Banks is 5!

On September 7th, Banks turned 5.  I'm not sure how we got to 5 but it happened in a blink of an eye.   He is growing up way too fast and I often have to remind myself that he's 5 not 7 like Hughes.  Banks knows exactly what he wants and he'll be happy to share with you if you don't do it correctly.  This has led to many disagreements, tears and discussions on manners.  With that said, he can be the sweetest big brother and son.  He loves all superheroes (still) and has gotten into race tracks.  Right now he says he's going to be a racecar driver and a baseball player when he grows up.  He loves sports but especially loves baseball.  There is no fall baseball league up here so we signed him up for soccer.  That starts this week.  His favorite food would still be a Nutella sandwich and a bowl of mixed up cereal which he calls a "combo cereal".  Sounds disgusting?  Well, it looks disgusting, too but he loves it.  

 Birthday boy

 Last year using one hand!

We had a small ninja-themed birthday party on Sunday with a few of our  new friends.  Banks was thrilled and this would be his 3rd dress-up birthday party in a row.  He loves a theme!  Due to friends with allergies, we had a fruit party with apples, caramel dip, oranges, and watermelon.  The kids loved it.

 Holding up the 5 pinata

Before the other games, David had made an obstacle course in the backyard for all the children.  It started with swinging over the shark tank, throwing ninja stars at a target,  practice kicking a ninja, breaking doors down of a house, and fighting about 20 red ninjas with swords.  Sounds cool, right?  It was.  The kids loved it but let me tell you what it was.  The shark tank was a plastic tub filled with plastic sharks from our bathtub.  The ninja stars were silver stars I bought at a party store and the target was again a plastic tub.  The practice kicking was kicking my yellow "slow down" man.  Breaking down the doors was going through a cardboard box and breaking through the back of it and fighting the red ninjas was basically letting the kids go "ape" with a foam sword on 20 red balloons that had ninja masks drawn on them.  Again, the kids loved all of it.  It took David about two hours to set everything up and it took the kids about 5 minutes to be totally done with it.  

We had "Pin the beard on the sensai".  I have to give credit to David for figuring out how to print this picture off in a grid to make the poster.  Good job, David.

 Banks and Hughes modeling the beards.

 Avery lives two houses down from us and is in 1st grade at Waynewood with Hughes.  We walk every morning to school with her.

 Samantha is trying out the blindfold.  She is in Hughes' class and lives right behind us.

 Banks "pinning the beard".  He wasn't too happy with his placement.  Did I mention he has a competitive spirit?  I take the blame for that characteristic.

 All our friends lined up and ready to go.  

 Banks starting off the pinata.  It only took two more hits by Hughes and Jackson to crack this baby open.  Candy started flying and children started diving.

 Not my best birthday cake but Banks loved it.  

 Barrett (aka Buzz Lightyear) enjoying some cake.  His family just moved from Georgia.

 Erika and Cam who Banks thinks is awesome.  They are in the same preschool class at Aldersgate.

Erika has become a great friend and is also the mother of Avery.

Collins enjoying the cake with his "snoot" face.

 Blowing out the candles.

 Banks was so excited to get the figure-8 track set.  He picked it out at Target and kept asking me all week if I had gone back to buy it yet.  Like I said before, this kid knows what he wants.

 The family.