Dylan's Skylanders B'day

Now if you've ever come to one of the birthday parties for my boys, you know I go all out to make the event special for them and all that come. A question I get a lot is "how do you have time for all this?" The answer, I don't have time. As my parents, who always come stay with us for birthday party weeks can attest, I am a seriously stressed out crazy person leading up to the event. In fact, I prepare for these things for months. First the kid picks the theme, then I do tons of research on decorating\games\unique ideas for the party then I spend a lot of late nights preparing those ideas for the parties. Work for all of it starts after the boys go to bed. So from 8-11 or 12 at night, it's party prep. After weeks of that and time running short, I turn into full speed in the days leading up to the party with literally no seconds to spare in my life. And is it worth it? After seeing my sweet kids have an awesome time with their friends....you bet! It's worth every second!

Dylan's been obsessed with the Skylanders game for some time now. You might recall his Halloween costume a couple of years ago - I made him an Eyebrawl costume (a character from the game). Well, this year it was the theme he wanted for his party. Here's some of the things we did\made for decorations for the party.

Gift Bags
Decorated with Skylanders and their associated Element.

Hanging Lanterns (Bouncer and Gusto) and Skylands Centerpiece
I spent a TON of time making these paper lanterns into Skylander characters.
Luckily, Dylan LOVED them and they are now having an extended life as decorations in his bedroom.

The centerpiece was made out of an outdoor rug (cut up and used around the house),
Skylanders toys (Flynn's Ship in middle) and Skylander characters on top of
kids' cardboard bricks wrapped in paper. I loved how it turned out.

As usual, my Mom made the cake masterpiece - Skylands!

My favorite part was the little green Chompies on the bridge.

Lanterns - Blast Zone, Pop Fizz and Chop Chop
Lots of food to keep the Skylanders fueled.

Lanterns - Legendary Jawbreaker, the evil Kaos, MagnaCharge

We added sticker mouths to the green balloons to make them Chompie balloons.
The Eyebrawl costume head was used as a decoration as well.

I used sticker paper to print Skylanders and Elements. I stuck them to plates
and stuck them up as decorations all over the house. More Skylands toys seen here to add to the decor.

I really didn't even get a chance to take pictures of all the decorations before it was party time. I had an activity planned for the kids to plant some seeds and decorate their pot (Life Element) while we waited for all the guests to arrive. The only ones who were interested were Dylan and his friend Sam:

The rest of the kids were distracted by our new pirate ship (Flynn's Ship for the Skylanders party):

Cade

Luke (left), Emily (right)

Elyse and Julia

More Decorations

Taylor and Jake

Mackenzie and Libby - Synchronized Swinging

The Hat Table

Maureen and Mom

Baby Alexander

Once everyone had arrived and had a chance to play, we started the party. I gave the kids a brief description of Skylanders (Skylanders are the good guys that protect Skylands from the evil Kaos and are transported around Skylands by Flynn on his ship) and let them know we would be completing levels and challenges to make it to the end where we would be able to defeat Kaos!

In Skylands, you can earn hats that give you extra power. So everyone picked out a fun hat to amp up their powers (which they also got to take home).

Jake, Chloe, Luke, Cade, Me, Mackenzie, Emily, Corwin, Jacob
Sam, Elyse, Julia, Isabella, Libby, B'day Boy Dylan (in birthday cake hat of course)

Got Chris to hop in for this picture too (top left)

Then it was time for the games. I had scoured the dollar store for items I thought could be used to make up some games. The kids were great sports and totally up for trying them all, but a few of them were maybe a bit to advanced for the 6 year olds. Like throwing the frisbee into the hula hoop and using a sling shot to throw a water ball at the Chompie.

After a few games, the pizza was delivered and it was time for lunch. In the Skylanders game, you have to grab food to keep your power up....obviously, we had to do the same!

Then a few more games that went over really well. Next up was destroying Chompie balloons.

Chloe

Cade and Dylan

They also had to destroy the flying Chompies (aka bubble). Emily was a great helper and ran around with the bubble machine.....followed by a trail of kiddo\Skylander destroyers.

Then it was time to defeat Kaos! The Kaos pinata was a very last minute thing. When scouring Pinterest for ideas, Dylan had noticed one and asked for it. With all the other projects in mind, I told him that I wouldn't be able to make one. 3 days before the party, I said what the heck? If my baby wants it, I'm going to make it happen! I did some research to see if I would even have enough time to make one and found a "quick recipe" for pinata making. Around 11pm Wednesday night, I started cutting paper and dipping it into flour water to make the form. By Friday night, it was dry. I made the hanger for it, stuffed it with candy and covered the ball in crepe paper. It wasn't until about 20 minutes before the party that I was able to very quickly make the details out of construction paper. For my first pinata that was made hurriedly, I was pretty pleased with the result. I even painted a dowel rod to look like a sword so we would have an appropriate weapon for the destruction.

Kaos Pinata

The kids lined up to hit it. Dylan wanted to go first (even though he understood he likely wouldn't be the one to break it). Honestly, I had no idea how this would turn out. Was it strong enough to withhold 1 hit or would it be indestructible? I had no clue. This would be interesting.

The Birthday Boy Taking His 3 Hits

Neighbor Mikey
I helped out some of the smaller guys.

Cade Having A Go At It

Isabella

Libby

Arden (One Handed)

Sure enough, it worked out better than I could have possibly imagined. ALL the kids got a turn. Then, we let Luke's big brother, Jake, go at it. Being the baseball star that he is, it took him no time at all to destroy Kaos and release the treats! I could hear the sound of the pinata changing as Jake took his hits and announced to the kids that he was getting really weak and we'd almost destroyed him. You could feel the electricity of anticipation from the crowd. Very fun.

Jake the Destroyer

With the games done, the food eaten and the pinata destroyed, it was time for cake and ice cream!

And this year, Dylan didn't even try to hide while we sang to him! That is MAJOR progress! My little boy is certainly growing up. While Mike was searching for a lighter for the candles, I had an opportunity to read a poem that I remembered from my childhood. I have to admit, these birthdays make me a bit emotional and I might have even showed it a bit as I read:

Now We Are Six

A.A. Milne

When I was one I had just begun

When I was two I was nearly new

When I was three I was hardly me

When I was four I was not much more

When I was five I was just alive

But now I am six, I'm as clever as clever;

So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

So there you have it. That's how our wonderful family and friends helped us celebrate my Dylan turning 6! It was a wonderful day! And it took me quite a while to recover from it......

Dylan is 6!

I like to always give a little look into what my little guys are like as they start a new year of life so that I can look back and truly appreciate how they've blossomed over the last year. So, here are some interesting things about my now 6 year old, Dylan. He's had a really big year.

Dylan The Skeleton Pirate With Captain Jack Cade

Dylan completed his last year of preschool. While we technically could have sent him to kindergarten last year, it's much more common in our area for mid to late summer birthdays to opt into waiting until they are 6. Of course, we had to make the decision in March of last year. At that point, I could not even imagine Dylan being anywhere close to ready for kindergarten. He was a really reserved little wallflower that had zero interest in "desk work." Come September, he had changed quite a bit and probably could have been pushed to go.

However, a year later, I am really glad we waited because there's not a question in my mind that he's going to be an awesome kindergarten-er! His interest in identifying letters, numbers and words has skyrocketed. He likes to (pretend to) read and is always asking what words are on tv, in books or when we're out and about. He is primed and ready for reading. Counting has become his new favorite thing. There is definitely something that clicked in the last few months in regards to numbers and I can see the gears turning and working on another level.

He also takes an interest in maps...whether it be GPS in the car or a treasure map.

And socially, he is not the wallflower he used to be. Whereas his preschool teacher for his 3 and 4 year old years always said he never spoke in class, his teacher for his 5 year old year commented that he was often the group leader and was very social with his group of friends. And outside of school, he's much less likely to hide behind my legs when someone speaks to him in public. As for his peers, he is enjoying a lot more playdates, both drop off at friends' houses and hosting at our house.

Dylan With Pal Libby

On the physical front, he's advanced a lot. At his 6 year check up, he weighed 50 pounds (average) and is 48" (which is the height of the average 7 year old). Needless to say, it's still obvious he did not get my height genes!

While we can't for the life of us get him interested in riding a bike (he's always hating pedaling), he is a pro on his scooter! His balance and control are great and he does some impressive tricks. All that balance improvement also set him in motion for a great ski season. He quickly advanced from the magic carpet lift to the chair lift. He needs more control and confidence before moving off the bunny hills but we are excited to see where his 6 year old winter takes him.

Scooter Boy

Walking in Snowshoes With Ease

My Little Skiier

Between swim lessons and playing at the pool in NH with us, his confidence in water has soared! Just this week, with the introduction of goggles, he was putting his head under water (which he's been VERY resistant to) and grabbing rings in water 2-3 feet deep. He's not an independent swimmer yet but he's getting there. And, he even gave snorkeling a try on our St. John trip!

Me and Dylan Searching For Fish in St. John

Fine motor skill dexterity has never been his forte. But, he has advanced from preferring to put together only duplo blocks to putting together the smaller legos. We were extremely impressed with him on his birthday when he opened the complex instructions on his new lego sets and flew through them with little to no intervention. BIG change!

Dylan With Skeleton Made Out of Legos

We made a really big deal around his birthday to point out all kinds of stuff he can do now that he's older. He got very excited about that concept and decided to venture out and push himself to do some new things. He's learned how to refill his own water (not an easy feat to open the door of our sub zero fridge) and he's also recently taken and interest in photography. Mike taught him how to use one of our older cameras and he's been taking pictures everywhere we go. He's very excited to talk about them and show them to us once they've been uploaded.

In the last couple of months, his interest in board games has skyrocketed. Candyland has been a favorite for a while but he enjoyed playing a "Camp" game we got for the NH place. For his birthday, one of his friends gave him a couple more games and he's been playing them non stop! He even does a great job playing the banker on Monopoly Jr.

Dylan is an amazing big brother. He says that Cade is his best friend and he's usually happiest when Cade goes to activities with him. He is very sweet and caring with Cade and helps him when possible. As with all siblings, it's not all sunshine and roses but these two are definitely having fun together the vast majority of the time.

Brothers

Hiking Brothers

Dylan has really blossomed over the last year. He's always been an observant, inquisitive guy, but those qualities have really matured along with his age and I'm in awe at some of the things this kid comes up with. His imagination is wonderful. He's constantly building "sets" all over the house with intricate stories and contraptions to them. While he's skills at cleaning and picking up have improved, I don't have the heart to make him break down his creations on a regular basis. That's my way of saying, my house is always a mess! But a messy house is one where fun is being had. And we are so lucky to be the parents of such a fun boy. Welcome to being 6, Dylan!

Dylan's Golden Birthday

Dylan had his golden birthday this year - 6 on the 6th! And such an important birthday deserved a day of special surprises!

Surprise #1 - A Decorated Door

Surprise #2 - A Donut Breakfast!

Surprise #3 - A Pirate Ship!
WHAT?!?!?

This awesome new play structure was ordered a couple of months ago.
Delivery just happened to get scheduled on Dylan's birthday.

The boys were excited to watch it get set up.

The adults were equally excited about it. It is SO awesome!

Surprise #4 - Legoland with Nana, Bumpa and Emily

Cutest Ninja Ever

Boston In Legos

And Underground - Where Everyone Knows Your Name

Dylan and Emily at Fenway Park

Dylan and Nana

Fenway Was Filled With A Crowd

Lego Dragon

Pizza and Ice Cream After Legoland
Cade, Nana, Dylan and Bumpa

Cade, Dylan and Emily

Dylan did a FANTASTIC job assembling his lego sets from Nana and Bumpa.

Returned home to a completely set up and ready to play on pirate ship.
Guess what we did for the rest of the day?

Arghhhh Matey!

Woohoo!

Dylan had a great day of birthday surprises and we were glad to make the day really special for him. In all honesty, I had more surprises lined up for him but in his words he'd "had enough surprises for a day."  But, his party was still to come so the week would still be all about Dylan's b'day. Next up, how my boy has grown up in the last year.