We made it…half a decade of red headed wonderfulness has arrived. Bauer celebrated turning the big 5 this past weekend with a pirate party for the books. We had a great time swimming, eating all of Bauer’s favorite foods and going on a treasure hunt with all his friends and a bunch of family!
We had beautiful weather (amazing that it was not 150 degrees in late July, but only a mere mid 90s) and we had more pool toys than was ever necessary!
I have about a million pictures so I’ll attempt to break the party down in segments:
FOOD/DECOR:
Bauer’s favorite foods currently include marshmallows (pirate teeth), popcorn (pop treasure), Swedish fish and sour gummy worms (shark bait), watermelon, pineapple, cheese nips (shaped like angry birds), and oreos (ARRRR-eos)
Sean rocked the watermelon pirate ship!
THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATES:
The whole group of rowdy kiddos, notice Bennett to the left of the picture (yep he refused to be with the rest of the kids pretty much the whole party)! 
These pirates told some amazing pirate jokes to a tough crowd! Thanks Uncle David, Allison and Audrey!
TREASURE HUNT TIME:
First step – pirate hats on!
Next step was an assortment of pirate games to earn “coveted” pirate gear:
I. Man Overboard for a spy scope 
II. Hook the Ring(s) for a pirate ring
Bauer with sword and goodies
III. Navigate the Seas for a pirate map
IV. Pin the Treasure on the “X” for an eyepatch
V. Find the Pirate Duck and keep the duck
More boys and their swords…by far the best prize!
VI. Dig for Treasure – diamonds and gold coins to keep
Some of our fabulous game helpers!
The Man Overboard game quickly turned into a refuge for the babies 
VII. Ring that Pirate for some pirate tattoos
More sword fighting 
VIII. Walk the Plank for those awesome blow up swords
CAKE TIME
Bauer was actually excited about a cake this year. I never saw him eat any, but he is beginning to understand the amazingness of cake. Maybe he is my kid afterall
- Cake Theme: Peter Pan outsmarts Captain Hook, Smead and the Crocodile once again and get the treasure buried on a secluded island. I used crushed vanilla wafers to make the island look like it was covered with sand. Also found this stuff that you spray on icing to turn the cupcakes blue. I love making cakes!
Singing to the main pirate of the hour
Eating cupcakes and ice-cream! Bennett ate three cups of ice-cream during the party. It was the only thing that made this party worthwhile in his eyes!
My favorite part of birthday parties is an excuse to finally see some of my best friends…I have known Katy since we were 11. WOW! 
Bauer was finally reunited with his red headed partner in crime was his old preschool, Colton.
This guy earned himself some cake!
Mom, Uncle John and Aunt Robyn
So proud of my boy and how far we have come. 
It’s a crazy life with these kiddos, but it makes celebrations like this one so much more special. 
Bennett and Daddy driving away from the pirate scene (two houses down back to Grammys)!
After the party, we got down to business. This kid was pumped….turning 5 apparently means more presents than he knows what to do with! Luckily he has a sister who is always willing to help unwrap and play with any present that comes into our house!
Bauer refused to put a five up until his actual birthday His party was the day before and he was adamant that he was not 5 yet. Apparently mommy and daddy are totally okay rounding up. We are just so glad the year of FOUR is coming to a close!
But have no doubt on his actual birthday, he had no qualms about claiming 5 and letting everyone know he was a year older!
Our kid tradition on their actual birthday is to go out to eat at the restaurant of their choice and then open presents and watch videos of them as a baby and growing up. It is really amazing to watch them be so little again, such a reminder of what Sean and I have survived.
Picking a place to eat was rather hard for Bauer though because he doesn’t really eat a lot of foods that you were order at a restaurant. So after giving him a million ideas, we ended up just getting a sausage pizza from Little Ceasars and his favorite ice cream treats from Tom Thumb and calling it done. He’s such a high maintenance kid in some areas and then in others he’s our most mellow. Such an interesting dynamic.
Presents from the family included lots of Disney goodness surrounding the new movie “Planes” coming out in August. He is ready to see that movie now.
We enjoyed our night together watching videos and seeing how far he has come in 5 years. He seems to officially be potty trained. How many times have I almost typed that on this blog?!!! But I think we can safely say (knock on wood) that we have made it. He is excited to stay at Grace for pre-school one more year and then head to Kinder as a big 6 year old. It’s been a struggle to make this decision as we see a lot of his friends in his preschool class (who also have late birthdays) making the transition now, but we know it is for the best. And part of me is excited to get to just enjoy Bauer for one more year before he is officially a big kid in “real” school.
Bauer is definitely the most loving and animated of our kiddos. That red hair causes him to love deeper, cry louder, and play more intently and so fabulously by himself (he has the greatest imagination). This year I foresee even more growth for him as he tries to keep up with big sister (he wants to do everything she can do), tries to play on a soccer team again, and keeps progressing with karate.
He looks more and more like Sean everyday and I pray that he develops the patience and deep loyalty that his dad has in his heart.
It’s been a fun ride so far Bauer Alexander, thanks for being such an amazing part of this Murphy clan. We definitely wouldn’t be complete without you!
