Happy 4th Birthday Hayden!!

Happy 4th Birthday to my sweet, funny amazing Hayden.  I had a hard time keeping up with you for your knight party, but I think that is a sign that you had a full, fun time!  So far, as a four-year-old you are doing just awesome.  You are a sweet playmate for James but also for Calvin, you are helping mommy feed Roo almost everyday, and getting the hang of doing other chores by yourself as well.  You have been a great sleeper, were a rock star for staying dry overnight while you were 3, and you are making progress in the right direction on controlling your temper (which is so tough).  We just adore you big guy- I'm so glad you are in our family!

On to Hayden's Castle!

As our tradition, we decorated our dining room to fit our theme, but I didn't get as good of shots this year unfortunately!  I was able to grab some good close-ups though.  We did a fun castle door on one wall with the knight pennants hanging above it.  The table had a cute castle table cloth with the same colorful knights set by Meri Meri Brave Knight I loved this set!  The colors were beautiful- we used the invitation/thank yous, the table cloth, the garland, & the cup cake toppers.

For food, we tried a few new recipes as well as ordered some drummettes for our finger foods.  Without going to the medieval times fair & ordering turkey legs for everyone, this was our best substitution!  Below you see the Caramel Apple dip, which was a huge hit.  Will make this again, but the portion could be done in half to be less wasteful.

 This was called Nutella Cheesecake dip & it was my favorite!  The kids loved this one because it was a little easier to eat, and it was also great with pretzels.  Another hit.

 My talented Mother-in-law created some amazing desserts for the party!  She brought a fun dragon cupcake cake, but made a really awesome cake for Hayden to blow out his candles.

 Hayden had lots of sweets to celebrate for sure!  A cupcake castle by mommy & the centerpiece of the table was Mimi's dragon cake!  Hayden loved it, and it was delicious.

 Hayden has the luck of having the summer birthday in the family, so we always celebrate with a swim party!  The boys just learned to swim well this summer, so it was really fun for them.  Of course this age is pretty tough for all the boys to swim together without endangering each other, so Matt & I played life guard for the party to keep everyone safe.  Not the most social party for me, but I was glad to have fellow eyes watching with me!

Hayden wanted to have some swords for his party, so we got blow up ones & blow up dragons  for them to fight in the pool.  The knights enjoyed those swords for sure, hopefully without hurting each other with them!

Since all the kids were wet, we decided to bring our cake outside to sing & celebrate.  Mimi helped get the dragon cake set up, and the boys were able to get to enjoy the cake and then go swim again.

 Happy Birthday dear Hayden!!

Happy birthday to you!!  Love you so much.

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our boy's birthday.  We had such fun planning this party for Hayden, and we are glad you all could come & enjoy it with us.

 Hayden perfected his cannon ball jump into the pool at his birthday party!  Our buddies Beckham&Fletcher taught the boys how to jump in like this.  They all took turns at the party, and it was such fun for them.  I love watching them enjoy swimming.

 Hayden's actual birthday was the following Monday, and we celebrated just us.  It is wonderful to have our friends&family surround us, but it is also just lovely to be together with our boy.  To have a front row seat to see his excitement, take his picture, and sing his birthday tune.

Thank you Lord for my son.  He is a joy in my life & I love him.  Thank you for his 4th birthday & the opportunity to celebrate him.  Thank you for his sweet 'Haddie hugs' and how he teaches Calvin to be affectionate.  Thank you for his wild bravery & full throttle energy.  Give us wisdom to teach him well & raise him.  Amen.