AWESOME treasure hunt complete with clues and hidden Ninjago Lego mini-figure mystery packs. Best sister ever!

 

And you bet Daniel made sure to get a Garfield for his birthday weekend! Garfield stayed nearby the whole weekend.

Daniel had a great time opening presents- books, Legos (his most wanted set- Fire Mech from the Ninjago movie!), a Batman Tower, a Stick Bot to make movies with, and a his dream remote control car- a huge one- Mudslinger!

This box was SO big I literally just rounded up all my wrapping paper scraps and went to town with it! It was so fun and totally ripped off in about two seconds flat. (It didn't take two seconds to wrap it, that's for sure!!)

Annabel wanted her treasure hunt to be last. Here she is giving Daniel the first clue. So cute. Daniel read it, thought about it, and then he was all- oh I get it, is this like a treasure hunt for more presents?! Annabel was just absolutely tickled to do this for him!! She is such a thoughtful little girl.

First clue was to look in a room with a lot of screens. Daniel tried the family room, but it didn't have a lot of screens (just the one, actually), so then he thought of the screened porch, which I thought was super clever- but nope, not the place! It was actually in Daddy's office (he has a few computer monitors on his desk- don't get me started).

Another clue led to a place where we play and play and play. The playroom!!

Another clue led to where there are "a bundle of shoes." Daniel first looked just in the few nooks below our mudnook, then in my shoe closet, theeennnnn he remembered the closet in the mudnook and that's where he found the mystery pack and another clue.

He found a clue where there's a "bundle of books," too!

And another treasure was where there's "food as far as the eye can see!"

Such a fun hunt!!

Here are all of Annabel's clues! I loved how she kept saying bundle. Too cute.

Of course we had to open the mystery packs right away! We all LOVE these!

Daniel and Annabel each fit inside Mudslinger's box! Too funny.

Happy Birthday, my dear boy!

Oh man- he still has more to blow out!

Mudslinger was charged while we were at gymnastics and ready to vroom after dinner!!

Haha- a little fun with perspective! Clever Daddy!

The Legos have been built, the toys have been played with...Daniel wanted them all rounded up for this picture with Garfield so he could share it with his classmates!

Chicago!

We finally took the kids on their first official trip to Chicago! (I don't count the Museum of Science & Industry trips since that museum is a ways away from the tall buildings and all that make up "city" in most minds!) Plus this was their first official trip on a train (again, not counting all the trips to the Illinois Railway Museum!). The kids were very excited to go and were thrilled to have Grandpa Larry and Grandma Mary Kay as wonderful tour guides, even including behind the scenes looks at the park offices, thanks to Grandpa's job! All in all, we walked over 6 miles total that day and I never once heard the kids complain (other than that they were hungry- we heard that just a few times, perhaps a few too many, but really- they were SO good that day!). I was amazed at my kids!

I had never been to ANY of this, despite it all having been built ages ago. So it was nice to finally get down to enjoy a delightful day of sightseeing!

Grandpa took us to his office, where we made copies of Garfield and Lion on the copy machine (funny idea, Mommy!). We got to see the Crown Fountain, where the kids thoroughly enjoyed playing in the water (it really helped that even at the end of September it was 90 degrees out! I never thought it would be this hot that day, back when we planned this trip!). We enjoyed an exhibition of tire art. We finally saw The Bean! So cool! The kids had fun finding themselves in the wacky reflections the bean shape lends itself to. We found a McDonald's for lunch (of course, but hey, it kept the kids happy!) and then we headed to Maggie Daley Park for some let loose fun! Lots of slides and climbing structures and bridges and so on! Then the kids voted to go back to the Crown Fountain, since at this point, it really did feel like 90 degrees, and they wanted to play in the water again! So we walked back across to Millennium Park on the curviest bridge- so fun. And then we spent a LONG time at the Crown Fountain, with Annabel getting absolutely soaked and loving it! (She must have been a fish in another life, or perhaps a mermaid!) Once Annabel was done getting all wet, we headed out of the park toward the train station. But first, we popped into the Chicago Cultural Center, which I had never been into, and I LOVED (it was the site of Chicago's first central public library and is just filled with bookish beauty!). This was a gorgeous building inside- the stained glass and mosaics everywhere are beautiful- and I'm just so glad we stopped here! The kids enjoyed the object-art exhibits, which were a lot of fun to explore, with nooks and crannies galore- and Annabel found the Eiffel Tower!

That was our day! We headed back to the train station, stopped to get the kids nice cold milkshakes, and catch the train home! Such a great day!

First stop: Grandpa's office, where we raided Grandpa's snack stash and copied Garfield and Lion!

Crown Fountain fun: part one!

Tire art exhibit!

The Bean!!

Maggie Daley Park fun!

Curvy bridge!

Crown Fountain fun: part two!!

Last stop: the beautiful Chicago Cultural Center!