How's the Housley's?: Isaac turns FOUR!

Isaac turned four on October 6. Every year it seems so crazy to think about how old he is getting. But, we drew out his birthday for as much as possible--it started with his birthday party invites we did three weeks early and had on the fridge until we handed them out (we had a Cowboy themed party, so I made "cowboy boots" with a magnet on the back that said 'Come join us for a rowdy good time at Isaac's birthday party.... Isaac's Round-Up!') Then all the birthday party details started a week before the actual party and then we celebrated his birthday for three days. Yes, crazy, I know. It's all about making a big deal for birthdays in this house.

So, we started with a family dinner and party on Tuesday night. I had this idea to get Isaac a power wheel Jeep (since both Taylor and I wanted one growing up but never got one, so we are living vicariously through our kids...haha... no seriously, both Taylor and I have driven it!) So my parents did not disappoint and got Isaac his very own Jeep...

The picture is all stretched weird, but you get the idea. You see...we live in a wonderful neighborhood, with lots of kids, and we love it. So this Jeep has been so fun for the kids so far. And Isaac just thinks it is THE coolest thing! Thanks again Nana & Papa! And, I'm pretty sure Isaac included his Jeep in his prayers for a week after... :)

Wednesday: the FRIEND party. Now, you may think I am crazy, but I will explain. He had 15 friends over his party. I know, I know. But I don't have bad memories of it, so I can't say that I wouldn't do it again. :) Isaac is so into friends right now -- and with just the kids in our neighborhood, there were 10 already! So what were 5 more ...?? :) Again, it was a cowboy theme, and don't worry, I did not go all professional on the decorations. The front door said "Welcome to Isaac's Round-Up"

Then we had four "activities" that were cowboy themed. Each kid made their own Trail Mix to take home in their goodie bag.

My sweet friend let me borrow her horse saddle that we used as the "Cowboy and Cowgirl photo booth." Each kid wore a bandanna that had a "sheriff pin" on it and a cowboy hat and had their picture taken. I thought the beautiful mountains in the background was a good backdrop. :)

The classic "pin the tail on the horse" ... don't you laugh at my horse-drawing-abilities! Ha!

And then "Rope the Steer" which another sweet friend let me borrow her rocking horse and then the kids threw hula hoops at it to "rope it."

These were the "goodie bags" -- and yes, I cut out each one of those sheriff badges and made them so each of them could "pin" theirs on. ...Remember, 15 kids??? :)

Last year, I made a homemade pizza and cupcakes on top of all the games and that was just too much. So this year I decided we would just do something for the "happy birthday" song part. Initially I was going to make cupcakes, but last year they made a huge mess (which is expected) but most kids just liked the frosting off the top and that was it. So, I decided to make "brownie pops." They were fun and easy to make and I got this clever idea of how to present them while laying in bed one night. So, in case you don't get it, going with the cowboy theme, the "boom", "pow" and "bam" are like targets exploding after shooting at them and the brownie pops are the "explosions." I don't know how they tasted...I never ate one...but I liked how it turned it!

A close up of the brownie pops

Here were the cowboy photo booth pictures of Isaac. I love this one:

And a sweet smile from the birthday boy.

Isaac LOVED being sung to. He got this demeanor about him that was just too funny.

And, presents... he loved opening them, and so did everyone else!

Then, THURSDAY (his actual birthday) we woke up opened gifts from us to him and had his breakfast of choice (homemade pancakes) on the "special red plate" and then he went to preschool and wanted to take donuts with sprinkles as his treat. Again, they sang to him and he loved that. We met up with Taylor for lunch since Taylor had to work late and then we came home and I made Isaac take a nap because he was EXHAUSTED. Later that night we kept with tradition, and went to Red Robin. Initially it was just going to be us and my mom but we were lucky enough to meet up with Emily Alley and her sister-in-laws Julie and Anna. It was WONDERFUL! We love them! And Heather and Tyson came as well (my dad was out of town and Taylor had to work). Again, they sang to Isaac and can you see a similarity between this picture and the one above??