Shareese Birthday Party

Reese wanted a science birthday party this year.  Not gonna lie, I had a bunch of fun putting this one together.

Our house became the "Shareese Birthday Lab".  Safety first, the kids had to put on a lab coat and get an I.D. badge before coming in, and had to put on safety glasses while we did experiments.

The kids got to color their I.D. badges, make molecules out of a chemistry modeling kit, and watch a little Bill Nye while we waited for guests to show up.

Then we had 5 experiments:

Sink or float: we practiced making hypotheses and then testing to see if we were right about what would sink and what would float.

I made sure the kids knew that you don't ever eat or drink in a science lab, and has some labels made up special for some of our chemicals:

Colored Milk:  We watched some cool color swirls as we observed the interactions of molecules

Slime:  We talked about states of matter and then put a bunch of liquids together that formed a slime that had properties of both a liquid and solid!  We talked about why that is.

Elephant toothpaste:  We talked about a chemical reaction and then got to see it in explosive action!

Bubbles:  We talked about water and surface tension, then experimented with different things to see what kinds of bubbles we could make. I had a big batch in a kiddie pool so there was plenty for everyone to play with.

Then we had beaker cake and presents and the kids got to take home all their sciency stuff!

Thank you so much Gramma Leah, Aunt Shelly and Uncle Matt for helping with this party!

And happy birthday, Shareese!

Shareese's Birthday

Shareese turned 8 on the 28th!  She's now a giant!

Here are some things about her:

Wants to be a scientist when she grows up . keeps her room messy . likes to go to school . sweet big sister, even when we have bonus siblings . likes to read . likes to draw . big enough to pack her own lunch and scolds me when I try to do it for her . can't ride a two-wheel bike . likes math . walks to school . likes to play with Legos . just learned to swim this summer . Stays up late to read and thinks we don't notice . good at asking questions and curious about a lot of things.  still sucks her thumb . good memory . enjoys her alone time . enjoys family time .

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Inside Jokes

So my family likes to find unique or fancy pants words.  "Penultimate" is one of our favorites, so I feel like I have to keep a record of penultimate sightings.  Or hearings.  or something.

I beg to differ, Jared Padalecki.

Liam's Birthday Party

On Liam's birthday, he chose McDonald's for dinner.  He got to invite a friend to come.  When we got home he opened his birthday presents.

Liam got some Legos and wanted to take a picture of his creation

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Liam wanted a Minecraft birthday party this year.  A few months ago he worked hard to earn the computer game Minecraft, which is a game where everything is made of cubes, and the object is to explore and build your own world- complete with buildings, farms, contraptions, and defense from monsters.

When you start the game, you have nothing.  You have to chop trees, mine for materials, build shelter, farm for food make weapons to protect yourself from the monsters that come out at night, and go exploring (there are a number of climates, landscapes and habitats, which are called "biomes")

As we waited for all the guests to arrive, we colored Minecraft pictures, so kids that haven't played the game could visualize what we would be talking about.  I was surprised that only one or two kids didn't know the game.

After that, we mined for our materials.  We played a "hot cold" game where one person went out of the room, and another hid some blocks.  When the blocks were hidden, the person who left came back, and we made our "pick ax" sound by clapping- loud if they got close to the blocks, soft if they were far away.

After everyone had a chance to find some blocks, we had to build our shelter.  We played a game where everyone got a chance to place one of their blocks, one at a time, onto a tower.  We used teamwork to see how tall we could get it without falling.

After we had a safe shelter, it was time to make weapons to fight the monsters.  The kids got bows and arrows and we went outside for target practice.  

The targets had pictures of various Minecraft baddies.

The bows and arrows were home-made PVC and dowel toys, which each kid got to take home (you're welcome, kids' parents!)

Once they got the hang of the bows, that earned them a sword!  The swords were home-made out of Perler beads (colored beads you put on a peg board in your desired design, and then iron them to melt them together and make the design permanent). 

 Liam had wanted to make Perler bead creations as part of the party, but those beads are pretty small and ten 6ish-year-olds?  I could only imagine a mess and all the disappointment when kids had a hard time not bumping each other's designs.  Plus I would have to have a hot iron out during the party.  No, thanks!

Next we went exploring.  In Minecraft, there's an alternate world called the Nether that you get to through a portal.  So we went through a portal, and everyone made the portal sounds as we went through.

We went searching for a Ghast, which is a monster you only find in the Nether

And we found one!

I felt really bad that not all ten kids got a chance to hit the pinata.  But whenever I make a pinata I never know how strong to make it so that everyone gets a chance to hit, but it's not impossible to break!


After our Ghast hunt, we were tired, so we went back to our farm to cook up some pig!

By far the most beautiful cake I have ever made.

Cake, ice cream bars, and presents!

After about an hour and a half of party activities, the kids got about a half hour just to run around and play.  I think it was a success!

Happy birthday to you, Liam!

* In case you noticed the pixelation in any of the pictures, it's because were aren't allowed to share electronic photos our our bonus kids from foster care without express permission

July 4

Little M was with us, too.

July 4

We did our traditional picnic with the Heath's this past independence day.  Food and fireworks and water fights and fun!

Liam Turns 6!

Liam turns 6 years old today!  Here are some things about him:

Favorite food is hamburgers . wants to be an artist when he grows up . recently learned how to swim . loves to cuddle . favorite color is blue . chose McDonald's for his birthday dinner again this year . likes to play soccer and t-ball . likes to read and can read small words . can ride a two-wheel bike . bikes, scooters, or walks to school . loves to play Minecraft (computer game) . loves to play with friends . being so good with our recent cutback on sugar treats due to tummy aches . hasn't lost any teeth yet and gets jealous when the tooth fairy visits big sister . good imagination, likes dressing up and role-play games . good at playing by himself and sometimes just needs 'alone time' . gets upset when someone tries to take "his spot" at the kitchen table . likes his hair short .


We love you, Liam.  Happy Birthday!