Aquarium Trip, Snow Day Fun, and Evan's 6th Birthday

Evan wanted to go to the aquarium for his birthday. Since we had the day off and his birthday was just a few days away, we headed up to Newport. We were unaware that the aquarium was having a promotion where kids get in free, so we were very surprised to see that the aquarium was VERY crowded. It was so crowded that we were given a return time once we bought the tickets! I was so happy when we could finally enter, but I was disappointed that it was still packed. Preston was not a fan of the crowds and often got frustrated at not being able to see or move. Of course, Carl and I were pretty frustrated too, but Evan did not mind a bit and he had a great time. When we left, we asked Evan if he had a good time. His response was, "I LOVED it!" He thanked us so much for taking him and gave lots of hugs! We were so glad he enjoyed this birthday treat!

This little man was SO excited to go to the aquarium!

Although frustrated at times, Preston had lots of fun looking at the sharks.

Evan enjoyed petting the sharks in the shallow pool.

Preston liked the penguins too. We looked at them a long time. When he saw the penguin statue, he gave it a big hug!

"I LOVED it!"

The day after our trip to the aquarium, we got lots of snow and had ANOTHER snow day! The boys convinced me to take them outside to play and I am so glad I did. They had a ball!

Evan got a new sled for Christmas and we were happy to get to use it! It was lots of fun for Evan and Preston to ride in it. They took turns sometimes, but they both loved riding together!

On Friday, I joined Evan at school for lunch and then we had a celebration with his friends from school. He had a great time and so did I! Of course, I think I should mention that even though it was VERY cold outside and there was some snow on the ground, Evan chose ice cream as his treat!The kids all loved it though and no one minded eating cold ice cream on a VERY cold day!

Saturday was Evan's birthday and his party, so he woke up bright and early and ran in to wake us up. (I should note that he is ALWAYS an early riser, so that part was not unusual!) He was SO excited and kept telling us that it was his birthday and that he was now 6 years old. We let Preston keep sleeping, but the three of us came downstairs and let Evan open his gifts. He was so excited for each one and showed so much gratitude!

Once we were done with presents, we turned on the news to see how bad the roads were around town, since there was LOTS of new snow and it was STILL snowing. We were worried about getting out and getting his cake, balloons, and other last minute party supplies, as well as Evan's guests making it to the party. Thankfully, it looked like the snow would stop in a few hours and the news was reporting that the salt trucks and plows were already out clearing the roads and making them safe to drive.

While Carl worked on clearing our driveway and the sidewalk, Evan went out to play in the snow. Since he loves snow, it was a perfect birthday treat! Of course, Preston wanted to go out too, so after Daddy finished his work, he went out for a little while too. While they played, I got ready to run all of out last minute errands, which turned out to be much easier than I thought, since the snow was quickly cleared off the main roads. 

Fun in the snow!

Later that afternoon, the party began. Evan was joined by all of the Congleton family, as well as Grammy, Granddaddy, Josh, Caleb, Emily, Teddy, Rachel, Caroline, Bonnie Mom and Grandpa. (Heather and Jackson were stuck at the hospital, since Jackson had just finished chemotherapy and was not feeling well. We REALLY missed them and look forward to them joining us for Evan's birthday next year!) The kids were all so well-behaved and we all had a great time. Evan's theme was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles this year and he even helped create some of the decorations! We all really enjoyed spending time with our family and friends. (The Congleton family even got to spend the night, so the party seemed to last all night long!)

I knew the birthday boy would be busy that night, so I managed to get a couple of pictures taken of us before the party started. 

As I mentioned before, Evan wanted a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle party, so all of the decorations and cake fit the theme.

Evan helped make these decorations, which we hung in the main party room/basement.

Evan loved his cake! I was sad that Heather was unable to make the cake this year, but I am glad that Katie was able to fill in and create an adorable cake for Evan. He loved it!

Evan was SO excited to be 6!

Evan had a great time at his party and so did the rest of us! We are so lucky to have such great family and friends!

Luke needed to be in a picture too, but Levi was ready to eat!

My sassy gal!

Happy birthday, Evan!

Preston enjoyed Grammy's tickles. He laughed and laughed and laughed!

Grammy, Granddaddy and Evan

Teddy, Rachel and Caroline

The grown ups had fun talking until the wee hours of the morning! 

We do not have any pictures of Bonnie Mom and Grandpa, because poor Bonnie Mom got sick and they had to leave early. =(

Also, I thought this part of the blog got deleted at some point, but I found it. I am just going to add it to the end, so I do not have rearrange the post. =)

We just celebrated Evan's 6th birthday and although I think I say this every year, I just can't believe how old he is! He is a great kid and we love him so much! He is kind, helpful and friendly and he loves to cuddle. Although he is extremely active and has lots of energy, he also enjoys down time, in which he likes to watch shows or create some artistic masterpiece. He is also a great big brother to Preston. We are certainly happy that we get to be parents to this wonderful boy and we are looking forward to the upcoming years. We think this young man is quite special and we think he will do some amazing things!