Happy birthday, Lincoln!

This was quite a day for our new 5-year-old, who celebrated not only with America but also - for the first time - with his friends.

Yes, we were able to corral some families on the holiday to make his first kids' party possible on his actual birthday, which seems to us to be no mean feat.

So, after a 6 a.m. wakeup, presents, breakfast and final party prep, it was time!

Oh, did we mention it was a LEGO party? That's a homemade banner, with the official LEGO font, no less.

And that cake, check out that cake. Great work, Mom and Grandy!

And what about the LEGOs holding the grapes, you ask? Well, great work building that, Dad and Lincoln!

Here's the birthday boy - can't forget him! - in front of one of his party activities, Pin-the-head-on-the-LEGO-minfigure, under a LEGO Star Wars banner. The activity is homemade, the banner is not (borrowed from one of Mom's co-workers).

And here are the LEGO-styled gift bags Mom put together.

Dad, Levynn and Lincoln met the kids in the lobby with built LEGO sets to help them get into the mood, then we headed back as a group to play... with (red, white and blue) balloons and annoying noisemakers.

At least this fine young man knew what to do with all those LEGOs.

Actually, they all played with the LEGOs eventually. (Most have them at home.) Dad led this project, building the number 5 with two or three kids at a time.

They built cars, and there was a downhill track to race the cars.

They pinned the heads.

With mom, they made crayons shaped like LEGO bricks and minifigures.

There was good ole Papa John's pizza, grapes and goldfish for lunch.

And Lincoln sat next to the girl who kissed him goodbye at the end of the school picnic about a month ago. Remember that?

They were whispering to each other during lunch today.

Do you like the LEGO candles?

What a cute bunch!

The rest of Lincoln's day was building, building and more building. After all, he has about a dozen new LEGO sets as of today (a LEGO party will do that for you), and there might be nothing else he likes to do more.

By the time night rolled along, he and Levynn weren't interested in beating the crowd to Hancock Observatory and waiting for fireworks. So they stayed home with Dad and watched these all across the western horizon while Mom and Grandy went to Hancock. That was good enough for them at the end of this day.