Celebrating Six

Cake and ice cream just wouldn't do for his 6th birthday.  Instead, Braden chose to celebrate with lots of variety and a few close friends. 

Boomers in Irvine was the location Braden chose to let loose for an afternoon and evening.

With lots of video games, rides and other activities, Braden jumped right into the action.

Ski Ball is a classic favorite that Braden did quite well at.

Braden played and played....pretty much Every. Single. Game.

He went to great lengths to score on Daddy in air hockey.

This smile indicated he must have beat him!

Braden's party was for some big kids too.  Stacy, Steve, Cornell and Steve played a round of miniature golf too.

Apparently Keegan didn't know just how serious Cornell is about the sport of golf...even if this was just mini golf.  These boys are so competitive!  Landin was happy-go-lucky as ever though.

Braden tried his skills out before using his new golf clubs he received for his birthday.

Looks like Zach, Jaydon and Lily were enjoying the sun-filled day.

Caden, Jaxon and Quinn had fun too!

Miniature golf clearly exhausted this crew....for a moment at least.  Jaxon, Buckley, Carter, Keegan, Landin, Braden, Quinn and Cornell took a brief break before heading over to the go-karts.

Gramma and Papa joined in the adventure-filled day too!

Despite the warning on the sign, there was definitely lots of bumping that took place.  After all, these kids are competitive and want to win....even when it means breaking a rule.

If only Braden was this serious about other things....He was determined to lap all the other racers....and he did!

These kids worked up an appetite after a couple hours of playing. 

They know they need their veggies...All the kids requested vegetables with their pizza!

Braden helped design a surfer-themed cake for his big day.

Braden was a bit embarassed while everyone sang Happy Birthday.

This group sure didn't sit still....

or stay quiet for long!

Braden earned hundreds of tickets from all the games he played.

After games, rides,golf, pizza, and cake, Braden wanted to play even more!

The Gickings made it a late night too!

Couldn't pass up on an opportunity to play laser tag.

This crew beat the teens they played against.

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The security guard seemed humored by Braden's shenanigans in the fountain on our out of Boomers.

Unslumber Party

Braden got to experience his first sleepover when Cornell spent the night.  Unfortunately, the boys had to leave for soccer at 7:30 the next morning, but they still managed to live it up a bit.

Capping off dinner with ice cream seemed necessary.  A little sugar before bed never hurt anyone.

Cornell told Braden he needs to learn how to golf, so he kindly offered a free lesson before bedtime....in the family room.

Everything is a competition with these boys. They raced to see who could brush their teeth quickest.  I told them to do the opposite and see who could do the best job brushing their teeth.

They insisted on sleeping in the same bed.

Just a quick pillow fight before sleep.

Somehow they got a hold of my phone.  They begged to play just one game of Angry Birds.

Then they decided to snap a photo of themselves.  Do either of these boys appear delirious yet?!

After making up jokes and cracking each other up, these boys finally acknowledged they needed to go to sleep so they would have energy for their early morning soccer game.

King for a Day

There was no shortage of celebrating on Braden's 6th birthday.  It started bright and early at school and continued late into the night.

It was only the second week of school and Braden already ended up in the principal's office...fortunately, just for a photo with Mr. Birkompas since it was Braden's birthday.

Braden's whole school wished him a happy birthday. Ironically, he shares a birthday with his teacher and the 6th grader who helps in his class.

Mrs. Abell let Braden pick a book to read to the class.

Braden decided to cap off his day at school by sharing Krispy Kreme donuts with his class.

Braden didn't even change out of his uniform before tearing into his gifts.

Star Wars Legos are always a favorite. Any gift that involves Dad's participation is extra fun.

Just when I thought he had every monster truck ever made, I found out that apparently there are a couple he still needed to add to his collection.

Gramma and Papa caught wind of the fact Braden wants to start golfing.  The Angry Bird golf balls were an extra bonus.

The rescue we adopted Bentley from estimated her birthday is in September, so we decided she could share in the celebration on the 18th too.

Root beer with dinner was a special treat.

Braden chose to have a teppanyaki dinner.  He had just caught a mouthful of rice the chef threw at him.

This kid loves grilled onions....and his dad just loves being weird.

An ice cream sundae with a cherry on top seemed like an appropriate way to top off a fun-filled day.

What a Difference Two Decades Makes...

Connecting with family we haven't seen in about 20 years meant we were able to meet a whole new generation and catch up a bit!

Jackson, Violet, Journee, Charley, Miles and Braden managed to sit still...well, sort of.  Somehow Tucker managed to sleep through all the mayhem.

Braden is quite the photographer.  He did an impressive job of capturing the whole group!

We haven't changed a bit in all these years!

These two cuties were probably gabbing about where to get the latest fashions and adorable hairdos.

These boys still manage to pull off cuteness with their goofy expressions.

Just giving knuckles to Miles...

Matt's getting a little practice with how to handle a daughter.

Braden and Aunt Maria share September birthdays, so this was a great reason to celebrate!

Chocolate cake slices the size of bricks are what someone served up for these boys....glad we were only taking one of them home!

Hey Charley, you've got a little something above your lip...and on your chest...oh, your stomach too.

No chance of Uncle John-Paul's BBQ getting stolen from his patio again with these guys standing watch.

This group wasn't quite intimidating enough until Charley grabbed the broom for protection.