Tyce Turns 7!!!

Tyce turned 7 this weekend!  We had a friend party Saturday morning and a family party Saturday evening.  

We decorated... 

I went in to check on him Saturday morning and this is what I found...

He had a Paw Patrol themed party.  We played pin the badge on Chase...

He chose donuts instead of cake...

We had 17 kids total...

My baby...

Pinata time!!!

Present time...

Traci surprised us all and came with the girls!!!

The friend party went great and I am so grateful to have had cousins, neighbors, and friends come to make Tyce feel special.  When we moved here I tried convincing him to just have a family party since he hadn't really made any friends yet.  He said, "well...I'll go MAKE some friends!"  We brought invitations to his whole primary class (who he had never met) and for those that were not at church we got their addresses and Tyce went to each of their doors, knocked, and said "hi I'm Tyce and I'm new and it's my birthday and I want you to come to my party."  Haha, LOVE that kid!

Joshy snuggling the kittens in between parties...

They decided they love sun...

Then it was time for the family party!  Tyce and his cousins eating pizza on the deck...

Uncle Darin and Parker...

Lindsay and Grandma...

Jason, Christine, Tegan, Michelle, and Bart...

Dana and Tim...

Walt and Parker...

My dad and his handsome beard...

All the kids having a blast on the trampoline...

Luke squirting everyone...

Opening his presents.  It was funny because he would read the front of the card, then what the person wrote, then the rest of the card...

The kids all played in the basement while the adults played Catch Phrase...

Tyce and Luke all dressed up...

It was a FABULOUS evening and it was exactly why we moved to Utah.  For nights like this.  When everyone gathered in our family room to watch Tyce open his presents I was overcome with happiness and love.  Most of our immediate family was there (stupid David wouldn't let Dana's kids come which was sad and Jackie's family was in Oregon and Shane was home sleeping) and I just LOVE LOVE LOVE my family and Parker's family!!!  I want to spend as much time with them as possible because, in the end, that's what matters.  I want my kids to grow up making memories with their cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great grandma.  So when times are hard here, when I miss my friends and life in Virginia, I have to remember why we moved.

I'm looking forward to Tyce as a 7 year old, he was a JOY as a 6 year old!  Tyce is hilarious, outgoing, sensitive, compassionate, stubborn, very smart, social, spiritual, animated, confident, a leader, and is so so so loving to his mommy.  Every night he gives me six (because he was six) kisses on the lips, then six bunny kisses, then hugs me and strokes my hair.

Tyce is not a huge sweet tooth.  He likes donuts, fudge, skittles, and starbursts.  Other than that he usually passes on dessert.  He doesn't love vegetables but tolerates them.  He loves pizza and chicken. He loves the Nationals baseball team and the Oregon Ducks college football team.  He loves to read and is reading one or two grade levels above his own.  He can be grown up with his brothers or he can play like a little kid with his cousins.  He is a hilarious dresser, he rocks his cowboy boots with long socks and shorts.  He loves to write and writes very expressively and sincerely.  He can be very stubborn and has been grounded a few times already this summer.  He can go from being such a punk to such an angel in no time.  I often feel sorry for him because it's hard having only twin older brothers.  They expect him to keep up with them and be as good at everything as they are and that is hard to live up to.  He handles it well and hopefully in the end he will be stronger because of it.  He is super tall and thin (I'll find out his stats at his appt next week).  He is my baby, and I am sad to see him grow up because he is so stinkin fun as a little boy!  Happy birthday Tyce!!!!