Update and prior post-Sending the children to outer space!

Despite the stress our family is currently under (see past post) I am determined to try to keep some sense of normalcy.  Em is still continuing to be super sleepy and not quite herself but we have not had any further seizures yet and will hopefully see a neurologist in the next few days.

In the meantime, we are trying to carry on and I will do so by posting the blog that should have been posted yesterday...luckily it was almost finished so you will likely hear much more levity and enthusiasm than I am currently feeling.  But, we are okay.

Here goes:

 I am continuing in my series of birthday children and will next highlight Robertson.  He turned eight years old on his birthday and is currently undergoing a big change from one of our "little ones" to being a big brother who is helpful and capable of bigger and "older" things! :) 

There are times when he seems to want to stay little and have older people still help him find his clothes and socks.  And other times when he is showing how something works to the twins or reading them a book that he seems to really enjoy the idea of being an older brother. 

So, on this birthday I was aware that his days of fantasy play are beginning to be numbered and I wanted to do something fun and "magic" that he wouldn't forget.

He wanted an alien party so we started off with all of the children decorating spaceship frisbees...

Then it was time to make a rocket headed for space!

Oh!  We also needed an astronaut!

Ready for departure!!!

Everyone was on board and excited!

Unfortunately, the next part was sooo much fun that everyone forgot to take pictures!  LOL!  We put a clip on from you tube to show the launching of our rocket:

We shook the chairs as their rocket launched and they watched the movie with huge eyes!

Once we landed on the alien planet...they were all instructed that there were aliens that needed their help!  They were asked to go and find them because they were trapped....

Everyone was equipped with a space laser gun just in case the captors might be around....

When they emerged from the rocket, (out of under the blankets and chairs) the entire house was dark.  Our trusty astronaut Robertson had to lead everyone to the living room to help find the aliens.  We had glow sticks and glowing rings everywhere with lots of glittery green confetti to light the way but it was still fairly dark.  

Once they rounded the corner, oh no!  Look out!!!!  They were ambushed by squirting glow in the dark silly string that seemed to come out of nowhere!  They all shrieked at first with surprise but then once they saw what it was, they had a great time dodging the silly string (supplied by their teenage sisters) in order to find their own little alien that was counting on them!

I sincerely wish I had the pics of them searching for them but here is what the little cuties looked like!

  Here are some pics of playing once the lights were back on:

After dinner, the children were told that the aliens wanted to be returned home to their own planet.  We made alka seltzer rockets to launch them back to their homes.  I anticipated that the small children might not want to let go of their aliens and planned to switch gears if needed (ie hand them right back to them etc.)  But, guess who had the worst time with it?!?   The oldest two of our younger children...Robertson and Amelia.  It didn't even matter when we explained that we weren't *really* launching them back to another planet and that we would quietly sneak them back to them so that the smaller children could still believe.....

The youngest three were mesmerized by seeing the alka selzer rocket explode and imagining that their little alien was flying back to wherever they came from!

Robertson finally reluctantly agreed to launch his alien.  He was told over and over that the alien really wouldn't go away and we would give it right back...we told him that we were just doing it for fun for the smaller children and that there was still something more that we were going to do...  However, watch his sweet and innocent head look skyward when the lid pops! :)

                                                  Now, it was time for cake and presents!

All of the children were relaxing and eating their cake and assuming that the party was pretty much over....when suddenly, they were told by their excited dad that the aliens were flying over!  The aliens wanted to say thank you for sending them home!  They were told to grab their lasers and wave to them in the air as they flew overhead.....and here is what happened next!

The aliens (with a little help from my husband who was upstairs in the window) sent down a glowing flying package of chocolates (and some non-edible glowing sand...that obviously is non-toxic, oops!)  The children still talk about this!!!  They loved it!!!

 I highly recommend the glowing sand!  I believe it was made by Crayola...very fun!

Here is Robertson with his present from Amelia...she designed a shirt for him using our digital garment printer from our business:

                              Happy Birthday Robertson!!!!!!