Nathan's 8th birthday

For years, Nathan has been asking me for a surprise party- ever since attending one back in Oklahoma! Well, this was the year. Since this summer, every time he talked about his birthday I would gently remind him that we would do what we could but most likely we'd be doing just a family party this year since his birthday was on a Sunday :)

Come birthday time I make these sneaky invites and handed them out to the parents of his friends from school and church.

Day of (the Saturday before his birthday) I had Jeremy take him out for a father-son birthday outing so we could get ready!

As soon as they left I brought out the decorations, food and some noise makers and confetti poppers.

For the food, I tried to think of some way to "theme" all his favorite snacks :)

It was super cute how all the boys called each food by it's labeled name. Everyone loved asking for more Jedi Fighter Fuel, and to please pass the gummy Ewoks :)

After the initial surprise (which was definitely a surprise!.. I thought he was gonna cry because we scared him so much!) the boys disappeared into the basement to enjoy the nerf area Jeremy and I made late the night before.

They came up to re-fuel after about and hour and enjoyed some refreshments.

After the cake was done all the boys wanted to return to the "realm" and have another nerf battle until their parents arrived, so presents bot pushed til after all the friends were gone.

But, he doesn't look any less excited for them!

After the partying was all over and we were chilling as a family, Hannah picked up one of the noise makers and blew it at Dallin. His reaction was priceless! Enjoy:

The next day was Nathan's actual birthday, and so it began with the traditional donut breakfast in bed!

After church we spread out all the left-overs and did the party all over again, but with the family this time! (And minus the surprise!)

Mini Tie Fighters!

We had a girls vs. boys war in the "realm" - fog machine and all... and the girls totally won!
It was hard to take pictures because of the fog, but here's what I got:
(you just have to believe me that it's super cool)

We then opened the family presents, where Nathan got the first 3 Harry Potter books!
He has been wanting to read them and is already almost done with the first one :)

He looks less excited about the clothes, but he wears these shirts every time they come back in the laundry... so great picks!

And the super cool, tablet controlled R2D2!

Mom and dad's present was the friend party plus the massive tub of nerf guns (seriously like 30 were in there!) I found on craigslist!

It was a grand time, and we are still enjoying the "realm" -as my boys call it- in our basement!

Here's a movie that sums up the 2 days of festivities! Enjoy~

For an added bonus- Nathan lost one of his front teeth on his actual birthday!

I didn't get a picture until the next morning, but here is our toothless :)

At 8 years old Nathan is still the tender, sweet, brilliant boy he has always been.
He loves going to school, church, cub scouts, and anywhere with dad.
He is enjoys math, science, reading, singing, playing XBox, Nurf, and creating, writing and illustrating stories. He is a great big brother and a joy to have in our family.
Love you, Buddy!!!