Birthday weekend

our two littlest boys have birthdays five days apart.  so last weekend was the birthday bash!  now, our bashes look different than most peoples.  we don't invite a ton of friends, we don't have party favors, there aren't even invitations.  the simple fact is that when time is limited the thing that i don't want to give in on is each kid feeling loved by their family.  so we simplify- and let me say... riley's bucket was full at the end of the weekend.  (griff... was a little confused about what was going on.  ha!)

both sets of grandparents were able to come for the weekend which made everything just that much sweeter!!  we spent saturday morning playing and opened some gifts after lunch.

riley's favorites were a movie

and rescue bots (which seems to be a boy addiction around here!!)

griff enjoyed his football and also shared one of his gifts which is a family pass to the science museum

riley got surprised by a big boy bike that we've kept hidden for the last six months (another amazing steal of a deal at the ccc sale).

this bike has no training wheels because he's been riding a balance bike for a year and didn't need them.  sooo cool to skip the training wheels!

we enjoyed some ninja cake after present opening

and even used the icing for some good laughs

and then headed outside for some biking riding and cheering on!

i've noticed since having children, i don't ever take pics with my parents so i redeemed that problem.

and got a few other cute ones too.

that evening, we loaded up the whole clan and headed to benihanas.  seems like an odd and expensive choice, i'm sure.  however, we drive by this place about three to four times a week and riley has been asking to have his birthday there since last april.  since we were celebrating two boys and there was no other expenses we thought we could swing it.  

the big kids were just as excited to go!

we finally got a family pic that isn't from 2011.

let the party begin!!

we had 15 people total and had a really fun time watching the kids be amazed by the cooking in front of them

this is lance's folks (aka poppy and grammie)

taylor and blake (my beutiful nieces)

jeni and travis (my sis and hubs to be) with his son riley (aka: big riley)

my oldest boy with my youngest boy. ;)

mimi and big bday boy in their crazy hats

my folks (aka: pawpaw and mimi)

at the end of the evening everyone got a ninja cake pop... this was griffin's "cake" and we called it DONE!! ;)