Surprise dance party

Sometimes you just can't keep it in:

Birthday party time

My goal this year was to have nine birthday parties for my ninth birthday. I came up just a few short, but it wasn't for lack of trying. 

First we had Grandmom Shane, Pop and Aunt Kate come down to Fort Awesome for an early party. 

Then the day before my birthday we had a bunch of friends out to the new Lego Movie. 

Some parts were a little scary, so Emma kept Lexi nearby. 

Then of course we had to go back to the house for some more cake. 

And later on we had a few more snacks with just the cousins. 

And finally we had a birthday day celebration with Grandmom Doyle (with more presents and cake, naturally). 

Not a bad showing, but I'm already planning even more for number 10 next year. 

Happy birthday to me! (part 9)

Guys, this bear thing is getting out of control.

Here I am at just a few days old:

Here I am 1 year later:

At my second birthday:

At my third birthday:

At age 4:

At my fifth birthday:  

 

Six years old: 

At seven years old:

Birthday number 8:

And here I am today, nine years later: 

I mean, that bear was big at one point. I wonder if he'll fit in my pocket next year. 

So comfy

Sorry, I can't hear you over all the warm. 

Hike with Pop

Dad and I took Pop on our new trail by the Patuxent River this weekend. We were only planning on walking a little bit, but we sorta ended up covering 3.5 miles. Pop didn't complain too much, but he needed a nap when got home. 

We also got some really nice views of the river during winter. I still want to come back in the summer to see how different it looks. We'll bring a stroller for Pop next time. 

Skyzone fun

I'm not sure we totally got the concept of the moving bar here, but give us 100 more tries and I think we'll figure it out. 

Large-scale illustration

OK, we'll almost done drawing the first leg. After this we'll head across the street to the neighbor's driveway to start on the second. 

Pinewood derby 2019

 

The annual Pinewood Derby was this Saturday, and it was the first time we made a car for Emma to compete in the contest. The whole thing is a blast, but it's especially fun when you see your own car go down. Here's my first run: 

And here's Emma's first run:

In the end the car didn't run too fast, but my Justice League paint job did win a Judge's Favorite award. And the whole thing was awesome. Next year we'll try and have just as much fun and run a little faster. 

Showing Mom how to shovel

C'mon, Mom. Stop messing around with the straight lines and let's get some work done. 

Pinewood derby prep

I'm planning a Justice League speeder for the Pinewood Derby this year and Emma is making a Wonder Woman one. Everyone knows the paint job is the most important part, so we've been taking our time perfecting that. Can't wait to race them next week!

Such a warm blanket

I know we don't usually pull out the big bear until birthdays roll around, but he's soooooo warm. 

Big mountain sledding

We all headed up to Liberty Mountain for some serious sledding this weekend. Here I am getting ready to go down the big hill on a snow tube. It was cold but awesome -- the ride was so speedy that Dad couldn't get any video of me or him flying down the hill. Mom got a good angle, though. 

And we did get some video of Emma on the "kiddie hill" next to it so you could get a sense of how steep the whole thing was.