Tuesday, February 21, 2012

It's Party Time!

 Picture alert!  We've got lots of pictures for you this time.  Gabe had his very first birthday party ever.  He will be turning 4 on the 28th of Feb. We decided to give him a birthday party early since we're going to try and fly to the states on his birthday for a quick little vacation.  In our family, we will only be doing big birthday parties every 4 years.  So, that means on their 4th birthday, 8th, 12th, and 16th.  In my own personal opinion, I think parents go way over board every year for birthday parties.  So, I'm not doing that.  Every four years, I can justify having a big one.  On the other years, we'll have a family party at home.
 So this year we invited eight of Gabe's good friends to join us at an indoor play place called Tobolino's.  All of the kids families stayed as well, so we all had a great time talking and playing.  It was President's Day so the guys had work off too.
 This place was a great location for a birthday party.  They had a huge indoor sand area on one side of the building.  This cute little boy is our neighbor Jaylen.  We are so blessed to have amazing neighbors.  Jaylen is four as well.  In the background is Marky (Kat and Mark Krueger's oldest son).
 Some friends of mine, Marnie Parker and Kathleen Krueger.  The baby belongs to Marnie. :)
 Mark Krueger enjoying a little baby time with Cecily.  Ceci loves him!
 This place was fun for the adults too.  Hans trying to show off his dunking skills.


 Some of the adults at the party.  In the background you can see the trampolines.  I mastered the front flip by the time we left.  I love these trampolines.  Seriously, this place is so fun for all ages.  I burned a ton of calories that day. :)
 Gabe showing you how old he's turning.
 Some of his friends enjoying the yummy pizza and juice.
 Our cousins, Haley and Derek Davis.
 Mark and Renee enjoying a good laugh with a friend, Brian Pethel.  Brian's family went with us on our Disney cruise.  His little boy Spencer was there having a great time.
 Daddy was daring and let Gabe help him cut the awesome Spiderman cake.

 This is our neighbor Jaylen again.  His daddy, Andre, just got back from a deployment on Friday.  We're glad he's back, but no one as happy as Jaylen.  He wouldn't leave Andre's side the entire time.   I think he was scared he would leave him again.
 Joe was enjoying watching Gabe open presents.  Joe is Kat and Mark's youngest child.
 Me and my girls!
 If you look closely, we had a little family picture at the top (minus Cecily).  That thing is HARD to get to the top of.  Gabe and Eva look like Spiderman climbing that thing.  It took Hans and I both quite a few times of trying (and failing) before we were able to get to the top.
 Getting ready to go outside to watch Gabe ride his new bike.  I love her tongue in this picture.  She's getting so big.


 Off to the races we go!  I sure love my little man.  He's such a good boy.  I love that he has outgrown his terrible baby/toddler phase.  He's such a funny kid now with a great personality.  I love you Gabe!

7 comments:

chelsey said...

Love the pictures! And I'm so glad you're good friends with Mark and Kathleen. They're great people!
Looks like everyone had a great time at the party. What a fun place.
And where are you headed to in the states?? You didn't mention this on the phone the other day...?

Mike and Adrianne said...

First off, we only do the big birthdays too, only we do 5, 8, 12, 16. (I just felt like turning 5 is a big deal with starting school, which is why we chose 5 instead of 4). Also, that party looks like so much fun! What a fun place for a party! And finally, your family is adorable. I love the pictures of the bike riding and of course, the sweet baby that makes me want to pinch her cheeks.

The Duke said...

Thanks for posting all these fun pictures! That party looks like it was so much fun!
Gabe is truly growing up. Cecily is, too, and she is beautiful. I'm always really glad when you put pictures of the kids on the blog.
Happy early birthday, Gabe.

Jess and Jen said...

When I first saw a picture of Jaylen I wondered how their family was doing, so I was happy to read that Andre was back. Didn't he leave for deployment the day before we got there? That means it was a short deployment or it's really been a long time since we were in Europe...sigh...I think it's just been a long time since we were there...I miss it!

Abby was pretty much drooling as she looked at all the pictures. She'd like to be invited to the next party...! -Jen

Dave and Tana said...

That party place looked like a blast! I agree with the several big birthday parties....just heard more info on when we will be seeing you and your family! We are excited!

Kat said...

What an awesome party!! We had a ton of fun and so happy you let us stay to play too. We adore your family!!! LOVE the pics. Glad you shared.

Jason said...

I hope Gabe had a great birthday yesterday.