This is Sean writing: We had a very nice time celebrating Noah's birthday today, one highlight of which was the outing to Forestland with Samson and Friso. They had an excellent zip line course that involved a lot of walking across swingin logs and cables suspended 4 meters off the ground, and several fast long zip lines that led from one tree to another. All of the boys seemed at ease with the harnesses and hardware, and all of the techniques necessary to navigate the 1.5 hour airborne adventure course. The day went from excellent to outstanding when it was discovered that the local food specialty was hot dogs and french fries. The orders of fries was large enought that all 3 boys were able to share with their humble (and hungry) chaperone. The last hour or so included a lot of jumping and tumbling on trapalenes and large inflatable slides and obstacle courses. We knew it was time to go home when Friso took a tumble on a slide that produced an impressive amount of blood, and required a visit to the doctor for a couple of stitches in his lower lip. Everyone took that mishap in stride, including Friso's mom, and it provided an exclamation point for the sort of daredevil antics that an 8 year old is likely to remember for a good while.
You can have a look at Noah's arboreal finesse by clicking on the video below. You will hear Samson giving him important advice and encouragement toward the end.
Nancy made another one of her cake masterpieces (pictured at the top) - guided by her unique ability to identify subtle clues related to the passions and preferences of her children. In Noah's case, we are talking about sugar. He also happens to enjoy building legos. Rachel and Molly were very happy to join this part of Noah's excellent 8th birthday adventure. Happy Birthday Noah!!
