Andrew's Birthday Party

We went to Steep World for Andrew's birthday party, just like we did for Joey's last one. One of Joey's friends from school owns it (well, his dad owns it), and it is one of the funnest places ever.  I love to just let their awesome staff take over and entertain the kids for two hours.  And the kids love it!  So does Haley, because the cute young guys that work there keep her entertained for the entire time, too.

Andrew has always been a good climber, and he's usually the first to the very top.  He's just a natural athlete.

Joey just loves to climb period.  He climbs everything, even light poles, swing set poles, trees, etc.  He looks like a Samoan half the time, shimmying his way up to the top of something with no handles or branches.  He defies gravity.  This time he took a really bad fall, but luckily the guy running the party had just told him to move a mat over so he would be safe.  Without that mat, we would have been at the hospital with some very severe injuries.  So the guy (too bad I can't remember his name) saved Joey for sure.  He recovered after a few days, but he was pretty sore.

Matt kept us entertained, and on our toes (as usual).

 The adults sat in our usual spot and enjoyed the show.

One of the really fun things they do at the party is hide Starburst all over the room.  The kids have to climb to find them, and it's definitely their favorite part.  Grandpa had fun helping the kids spot them.

Then, we sat at the party table and had cake and ice cream; and opened presents.  Andrew got some new legos, a basketball hoop, a rip stick (which he has already mastered), a new awesome light saber, some new under armour, and several other goodies.  Dad got him this little drawing pad for the computer, so that he can use the pencil to draw.  It's pretty awesome!

***

After the party, we took Grace to her friend's birthday party, and Dad took Andrew to football.  All afternoon.  He had pictures, then warm ups, then a game.  It was a loooonnnnngggg day.  But it is football season, and that's what we do!

(See if you can spot him)

Andrew is the center for his team.  I don't know why it's so exciting for me to watch him be in charge of that ball, but it is.  He is really good at snapping that ball.  I think he's awesome.

Andrew is 10!!

On Sunday, Andrew turned 10 years old, and now he's famous.  Our local paper did a news article on his birth for the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.  He had a great time with the interview.  We've been getting comments from everybody, especially at the school.

We think that the picture is really funny.  I call it "We only let him inside on special occasions".  The photographer was having a hard time getting us all in the shot with the good light coming in from the front window.  So he told Ben to go outside, and stand right there.  I was just sure that they would crop the picture in really tight so you couldn't notice, but no. 

But we really loved the story, and we're so glad that Andrew was born that day.  I think it makes him even more special than he already is.  We knew he was born to be great.  Many important spirits both came and left that day.  I can't wait to see what he does in his life!

Here's a copy of the article:

Sept. 11 changed family's life

• By MARY PICKETT Of The Gazette StaffThe Billings Gazette | Posted: Sunday, September 11, 2011 12:00 am                                        

Andrew Kazmierski, at home in Billings with his parents Kristi and Ben, was born on Sept. 11, 2001.

Birthday child: Andrew Kazmierski.

Parents: Ben and Kristi Kazmierski.

School: Meadowlark fourth-grader.

Born: 5:01 p.m., Sept. 11, 2001.

Interests: Art, football, wrestling, golf and drums.

Siblings: Haley, 15; Joey, 6; Grace, 5; and Matthew, 3.

Kristi Kazmierski went into labor with her second child early on Sept. 11, 2001. When she got to St. Vincent Healthcare, she called her mother who told her she should turn on the television.

“What channel?” Kristi asked.

“Any channel,” her mother told her.

Not long after she and her husband, Ben, began watching, they saw a second plane go into the World Trade Center’s south tower.

She wondered when it all would stop.

Even with a major moment in history happening around the Kazmierskis, the birth of their son took precedence.

“It was a very emotional day and it was exciting to welcome him into the world,” Kristi said.

Still, they knew the world they brought their son into had changed.

Kristi’s father, Jerry Manley, was an air traffic controller at the Billings airport, but was off that day. His job would never be the same.

When she was growing up, Kristi and her siblings used to go to the tower to watch air shows, but after the terrorist attacks, guests to the tower were tightly restricted.

Ben knew that the terrorist attacks would mean that his siblings, all in the U.S. Air Force at one time or another, would be deployed.

His sister, a physician, and her husband, a pilot, both have been deployed at the same time. Their son lived with the Kazmierskis last year for a few months while his parents were serving in the Air Force.

Ben, who was 25 in 2001, even seriously considered joining the military himself after Sept. 11. But with two young children, an established career and a new house, he didn’t feel like he could.

Another thing that’s changed is the loss of a sense of security they once had about their lives, the couple said.

At the same time, they feel lucky to have the freedoms they have in the United States.

Andrew, who has short, dark hair, was dressed in long jean shorts, striped polo shirt and was barefoot on a warm summer day.

He took an interest in a visitor’s questions and was eager to talk about his special day.

He can tell you that terrorists hijacked planes Sept. 11, 2001, and flew them into the World Trade Center twin towers and into the Pentagon near Washington, D.C. A fourth plane, which may have been headed toward the White House or the U.S. Capitol, was brought down by passengers in Pennsylvania.

Kristi and Ben have talked with Andrew a lot about what happened that day so he understands the reaction he gets when he tells people his birthday date.

“Usually it’s a gasp,” Kristi said.

“On his birthday, his teachers usually have asked him to talk about the day he was born as well as share treats with his classmates,” Kristi said.

While the day 10 years ago was horrific, “It’s good to remember that good things happened that day, too,” Kristi said looking at her son.

Grace's Birthday Party

On Saturday, we celebrated Grace's 5th birthday. It was mostly a family birthday, with some extra friends invited. Grace just barely started kindergarten, so she hasn't made any really close friends yet. But she did invite Kalin and Hayden, two of Haley's friends who are usually at our house at least once a day. She decided that Kalin's little sister, Nancy should come too, since Nancy is in kindergarten also.

We had a wonderful time, and decorated the house two days before the party. I figured we might as well enjoy the decorations (which, by the way, are still up), rather than having them just sit uselessly in the bag.

We did a treasure hunt (I spent 20 minutes earlier that day making sure all the clues rhymed), and we also did some crafts. Hayden's clay monkey was one of my favorites. Then we opened presents, had cake and ice cream, and went out to play.

Grandpa Fred brought pizza for dinner, and we were so happy that Aunt Linda could joing us from Seattle!  Grandma Bertha and Wilma also came, and the kids were pleased as usual to have their attention.

It was quite a successful evening, and Grace has been happily playing with her new toys.  Next, we have Andrew's birthday on Sunday. September is a busy busy month for us!

Oh, and this was quite a moment. Grandma Jane bought Grace some clothes, and a little puppy that responds to commands with this clicker thing. While we were playing with it, we discovered that you can feed a little bone to it, and then it poops it right out!  The kids thought this was the most hilarious thing they'd ever seen. Our fun lasted a REALLY long time.