Happy birthday, eight-year-old!

As regularly blog readers know, our family loves birthdays and makes the most of them. Last Saturday was Kieran's eighth birthday. The festivities began on Friday. After I had done my singing with Kieran's second grade class, we celebrated his birthday by having Kieran present two books he had selected to give to the classroom (Hoot by Carl Hiaasen and a book about reptiles).

With his books



Showing Hoot

His teacher told me this morning that she's been reading Hoot to the children and editing as she goes! Then they had the sweetest tradition...the kids gave Kieran eight compliments in honor of being eight. So sweet:

On Saturday we celebrated with a bunch of mostly second graders at a "Percy Jackson" swimming party. Thirteen boys (including Chris) and three brave girls:

The rope swing into the deep end

Chris on the swing

Wet Matt and his dad (now that's fatherly love!)

Mighty Daniel showing off his muscles

We asked Chris to entertain Nick while Mike went into the hot tub...

One of the brave girls!

Two of the other brave girls with Kieran

Because Kieran is a highly creative and ambitious kid, this wasn't just swimming, pizza, cake. We handed out scrolls of gods and goddesses and made necklaces (ala Percy Jackson), and each child received a Camp Halfblood t-shirt (made by yours truly). Next year I'm taking the easier route. I loathe goody bags full of Dollar Store junk...but they are certainly EASIER!

Bead stringing

Bead stringing

They actually seemed to enjoy it!

     

   

I think the parents there were probably cursing me though...

Daniel and Nicholas

Chris with his Aunty Nadine

I always joke about wanting to have girls who would sit there stringing beads...
there they are, along with the boys!

Patient Uncle David helping Garrett with his beads

Then shy Kieran made a few speeches...this time reading out of his new The Ultimate Percy Jackson book

The cake (designed by Kieran) was the simplest part of the party!

Kieran in his new t-shirt and necklace

That evening, right after the swimming party, we had a dinner at my parents' house to celebrate Kieran's and Dad's birthday, along with Mike's (several weeks late).

Ice cream sundaes!

Ice cream nose (valilla!)

Ryan with his big cousin

Birthday boys

My parents went to Turkey in March and brought back some wonderful Turkish hats! They were quite the hit! (They also brought Turkish delight for my Turkish Delight lover and some little clay whistles that sound like birds if you fill them with water.)



Birthday boys in Turkish hats

Opening presents

Uncle Stephen with Kieran--so nice to have him with us!

Another Turkish boy

Garrett likes his hat!

I must say that the hat looked best on my brother--
the beard makes him look more authentic!

The end of Kieran's birthday celebrations is tomorrow, when we go to see Billy Elliott on stage. That was our present to him. I just hope he doesn't go around dropping f-bombs everywhere he goes! Do you think I have an aspiring ballet dancer in the making? The way Kieran goes through phases, who knows what will be next?