8 is great!

Harry turned 8 on Sunday.

When we last visited, Harry had just met his new pup, Max.  They're both getting on quite well.  Max has already outgrown Bailey, and loves nothing more, than to jump on her.

Originally, the plan was the Max's arrival would preclude the typical sizable birthday celebrations we've become accustomed to, and we all seemed to be on board with that.  However, we ended up with a fun-filled weekend, that I think ended up being on par with parties of the past.

Friday ended up the week with our typical lacrosse practice, after what's become a typical ACPS teacher workday (read: another day off, another Harry Potter movie).  Saturday started off early with a first-time-in-a-while visit from Gradmom Becky and PopPop Allen, in from Minnesota.  While the girls went off to gymnastics, the boys headed to soccer.  Harry went straight from there, to a teammates afternoon birthday party, while we readied for the afternoon & evening's activities.  After a quick lunch, we picked Harry back up, and headed straight for our lacrosse game.  Harry had a huge 1st half in goal, and they finished up tied at 3 (or 4 maybe... we're not allowed to keep score yet).  From there, we headed home to fire up the grill for dogs, burgers, and smoothies for a few friends, before heading to Clarendon to see Chimpanzee

Fortunately, the rain that was supposed to be in our faces all afternoon, waited until after we arrived at the theater, and was finished just prior to our departure.  Miles spent the night, and enjoyed pancakes Sunday morning, before heading off to Sunday School.  Grandmom accompanied Ainsley to ballet, while the boys tried to figure out how to fly Harry's new RC helicopter on minimal battery charge.  For the official birthday lunch, we all headed over to Johnny Rockets for more burgers & shakes, and an incredible backwards rendition of "Happy Birthday," the likes of which we'd never seen. The rainy Sunday afternoon turned into a perfect opportunity for a movie on the couch.

Harry continues to be a voracious reader, with an unstoppable imagination.  This weekend brings another karate tournament, and his first competitive foray into sword forms.  He's such an incredible kid, and I, we, couldn't be prouder.

Happy birthday Harry!