tj turns 8

has it really been only a year since we last celebrated a tj birthday? this kid is growing, or should i say, maturing at a very rapid rate. he is wise well beyond his years. and not just in a smarty-pants academic way, but in a genuine understanding of the world around him and the people in it. he is an observer. he pays attention and he catches the slightest details. in fact, often times he pays attention to multiple things. i don't think there are many things that get past his keen senses. he rarely comments on what he notes but when he does i'm usually amazed by all he captures. in fact, he often catches my mistakes and helps keep me on track. i don't know how we would get by without him. truly, he has saved more than one of our lives, just in the last few weeks. twice, he has stopped brothers from walking in to the street as a car was approaching. and i love the gentle way he does this. he doesn't panic or yell, instead he quickly puts his arm up to blockade his brother and protect him from harms way. he is a natural protector. he has the best interest of his friends and family in mind. he is just about as sweet as they come. he has a heart of pure gold. and he's got me wrapped around his finger. his tender thoughtful ways are usually the highlight of my days. tj is a friend to all. i don't think there's ever been a person that didn't either like or love tj. he's just so lovable.

tj is the most mild mannered of the watkins team. he is pretty easy going, a natural peace maker, an introvert, and an all around chill guy. he is rarely phased by things and just goes with the flow. except when it comes to sports, let me clarify, except when it comes to sports that involve his brothers. he is very passionate and very competitive about his sports when he feels comfortable enough to let his emotions out. the only times he ever acts out, and i mean ever, are when he is playing madden or fifa or when he is playing soccer or football against his brothers. then my sweet little tj disappears and his hidden beast emerges. i love that he has a passion that he feels so strongly about. and i love that he can control himself 99.99% of the time. 

tj is on it. he is responsible and capable and just so well put together. i worry so much about my boys. constantly. but i worry the least about my tij. he just seems to handle life so well. i've found that i can truly trust him in most situations. and when there is a situation that is too tough for him to handle on his own, he seems to know just when and how to reach out for help. what more could a mother hope for? how about snuggles? tj is my snuggle bug. and i love soaking up all his hugs. especially at school. every day when we get to school his brothers rush out of the car and take off to their classes. not tj. he patiently waits for me to gather my things. then we walk hand in hand through the parking lot and down the first sidewalk. as we begin to approach the student population he lets go of my hand but he walks me all the way to the office. and no matter how late we are, he always gives me a little hug. then he waits for me outside of his class so that after i check in to the office we can share another little hug on my walk to my class. i tend to sneak over to his table during lunch and snag one more hug if i get a chance. and if i'm really lucky i will pass him at some point during the day and i will get a big hold you close hug. these moments fuel me through even the toughest of days.

tj loves sports. mostly soccer and football, depending on the time of the year. up until recently there wasn't anything in his life that tj loved anywhere near as much as he loves sports. then he discovered fortnite. it's his current obsession. he loves fortnite so much he opted for a fortnite party. he planned out the details and i put it together (in less than 48 hours, i might add).

we picked our favorite little known & rarely used park. it is a beautiful spot in wailuku heights with the most incredible views of the whole island. we gathered boxes & wood pallets & set up forts around the park. each fort was labeled with a different fortnight location (tomato town, loot landing, etc.) we had a full battle royal with squads, pvp, and duos. there was a supply drop (complete with guns, bullets, v bucks, safety googles, and maps), med kits, bandaids, chug jugs, bombs, v bucks, fortnite style axes, and even a storm. we had a llama piñata and a treasure chest piñata. tj insisted on having the same cake from fortnite, i tried. the boys battled and had a little dance off. it was hilarious.

his auntie stina gifted him a skull trooper mask and he wore it all day. like, even to bed. tj loves a good disguise. tj is pretty lucky to have such a solid group of guys in his life. and we are pretty lucky to have him. happy birthday, tij! we love you so!!

1.  tj's best friend: kaimana
2.  tj's name: todd edward junior watkins
3.  tj prefers to go by: t.j.
4.  tj's favorite animals: llama
5.  what does tj want to be when he grows up: a football player and a fortnite youtuber
6.  tj's favorite movie: nfl football

7.  tj's favorite song: "natural" by imagine dragons

8.  what makes tj happy? playing football and fortnite

9.  what makes tj sad? going to school
10.  tj's favorite food:  five layer burritos and crunchy tacos at taco bell
11.  tj's favorite place: target
12.  tj's favorite color: really, really light blue
13.  tj's favorite game: football
14.  tj's #1 wish right now: "that i can be a football player when i grown up & play wide receiver for the LA Rams. i want to be #19, like big Todd."

cinco de mylo

we celebrated mylo's big fifth in the only way that seemed natural, a cinco de mylo party. the entire party was focused on the birthday boy & his new number. he invited his cinco best friends (& their brothers), he played his cinco favorite party games, he had his cinco favorite foods, & his cinco favorite desserts. it was a everything this little boy wanted & more.

he planned the entire event from start to finish & knowing the every adapting mylo i made sure to keep things flexible so he could adjust his birthday plan as the party evolved. the one thing he insisted on having was a piñata, & what cinco de mayo party is complete without a piñata? he also had the idea to save our bean cans to make a "super knock down can tower." there was also donuts on a string, a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, a few rounds of musical chairs, & mylo's personal favorite, water play. with a house full of boys all you really need is room to run & a few hundred water balloons & they are set for hours of fun. seriously, boys are so easy to please. 

 mylo opted to order taco bell for his birthday lunch. we picked up a few boxes of his favorite burritos & tacos. he helped me make salsa, pico de gallo, & guacamole. we also his favorite fruits & street corn. as for treats, which is basically the whole reason mylo has parties (friends + presents + treats) we opted to try our own rendition of milk bar's famous layered birthday cake. it was just as delicious as we dreamed. worth every second of labor & every trip to the store. we also made milk bar's birthday cake truffles (we weren't huge fans), milk bar's birthday cake cookies (by far the best sugar cookie/funfetti cookie we've tried), churro chex mix, virgin strawberry margaritas, & cake batter ice cream.  

if there's anything mylo loves about a birthday it's the opportunity to be the birthday boss. he loves running the show. and when it came to his fiesta i think he did a pretty fantastico job! he made sure everyone left with their own "mucho gracias, muchacho" treat bag.

Mylo's Minion Mayhem.

Mylo decided on a very appropriate theme for his birthday, again this year. Minions! I really couldn't describe his curious, wild, & silly character in a more perfect way. I felt awful going in to this party because I was pretty swamped coming home from a long vacation to a lot of lose ends that needed tending. Normally, I would have started his birthday prep long before but this year it all came down to the last minute. Due to time restraints I limited his celebrations to a movie party. I outlined all the movies that would be playing the week of his birthday & I wasn't the least bit surprised when he picked Minions (a dollar movie, nonetheless. Score!) Mylo wasn't the least bit bothered by the last minute party prep. He was just happy to have some new toys, his "buddies," & a belly full of goodies. He is really such a sweet & easy-to-please guy. His only party requests were 1. Squirt guns 2. Pizza 3. Banana pops 4. Bingo 5. Friends. Totally doable.

We went to the movie to watch Minions. We brought goody bags full of some of Mylo's favorite snacks (juice boxes, fruit snacks, lollipops, & "minion munch"). & of course, some Minion glasses for all the guests. After the movie we went to the fountains so the kids could play while eating their pizza, minion-ade, chips, banana-pops, & cupcakes (all per Mylo's requests). We played Minion Bingo, had a Minion-ish language lesson, played with Minion props, & the kids got their own "anti-gravity" serum, & "sting ray" guns to use in the fountains.  Everyone seemed to have fun, but none more than the birthday boy. He was so happy to have the spotlight. He loves being boss (or as we call him, Mr. Mylo) & he loved his birthday boy role.

Birthday parties are often exhausting, but Mylo makes them easy, light, & fun. We sure love you Minion Mylo. We loved making your special day a little more special. We can't wait to celebrate with you again next year!

**Oh & I totally forgot my camera for the party. Go figure. So ignore the poor picture quality & focus on the adorable little birthday boy.

t.j.'s nfl party (giants vs. falcons)

tj opted to celebrate his 5th birthday with a football party, big surprise, i know. i'm used to cooper planning his entire party from the activities to the goody bags. tj is much easier to please. he had three simple requests, hot dogs, a chocolate-oreo-football-field cake, & a football game. in fact, the football game was the only thing he actually insisted on. i think we could have skipped the food & decor & he would have been just as happy with a few friends playing at the park-but since we do that at least a few times a week i had to up the to make the day a little something special. and i am so glad i did. i don't think i've ever seen my sweet guy so happy. football truly is his happy place. 

watching the little boys passing, running routes, kicking, punting, tackling, & calling plays was the best entertainment for us spectators. i we even had a few cheerleaders on the side lines routing for their favorite teams. i barely saw tj the entire party. it was hard to tear him away from the football just to get him to open presents & blow out his candles. he played hard & happily even after the sun was long gone. his favorite part was passing the ball to the inflatable receiver & kicking field goals. oh & presents, what kid doesn't love presents?

coach todd really took charge on this party (rightfully so, it is his scene). he planned most the details & set up for the big day. he led the kids in football drills & refereed a falcons vs. giants game (giants won by 7). he also manned the grill & took care of most the food. and my jaw nearly dropped when he took care of the clean up. after missing the last 3 of ti's parties he really pulled his weight with this one. cooper was the best big brother. he helped with the party prep & set up. and when the kids started to show up it was cooper that led the first few football drills. i wanted to eat him up when i heard him say, "come on kids, who wants to learn about field goals?" then he ushered all the kids to the goal for a quick lesson & some practice kicks. he has such a good heart & he is such a kind leader. mylo upped his play at the party. he was really showing off with some sweet kicks, jukes, runs, & of course, tackles. he was on present patrol. he made sure every guest brought a gift & he was sure to peek in every bag before taking it to the designated spot. that kid!as for me, this was the easiest party i've participated in. most the planning was covered by tj & todd. i put together a few little decorations, baked the cake, & put together a nachos bar. then i spent the day of munching, chatting, & soaking up my sweet birthday boy. i definitely think these parties should be more of a team effort from here on out.

ti's day was easily made. he is such a sweet, easy going boy. he was so happy to have his favorite friends, favorite food, & favorite game. we are so grateful for our dear friends that joined us in celebrating our favorite football fanatic. 

tj's cops & robbers party

tj had a hard time narrowing down a party theme this year. he contemplated a star wars party, a truck party, a tool man party, a halloween party,  a cowboy & indian party, & a blue party. but in the end, he went with a "policeman party" which was kind of a given considering his love for all things police. i was not at all excited about his decision. i had no clue how to pull off such a thing. then one day it dawned on me, oh, duh, cops & robbers. ti's only requests were donuts, "lockers" (handcuffs), & all his friends. this party ended up being one of the easiest, yet. a small order to online order, a few late nights crafting, a run to krispy kreme & we were set. we opted to have it at kepaniwai heritage gardens for its location & beauty. but, i totally overlooked the fact that it's the wettest spot in the area & this party was being held in the middle of december. bad call, mommy. thankfully, the kids didn't mind the drizzle (hence my sons' extra frizzy hair). 

the party started with finger printing & mug shot coloring & a few rounds of hot money bag (ya know, hot potato with a money bag). tj loves anything that resembles stamping so the finger prints were a highlight for the birthday boy.

next, the kids picked if they wanted a cop or robber treat bag. each was filled with a snack (chocolate milk, donuts, donut holes) & cops & robbers goodies, (tattoos, a robber mask, play jewelry, gold coins, hand cuffs, & a badge). they ate while checking out their goods.

while they were in to their dress ups they posed for their own mugshots. which was pretty hysterical for the adults.

that's when i realized (wink, wink) that the piñata was missing & in its place were some rather suspicious finger prints (originally, i planned to have coop dress as a robber & the kids would have to chase him down to retrieve the stolen goods but since the party was held during school hours i had to adjust my plan). the kids searched the area using the robber's footprints & fingerprints to track down the piñata. they worked together to open the piñata & dig in to the goods. my mother-in-law made the most adorable money bags for the kids to put their candy in & use to haul home their party favors.

while the mom's worked on clean up the kids did car chases, some were cops & some were robbers (originally, i planned to have a chalk board painted box car for each kid that they could decorate with chalk but i got to lazy at the last moment & this happened instead.)

tj loved it all. especially, pretending to be a policeman all day. and opening presents. he woke up the next morning asking if he could have another birthday party.

oh, yea, & i made all the printables for the party so i figured i'd share the labors of my love. if anyone's interested here are the links to the free printables.

mugshot coloring pages

finger print pages

mugshot quote signs

mugshot background (my photoshop skills are very, very basic. these are large files since i printed them large-i went with the industrial print from fedex, something like $3 each. long story short, the files are too large to upload to google docs & i don't know of any other way to upload them. if you'd like these printables email me & i'll send them on over.)

coop's shark party

coop opted to go with a shark theme for his 7th birthday party. fitting since his birthday coincides shark week every year. i wish i could take some credit for how well this party came together but honestly, it was all coop. he planned the shark part over a year ago. in fact, he said he wanted a shark party when he turned 7 when he was not yet 4. this kid is a planner & he really sticks to his plan. so i guess i really shouldn't have been surprised when he came to me mid june saying he needed a paper to plan his party. he spent the rest of the afternoon organizing what activities he wanted to do, what he wanted the invitations to look like, what the party favors would be, who he would invite, where it would be, what we would eat, & what presents he wanted. then we got onto pinterest & his creative juices really started to flow. i had to veto a couple of extreme ideas (3-d shark attack cakes, pop up invitiations) for the sake of my own sanity but we were able to find things we could both agree on. yea, my 6 year old planned his entire birthday party. after that i basically followed his directions to help make his vision come to life. and according to him it was a total success. score!

his guest lists are steadily growing in number now that he has friends from school, the neighborhood, church, & sports. i limited him to a dozen friends & he had a hard time keeping to it. he came up with the ideas for the invites & signs & i designed them. he opted to have the party at kealia beach boardwalk (a great beach to have plenty of room for yourself but completely devoid of shade).

per coop's request we made rock candy (shark teeth), & red slime (blood), shark fins, & shark fact cards to pass out to his friends.

coop made a list of seven shark based party activities (seven activities for a seven year old's party-he's so attentive to details). there was a hold your breath under the water contest, a swim race, & a jump out of the water contest (coop won them all-it helps that he had time to practice). the main events were a shark tooth find featuring real shark teeth & a blood (ketchup) fight (don't get all hyped up. he isn't into gory or creepy things, in fact, the kid can't watch scooby doo without getting nightmares. he really just has a scientific way of looking at things & he understands that predators eat other animals & it's just the way it is. he accepts it & even admires the food chain).

we topped the day off with a pizza eating contest & hours of play in the ocean strutting their very own shark fins. i was a little nervous that we would jinx ourselves by celebrating shark style at a popular shark hang out but luckily there were no shark attacks while we were there.

i dragged my feet through the entire party process (i'm really not feeling the party vibe these days) & todd dropped the ball on his two responsibilities but it all came together without a single complaint from the guest of honor. it was rad having another opportunity to celebrate this amazing kid. he is so amazing & truly deserves the opportunity to spend the day as the center of attention, doing whatever he wants, & celebrating with his friends. every year i swear i am never throwing another party but somehow every year i get suckered into one "last". this year all my hard work was truly rewarded when cooper made me an extra special lego building. he said it was just for me because i did everything for his party & because i made him feel extra special. honestly, i throw the parties because i love seeing how happy my boys are at their parties. i've never once wanted any recognition for it. but this little act of love brought me to tears. i had no idea that he was aware of all that i do for him & it motivates me to do so much. 

a mighty mylo party

given mylo's super hero obsession & his most common nickname it seemed like a no brainer that his birthday party would be themed mighty mylo. wanna know my favorite super hero characteristics of mr. mighty? 1. his second persona he takes on each time a costume of any sort is put on his little body. he goes from a chill little guy to a confident, strong, kind of domineering super hero instantly. 2. his super hero story lines. oh his super heros don't just fight, his stories have actual plots. and they are rather entertaining. 3. his sound effects. they are dead accurate & pure genius. this kid is a total kick to hang out with. 4. the deep raspy baby voice he gets when he becomes a super hero.

mighty was ecstatic to discover his party. for as observent as he is, mylo seemed to miss all the party planning talk, shopping, & crafting. so he was caught a little off gaurd when he woke up to our morning celebrations but he was totally shocked & absolutely stoked when he arrived at his party (todd took the morning off so he could hang out with mylo while cooper, tj, & i set up the party). all of mylo's most favorite friends showed up. these are the kids he plays with at least twice a week. they are really more like family than friends, we call them our maui cousins. honestly, these people are amazing. as soon as they show up the oms start lending helping hands & they don't stop searching for ways to serve until the party is cleaned up & we are on our way home. we are so blessed to have these amazing people in our lives.

this was the first party i've ever thrown that involved actual party games. normally there's some sort of major activity to participate in but this time i wasn't really feeling it so i stuck with the easy stuff. we pinned the mask on the mylo, bowled for buildings, searched for super heroes & demolished a piñata (my first ever homemade piñata, might i add. i was so worried about it falling apart pre-party that it turned out to be indestructable by toddler standards. but with the help of todd & his pocket knife we were able to get the job done.) mylo wasn't much in to the games. he spent most of the time going down this super speedy slide. he did love the piñata & the buildings are his favorite new toy. he loves to knock them down or use them as houses for his duplo figures.

i made super hero masks & capes for each kid. this was a major hit. i think i could have skipped games all together & just let them run around in their costumes & they would have been good. my super talented friend, suzy, painted & personalized these absolutely adorable peg dolls specific for each kid. i was amazed with the detail she put in to each. it was obvious which doll belonged to which person at very first glance. my favorite was mylo's curly hair. it is spot on. he is obsessed with his new "batman" as he calls them & insists on taking them everywhere. (random fact: when todd & i got married we had personalized peg dolls painted to represent us. they are one of my favorite details from our wedding & now i am super stoked to have my whole peg family.)

i decided to go with picnic food because, well, it's easy & i'm lazy. there were lunch boxes for the kids with sandwhiches, chips, string cheese, juice boxes, & fruit snacks for the kids. for the adults there were sandwiches, pasta salad, chips, & lemonade. and, of course, sprinkle cupcakes for all to enjoy. like i said, easy. 

mylo loved having a day to be celebrated & make all the choices (that's how watkins' birthdays go). but i definitely think his party (& his new pool grandma & papa gave him) was the highlight. he talks about his party ever day. he talks about who came & the games they played then he insists on putting on his costume. he truly is the mightiest mylo i know & i am so grateful for the opportunity we had to make his special day a little more special. we love you so, mighty mylo!

tj's road rally party

prepping for tj's party was abnormally tricky this year considering his birthday fell only 4 days after thanksgiving & the day after family left island. thankfully, my job was minimal since tj has been planning his birthday party for the past, um, 4 months. basically, since he attended coop's treasure hunt party. some details have changed during his party planning process but for the most part he has had the event perfectly outlined. he wanted his brothers & best friend to attend. he wanted donuts & chocolate milk. and he wanted to bring his motorcycle. so we decided to go with a road rally party. his friends showed up with their favorite mode of transportation. we had races, an obstacle courses, & red-light green-light. they loved it. the kids made their own license plates, raced handheld cars on tracks, ate their little hearts out (or at least, the moms did), & left the party with winners medal & a few road rally goodies to keep them racing for days to come. tj loved cruising on his motorcycle, devouring all the powdered donuts he could get his hands on, & passing out the medals at the end of the party.

this experience was a real eye opener for me. you see, tj has always been shy (he gets it from his mama) in one-on-one situations but this was the first time he was the center of attention in a group beyond our family since his last birthday. and i was surprised to discover that he was a little crowd shy. he had so much fun participating in the games & playing but he did not enjoy the few moments when the focus was turned on him (cutting the cake, the birthday song, & present opening). looking back i feel so bad having put him in an uncomfortable situation but now i know better for next time. after the party he told me he had a lot of fun playing but he didn't like all of his friends there. he said he doesn't want to have anymore birthday parties (which is totally fine by me but i doubt his resentment will last until this time next year). 

i'd have to say tj's favorite part of the whole day was happy meals at the park for dinner (he is so easy to please). he likes his friends but he really loves his family. he truly does feel most comfortable & happy when he has his closest loved ones by his side (he is so much like his mama). he was so excited opening each gift. every time he did a crazy happy dance all over the grass. it's moments like this i just melt.