Caden's party was safari themed and surprised me how fun it was. Obviously, the kids enjoyed it...but I think the adults enjoyed it as well (at least Brett and I did!). The party began when his friends arrived...
The gift table:
(before all the gifts arrived)
Scrapbook of baby Caden:
It was fun to reminisce about his birth and share a bit of his story with people who weren't there for the experience four years ago.
Creating binoculars & safari journals:
Each child was given 2 toilet paper rolls. With the help of the adults, they added construction paper, stickers, drew their own designs, attached the tubes together with tape and added ribbon for the strap. Then they chose another sheet of paper to decorate into their safari journal.
Listening to the safari guide:
Brett did a great job getting the kids excited about looking for animals and reminding them to be quiet so they didn't scare the animals away. I was surprised how intense the kids seemed to be listening.
Caden spots the first elephant.
At the observation tower:
The kids were spotting animals right and left with such enthusiasm. They did a great job whispering to each other as soon as they spotted something new.
Recording their findings:
After all the animals were found, we took a break to draw in our safari journals what we had discovered.
Next up, animal races:
The kids raced from one end of the yard to the other as different animals each round. The round pictured here, everyone is doing their best monkey impression.
Feed the lion:
In this game, the kids took turns tossing oranges into the lions mouth.
And finally...
Cake & presents time!
Thank you Asher, Gabe, Caleb, Joshua, Abby and their mommies for joining us in celebrating Caden and his four years of life!
This puzzle piece is what prompted Corban's first sentence. We were spending some time together while Brett and Caden were on a special trip to the pool. Corban pointed to this piece and said, "ear i da cor"...translation: here (or maybe where) is the corn. 
Where do you find rest?
Sweet brother pictures never get old.
Yovo continues to try and mate with young Jolie, even though she is not ready (notice the ferocious teeth), while C2's chubby knees look on from the top of the frame. 
This pic totally reminds me of the fake(?) pictures of Bigfoot walking through the woods...
This is a preview of April's upcoming "Caden is 4!" post. Photographing Caden is challenging at best. 
Great pic of my muddy, rugged, African little man, sporting his GracePointe Kids shirt. Love you C1! 
Little boys and puppies go hand in hand (most of the time)...
Listening to the safari guide:
Caden spots the first elephant.
At the observation tower:
Recording their findings:
Feed the lion:
And finally...
Thank you Asher, Gabe, Caleb, Joshua, Abby and their mommies for joining us in celebrating Caden and his four years of life!
He couldn't quite figure out the party hats...who do you think he looks like in this pic?
To say he was excited would be close to accurate.
We sang "Happy Birthday"... the first of about 10 rounds before the celebrations came to an end.
We decided to spread his presents out rather than sitting him down and opening them all at once. For lunch, we went to Marox and the boys played on the playground.
It was a great beginning to a fun birthday celebration...
Our bananas are bigger and tastier; I think that this is mostly due to the all natural composting we do that fills our soil and the trees roots with valuable nutrients. The funny irony: We have an absurd amount of bananas around the house, but our pet monkey, Tiggy, doesn't like bananas!
And then it escalates....
And escalates...
Until he eventually starts to calm down...
And then mommy makes it all better :)
Then we headed over to the big yard with the water hose in tow.
Who wouldn't enjoy your own "pool" just your size to lounge in on a hot day?!
