The week really didn't start moving along until Wednesday, when we attended what has become a weekly sob-fest known as Owen's swim class. His first two sessions went well, but since then he has decided to scream as loud as possible for as long as possible in an Ivan Dragoesque attempt to destroy our will. We'll keep up with it and see where it takes us, but we made it home in one piece and witnessed something we usually never see around our house.

Two boys, sitting quietly.

Max has latched on to a new cartoon called Phineas and Ferb, and his brother has decided to emulate him in every possible way. This means we have Owen saying, "Wan watch Phinees Fub" in the car on the way home from school. They grow up so fast. Speaking of which, the big day came and I made an early run to Owen's Happiest Place on Earth to get him a special birthday breakfast.

Donuts!

No, he's not missing a tooth. He's simply obscured one with frosting.

After school, we let him open up the last of his presents. The golf and soccer sets, while entertaining for the evening, have since lost favor due to the ever-present bounce house near the back door. I have the feeling we're going to get our money's worth out of that one.

Friday came, and with it a theme day for school. Max's theme was wearing a sports shirt, so not a lot of material for photos there. Owen's theme...

Crazy hair day!

Apparently he was the only one with crazy hair that day. I'm guessing he didn't mind.

The week turned into the weekend, and we decided to make our yearly pilgrimage to the Plano Balloon Festival. On the way there, we took the time to visit some family and drop off some gently used (and not so much used anymore) toys.

Like this horse…which is now Owen's favorite toy for some reason.

When we arrived, Max seemed a bit reluctant to go inside, even going so far as to request that we leave him in the car. He told us he just wanted to be alone for a little while. We coaxed him inside and he hung out in the other room for the first fifteen minutes or so.

Not always alone, just mostly.

Eventually the gravitational pull of someone else's toys resolved the situation.

Yes, Owen, the kitties are still there, too.

After we'd separated the kids from Maggie's toys, we headed out to check out the festival.

Max was happy to pose for mommy while Owen and I got food.

Owen was happy to consume said food…

…and steal mommy's sunglasses.

I guess I didn't mention that there was a bit of a snag in the plan when we arrived. I believe Max summed it up best.

"It's supposed to be a balloon festival but I guess it's a nothing festival," he said.

Weather was a bit iffy and they weren't quite sure how to handle everything. Luckily it wasn't too long before they got things back up and running smoothly.

Balloon!

Not that the boys cared too much, seeing as we had...

Funnel cake!

Also more funnel cake!

Also these glowy things!

Oooooh. Aaaaaah.

Plus, lots more balloons by the end of the night.

The boys predictably stayed awake the entire way home, which meant they were nice and exhausted the following day. This made it a perfect opportunity for us to drag them out of the house again so they could do something physically demanding.

Gym time with Mikey!

Turns out he was having his birthday party at the same gym we went to a couple of weeks back. This, of course, was perfectly fine for our boys, who spend their time wisely.

Swinging!

Being taller than daddy!

Hitting me right in the face with foam cubes!

Bouncing balls everywhere!

Then, finally, eating cupcakes together.

That, as they say, was that. We dropped by a toy store for a brief moment to round out some early Christmas shopping, then we headed home and prepared for the week ahead.

If you want to see the rest of the photos from the week, you can click here. Otherwise, tune in below for some relevant videos.

The New Toy

Yep. They love this thing.

The Foil

Max is still happy to make comedy with me, but Owen has decided to join in the fun.

More Bouncing

A bit of fun with Max, to balance it all out.

See you next time!