After a month of no posts, now there's 2 in a row! Mason celebrated his 9th birthday which was definitely the highlight of the week. Warning, a large number of pictures to follow.
Mason wanted his party this year to be at the new Portland Aquarium just up the street from our house. In keeping with that theme, here's his tres leche cake:
Kendra and Jose were on hand for the festivities!
Aaaahhhhhh!!!!!
This is the tank where kids can touch sharks and sting rays. It's also the room our party was in. Way cool!
Siena was ready to party!
Showing off her wet hands...
Mason demonstrating the perfect way to hold a dead fish head before feeding it to a shark.
Feeding the sharks. From left, Mason, Aiden, Jack, Berren, Heidi, and Aiden's mom Keasty. Aiden and Jack are Mason's pals from school.
The kids checking out the fresh water tank.
Feeding the tropical fish. The tropical fish get seaweed.
From left, Kearsty, Jack, Kendra, Siena, Ellia, and our guide. We had our own employee host who gave us a guided tour. Normally it's self guided so it was really great to get some additional info.
Still feedin'.
The girls.
My hand feeding a hungry dude.
The boys. Don't adjust your screens. There was a blue light in the room.
Mason and Jack touching a starfish.
The tide pool tank inside a boat.
Mason checking out Roxy, the octopus. Roxy is 2.5 years old but has the intelligence of a 5 year old child. Her favorite toy is Mrs. Potato Head. Apparently she can correctly assemble and disassemble Mrs. Potato Head's face.
Ms. Nanny.
Berren and Mason have different reactions upon learning how the fish poo is recycled into the air we were breathing.
Jose found Puerto Rico.
Mason and the tortoise. The tortoise is currently 35 years old but can live to be 150.
The girls get their turn.
Siena in another tide pool.
We were enamored with this little fish. Apparently she's always hiding in a rock and is rarely seen. However, a mean orange fish took her spot (you can see him under the rock) so she was a little lost and confused.
The boys II - Jose, Luis, and Dan.
Getting ready to have some cake!!
Blow!!
Money! Just what he wanted. He already spent some of his b-day money on Minecraft and couldn't be happier about his purchase.
More money!
Whew, some Legos too. That was the other item on his list.
The highlight of the aquarium experience was climbing around in the play area.
Um, aren't the shoes supposed to go in the bin?
Dan takes a break.
After dinner at Sushiland (looking at all those fish made us hungry), we played a little outside before bedtime. Siena has her sister Halley.
Luis, Siena, and I gave Mason a skateboard for his birthday. Yaya and Papa Ron pitched in for the pads. They just got back from their month long trip across the U.S. and also brought the kids all sorts of cool souvenirs. Luis helps Mason get his pads assembled. Safety first!
Siena and Halley are so sweet together. Halley just adores Miss Siena. And I think the feeling is mutual.
Look at him go!
Dude looks like a pro! He practiced every day this weekend and has definitely gotten the feel for it. We've officially got a Skater boy!
Last night we went up to my parents for dinner. They got back from their trip Friday night so it was our first chance to get together with them. They took a lot of great pictures and brought back wonderful treats for the kids. It was nice to see them and hear about their adventures.
Luis and I have played hoops the last 2 days too. Gotta love long weekends and a competitive couple!
Heidi and Dan are en route with Ellia and Berren so the kids can play. I can guarantee they'll have a great time.
A parting picture to help ring in another week:
