Isaac's Fourth Birthday

I'm not quite sure how my "sweet little Isaac" got to be four years old already, but he certainly has. Yesterday we celebrated his big birthday in a big way! Chasen took the day off work, which was very special for Isaac. First we gave him his big present immediately after we all got back from the gym.

 Here he is checking out his Lightning McQueen bicycle!

 It came with a tool set on the front, and it didn't take him long to put it to use.

 I knew my hands-on boy would love that tool set!

Notice "Stinky Dog" riding on top of the tool box. He's Isaac's BFF. 

 There is my big, happy boy.

Isaac is into many things, but his biggest love right now is fire trucks. I knew we probably couldn't have his party at a fire station, but we definitely wanted a fire truck themed event. So Chasen had the genius idea to have it in our church's fellowship hall. Basically it's a large, open space -- perfect for throngs of excited little boys! We went "boys only" thing year, and we even encouraged the parents to drop them off and go. Yep - we might be a little crazy.

We spent just a couple of hours readying the room for the party. We moved stuff around, set up tables, and even created a "firefighter's obstacle course" for them to go through.

 Two tables for the hungry boys. Each chair has its own fireman's helmet.

 There's a portion of the obstacle course: run through the chair maze, then crawl through the "fire."

 I made this banner by hand at my dining room table. I'm quite proud of it, to be honest.

After a nap (which Isaac is beginning to really fight, sadly) we headed over for the big par-tay. We were so excited to see all of his friends!

 Inside of the entry door. Those streamers are "fire," of course.

 Outside of the entry door. I made that sign, too. Yep - I'm proud.

We gave everyone about 15 minutes to arrive and get somewhat settled. I had something pretty big up my sleeve after that. You see, I went to a local fire station a few days ahead of time with the attitude of "it doesn't hurt to ask" and arranged for a crew to come to the party and talk to the boys about fire safety/prevention! (yes, for free!) Go ahead and nominate me for Mother Of The Year already.

The boys enjoyed hearing about the truck and even got to spray the water hose!
 

 Then the crew came in and gave a nice talk.

The boys (and a certain mama...) had lots of questions for them.

After the crew left the boys feasted on Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets, Goldfish crackers, grapes, and juice boxes. That menu worked out great, if I do say so myself.  

 Table A

 Table B

After that it was time for cake! This was a fairly low-budget affair, and you can't get much more economical than a Costco cake. You also can't get much more delicious than a Costco cake! Chasen went and got the fire truck kit to top it with, and he did the arranging. Isaac loved it.

Mmmm! Isaac's favorite part is always the frosting, just like me.

 Four candles! Wow... not a baby anymore.

 Here is all but two guests. We had 16 wild boys there.

Isaac had such a nice time. All of those fellas must have exhausted themselves running around, around, and around. Yep - the fellowship hall was the perfect location for sure.

That night two of Isaac's besties got to sleep over. Here they all are this morning watching cartoons. Warning: the cuteness may overwhelm you!

The Sleepover Musketeers: Isaac, Eli, Jude.

After cartoons, breakfast, and a bit more breakfast (bottomless pits, those three), they had a big time putting together some of Isaac's new Lego's that he received as gifts. 

 This is pretty much little boy heaven, as far as I can tell. 

I hope that all of Isaac's birthdays are as enjoyable as this one. Four has started off with a bang!