John is 5!!!

December 19th my little boy turned 5! He is sweet, caring, crazy, and super sassy. One minute he will come up to me out of nowhere and tell me he loves me, and the next he is emptying his glass of milk into the dogs food bowl. For his birthday party this year we had it at his Tae Kwon Do studio. This was the 1st birthday party they had ever done, so we were a little nervous, but it went great. The boys all had so much fun. They started with a warm up which was comical, as most 4-5 year olds have not been through a stretching routine.After everybody was all warmed up they went through some of the regular punching and kicking drills that they do in class. Then they brought out the pads and the big bags which the kids had a ball trying to knock over.The highlight of the day was when each kid got to decorate a board and then break it. John won't be doing this in class for quite a while, so he was pumped to get to do it on his birthday. There was quite a bit of "help" from Master George as he bent the boards a bit as the kids hit them. They were all so proud and they got to take their broken boards home as a souvenir.Instead of a cake, we had a cupcake bar. Each child got a plain, unfrosted cupcake. Then they got to go over to the bar and choose their frosting and toppings. After eating they all ran an obstacle course. I'm not sure why they had to wear a helmet, as none of it was dangerous, but they all did.

Once we came home from the Tae Kwon Do party, we set up preparations for a birthday party at home with the family. Mike braved the cold and barbecued hamburgers and hotdogs and we had present time, cake, and ice cream. I usually love making John a cake with a theme, but this year he asked for a plain circle cake. I reluctantly obliged. I made it the night before, set it in the middle of the kitchen table, and locked the dog out of the kitchen. Unfortunately at some point in the night, Mike went into the kitchen and forgot to lock the gate behind him. Arthur got in and ate the sides out of the cake. A quick trip to the grocery store resulted in a very yummy bakery made cake with pieces of candy bar on the top.