Turning 5 with Batman

 Zachary had to wait two weeks for his friend party.  We had just moved and I had my trip to Oahu already scheduled for eight months out, so it was our only option.  He was super excited the morning of his party.

He invited Will, Porter, Garrett, Shay, Violet, Jack, and Finn to attend.  I was going for the 5 kids for a 5 year old party, but decided that was impossible.  It was not as crazy as our 4-year-old party with 12 kids, but it was still a bit crazy.

To start, the kids colored Batman and Robin pictures and decorated our front door with them.  Then, they put together their Batman masks.  Once we taught them a little about Batman and Robin and their many foes (those shows are still a little too scary for this age!), they were ready to fight the bad guys.  With their masks on, they popped the bombs set by Penguin and Two-Face.  They collected little treats from inside the bombs.

 Next, they needed to train to become Superheros.  They did an obstacle course to get strong and achieve their super powers.  Jumping on the mini tramp, darting between cones, shooting down the Joker, sprinting around the house, hiding in the bat cave, and maneuvering around in the Batmobile.

 We had a LOT of boxes left over from our move, so finding one to fill in as the bat cave was easy.

 I would say I have another year or two before I get away with things like this (aka not decorating the bat cave...):

 Next, we pinned the eyes on the bat.

 Before we knew it, it was time for pizza and cake.

 Zac's two best birthday expressions:

 He is such a grateful kid opening gifts. 

 I love friend parties.  I love the planning and prep, even when we are up to our eyeballs in moving and everything else that was our January.

 After clean up and a nap for Miss Kate, we headed off to the west side for a hike.  It was cold and drizzly, and Kate had a nasty cough that made us turn around after only a mile in or so.  She loved the outing, though, so we didn't feel too bad.

 I think this may be our last picture of binkey Kate.  She knows she can only use it at bedtime now.

 I can't believe my boy is 5.  I remember turning 5 and feeling so grown up.  In so many ways, Zachary has grown up.  He is a great student in his primary class--he sits quietly and answers questions, participates with all the words to every song, and uses polite phrases like, "excuse me" constantly.  His preschool teacher pulls me aside every week to tell me how much he has improved with his listening and how he is such a leader in his class.  I've had no less than 5 people at church comment on how much this little man has matured over the last six months. 

Zachary loves his friends.  He will play with me and Brady and love it, but he can think of nothing more exciting than playing with a friend after school. 

Zac is a darling older brother.  He does "speech" with Kate--quizzing and drilling her with many new words and phrases ever day.  He treats her gently and watches out for her when other kids are around ("Be careful with my baby sister, please!").  He cheers her on when she builds a lego tower or colors a picture, runs and grabs blankets for her babies, and helps her get toothpaste every morning.  He chases her around the house, and they both zoom around each other for hours on their bikes.  He holds her hand when they cross the parking lot to school every morning and every afternoon.

He also gets really mad when she is crying during a show or when she knocks down his sand castle.  Sometimes being an older sibling is an annoying responsibility.

Zac loves to talk like an adult.  "Dad, how was work?  Did you get some buildings done?  What was your day like today?"

Zachary doesn't care about Candy Land anymore, but he will play round after round of "Go Fish," and "Chutes and Ladders."  He loves to build legos, and he still loves cars--especially Batman and Spiderman cars and figures. 

He rides his bike without training wheels but still loves bubble baths.

Zac's favorite activity in the car right now is to name things that rhyme and words that start with the letter-of-the-day.

We love this kid.  This has been my favorite time with Zachary, and I've had lots of favorites.  I love the sudden leap in learning, his curiosity, and his kindness.  Yeah, he still hates to eat dinner, but someday he's going to be foodie and we'll all have a good laugh.

Happy Birthday, Zachary Aaron!