JCT's Dino-mite Party!!

In the past Joshua and JCT have always shared a party, and originally that was my plan for this year. They both like football, and Joshua very confidently announced that he! wanted! a! football! party! So, I started planning one big football party for both of them. But, after several afternoons of playing dinosaurs, reading dinosaur books, and working out of dinosaur activity books with JCT, I felt a twinge of guilt. He loves dinosaurs. He has never had his own party. He has a little preschool class of friends. He deserves his own little celebration. So, I changed gears and began planning two parties, two cakes, two menus, two sets of activities, etc. Erik and I decided to have the parties on the same day ~ one right after the other. They have many mutual friends who would want to be at both parties, and having the parties one after the other would make it much easier for the parents of those friends.

The day was very cold and overcast, but we still had a great time!! JCT asked specifically for a blue and orange t-rex cake. The inspiration for his color choice was his love for the Florida Gators!! So, here it is. . . Just call him Timmy T-rex!!! :-)

Outside Pop and Deana B's Diddy were finishing up putting together the boys' birthday present!! Woo Hoo!! So fun!!!

Since JCT had never had a party by himself, I was a little concerned about how many children would come. I had not received many rsvps, and I so wanted his birthday party to be a blast for him. Well, I worried in vain!!! Check out how many of his sweet friends came to celebrate with him!!!!!Here he is blowing out his candles, the big 5 year old birthday boy. . .
And, here I am making a volcano erupt for the children. . .And, here are the kiddos digging for fossils. . .
JCT and I "made" the fossils a week or so before, and it was great fun. We used two different recipes, rolled out dough, and I let him put his dinosaurs' feet down in the dough to make footprints. Some of the smaller dinos we layed down in the dough and made impressions of their whole bodies. And, then some of the dough we rolled into ovals to make dino eggs, and some we shaped into small dino bone shapes. JCT and I had almost as much fun making the fossils as his friends did digging for them!!

Deana B., our official family photographer, took this picture of my new prayer partner, Nikki, and her husband and their youngest son, Timothy. We've been praying together since the beginning of the school year, and I love her to pieces!
I think the party was a success!! JCT was able to celebrate with his buddies all around him!! I think he had a really good time!!! Now, it is time to kick-off Joshua's party!!!