John's 5th Birthday

The past week has been a super busy one for John. Since his birthday fell on a Monday this year, we decided to celebrate the weekend before he actually turned 5. Saturday morning we got up and headed to my parents house. After a bit of playtime outside in the back yard, we made our way to Chuck E Cheese for some fun and games. We definitely made the right decision by getting their first thing in the morning. There were no birthday parties and we practically had the place to ourselves. All the boys had a wonderful time playing the games and riding the few kiddie rides they had. The best part of being some of the only ones there was that we could let them wander and not have to worry about them getting lost in the crowd. After Chuck E Cheese we visited Academy to get some new tennis shoes. Both boys were in need of a new pair. I was surprised at how much their feet had grown. John picked some super cool red and black sketchers. Lunch took place at Steak N Shake and was super yummy. We even let John get a kids shake which of course was chocolate. After lunch we headed back to Gammie and Poppa's house for cookie cake and presents. John received the book from the musical Wicked from my sister, these super cool foam building tiles from my parents and some games for his new DS (thanks Poppa Mike and Mimi) from us. All were super huge hits. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and playing with the new toys.

Monday was John's actual birthday and was a busy day for him. He got to make a body collage for school, bring special treats and have the class stuffed animal. I was a bit worried about how he would handle all the attention but his teachers said he had a wonderful day at school. That night we ate a super yummy dinner at Texas Roadhouse for the Rylander Spirit Night.

The week ended yesterday with John's 5 year photos at the Picture People and his 5 year check up with Dr. Clarke. The photographer was running super late but John handled it like a champ. He took direction really well and get got some really great shots in about 15 minutes. The boys scarfed down some McDonald's for lunch and then we were off to the pediatrician's office. Thankfully the office is right across the street from the mall AND they are connected by a skywalk!! We managed to get over to the office in about 15 minutes which is way faster than me loading the boys in the van, driving across the street, finding a parking spot, unloading the boys and getting up to the office. John's check up went really well. He passed his vision and hearing tests. He's 41 lbs and 3'6" both about average. After the check-up, we walked back to the mall, got our pictures and then headed home. The day was capped off with Kindergarten orientation at the elementary school. Brian took John and he said it went well. John separated with no issues and had a great time playing with the other kids. He and Brian visited Mrs. Moore's (James' kindergarten teacher) classroom and then headed home. John is super excited about starting Kindergarten at the big school in August. He actually wishes he could go now.

Here are some photos of John's birthday celebrations last weekend.