Thar Be Pirates Ahead!

This is total a Gangsta birthday pose.

So I know that you all are on pins and needles waiting to hear how the Pirate Party went.  I am happy to say that it was a success!  And by success I mean no one fell in the nearby lake, no one cried (like the Birthday Boy), no one got hit during the pinata and I had tons of leftovers which meant no one went unfed.  The weather warmed up to a gorgeous 70-some degrees outside which meant my homemade pirate costume was H-O-T. 
Did I mention that its kinda sad that I was able to throw together a pirate costume out of actual clothes in my closet.  Ah, pirate garb, timeless and classic pieces, right? 

Anyways, it was a slow to start party on account of my in-laws had The Boy while we set up and didn't make it to the park until 45 minutes after the party started.  Which actually ended up being kinda cool because he shows up to what he thinks is a park and BAM there are all these people I know and a pinata I'm allowed to hit and CUPCAKES!  It all worked out in the end, but the Type A part of me was totally freaking out when he wasn't there and everyone was showing up.



I hit! I hit! I hit!

So pinatas...ya.  It started as a tradition that Schmacey's kids had at their birthday.  It was fun to watch the kids but even funnier to watch the adults get into it also.  I decided that we would have one for our kids too.  Mind you this decision was made before there was a kid in our house but never you mind.  So we've had pinatas at all three of The Boy's birthdays.  It is still cute to see the little kids try and hit the pinata.  Juanito also enjoys climbing a tree to hang the pulley system that he has worked out.  Juanito, my perpetual kid.
 

But the best thing was the last gift! A few weeks ago a friend of our contacted Juanito and with a picture of this "Arctic Cat" four-wheeler asking if we were interested since his son has out grown it.  Juanito went and checked it out and said "YES PLEASE!"  So the Arctic Cat has been at my parent's house since then, hiding.  When they came to the party they brought it in the back of Dad's truck. 

 

Pure Happiness

So while everyone was enjoying cake (which was homemade by Schmacey with lovely buttercream frosting which was the most delicate balance of butter and cream.....did I get off track?)  So yes Juanito and Dad unloaded the Arctic Cat and Juanito started driving it over to the picnic tables.  He didn't make it far before The Boy accosted him and quickly commandeered the vehicle.  I was shocked how The Boy knew exactly what to do.  He knew he had to push the foot pedal to make it go.  He knew how to steer, although he didn't grasp the concept that you need to look where you're going.  Needless to say, Juanito spent the rest of the time chasing after The Boy in the Arctic Cat making sure he didn't drive it into the nearby lake or take out innocent party goers or complete strangers and their dogs.  I can't say the same for the bushes he ran into and got stuck on.  



My Baby!

Oh and remember how a few weeks ago I talked about going to Flagstaff for the weekend?  Well here is proof.  My little baby boy all bundled up and on a sled.  Can you believe that there is only a week difference in time between this photo and the one above it??  I love Phoenix in winter!  For all out complaining about it not being cold enough and then it got too cold, we sound like a geriatric ward.
I digress, So yes, it was  cold and a little shocking to the system for all. The Boy was not interested in going sledding as much as he was interested in just tromping through the snow pulling the sled.  After lunch we went to another hill that wasn't busy and that's when he decided that sledding was fun.  We probably did 8 runs and hiked back up each time, which is EXHAUSTING.  When we got back into the car The Boy's leg were blue from the cold and snow.  We changed into dry, warm pants and headed back down the hill to the Valley. Once warmed, The Boy quickly fell asleep. 

This year started off pretty bad in my book.  But I had a crazy-cousin laminate how the New Year was bad for her so she was starting over.  I thought hell, so can I!  So I did!  And so far 2013v2 is so much better!