Nathan's fifth birthday!

I have finally found an opportunity to catch my breath and relax on my favorite couch! From Friday evening, it seems like somebody hit fast forward and only now has life resumed normal speed...

Saturday was Nathan's fifth birthday! Liesel and I were up before him which gave us the opportunity to get his presents out of their hiding place and into the open (and out of Josh's reach). When Nathan finally surfaced, we took him downstairs to find his gifts, which he did not hesitate to start the unwrapping process! He was thoroughly spoiled and had a grin that went from ear to ear the whole morning. His grandparents both spoiled him with Lego, which perfectly complemented the Lego Helicopter Transporter truck that Liesel and I gave him. He got other cars, books, a sweater, building blocks sets (non-Lego) and a radio controlled indoor helicopter! And this was all before 9am! At 10am we all climbed into the car and headed to a local Walmart to get some last minute party goodies. It was also a Lego day there, so Nathan could go and build a Lego pumpkin to take home with him. We got home at lunch time and fed the family, before Liesel and I did the final preparations for Nathan's party which started at 2pm! I decorated the basement for him, as this is where most of the games would be - considering the outside temperature was hovering around 40F (5C!) Liesel baked Nathan a beautiful train cake which was ready for the party!

Two o' clock signals the arrival of the first of Nathan's friends coming for the party. I escorted them to the basement and kicked off a game of soccer while we waited for everyone else to arrive. After burning about 200 calories with the soccer game, all the guests had arrived and the games started. I had about 7 - 8 games lined up and the kids seemed to love them all - each other receiving a prize at some point throughout the festivities. This too, was a calorie burning exercise, and after the games I reckon I had lost of couple of pounds! It was then time to light the candles on the cake, and sing to Nath, followed by the devouring of the train cake! Finally it was time to open the presents and Nath was again spoiled by his friends! Shortly afterwards, the parents arrived to fetch their children and the house became eerily quiet (relatively speaking of course).

As it turned out, it was Nathan's choice for family fun night that night and he chose to go have dinner at Max and Erma's (much to Liesel's delight!) When we came back it was time to put Josh to bed, and then Nathan and I built his Lego Helicopter Transporter truck together (This is one of the many benefits of being a father of a boy who loves Lego).

On Sunday morning, Nathan and I built some more Lego (a police car and a tow truck) before it was time for Church. After church we came home and had lunch, and then the tidying up and cleaning session got underway. The furniture that was rearranged for Saturday's party was put back in their original positions, carpets were vacuumed, and floors were washed. It always nice to have a clean house!

That evening, Liesel and Nathan headed out off to the airport, because her cousin from East London (South Africa) was coming to stay with us for the week. She arrived just before Josh went to bed! We really love having family stay with us, and look forward to a fun filled week with Nicki! Hopefully it won't be as hectic as the last 48 hours!