5 Years Old!

Today my baby boy turned 5. It seems so unreal that he is 5 already- I remember his birth and those tiring weeks afterwards like it was just last week.

But yet, he is also such a huge personality and has really kept us on our toes for the last 5 years!

Levi is so funny- he's such a performer around people he knows but so shy around strangers. When he dances, he puts every ounce of energy into all his crazy, wild and hilarious dance moves.

When he thinks something is funny, he laughs this belly laugh that seems to come from his feet and is just so contagious. And he thinks he is the funniest person ever most of the time!

He is stubborn. As stubborn as they come, really. If he's made up his mind to not want to like or do something, there really is no point in trying to change his mind.

 He is so particular about clothes- until very recently, he would not wear an item of clothing unless the size said 4 (because he was 4). If his pants touch the tops of his feet, he insists they are too big and so always looks like he's waiting for a flood. And also like his mother doesn't notice that his pants are too short (not the case!). He also absolutely loves wearing button down shirts and ties. Around Christmas time he wore a tie to school almost every day but then refused to wear a tie for his Christmas performance. Stubborn, I tell you!

He loves school and is eager for kindergarten in the fall. Levi is a very social boy and has "loved" the same little girl in his class since September. Him and his best bud, Jack are pretty much inseparable.

I want to never forget the way he crawls up into my lap and wants to snuggle and how he often comes to say "I love you" totally unprompted. He gives the best, tightest hugs and always wants me to tuck him in at bedtime. I know that it won't be long before these things become rare and I want to always remember how my heart beats just a little faster every time I get a big hug and hear those special 3 words from my littlest boy.

He has recently been developing his own interests and not just following what his brother likes. He is quite a fan of Phineas and Ferb and their pet platypus Perry.

For his 5th birthday party, he wanted a Phineas and Ferb spy party. So, I set about scouring Pinterest for ideas. Some have commented at the amount of effort I put into my boys' parties- my theory is that they only get a birthday once a year so I can handle to stress and craziness of it to make that one day special. I always remember having great themed parties as a kid and I want my boys to have the same.

He was determined to invite his entire class of 16 to his party, so we did. Plus his brother and Donny. We ended up with a very manageable 11 kids in total.

After searching high and low for Phineas and Feb party ware, I finally found some and began planning the décor. Everything was teal and orange- the colors of Perry the platypus!

We started with coloring sheets as all the party guests arrived.

I assembled the kids and told them that they were going to learn to be spies and that they were after the Evil Dr. Doofensmirtz who was creating a secret concoction in his lab.

To begin the process of becoming spies, we made spy ID badges with a thumbprint, agent names and laminated them. Then everyone got to choose a Phineas and Ferb tattoo to have on their arm (cuz what kids don't love temporary tattoos?!).

After that we sneakily made the trek to the laser maze that was securing Dr. D's lab. Each child had to make their way through the maze without touching the lasers! All the kids thought this was great!

After navigating the lasers, we found the lab and discovered the secret concoction was SLIME!  Using a simple recipe of water, borax, glue and food coloring, each child made their own batch of slime. This was great fun for the kids, but Chris commented that he didn't know how kindergarten teachers managed to do activities like this. He was a bit out of his element in the slime lab!

After everyone was de-slimed, it was time for cupcakes and ice cream! The cupcakes were (of course) teal and orange icing on chocolate cake with teal and orange NERDS candy sprinkled on top. The cupcake toppers were made with cardstock and printed Perry images.

Drinks were "magic" juice with ice cubes made of 3 different kinds of fruit juice with 7-up poured over top. As the ice cubes melted, the color of the pop changed and the flavor became more fruity.

Presents followed and everyone took home a TOP SECRET goodie bag worthy of only the best spy.

It was a great party and we all had a lot of fun.

The birthday celebrations continued later in the week. Yesterday, Nona and Papa came and took Levi out for lunch- McDonald's, his pick and then we had a special pancake supper.

Levi opened gifts before breakfast with Daddy watching on FaceTime as he had to be at work early. Levi was thrilled to get an Agent P DVD, Phineas and Ferb book, Phineas and Ferb bandaids, a new bike helmet, pjs, and the stuffed platypus that Daddy picked out in Houston. He was a spoiled boy this morning!

Today, we had a Mommy and Levi day and hung out at home for the morning and then had a date at Menchie's for frozen yogurt this afternoon.

Supper was his choice again and we are going to be dining on chicken nuggets and fries.

Now it is time to start planning a certain almost 7 year old's partry....