The Day You Turned Seven (Camden Edition)

I cannot believe my baby is seven. 

Like true blue, literally refusing to acknowledge the fact that Cam is seven. There's no way. It's impossible. He's still only this big:

I know this for a fact because I took this picture last week. See? There's no way. He's only three still and we are just faking it. 

Reality really is unreal sometimes. This really has been the craziest birthday to comprehend. Maybe it's because Cam is still "little". When Calen turned 7, he looked 7. He was a little bigger, his personality had "grown", and it just made sense. But not Cam. He has never really had a major growth spurt, and still acts young, and thus is just this humongous personality in a very tiny body. 

We had such a great day today celebrating Camden. It was Sunday, so school/baseball didn't affect our traditional "Family Day" birthday. The only thing that made it a little unique was first thing in the morning hockey camp, in which the coaches and players sang happy birthday on the ice (with sticks in the air) and then ceremoniously whacked him with their sticks on his butt. Such is the way to show love in hockey. Whacking each other with sticks. 

Post hockey we came home and had traditional birthday pancakes, complete with sprinkles and whipped cream and a number candle of course. 

After breakfast came presents! He opened a couple from extended family and then two gifts from us (since the kids get to go to the toy store and "pick" their present from us every year). Cam's big gift of the year was his very own Kindle Fire Kids (or "iPad" as my kids call it, and if they want to think a $50 Kindle is an iPad, PLEASE DO), so he doesn't have to ooze with raging envy of his brother's anymore. 

Cam's pick of the day for family day was Scandia, a fun amusement type place with putt putt golf, go karts, a huge arcade, etc. In true Camden fashion, he whacked a golf ball so hard it bounced over the fence and landed on the damn neighboring freeway. So he had to go apologize and ask for a new ball. 

Cam "hockey swinging" it, which one hole later ended up on the freeway. 

Having not learned his lesson, let's please observe how Cam is trying to putt the ball. 

We did go karts (twice) and bumper cars, and then spent an hour or two inside the arcade. Cam's FAVORITE GAME, out of all the new age video games with gorgeous graphics and huge screens, was a tiny little arcade machine tucked away in a corner with, you'll never guess, original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game circa 1989. 

Kid has style, I gotta say.

Daddy teaching Cam the classics, Turtle Power style

Cam's face is always so intense during video games

Camden's dinner of choice was Mary's Pizza shack, and since it was gorgeous out, we sat out on the covered patio and watched the Giants game while eating delicious pizza (Calen made a custom Bacon and Pineapple pizza. I love him). 

And then, the grand finale, off to the store to pick out his present! Unfortunately, our six year tradition of going to Toys R Us officially ended with Calen's birthday last month. I scouted it out last week, and the things that Cam is interested in (Legos, Jurassic World and Star Wars) was basically gutted. So, we started a new tradition per say, and went to Target, because Target always saves the day. Cam marched right in going "Okay, WHERE is the Lego section?!" and had his sights set out for some Jurassic World Legos. But after many, many decision making, he abandoned the Legos completely and settled with a Star Wars light saber thing and some "guys". Which is basically his favorite thing to play with anyways, those that know Cam knows he always has "guys" with him. 

Swag

It's fun to note also that on the way there and home Camden requested Disney movie Pandora station, because he refuses to grow up in a Peter Pan sort of way. 

Who needs the latest pop station when you can have Hakuna Matata Radio on Pandora??

When we got home, we went right to the cake! This year's cake was Star Wars (of course), a very simple two-tiered vanilla cake covered in black fondant (bonus this year: I discovered edible spray on "dust" to make it look starry). Legos are my favorite accessory to cakes, because obviously, so I added many of their mini Star Wars ships and guys. And because it is in fact Camden, The cake topper is a Sarlacc (click on the word to learn more if you aren't a Star Wars nerd like this family is) eating a stormtrooper. And to add even more fun, I cut out a big chunk out of the back of the cake and stuffed "Yoda's house" (new Lego set) into it. 

Annual "sit on the dining room table with the cake" photo

We spent the post-cake coma building new Lego sets and watching The Last Jedi, per Cam's request. 

I think Camden had the ideal birthday. Hockey, Star Wars, Go Karts, video games. And while I wallow in disbelief and mild-depression that he's gotten so big (only sort of with the last part), I'm elated that we got to make it such a great day for him. 

Happy birthday Bam Bam. We love you.  

Party Like You're Nine

So, two weeks have passed since Calen's birthday, but we haven't had enough celebrating to seal his 9th birthday into the vault just yet. 

We waited until we were done with family visiting before throwing Calen's friend party. Of course, it's the heart of baseball season, and the rainy season came very late this year, so trying to find a tiny window in our busy, soggy lives to throw a party was difficult. Today we had hockey practice at 7am (which means waking up at 5:15am), baseball practice for Calen at 11am, and I had to work at 5pm. But by God, the sun was shining, and there's a 6 hour window of free time in there to wedge a birthday party in, so let's do it! Today's the day! 

I'll sleep when I'm dead. 

Ready to PARTY

Calen wanted a Nerf Gun party, and how easy is that? Actually, this was probably the best party we've ever done. Over the past week or so, I collected large cardboard boxes from shipping deliveries at my work. This morning (in between hockey and baseball) we stapled them to stakes in our backyard to create some barricades and trenches and whatever kind of hideouts they need. Then we placed a few buckets in the yard full of a stupid amount of Nerf darts (Amazon has FIVE HUNDRED of offbrand ones for $20) and then we placed all 475 Nerf weapons that we own in a box for everyone to use. 

AND THAT'S IT. 

We opened the back door and let them go. No need for instructions (except some ground rules: only shoot butts and legs, no point blank shooting, you know regular playdate rules), party games, or organization of any kind. Just run, and hide, and shoot. 

The paved patio was the "base", where no shooting was allowed and the parents could sit around and hang out. 

As for the food, I got a box of 72 pizza Bagel Bites on sale at Costco for $6 each, so I bought two and cooked them all and tossed them on a plate. Because when you're 9, you don't have time to sit down and eat slices of pizza, you just run to "base", snatch a pizza bagel and shove it in your mouth while reloading your magazine. Of course there were chips and soda, because it's not a party without chips and soda, and a bowl of fruit to try and balance the universe and ward off any judgy Mcjudgertons saying I don't feed my kids anything healthy. 

Who has time to sit and eat actual pizza slices? This is war!

The cake was a really, really simple one layer cake that I frosted green on one side (for a grassy hill) and brown with crushed oreos (for a muddy rock wall) on the other. Then I wrapped rice krispie treats with some camo paper and put a slice of cake on top to make a "base". I made a second, very small round cake and covered it in chocolate frosting and crushed oreo, then wrapped more camo paper around the tub of said frosting to make a tower and helopad. Because the cake wasn't enough, I added some slices of Oreo Brownies on the plate (cutting board) and put in these paper anti tank X's), and then some paper sandbags on the hill. Add in a bunch of Awesome Green Army Guys, and suddenly the cake is not a cake but an edible BATTLEFIELD. 

And that was it, on my part. The entire length of the party I just sat on the patio (base), eating junk food and chatting with my neighbors while our kids annihilated each other on the battlefield for THREE HOURS. They had an absolute blast, and never slowed down or claimed they were bored or over it. Easiest party ever!

Blooper shot, after someone friendly fired me while I was taking a picture! Their laughter kills me