Hoyt's Birthday Weekend

This girl? She's awesome!

The kids played out here happily for hours. Currently Elsie was being a dog and her doggie self just happened to die on the lawn. I am not sure how playing a dead dog is fun, but the kids were all very involved and concerned. 

Fortunately, the dead phase didn't last too long. 

Oops! Spoke too soon!

Life is clearly very dangerous for dogs on the back yard. 

Beetle kill elm

They might be destructive, but they do beautiful destructive work!

This picture slays me! 

Things were getting complicated. Lincoln was busily playing Huns (he just learned about them in school) while Elsie was being a dog, Hoyt was playing wolves, and Gilbert was playing cowboys. They were all shouting out their storylines, happily ignoring the fact that no one else was on the same wavelength.

This was where Gilbert caught Elsie and told Lincoln to brand this calf, to which Lincoln replied that he thought it looked more like a Hun. Hoyt said they should probably shoot her because she was a dangerous wolf and Elsie yelled that she was actually a dog. 

There was momentary confusion, then everyone went back to their storylines. 

I walked back in the house and Elliott announced, "Did you know you know I have been spelling "people" wrong all my life?"

These kids delight me!

Then up to Owen and Ashley's for a lunch time birthday party

Little nuts. Gilbert idolizes Elliott. 

Cake!

Shy and nervous 

It is much easier when you have your people around you. 

Presents.

The entire time we were doing presents, Owen was telling us how Hoyt was getting too many presents. At the end, he started asking Hoyt to give all the kids his old toys to make space for the new toys. He sure knows how to make things fun! 

Thankfully Hoyt has the rest of us to roll our eyes at Owen and tell him to get serious. 

Hoyt's new hat and lasso!

Owen sat in cake. Which amused everyone greatly. 

Kids looking like small child soldiers.....

So I told them to stop waving fake guns around. 

Walking down to Grandma and Grandpa's.

Good friends!