More birthday celebrations

It seem that there is always somewhere to go, something to prepare, cook, clean up after, or get ready for, but we are very thankful to have the means to do all that we can, and have so many wonderful experiences and make so many wonderful memories with our children. Ben recently celebrated his 6th birthday! His "real" birthday fell on a Thursday so we had a small celebration with a birthday dinner.

His request for dinner was BBQ chicken legs(chicken on the bone as he calls it), baked potatoes, and artichokes. At first he has requested brussels sprouts, but when his brother said, "Oh yuck", he quickly changed his mind, probably to appease him. And what a nice evening it was to be with family and celebrate his birthday by telling him stories of his birth. Ben was ready to get out of mama's belly and into the world. Cynthia, a very close friend, was there to help me through the birth. She had prepared some aromatherapy washcloths to help ease my anguish, but once they were warmed in the crockpot, I said, "I think I am ready". Cynthia's response, "Oh not yet we didn't get to use the soothing cloths". Ben was a VERY easy baby and I called him my Gentle Ben. He is still pretty sensitive and loves to be my cuddle bug....who just likes to dress up like Prince Caspain. He had to show off his new knight hat along with the full ensemble.
Benjamin also wanted to celebrate with a few school buddies and our friends from Talkeetna who came up for the weekend to visit, but we decided that our driveway was probably to challenging for most folks so we booked some space at our local gym, the Alaska Club. The kids were able to enjoy a dip in the pool, some rock climbing, and a big screen TV, oh wait the TV was for daddy to watch the football game, the kids were more interested in watching cartoons in the kids area! It was all great fun!

Tina brought Ben a awesome dragon and Zoe a sweet fairy made from polymer clay and she also brought the supplies so that we could make our own creations, which is just what we did! Ben made nice boat with a flag, Zoe had some help from Tina, but was able to create her own fairy, Rich made a taco, Jake made a hot dog, and I made a rose with a loop for stringing it to make a necklace. It was great to create something from clay that is so easy for the kids to use. I can see us doing this for Christmas gifts!

Of course it wouldn't have been a "celebration" for Ben without game playing. He LOVES to play board and card games and the new Narnia Monolopy was the perfect gift for him, well until we let the Hum's play.....there was some great excitement at the table and a lot of "discussion", but also loads of fun. It could have only been better if the Holt's and Shidner's would have been able to join us too! Happy 6th birthday Benjamin!

Game Night::Games we heart

I grew up in a house full of relatives who loved to play games. The card game that I remember them playing most was called "pitch", it involved bidding, catching tricks and calling the suit. I recall my aunt Naydine saying, "Are we going to eat, or play cards?" She was a pretty serious card player. My mom once told me that she wouldn't play with my Papa because he was too lucky. Later my cousin Jean introduced Canasta and that became the favorite card game. Just about every holiday at my house centered around cards, games, and of course food!

Well, needless to say, I LOVE games and I am quickly passing my love of games along to my children. At least once a week we try and have an official "game night" where everyone in the family gets to choose a game to play. For most birthdays I make sure the kids get a new game for us to try out and I thought I would share some of our favorites here.

Zoe's chosen game is called Hiss. This is a prize "card game" because the kids don't have to hold the cards in their hands, you know how frustrating it can be for little ones. The object of the game is to create snake according to their color and orientation on the card. A terrific spacial game, since you have to place your card so that it matches up with the rest of the snake! Every player adds their "puzzle" piece until each snake has a head and a tail.

Another favorite it Don't Make Me Laugh Jr. We played this game at our friend Deb's house and of course it was SO much fun we just had to have it! This is one of those "great for all ages" games. There is no real strategy to this game and pretty much everyone wins.....'cause you're all laughing! During Ben's turn he was asked to act like a fairy godmother, Ben raised his invisible magic wand and said, "Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo turn this box into a fox." This game lets you run WILD with your imagination. Board game, Ha Ha Ho Ho cards, dice, clown nose, game pieces included, but you must add your own giggles!

An oldie but goody around our house is Stratego. This is of course a great strategy and for younger kids who aren't sure if it is a general, or miner they can use the numbers instead. Of course it is best to play while you are wearing a crown and your sister is serenading you with a tune on the recorder!
Here is a list of other games on our shelf
Qwirkle
The aMAZEing Labyrinth
Labyrinth
Rumis
Alaska Monopoly
Uno Attack
Rat-a-tat-cat
Quoridor
Twister
4 Way Count Down

And of course you don't have to play the games by the "rules". Below Jake, Ben, and Zoe have made a maze with the pieces of Quoridor. The object of "their game" try to get your knight out of the trap. Don't you just LOVE games, I learn something new every time I play. So tell me, what's your favorite game?