Happy 4th Birthday Zachary! [Evening Celebration]

Tonight is the night for fun!  Zach finally gets his big birthday celebration.  He got to pick the menu for the evening: Tortellini w/ no sauce (for him), tomatoes, cucumbers, dinner rolls.  His fav!  Plus the dining room decorated, presents presents presents, and even to celebrate w/ Poppi over Skype.

Zach getting a new towel - blue fish

Zach looking at a new sticker book

Zach opening the t-ball set while Wy opens a Cars sticker book.  Poppi watching on the computer the entire time.

Zach talking to Poppi on the computer - actually blowing a party favor at him - while we get the cake ready.

Cake!!  Blue teeth/mouth.

Everyone eating cake on the Cars-themed settings that Nana brought.

Wyatt: "that's right; I'm eating cake; you gotta problem?"


Opening presents

After dinner and cake, the boys headed outside to test out their new t-ball set. Here are videos for each of them hitting the ball.


Wyatt going first


Then Zachary, running the bases incorrectly (even though he did it right during his PeeWee Olympics class)

Memorial Day - Thank You Soldiers!

What a special day for Zach's birthday - it is a holiday, Memorial Day, and DaU gets to stay home from work.  We had big plans for today - parade, picnic in the park, etc...but rain had other plans.

It just barely started to rain when we got everyone into the car.  We had made a lunch and packed it - just in case - hoping to have a picnic at the Lighthouse Park after the parade.  There was a parade in downtown Chicago - too big.  We decided to hit the parade in Wilmette (a tiny town just north of Evanston) for some hometown feel.  As we're driving to Wilmette, it starts to pour, but as we get closer and closer, it lets up.  As we get situated at the end of the parade route, it again starts to rain, but that barely detracts from our fun.  We watched the whole parade under the relative protection of a building overhang.

Art, Wyatt, Zach watching parade - Z with his beloved Monster Truck he got for his bday

Decorated school bus

Fire truck w/ lights and occasionally sirens

Nana, Art, Wyatt, Zach watching parade

The parade was not long, and we still had plenty of time before lunch, so we showed Nana the Baha'i Temple, the only one in North America, residing here in Wilmette.  It is an impressive structure, and quite beautiful.

We went in to see the inside, which is also quite nice.  They hold a worship service there every day at 12.  You are suppose to be totally quiet inside, which is, of course, a struggle for two little boys.  They did "get" that you have to be quiet.  They would whisper things in their hushed stage voices and shush each other.  A couple a few rows from us nearly exploded with the effort of keeping their laughter in.  After the temple, it was much too wet to go to the playground for a picnic, so we had a picnic of sorts in the front room on the floor.  Not the best ever weather for  Memorial Day celebration, but not bad either.  Thank you to all the soldiers that ensure our freedom.

Happy 4th Birthday Zachary!! [Morning Celebration]

My little bear is 4! How and when did he get so old. Too too fast!

Tradition in Art's family was to decorate the chair of the birthday person. Here, Art's decorated Zach's chair

Zachary's chair awaiting his arrival

In the Art n Shayna house, a tradition has been dumping balloons on the boys when they wake up on their birthdays.  This started for Zach's 2nd birthday, and continued for his 3rd & 4th, as well as Wyatt's 1st, and planned in 4 days for his 2nd.  Lots and lots of balloons blown up in preparation.  Here's the duvet that Art used to hold the balloons

Perhaps he got carried away

Art getting ready to go into Zach's room

Zachary getting balloons dumped on him while we sing Happy Birthday in English and Dutch.


Zach going crazy kicking himself out from under a pile of balloons on his bed.

Our Birthday Boy!

Art still pouring out the balloons

Zachary hiding beneath the pile of balloons

Boys playing in the balloons

At breakfast, Zachary got to open one present...one that he picked out a few days ago: a LARGE monster truck.  A huge thrill.

Wyatt also enjoyed the excitement of birthday morning.

Here's Wy attempting to smile while being wary of the flash.  OR he's going for his best pirate "Arrrrgggh".

Here is a better, though not great, attempt to show how happy he is that it is Zachary's birthday.

Post-Graduation Picnic

After Zachary's Ladybug Graduation party, the boys and I were hoping to have a picnic w/ DaU, but he had a meeting at 1pm that he couldn't miss, so it became just the 3 of us. We chose the playground across the street from our church. Fun time. These are the memories that I try to burn into my heart. Such sweet moments.

Wyatt on the playground b/f lunch

Zachary in the "lazyboy swing"

Just chillin in the swing

Picnic time!

We played soccer for a bit, ate lunch, then had a bit of wrestle mania which was unexpected but fun.  A good day!

Congratulations Graduate!

YMCA Part-Day Preschool Tuesday/Thursday Ladybug Class Graduation
Cute Cute Cute.

Zachary and 4 other kids in his class attend preschool on Tue/Thur only, so they had their graduation celebration on their last day of school, Thursday May 29th. The rest of the class would have their celebration the next day, Friday, followed by a class picnic (which the T/Th Ladybugs were invited to).

Their teacher, Ms. Lindsey, made them cutie grad hats, and Melissa, fellow room parent, made the YUM cake (she owns a business). It was all so cute, and so fun. As a bonus, being a room parent, I got serious swag: a bouquet of flowers and a foot pampering basket. Sweet!

Back to the kids

Graduate Zach sitting on the floor awaiting directions

TTH Grads: Maseo, Zachary, Maguire, David M., David C.

Ladybugs Grads

Zach and Maseo waiting for CAKE

Wyatt joining the party: self-invited

Zach and one of his fav classmates: Clara

Much anticipated and SO YUMMY cake!

Finally eating!  Wyatt got bumped out of his chair by Harrison, and grabbed another chair and dragged it over.

Check out those CUTE CUTE Ladybug graduation hats!

Zach getting his graduation certificate and goodie bag

Such a fun celebration.  I'm so glad that his wonderful teachers put this together!  Zach is talking of nothing but being a Butterfly (4 & 5 yr old class) next year.  We are keeping our fingers crossed that we'll get enough of a scholarship to send him.

"Sklar" Family Reunion - Day 3 - Relaxation

Today was a lazy day - sleep as long as you want, or really, as long as you can, with those two crazy boys running around.  It was MUCH too mosquito-y outside for them to go out for long, so we were all mostly "trapped" inside.

The glorious start to the day: breakfast!!  Pancakes, bacon, eggs, juice, grits...YUM YUM!  What a lovely start to the day.  *Someone* may have even had a chocolate chip cookie or two before breakfast (me!).

After recovering from the morning's gluttony, everyone but Staci (too sensitive to mosquitoes) left to try and find the elusive lake (from the website, I thought this house was right on the lake, as in you could see it).  Very confusing.  We finally, after sending Joy to drive around a bit, and Dad down the wrong driveway, found the correct "path" that was to lead to the lake.  The so-called "path" was leading into the woods to who knows where.  Dad & Creed ventured into the woods along the path.  Zach got very anxious to go too, so he and Art followed after a bit.  After a good long while, whilst Wyatt, MeMa and I were baking in the HOT sun, the foursome came back, declaring it a no go.  They never found the lake, and turned back because the mosquitoes were so very bad.  Zachary was terribly sad to not get to go swimming!   Check out this link for the rental home and tell me if the pictures are not misleading!  It looks like the "natural boat landing" is right out the back door, yet we never EVEN FOUND IT!  http://www.lakehousevacations.com/page-5134.html  HRUUMPH!

By then it was lunch time, and Wii time!!  We finally broke out the Wii Guitar Hero, Monster Truck (Zach could not get enough playing with this!), and Wii Sports.  Fun had by all.  Kids off for another massive nap!  Adults took advantage of this time to play Apples to Apples.

Family pictured here minus Joy (the photographer)

Dad went off to exercise near Walmart again (this time Faye going with him), while we all destroyed most of the songs on guitar hero. Also, there was a nest of baby birds right outside the window.  They chirped and chirped and begged for food a long time before their mom & dad came back w/ some food for them.  They were so so cute, and quite helpless.  So fun to watch through the window, in the comfort of AC!  Dinner was lovely with leftovers from last night, plus honey baked ham leftovers, and a salad that didn't get touched the night before.  Plus all you could eat chips, salsa, cookies, mint brownies (thank you Mrs. Barbara!), etc etc.  After dinner the boys got a bath - in their own tubs again - mainly to get rid of all the bug spray.  Here they are after baths, and getting ready for bed. 

I believe Wyatt is reading to Zachary

After the boys went to bed, the adults convened in the living room for some serious Wii competition.  And People Magazine reading - there were about 6 floating around to be shared btwn all the ladies.  And puzzling.  Faye brought a Coca Cola puzzle this time, and the puzzlers were starting to get to the hard parts.  Zachary had even helped out - found pieces himself and put them in the right places!  Amazing!

I was starting to get a cold and was pretty tired, so I went to bed.  This is when we discovered that there was no insulation in this cabin.  I could hear conversations from downstairs through the cracks in the floor.  I could also see through the log walls, in the cracks, into Staci and Creed's room.  Very odd.  I had a conversation, using a normal voice, with Joy in the living room while I was in bed upstairs!  Also, I had to go to bed because I think I hurt something playing Wii Tennis against Staci (who's avatar kept diving for the ball and missing!  so fun!!)

"Sklar" Family Reunion - Day 2 - Birthday Dinner

We are celebrating 4 birthdays tonight: Creed, Joy, Zachary, Wyatt.  Everyone is responsible for some different part of the dinner, to help everything go smoothly. 

Art, Creed, and Wyatt head up the cooking (Zach would have helped, but he was taking a massive nap!)

Art and Creed gettin' busy with the grill

I didn't see it, but Joy (who took all these pics) said that Wyatt wanted to help out so badly, so they got him his own tongs, and he was "grilling" rocks off to the side.

Wyatt showing off his grilling skills

Wyatt and Aunt Joy waiting patiently for dinner!

After dinner, I gave the boys a bath while dinner was cleaned up.  The boys LOVED bath time, because they each got their OWN BATH (the house had 3 tubs).  Each also had an adult to supervise/participate in playtime after they were bathed.  I thought they might prefer being in the same bath, but I guess every now and then they prefer their own space.

After dinner was cleaned up, and the boys were cleaned up...PARTY TIME!

Family birthday party minus Staci (the photog)

Zach and Wy taking turns blowing out the cake

"Real" set of tools - thank you Aunt Staci and Uncle Creed

Transformer present - thank you MeMa!

Spiderman on ATV toy - thank you MeMa!

Wyatt getting some help opening present - can see his basketball jammies under the box - thank you Aunt Staci and Uncle Creed

HELLO CREED!

A few minutes of playing for the boys after dinner, then they were off to bed.  Here's a fun creation of Zachary & Poppi's:

They connected several sets of tracks (Walmart) to make a very long car ramp.  Can see the box of cars in the bottom of the picture.

After the boys were in bed, we all watched a movie that Art and I had already seen twice, but still enjoyed:  Baby Mamma with Tina Fey and Amy Pohler.  Cute!  Then BED!  Tomorrow is church.