Double Digits ~ Brayden is 10

Generally Brent makes a pretty big deal about birthdays. Brent is always taking the day off work and making sure the kids (or I for that matter) feel super special.
I am less glamorous about it. Of course I like to say to the kids I am more realistic. Because, after-all in the "real world" we do not always get our birthdays off and the world revolving around us...

Brayden's birthday has been a tricky one to plan for a couple reasons. ONE= Tyler (his cousin) birthday is only 3 days before. TWO= it is around/on Memorial Day.
We have rented bouncy houses for him...

TWO YEARS OLD

 FIVE YEARS OLD

 SEVEN YEARS OLD

We have done camping trips, rented pools, and have had low key BBQ's too.
Well...
This year Brent had to work on Bray's birthday so, yes, I made the little guy go to school.
I did make a valiant effort to make it special for him.
I asked him what special breakfast he would like me to make, anything at all.
His reply, "donuts".
Well, I am not a donut maker by any means and by the time I got out of class the night before the bakery was closed. I did the best I could.
I decorated the table with his recent favorite color: Gold.

 I set out some of the cards he had received so he could also open them in the morning.

This year all he really wanted was to have a couple friends over, eat pizza and play video games.

So Brent arrived home the night of Bray's birthday and stayed thru the "party".

We got wwwwaaaayyyyy too much pizza!

A few salads,

and an ice cream cake.

Special drinks,

and queso with chips.

I didn't take many pictures because running/entertaining a bunch of ten year olds is harder than it seems. I wanted it to look festive, so I got 20 balloons to fill the boys' living room. It made for an interesting car ride home...

Something about balloons and kids just brings out the crazy!

There were some mini dance parties that erupted at different times throughout.

We went to the park and the boys caught their own crawdads.

I ended up leaving early with August after a tire swing ride left him a pale green and he said he was going to be sick all over...Yay being a mom!

I thought the boys just wanted to keep the crawdads to keep them...

But, apparently Brent had "Okay-ed" the cooking and eating of them.

They each took turns placing theirs in the boiling water.

Then of course after that we played some more and worked up an appetite for the cake!

The boys watched Despicable me 2 and called it a night...slowly.
The next morning there was more balloon play along with some outside fun.
The slip n slide came out in full force.
Bray still won't really slip on the slide. He will run on it.

And that was that.
Nice.
Simple.
And our boy felt very special.
Mission Accomplished.
Happy Birthday Brayden.

As you leave your single digit age behind you don't forget how much we love you!
Even though you are older and wiser now.
And you dodge my kisses and run from hugs,
there was a time not long ago that you would cry when I put you down and would ask for kisses again and again. You will always be my Mr. Burr.
You will always be loved,
forever.