Birthday Party Fun

We had a fun party at the house for Alex's birthday with some of his best buddies: Cecily, Nicholas, and Owen, as well as Owen's sister Maddi. Alex had been asking for a party at Pump It Up for months. We weren't going to go that route, but we were fortunate enough to have a friend who has a reasonably sized bounce house that we could fit in our basement (after moving the couch and coffee table out of the way). Bouncing was a big hit! We also had a book exchange (that did not go as smoothly as I had hoped, which was my fault), and the kids did an art project to make bookmarks, keeping with the book theme. The other theme of the party was Toy Story, which Alex loved, especially the cake.

In the bounce house with Cecily

Even Maddi spent some time in the bounce house

It didn't take long for Nicholas
and Owen to find the trucks.

Busy crafters

Alex made a circus bookmark

Owen even joined in!

The Toy Story cake

Alex was "hiding" while everyone sang

Alex and Cecily enjoying cake

Phase 1 of the book exchange

Happy 4th Birthday Alex!

Hard to believe it, but the little guy is now four years old. Here are a few pictures of today's fun, with more to come. (We recently changed operating systems, and the pictures are giving me some headaches.)

Passing out birthday cupcakes to his classmates.

The happy birthday boy!

More cupcakes. This time with frosting and a candle.

Pets or Pests?

Alex brought home a couple of "friends" from school today: a fly and a spider in bug containers. We also found an ant on the sidewalk as we were leaving school, which he wanted to catch and put into one of the containers. While we were trying to do that, we discovered that the lid came off of the spider's container in Alex's backpack so I had to catch the spider and put it back in. I'm guessing that by now the ant has become dinner for the spider.

I'm not sure how I feel about this new phase of boyhood!

The spider is in the top container, and
the fly is in the bottom.

School Lunches

One of the many changes with the new school is that Alex now brings his lunch. We are having him help with the lunch-making process, and he was really into it tonight. He made a mini bagel sandwich, spending at least five minutes getting just the right amount of cream cheese spread on the bagel and being very particular about how many slices of turkey needed to be on the sandwich (three, for those of you who are curious). He also packed up his container of snap peas and picked out his fruit and his treat. It will be interesting to see how much of this gets eaten tomorrow, but the preparation portion of lunch was a huge success!

Muppet Puzzles

We went to a terrific church rummage sale this weekend and scored tons of great stuff. Alex got a Sheriff Woody doll to go with his Buzz Lightyear (for 50 cents!). In addition to that, the best find was a couple of Milton Bradley puzzles from the 1970s: one of Cookie Monster and one from The Muppet Movie. Alex is as excited about them as Dave and I are!

C is for cookie!

Moving right along...

Football Season Has Begun

It's a new era for football mania in our household, as Alex is now joining in the fun. He and Dave watched the Iowa game this weekend. They watched up until halftime and then Alex went to his room for nap time. The first thing he asked after nap time was over was "Can we watch more football?" Dave is one happy father!

Engrossed in the game

The First Day of School

The first day at his new school that is... Today was Visiting Day, so Dave and I got to go to school with Alex. We met his teachers and several of his classmates and their parents. Even though the setting is new, there were enough familiar aspects (books, blocks, a doll house, etc.) that he seemed to feel comfortable pretty quickly. We'll see how that holds up tomorrow, which is the first day he will be dropped off.

Walking to school with Daddy

At the gate

So excited!

Hanging up his backpack and coat on his hooks

Journal writing/drawing -- he did a whale

Putting his binder with his classmates'

Always happy to play with playdoh

We could hardly get him to leave the play space.

This is actually the building next door,
but it makes for a better picture.

Alex's First Play

Yesterday, we spent a fun morning at Millennium Park with Cecily and her family. We played in the fountain, visited "The Bean," and saw the kids' play "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus."

Enjoying the big spray from the fountain

Running in front of the big face

High tech kids
(They each have an iPhone and are looking at pictures.)

Gathering for the play on the Great Lawn

Meeting the Pigeon afterwards

A Time of Transition

Yesterday was Alex's last day at his school/day care. He's been there since December of 2007, and it's been a great place for him. He has grown so much, literally and figuratively, in his time there. We've had some fantastic teachers, and it was harder to say goodbye than I thought it would be.

Posing with the some of classroom animals

His favorite spot in the classroom -- the computer nook

With his very first teacher at the center, Ms. Rahel

A was the letter of the week for his last week

Alex's word for A was "Alex"!