Combined Party

Since Austin and Colten's birthday are so close together (10 days; Colten was actually born on Austin's due date...sure wish he would have been born on HIS due date!), we figured we would do a combined party. Last year, Austin asked to do a combined party and this year he still thought it would be cool, so we went ahead and did it. I guess we'll stop doing them at the same time when one or both of them don't want to anymore.

The problem with having a birthday in the dead of winter is that you always have to have it indoors. You end up having a ton of kids at the house, or you pay money to have it somewhere else. The exception to that was when we lived in Hawaii and could have it outdoors...which was REALLY nice. :-)

I looked around at different places and it was either too expensive, too much stress with 3 kids and no husband (Chuck E Cheese) or the place had suspended their parties until Spring. Finally, I found a place that wasn't too expensive and was something that BOTH kids would have fun at. We booked their party at the Fascinate-U Children's Museum in Fayetteville, NC. It turned out to be a great location and all the kids had a blast!

The cakes...yes, we had two because I wanted each boy to have their own.

Colten playing with a friend, "delivering" newspapers.

Austin shopping...if only I could send him to the commissary for me so I woudn't have to do it!

They had all kinds of areas the kids could play in...not sure where the catchers mask was, but Austin thought it was pretty fun to wear.

Colten with his cake. Mickey Mouse is a big hit in our house right now (along with a few other characters from Disney).

Austin's cake featured Iron Man. He was really happy with it.

Time to eat and drink! The room was pretty much already decorated, but we added a few of our own touches. I liked how it all looked and I think the kids did too.

Give a kid some cake and they'll always be happy!

Opening presents went well. Austin invited a few friends from school, so he had a couple more gifts to open. Good thing Colten's 2 and doesn't notice stuff like that. :-) He had a great time and was so excited over everything...even the cards! He got a $20 bill and just had to go around and show everyone!

Checking out big brother's gift.

Yay! Mommy made it in some pictures! :-)

We all had a blast and I know the kids had fun. Daddy was very missed, but it was good to celebrate with him before he left. We still can't believe we have a 6 year old and a 2 year old! It will be fun to see what this next year brings!