The Birthday Season

I used to think it was pretty crazy, having two birthdays and a National holiday all in the same week.  But then we went and had Elijah just two days before Justin's birthday in October.  I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment!

But I digress. 

This week we got to celebrate Nathan's 8th birthday and Kaitlyn's 10th.  Nathan's birthday was the day after we got back from the village, and since two of his best friends are also currently in the village, we have decided to wait a couple weekends before we have his birthday party.  We had a small family party on Saturday afternoon and he got to open his presents that had arrived from the Grandparents.  Because we had just come back from the village, all our meals on Saturday were out at friend's houses.  So even though he didn't get a "party" on his actual birthday, he got to have a great evening with friends, and Wii Kid's Dance Party, and birthday treats and candles.

Kaitlyn's birthday was, of course, on the 4th of July.  Again, we had just a quiet day as a family and opening presents together.  She got her favorite breakfast casserole in the morning, and in the evening we headed out to the annual Community 4th of July BBQ and Potluck.

It was a fun evening of hanging around with friends and enjoying some BBQ and the smorgasboard of Potato Salads, other various side dishes and countless desserts.  I took the camera and meant to get some pictures of the picnic part, but obviously, trying to get 5 kids fed interfered with any picture taking.

After it got dark, we enjoyed watching the flares shot off, sparklers, glow sticks and of course, Steel Wool fireworks.  Personally, my favorite part was when the hedge caught on fire and burned furiously for a couple minutes.  Thankfully, this IS PNG, so an accidental fire like that is humorous, rather than a danger.  Everything is so wet that it doesn't burn for long/spread.

gotta love those double black eyes!