Max is FIVE!
This was on his actual birthday at my parent's house in Vegas with cousins...he makes the weirdest faces
My firstborn turned FIVE and I didn't blog about it?! If that's not neglectful mothering, I don't know what is. Ha. :) We were in Vegas on the big day, we came home and had a little party for the Maxster that I wanted to have before I blogged, life is busy...but really, I might be in denial about the whole thing and that's why I haven't blogged. Maybe if I refuse to accept it, he'll stay little forever. However, as he grows he gets even more hilarious and helpful, so maybe I will commission a few more years of aging.
Don't feel weird that you have the impulse to kiss the screen or squeeze it in an effort to squeeze those cheeks
Five+ years ago I became a mother, specifically this little dude's mom. I had a hard labor that I thought would never end, but end it (thankfully) did. They put a tiny, perfect little man in my arms who was quiet and had strong enough neck muscles to turn his head to look at my face when I talked to him in those first, perfect, amazing moments. I will never, ever forget those moments. I know that my relationship with Max began before either of us stepped foot on this earth. I am so glad it gets to continue and grow here.
Oh my gosh, this picture makes me want to cry and giggle at the same time
We had a great little party to celebrate. This was Max's first official party with friends and games and stuff. 5 is the age we decided on for the first of those. Max settled on a superhero dress-up party and I found some great ideas from creative moms on the internet. Oh, how I love the internet.
These were the invitations, made to look like official folders for superhero candidates:
We decided that Max would dress in his black church suit and wear sunglasses to look like a superhero agent delivering the invites. He was SUPER serious about this and thought that they really wouldn't be able to tell that it was him when he went to the door.
Max had me, Kelly, and Everett hide around the corner of the house so that they wouldn't know it was him. At the first house our neighbor, Ryan, opened the door and said, "Hi, Maxwell!" Max delivered the invite and came around the corner punching his fist into his hand saying, "Darn! They knew who I was." We were off to the second house and Max wags his finger in the air and decidedly says, "I think they knew who I was because I was smiling." So for the rest of the walk up the street he squished his cheeks together like you do when you're trying not to smile. I was trying so hard not to laugh. I LOVED delivering the invitations. It was so fun!
The night of the party came and we had these signs posted on the lawn.
Ty dressed in a suit and sunglasses and had an app on his phone that scanned retinas and one that did fingerprinting. Each kid had to be checked before they entered the
Super Secret Superhero Training Facility.
We did some pictures with all of the superheroes and then had dinner before getting started on the superhero training (the games).
First they decorated some superhero masks.
Then we did a line of passing the ball under and over, a really fun web game, and a kryptonite game of passing the ball quickly around the circle until the music stopped.
I told Max a few days before the party about the games I was planning. He listened intently and came to me a while later saying,
"Mom, you're games are good....bu-ut....I was thinking we could play a game where we make bad guys out of cardboard and learn to fight them!" (with an accompanying high kick, of course) So I rounded up some cardboard from a few friends and Ty made these pretty sweet cardboard bad guys. He printed out faces of Syndrome and Lex Luther (is that his name?) and then drew their bodies. {
I have to throw in here that Tyler is a pretty awesome dad and husband. He got home from work, threw these puppies together, decorated the house, and put on his suit to greet the kids while I was sewing the capes I'd underestimated time-wise.}
Max's game, of course, was the biggest hit of the party.
After everyone had a turn knocking down the bad guys, we let all of the superheroes go crazy on them :)
We gave each of the kids superhero diplomas and capes once they'd completed the "training".
Then it was on to cupcakes and ice cream. Ummm....I know I'm a biased mom, but Max is such a sweetheart. The kids shouted that he had to make a wish before he blew out his candle and so he says,
"I wish...that my family can be together forever." Melt a momma's heart.
Such a great and appropriate celebration of this 5-year-old's life. I love him. He loves life and has a very FUN imagination and says the funniest things. I think God knew I would be in the rainy Pacific Northwest and that I would need some extra sunshine...Max is sunshine for me. I love you, Maxwell T! Especially because you strike funny poses when I ask you to smile for the camera. Being your mom is a delight.
It was so cute. Ty had a paper he was writing and Max kept asking when I thought Dad would be coming downstairs for their run. He could hardly wait. Finally, the bedroom door opened and Ty bounded down the stairs with clothes for Max to wear running. They got in their fastest running shoes and then headed out the door.
Such a sweet mom moment to watch his excitement about the whole thing. That boy LoVeS his daddy. They (mostly) ran over to the school (.75 miles, I think) and Max played while Tyler ran at the track and then they (mostly) ran home. A few short breaks in there for those little legs.
"Whew! That was a good run!" were Max's words when he walked through the door. Love those men in my life - the little, excited, daddy-loving one, and the bigger, thoughtful, handsome one who knew how much his boy would love the experience with his dad. I'm so lucky to have them both!
