Poof! It’s like magic. My little boy who made me a mom turned SIX this month! JUst yesterday I was holding him in my arms for the very first time—and poof! – now he’s all grown up.
Doing very big things. Like one day this past month he finally decided he was too old for baths, and now only takes showers. And then (FINALLY!) he decided no more pull-ups at night! If this is what it means to be SIX, it’ll take it!
Pretty sure someone was super excited about turning SIX!
Tanner, the day before his party: “You’re going to have to calm me down cause I’m so excited I”m going to EXPLODE!”
But it’s hard to meet his every demands:
I heard this several times before his actual bday: “Mom, when it’s July 0, can we go to Texas so I can celebrate my birthday in Texas?” [And yes, July 0 is clearly the day before his bday on July 1st]
And while we didn’t get to go to Dallas, his Nanny Knickerbocker, along with Nana and Papa, took him to his favorite place on earth. POWER PLAY! He got spoiled getting to do bumper cars and laser tag and rides and arcades and all sorts of fun things. Seriously, he’s one very lucky boy who is surrounded by people who LOVE him!
And the day of his birthday, Tanner woke up ON TOP OF THE WORLD. But then he realized his birthday party was his friends was NOT the same day and oh my gosh, you would have thought the world was going to end. Thankfully, we had a fun day planned and he recovered just fine!
Monkey Bizness with his cousins, Brittany and Mason:
Those two are serious monkeys. The would not stay still for a sec for me to get a pic…so this is as good as it gets!
Brittany and Brooke had so much fun together too!
Brittany was such a helper…even if Rylee was trying to eat her!
Birthday Party with Family:
His cousins all came over and they had a blast playing in the water!
Brittany and Brooke are inseparable these days…and I LOVE it. Look at how cute Britt is with her, showing her show to use the water blaster! No wonder why EVERYONE loves Britt!!!
The birthday BOY!
And finally…blowing out the candles! Love Mason’s hilarious faces in these pics. I have a million of them and his face is totally different in each and every one!
And thankfully, Daddy made a last minute stop to get him a birthday present on the way home cause the present I had for him didn’t come in time. He’s totally spoiled!
But when it did come, we had a blast! A remote control helicopter. When the girls were both asleep, we pulled it out and became a bunch of giggling school girls. These are SO cool. And so far, only Anthony can make it fly for real. Tanner and I – it looks more like a grasshopper.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DPK11Y6/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Nanny also got him a Transformer and Avery made a very cute card for him, which included tix for a Royals game. How fun!
And FINALLY, 12 days later, Tanner had a very magical birthday. The much anticipated, FRIENDS birthday party!
The gang…kinders, neighbors, cousins, he has lots and lots of friends.
Tanner had his birthday at Ernie Miller Nature Center – a hidden gem we’ve recently discovered.
Surprisingly, all the kids were on time, so we got to play a few games before the nature program started.
Duck, Duck, Goose! was a HUGE hit!
And then, the Wildlife Wizard made her debut!
She was so cute and fun! She would pull out the “fake” version of the animal…then spin the box and say the magic words to make the real animal appear.
First up…a Tarantula
Tres was hilarious! He said he loved spiders and couldn’t wait, but quickly changed his mind when he realized it was real! He quickly scooted back…all the way back!
Next up….a huge MILK SNAKE!
The kids were captivated 110% of the time..and the kids ranged from 2-8. And I admit, I was too! I learned just SO much about animals.
Like this little rhyme to tell if a snake is really venomous:
Red touches Black, you’re friend Jack; Red touches Yellow, a dangerous Fellow!
Brooke sitting next to her Brittany. And in case you’re ever wondering, it’s HER BRITTANY! No one else's!!!
And last…a BUNNY RABBIT!
With each animal, she’d walk around and let the kids get as close as they’d like. And with this one, the kids got to pet! They were all amazed at how incredibly soft the bunny was!
And then, the ONE, the ONLY, Tanner the Magnificent presented us with his very own magic!
First up, was the sword and the stone trick. The kids came up and tried to pull the sword out of the stone, but it wasn’t until he waved his wand and said the magic words, Abra-cadabra, Ala-Kazoo, that any of them were successful!
At some point during his show, one of the kids said, “Whoa! Maybe Tanner really is magical!”
I admit, even I was a little skeptical, but it was amazing how ALL the kids believed ALL the tricks. 
Tanner is usually so SHY in front of a group, but he had such a good time with it. Pretty sure his favorite part was getting to pick out the volunteers. “Now you have to be sitting VERY still…” he started of saying.
This took a lot of concentration as he pulled the string to make it change colors…
And another one where the balls disappear and reappear in a box.
Then it was time for birthday cake. And I almost forgot to sing happy birthday and blow out the candles…seriously!
Thankfully, Mason got to sit next to Tanner and the world didn’t end…
Brooke loved playing with the balloons! And I loved that lil smile on her face!!!
And last and the much anticipated…PRESENTS! And yes, Tanner landed some awesome stuff, we have the most gracious friends and family!
When each kid left, they received their own magic hat, wand, and magic kit with a note “Thanks for making my birthday magical!” The kids LOVED the magic kits, complete with disappearing blue ink, coin trick, whoopie cushion (ya know, so magical sounds can be made), Pop Rocks for a magical explosions in their mouth, and an ice cube with a bug to play a fun prank, just cuz!
For snacks, the kids had Kettle Popcorn, Twizzler’s, double chocolate cupcakes (the homemade version so Tanner could have his FAVE, a chocolate muffin). Seriously, what kid doesn’t like frosting?!?)
I never take enough pictures of the set-up, but it was so CUTE!
I found little signs that said “Those that don’t believe in magic will never find it!” – Roald Dahl.
And on the kids tables, I had signs that said “Believe in Magic!” and “Magic is something you make!” Thanks Pinterest for all the awesome ideas!
Invitations: Love how these turned out on Punchbowl.com
Come ONE, Come ALL, to a Magical Celebration...
Featuring the Wacky Wildlife Wizard and showcasing the magic of TANNER the GREAT!
Be prepared to be AMAZED!
We'll have birthday cake and snacks...
While a good magician never reveals his secrets...your child may still learn a trick or too of their own!
And afterwards, there was another after bday party, party. Oh yeah!
Until they realized that without the strings, the balloons all float up to the sealing with no way of reaching them. *sigh*
