Cole's 4th Outer Space Birthday Party

Whenever anyone asked Cole what he wanted for his birthday, the only thing he said was "a real rocket ship that I can sit in and steer." Not quite something we could pick up at Toys 'R Us. So Rob went to Lowe's hoping to get a refrigerator box. However, refrigerators don't come in boxes anymore, so we were out of luck. But the grandfatherly guy working asked Rob why he needed a box and got a bit misty-eyed when Rob told him he wanted to build a rocket for his son's birthday. He gave Rob the biggest heavy-duty sheet of cardboard I've ever seen. Within an hour, we had a brand new rocket in our backyard.

Going with the rocket idea, we held an outer space party at our house. The rocket was a huge hit with both the kids and parents. Poor Rob was on repair duty all afternoon with the duct tape and spray paint. The guy wires were added after a handful of kids crowded inside the rocket and knocked it over, giggling hysterically the whole time. Once the sun started going down it got a little chilly outside, so the kids designed space scenes with foam pieces until the pizza arrived.

The rocket cake was a hit also, but I wish I had been more careful with the frosting. Some things shouldn't be done at the last minute. Note the kid in the red shirt sitting next to Cole with his eyes on the cake. He managed to blow out a candle before we even finished singing Happy Birthday. I was proud of the way Cole handled it. He just waited patiently while we relit the candle then blew them all out.

My little guy is turning into big boy.