Sleeping or Walking?

Peter has always been our heavy sleeper, which is one reason we plan to have the baby share a room with him. We know that middle-of-the-night crying won't phase him much. One time last year he slept right through a battery change in the smoke alarm in his bedroom. We had the light on, alarm beeping, furniture moving around... and he didn't move a muscle. Funny boy!

So imagine our surprise last night when we found his door open and bed vacant. Then we noticed Clara's door was wide open and her light was on. Okay, what's with the p.m. party? You guys know it's bedtime. We thought the kids must have been having a late night pow-wow without permission, and now Peter must be hiding somewhere.

Upon further investigation we found Clara half-way sleeping in her bed and Peter was nowhere in sight. We checked all the usual hiding places...still no Peter. We asked Clara, "Why is your light on? Where's Peter?" She told us that he came in her room to get a diaper and now he's gone. What in the world? He hasn't worn diapers for years! John immediately searched the entire house, including all doors and windows, and discovered Peter fast asleep in the basement. He was sitting straight up on the couch in his favorite spot. The remote was sitting right next to him on the cushion. If you didn't notice his closed eyes, you would have thought he was watching TV. Priceless!

The creepy thing to me is how elaborate his movements were. He left his room, went into Clara's in search of something, talked to her, walked through the main floor, down the stairs, and into his final position. All without any sense of awareness! This morning I asked him if he remembered anything and he had no clue! I realize that sleepwalking is a common occurrence among young children (especially heavy sleepers), and I'm thankful for his safety in this instance. But from now on I think we'll keep a closer eye out for midnight shenanigans!

Party Time!

Peter had a great birthday celebration this year! We started the party on Saturday with a gym & swim birthday at the Kids Body Shop. Peter and 11 of his buddies (boys only, even though he wanted to invite Alexa really bad) enjoyed pirate cake, presents, swimming, and free play in the gym. What a blast!

His pirate cake. Aaaarg!

The fantastic 12. What an operation!


At first everyone in the pool grabbed a bucket or container. It was the hugest water fight ever! They did start to slow down after a while, so the pirate jumped in and took a turn at the fun. It was hilarious to see all those boys trying to sink the pirate. They were certainly persistent!

After swimming we moved into the gym. They went wild playing on the rings, trampoline, foam pit, bars, beams, etc. What a great party with great friends!

Then on Monday night we had a family party at home. Peter planned the menu: Valentino's pizza, Pringles, pop, cupcakes, and Edy's Dibs. Yummy! (By the way, you should really try Dibs. They're a great treat!)

Grandma, Grandpa, Daniel, Molly, and Micah joined us for fun and presents. At the end of the day Peter said, "I like my birthday WAY better than Christmas because I get to have all the presents!" I love the honesty of a child! He is so uninhibited and expressive at this age. What a treasure!

We are so thankful for these memories made, and especially for our precious Peter boy--6 years old!