ro.bot. birthday

My beloved's mother has done it again: another imaginative birthday party full of fun games and thoughtful details for the birthday bambino -- the five-year-old younger lad in this case.  The theme?  Robots, of course...

 

build a block tower using only your robotic arm

robot bean bag toss -- she (and her little helpers) made those felt robots

 

pin the battery on the robot

(over Spring Break we traced around the younger lad to make this poster, then the bambini colored in the 'bot. 
Note the iPod and earbuds -- that's the elder lad's doing)

She and my beloved's father served a lovely brunch with the younger lad's favorite food.  My sister brought cinnamon rolls, and we brought this little number made of butter cake from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook and topped with our favorite cream cheese frosting -- but no homemade sprinkles:

And then there was Fruit Bot 1.0, but you met him already:

and these cute juice boxes (the bambini have been great about "pacing ourselves", as the elder lass says somberly, with the candy)

My parents and sister and my beloved's brother saw to the balloons, adding to the already festive environment.   It was a fete filled with laughter and lots of robot noises, both bambini-created and battery-operated.

These family birthday parties with everyone involved somehow are testaments to the love that binds us together, a love rooted in faith that, God willing, gives rise to the formation of children into adults open to heeding God's call for their lives.   Collaborating on the festivities gives us all a chance to be more present to the honoree, which is probably the best gift of all. 

twenty-some-odd questions: 5yo younger lad

I thought it would be fun to commence interviewing the birthday bambino(a) to create another tradition like having one's picture taken with our birthday banner, starting with the younger lad on his fifth birthday.

It took some doing, because the younger lad wasn't exactly into the whole birthday interview idea (not unlike the twenty questions I've been asking the bambini about me) when sold as such.  I resorted to some stealth tactics, asking a few questions here and a few more there, then he got rolling and more forthcoming with the answers...

How old are you?   
five

How does it feel to be five?
Awesome! 

What do five-year-olds do?
protect people

What is the most important thing you've learned in life so far?
I'm a big boy.

What is your favorite thing about yourself?
that I'm five

Are you a morning person or evening person?  Do you like to get up early or stay up late?
morning...  actually evening... no -- morning. evening. morning... morning

What do you like learning about?
Good and bad.... that you should work for Jesus and not litter.

Do you know what God's plan is for your life?
being nice to people

Do you think you'll be a daddy someday?
Yes, but I haven't chosen [my children's] names yet.

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?
build shelters

What is your favorite thing to do with Mama?
snuggle

Tell me about our family.
Everyone loves each other.

What are some of your hobbies -- things you like to do?
Legos and dirt

what is your favorite color?
turquoise

what is your favorite food?
French toast and bacon

What is your favorite restaurant?
McDonald's -- and eat inside!

What is your favorite dessert?
zebra brownies

What is your favorite thing to wear?
my overalls

What is your favorite book?
Billy and Blaze (which I reviewed here)

What sports do you like to play?
baseball, boxing, soccer, basketball, football, and tennis -- but not all at once!

What's your favorite part of the playground?
swings

What is your favorite thing about school?
playing superheroes with friends

Who are your best friends?
my brother and K at school

What is your favorite TV show?
Dinosaur Train

What is your favorite movie?
Polar Express

What is your favorite song?
you say it's your birthday (by the Beatles -- remember how culturally literate the lads are)

What is your favorite toy to play with?
my big red Transformer (a gift from one of his uncles)

What do you want to be when you grow up?
work for McDonald's

Anything else you want to say?
"That's all I can think of right now.  That was a lot of questions!"

and for some reason, now I want brownies...

fruit bots

Oh no, we aren't finished talking about robots yet.  Check out the Fruit Bots I made (with lots of help) for the younger lad's birthday noshing -- details here at Foodie Proclivities.

for the tinkerers I love

We have been all about the 'bots (as in robots) around here lately as we've been celebrating the younger lad's fifth birthday.  Here it is Monday, when I try to write about some of the books that have struck our fancy, so I give you...

Clink by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Matthew Myers.  Poor Clink is a rusty old broken down robot in a shop full o'bots that are newer, flashier, zippier, and bigger.  Many a child comes in to choose a robot and glosses right over Clink.  Who wants a robot that used to toast bread and sing old fashioned songs?   (Do robots sing?) 

One day a boy comes in looking at the robots, finding none to his liking despite the shopkeeper's slick salesmanship.  Then the boy sees Clink, and something in Clink comes alive (in a robot sort of way) again, awakening the music within him that had long ago fallen silent.  As Clink gets more excited, his rusty old parts fail him and he sort of self-destructs.  That seals the deal for Clink, as the boy came looking for a *project* -- something to tinker with, not something to entertain him.  He finds that in Clink.

The younger lad of course is drawn to all the neat-looking robots of Myers' creation, but what resonates with me is the aspect of tinkering/creating/repurposing/refurbishing what already exists rather than trashing it in favor of something new and shiny.  It's a sort of "green" message, but not in a overt or off-putting way.  As the story ends, we see the boy tinkering with Clink and dreaming up ideas for projects to work on with his dad, which further endears the story to us, as around here the dad likes to tinker in the garage -- often with the lads close by. 

Ms. DiPucchio's most recent book is Crafty Chloe, which is another story of using one's talent and imagination to craft just the right thing. 

Robots are endless possibilities, at least to our younger lad.  They're an ideal outlet for his amazing imagination.  For a book to inspire such creativity, that's a rare find.

haphazard and slaphappy

haphazard (adj.)

• definition: that "any which way" attitude that enables bambini (or adults) who've tossed their belongings into a pile (rather than stowing said treasures in any sort of organized fashion) to call the result "tidy".

slaphappy (adj.)

• definition: the state of being that results from a full weekend of birthday festivities, lots of yummy food, sunshine, fresh air, a bit more sugar than usually ingested, and sleep lost for the excitement of it all.

high five

 

This. Is. Sammy. 

Sammy. Is. A. Robot.

The. Younger. Lad. Built. Him. With. The. Lad's. Father. Brother. And. Papere. 

(that's robot language -- can you tell?)

We celebrate five years of life with the delightful younger lad, born this day (finally -- after *many* hours of active waiting).  The lad has always been a fun-loving, free-wheeling, highly-imaginative kind of kid.  He's  growing ever more into a considerate, compassionate, and loving boy.  He's a busy guy, with lots to act out from the stories he cooks up in his head, and he has big dreams for what is to come.

May the Lord bless you this day, dear lad, and every day, with an unfailing awareness of both His and our love for you.  We are so glad and grateful you are a part of our family.  You bring such richness, adventure, and warmth to every day.  God has big plans for your life, lad, and we're here to help you discern what those are.

We love you, young squire!

scenes from spring break

 Building a barn for Pet and Patty (yes: of the Little House books we've been reading)... 

note the distressed finish of our coffee table.  People pay good money for such a custom patina.   

We didn't have to.

This is Jessie.  My great Aunt Sally (Papa Jack's sister) made her for me when I was a wee lass.

My younger lass is smitten.

 Elementary electronics via Snap Circuits.  The lads were gleeful each time they launched that spinning red wheel off its axis. 
The band-aid is from an unrelated (and minor) injury.

 Safety first: no long hair in the Snap Circuit area by order of safety marshal younger lad. 

Did I mention several of us have had the stomach flu this week?  (We're on the mend.)  Or that it's been raining buckets?  (not that I'm not grateful for the much-needed rain; it might be the last we get for a while!)