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.

Family T-Ball!

The kids got a batting tee and bases as birthday presents (thanks Uncle Colin and Aunt Katey!), and here we are using them in the park.

Have you heard that Levynn has started switch hitting, all on her own?

And Lincoln is taking some mean cuts these days.

Two readers

This is just awesome.

Yes, we still owe you footage of Lincoln reading. But we can tell you that he already has reached the goal of 10 books in the summer reading program! Levynn did it, too - in one week!

Ballet

Until tonight, we hadn't been to a concert at Millennium Park this year. It's late!

Mom got us out there this time. The Paris Opera Ballet, the oldest national ballet company in the world dating to the 1600s, was making its first appearance in Chicago since 1948 with a performance of "Giselle" at the Harris Theater (Millennium Park's indoor venue). But it was simulcast on a screen at Pritzker Pavilion for all to see, and Mom wanted to get a look.

We didn't stay for all of it, or even close. We made our way to the fountain before heading home.

It appears that Levynn had been inspired.

What. A. Day.

It seems like just yesterday that we had no plans for this weekend, letting us look ahead to some post-party down time. Then Tuesday night rolled along, Dad learned he had won four free passes to LEGOLAND Discovery Center in the suburbs, and voila - the heck with down time, we said.

"Let's go Saturday morning, right after the party!"

You may recall we went there, for the first time, on Mom's last birthday. So we upped the ante and decided to add the Chicago Botanic Garden to our Saturday adventure. It's another suburban attraction, we'd never been there, and who cares that it's in a different direction than LEGOLAND.

"Let's spend the whole day in the burbs!"

And we did. We returned home around 8:30 p.m. and enjoyed it to the fullest.

Here are a few shots from LEGOLAND, where Dad also won a session in the Master Builder Academy class (for Dad and Levynn) and the first kit in the Master Builder Academy series (for the kids to share).

But we have a lot of shots from the botanic garden, which Dad does not hesitate to say is one of the most beautiful places he has seen.

"We'll meet you over there!"

"Chipmunk!"

And there it is.

"Is that a pear?" (It is.)

"Frog!"

And there it is.

"Bonsai!"

"Rabbit!"

That sign...

... is referring to this.

"Crane!"

And goodbye.

Wow.

What a night!

You should have seen the mermaids (and mermen) frolicking in our building tonight.

Yes, Levynn's 8th birthday party was a success, thanks to Mom's hard work. Actually a co-birthday party, shared with a good friend turning 8 in a couple of days, it had the mermaid theme the girls requested and Mom delivered.

From the home-sewn tails for every boy and girl who wanted one;

to the cake, with its water frosting, crushed cookie sand, and Playmobil toys;

the fish-in-the-sea jellos;

the frames to decorate with shells (and we later added a group photo as a take-home);

the oyster cookies, as seen on the plate to the left;

this toilet paper-tails race, which was very entertaining; and much more; it all was Mom's labor of love. And the girls loved it.

Here they are earlier in the day.

Here they are in costume.

And here they are with friends and siblings (minus a couple sibs - like Lincoln, who didn't want to be in the photo - and a friend who was late).

Happy birthday, girls!

Happy birthday, Levynn!

You're 8 years old today!

So let's get silly!