Michael with his car cake. He and Anna planned this cake weeks before his birthday.
This is Michael's birthday banner. I didn't know when I made it that it would become a tradition to hang it every year. Anna has a banner in shades of pink and thinks Sarah needs one of her own.
Like all kids, Sarah loves balloons and cake, so Michael's birthday was a fun day for her. Travis stayed up late making a big poster for Michael and hanging pictures of Michael all over his bedroom door. What a cute little boy he has always been!
Fun presents from Aaron and Angie and Will and Piper
Michael's got his own Playmobile airplane. Now he doesn't have to borrow Anna's (which she doesn't like to share) and their games have become more fun. Michael had a great birthday. Travis and I felt like he needed a little extra attention this year. The whole family went to watch his baksetball class in the morning. After basketball we ate at a sub shop called Jimmy John's for lunch, which Michael has been talking about for 9 months since he ate there when we moved here in June. While Emily took Anna to her violin lesson, Michael and Travis turned our basement into the Cougar Den with their decorations. We had a great time watching the game together (I can't remember which game that was four weeks ago!), and got to drink rootbeer in the basement while we watched it. We ate Michael's favorite dinner, spaghetti, had cake and ice cream, and went to Chuck E Cheese's in the evening. It was a full, Dastrup-style birthday celebration. Michael got his Playmobile airplane, rollerblades from Grandma and Grandpa Thompson, Myth Busters Explosions (we've watched all seven hours at least once) and a great storybook called Wolves in the Walls from Aaron and Angie, money from Grandma and Grandpa Dastrup (very exciting--the possibilities for spending it are endless!), and a Bakugan from Anna. I think he had a special day, and he's a pretty special boy.
Michael's got his own Playmobile airplane. Now he doesn't have to borrow Anna's (which she doesn't like to share) and their games have become more fun. Michael had a great birthday. Travis and I felt like he needed a little extra attention this year. The whole family went to watch his baksetball class in the morning. After basketball we ate at a sub shop called Jimmy John's for lunch, which Michael has been talking about for 9 months since he ate there when we moved here in June. While Emily took Anna to her violin lesson, Michael and Travis turned our basement into the Cougar Den with their decorations. We had a great time watching the game together (I can't remember which game that was four weeks ago!), and got to drink rootbeer in the basement while we watched it. We ate Michael's favorite dinner, spaghetti, had cake and ice cream, and went to Chuck E Cheese's in the evening. It was a full, Dastrup-style birthday celebration. Michael got his Playmobile airplane, rollerblades from Grandma and Grandpa Thompson, Myth Busters Explosions (we've watched all seven hours at least once) and a great storybook called Wolves in the Walls from Aaron and Angie, money from Grandma and Grandpa Dastrup (very exciting--the possibilities for spending it are endless!), and a Bakugan from Anna. I think he had a special day, and he's a pretty special boy.
On one particularly cold, snowy, house-bound day, my kids discovered the laundry chute. They began dropping stuffed animals with homemade parachutes and crash helmets, but soon that was boring and they needed something more exciting--or more messy. It was Anna's idea to dump a whole bag of styrofoam peanuts down the chute. It was exciting for a few seconds, but the next hour of clean up wasn't so fun. Every kid has to learn how miserable it is to clean up a pile of styrofoam peanuts that they dumped. It was even harder to clean up in a crowded storage/furnace/laundry room. We might have a repeat from Michael or Sarah, but I think this lesson sunk in for Anna.
More Bread. Sarah is a do-it-herself-er. If Mom is not responding (quick enough), she'll just get it herself. Then it's usually taken away, but not before she has stolen a few bites. This is the challah that I make. We have discovered how scrumptious French toast is when made with this bread and topped with warm buttermilk syrup. I have been using a recipe book by Beth Hensperger called Bread Made Easy. It's a wonderful book about bread making, but don't be fooled by the title. There are no one-hour loaves in this book. Every recipe and variation that I have tried has been delicious.
I can't believe we got two pictures with everyone standing! Michael spent a lot more time sprawled on the ice than he did standing, but he had a great attitude. Anna managed to make it around the "rink" a few times, and was very happy about it. Emily hadn't skated in ten years, and was never any good, but it was good to remember that she can skate forward. We couldn't compete with the 3 and 4 year-olds decked-out in full hockey attire and looking like they were born on skates, but we had a great time. Travis nobly held Sarah while the rest of us skated. This is one of many free outdoor rinks in Minnesota. This one is part of a frozen lake. We have two ice skating rinks and two hockey rinks (roughly made, but I think they deserve to be called rinks) in our own neighborhood! We bought some skates for $5 off of Craigs List for Anna, but Michael and Emily used skates that are left in the warming house for people to borrow. Our wonderful afternoon was free! We love this place.
