we did something different this year... we usually limit the number of children to five and have small birthday parties. after talking with little man about some different ideas, we decided that this might be a good year for a larger party. instead of children bringing gifts for little man, he asked that the children bring an unwrapped gift that we could give away to a needy child for christmas. we are thankful for that unselfish (most of the time) heart. below are some of the children holding the gifts that they brought.
we also had mad science come in for a special presentation! the children had a blast ~ literally!
john david made for a great assistant... ummm, didn't realize my light fixture was prominent in the picture.
(i cropped out the cobweb) 
the birthday boy also enjoyed helping out with the experiments.
the birthday boy also enjoyed helping out with the experiments. 
making goo!
the race car cake that little man requested.
in case you were wondering, yes, he did open gifts from family members! a backyard soccer goal, some legos, a construction crane, some bendaroo animals made by cousins, and eight dollars for eight years. his biggest gift (from mommy and daddy) was a new bike. 
