This year's Stay Up As Late As You Can Night came with a Challenge: the Photo Scavenger Hunt. The rules state that you must take as long as possible to complete the scavenger hunt and that you have to take the photos in the order listed. So the list served as our to-do list. The family was to compete in the scavenger hunt as one team, with a goal of getting 20 of the 21 things listed in order to be allowed to have a Stay Up As Late As You Can Night again next year.
First stop: Haji Baba to eat some chicken shawarma. Everyone tried it, along with some beef shawarma, falafel, hummus, and something else I don't know how to say or spell. Everyone liked it pretty well.
Second stop: Bass Pro Shop to climb the rock wall. This wall was tough. Macy gave it her best try. Way to go Macy!
Third stop: Laser tag! This was a first for all of the girls in the family, and we all loved it. And our team won!
I'm not posting each of the photos on the list because that would be too many, but our fourth stop was for some frozen yogurt. And our fifth stop was the playground at our soccer park. Gotta love a teeter-totter full of Webers!
Sixth stop: home for some night-time swimming. We don't swim in the dark very often, so this makes it extra special!
Seventh stop: the couch to watch Cupcake Wars. This is where Tommy ran out of energy. He made it to 12:30am! Go Tommy!
When Macy and I realized that the next thing on our scavenger hunt list involved a pajama scooter ride, we decided we didn't have the energy left for that - so we headed to bed around 1:30am. Jack and Allie played Wii and watched some TV while Daddy napped on the couch. Allie headed to bed around 3:00am, and Steve headed to bed around 4:00am, and Jack claims he fell asleep on the couch around 5:00am.
It was a fun night of togetherness for our family. That's the whole point. Plus, then the kids go to bed nice and early for the next couple nights!
All 7 cousins did the Butler Nature Trail! This was our first time since it's closure due to the Wallow Fire last summer. It is great to see all the new growth, and awesome to do it with the whole family!
Here's my 5 favorite people on Daddy's special day. So glad that God chose this handsome man to be my hubby and these kids' daddy. He's the best!
Here's the birthday boy with two of his good friends at school. He got to celebrate with his class a few weeks early, since his real birthday is on summer break. Kindergartners have so much fun - these kids are great!
Tommy's birthday is only 7 days before his cousin Eli's birthday, so we celebrated both 6-year-olds together by going bowling! (Macy happened to be at the cabin with her grandparents, so she's not in these photos.)
Tommy is a really good bowler! Bowling alleys these days are pretty awesome. The bumpers make the game lots more fun for little people. And its really cool how it measures the miles per hour of each ball!
Here's the birthday boys with Grandma! Six very short years ago they were both brand new little infants that grandma could fit in her lap. Now, not so much. I pleaded with Tommy to start going backwards - that he could turn 4 on this birthday, and I would agree to turn 36 on my next birthday, but that smart kid insisted that it's just not possible.
We celebrated Tommy's birthday again at the cabin with his other cousins and grandparents. Here he is with Hailey and Tatum, but little Brooklyn was napping.
And here's the birthday boy with his brother and sisters. Tommy got his first real Bible - he is excited to have his very own, with his name printed on the front. So sweet!
Tommy requested an Avengers ice cream cake, and this is what he got. It was a tough decision between Harry Potter and Avengers, but Daddy took him to the theater to see Avengers, and then the decision was easy. Ironman is his favorite Avenger.
We will remember this birthday celebration because the power went out before we sat down to dinner, and it stayed out for about 6 hours. The kids had fun finding their way around the cabin with flashlights and candles. And they had glow necklaces to use as nightlights.
Each entry must be placed on each plate in its assigned spot in order to keep track of which entry is which, so you can accurately vote for your favorites. This is Aaron with his meat plate - can you tell he's a little excited to start judging all these entries?!?! Each person also has a plate for side dishes and desserts. I was already feeling full after my first five samplings of the beef entries, but I did manage to get through all 20 entries so I could vote in all categories. It was one delicious feast!
Our good friend, James, was a big winner in this year's competition. He walked away with 1st place in Beef, 1st place in Side Dishes, and 2nd place in the Pork category. The entire street enjoys everything he makes, so these results come as no surprise and are very well-deserved. Way to go James!
The kids are judges too! They love this as much as the adults!
There were at least forty-some judges who came out on the big day. For some, it was so important that they would plan their vacations around the BBQ Cook-off day. They take it that seriously!
More great friends carefully contemplating which entry to vote for. It's pretty cool how BBQ brings people together!
These three girls came away with 1st place in the dessert category. They worked together on some super yummy cookie bars. And they were up against 4 other very delicious competitors, so it is quite an honor for them to receive. Way to go, Allie, Regan, and Macy!!!!
