The Captain is 4

Sorry, for the poor posting.  Last year I was so good. In fact, I posted more last year than I did any other year, possibly combined.  

But, repentance is true, so here's a look at The Captain's birthday, starting with the party that we had in February before all the moving stuff got started in full force.  

He wanted to have a pillow fight party, and I wanted to take a trip to a three-story fabric store, so I made pillowcases as party favors my excuse.  The Captain picked out the fabric himself.  Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately, depending on how you feel about hoarding pillowcases) only one friend came for his party, so we got to keep most of these pillowcases.  

Johnny built a killer blanket fort in pretty much the entire basement.

Our friend was a little nervous and unhappy when he arrived, so we started with snacks.  We had homemade hummus with baked garlic pita triangles, and veggies with ranch dressing.  P.S. The kids were all supposed to be in their jammies. Don't judge me.

The snacks worked . . . maybe a little too well . . . 

Exploring the fort

My version of Where's Waldo--Find Joy

Then came the pillow fight, of course.  The little ones were mostly safe while the older two lobbed pillows at each other across the fort.

We bought a mini trampoline to "jump on the bed" because, well, it's fun, and we knew we'd use it for rainy days and such, if not for our own exercise.  Everyone loved that.

We ended with a bed cake. The Captain picked green for the blanket, since green is his favorite color.

I just squished marshmallows for the pillows, in case you were curious.

The Captain's birthday festivities in Texas included a trip to a toy store a few days before his actual birthday, where he got to pick out whatever he wanted and I learned the joy of no commercials.  (I heard a lot of, "I already have this" and "I don't need that".  From a 4 year old?  Seriously?)  In the end he got a tool set.  And while he was distracted I got him this tent.  Because he needed a secret hideout.

I had an epic fail with his birthday cake.  He picked chocolate cake because he is me and Johnny's son.  I brought my cake decorating book with us to our apartment because I was planning on making him a cool cake.  He picked a race car.  I made the cake the day before.  It was delicious.

But the next day it cracked and fell apart and fell on the floor and ended up a goopy mess when I tried to put it together.  It was sad.  We salvaged it as cake balls, but the poor guy didn't get a cake for his birthday.  No candles this year.  

He did play at the park.  He is trying to get Joy to sit down in this picture.  She was hesitant to go down the slide with him . . . 

But luckily she did because this might be the sweetest moment I've ever captured.

We discovered The Captain can climb.  Here he is contemplating the new power he has over the world.

We got some great playground hair.

At home The Captain finally got to open his present from Grandma that was sent with the Christmas stuff.  It had been tempting him for months and months.  

Then that weekend, we went with Daddy to the Science Museum.  

Mostly they played in the Children's Museum in the basement.

 But we did eventually drag them up to see the dinosaurs.  And the bird exhibit is in the same area.  The Captain has the wingspan of a condor, in case you were wondering. 

Then, a few weeks later, Grandma and Grandpa came to stay with the kids while Johnny and I went cruising and they brought birthday presents with them, so The Captain had a bit of a never-ending birthday this year. I think that makes up for no candles, don't you?