ninja training camp

Sam's 8th Birthday was on Friday!  Boy, oh boy, was it a big day.

Sam woke up to a decorated house and lots of siblings wishing him a happy Birthday.  He was happy and doing his adorable little grin as he got ready for school.  Dang, he is such a cutie.

We sent him off to school, and got right to work.

We went all over the place, with frequent stops for William to throw up or go to the bathroom, poor kid.  (William and Mary were home sick)

We got all of the party supplies, did our weekly grocery shopping, made a quick stop at our new favorite place "Quench it" and got some "go juice,  and then we took a balloon boquet to the school for Sam.  That was a last minute idea, but I am so glad we did it!  Sam was so, so excited to see the balloons and candy.  He proudly placed it on his desk, and grinned and grinned.  It was priceless.  Man, I love that boy!

Once we got home, Mary and I spent three hours setting up the party, while taking turns playing with molly, helping Luke, and trying to keep William comfortable.  It was pretty nuts, but it was all for a good cause.

I got Luke a sucker while we were out shopping, to keep him occupied.  This is how he took his nap.

Mary ended up being a HUGE lifesaver, even though she wasn't feeling great herself.  I was so grateful that she was able to help.

We all got in our ninja attire, and everything was set up right in time for Sam to walk through the door.

Half an hour later, seven 8 year old boys stampeded through our door, the noise and energy level went through the roof, and Sam's Birthday party/ninja training camp began!

Mary was the sense (spelling?) that put them through the training camp.

Everyone all dressed up and ready to party

The first test was "Demolition."  They had to try to hit the balloons with darts.

Next up, was moving target.  They had to use the nerf gun to hit the balloon targets that were swaying and moving around.  The balloons had points on them, and the person with the most points was the moving target ninja champion.

 

Next test....Agility.  They had to get through this....without touching any of the black "lasers."  Way harder than it looks.

 

 

We also had "protecting wildlife"

pin the tail on the lizard

There was also living off the land....they tested their ability to eat "Dirt and Worms"

 

AIM was another test.  They had to try to shoot the army guys without knocking over the cups.  Very difficult, but these ninjas were impressive!

 

We also had "combat" where they were able to test their combat skills with swimming noodle sword fighting.  I didn't get any pictures of this, but let's just say the two broken light bulbs are proof that this was a screaming success.

 

After the training camp was completed, they all blasted upstairs for pizza and opening presents.  Even though I have three boys in a row, I was truly amazed and shocked with how quickly EVERYTHING turned into a giant wrestling match.  I cannot believe our house is still standing!

 

blowing out the candles!

The party was a huge success for Sam, and for that, I am thrilled.  We were all pretty much dead the rest of the evening, but it was nice to know that Sam had fun and felt special.

Sam ended his Birthday with opening his present from us...a huge bike jump, and then playing around for a while.  His other present was a new lizard.  Spencer died about a month ago, and it was extremely hard on Sam.  He got to go get his new lizard last week when grandma JoJo and grandpa Lonnie were here, for his early Birthday present.  He got a brand new baby bearded dragon that is the size of my finger.  For a lizard, he is really cute! "Levi" is doing great in his new home. 

Sammy boy had a great Birthday.  I can't believe he is 8.  Such a big Birthday!  He will be starting scouts, and will be getting baptized in a few weeks.

We love Sam so much.  He is a very kind, sensitive, smart, athletic boy.  He is a huge part of our family and we love him fiercely.  He is a wonderful brother, and is extremely sweet to his baby Molly.  We can always count on him to be soft hearted and loving, yet athletic and always ready to play.

Sam's Interview:
Grade: 2
Age: 8
Teachers:  Mr. Alshie and Ms. Lloyd
Favorite subject:  Math  (he is 1 1/2 grade levels ahead in math)
Favorite animal:  reptiles, especially lizards
What he wants to be when he grows up:  reptile scientist, work at Petco
Favorite color:  Blue
Favorite food:  Pizza
Favorite treat:  Brownies and ice cream
Best friends:  Blake, Brayden, Ethan
Sports:  snow skiing, soccer, karate, biking