facebook pixel

Ryder Turns 6

I cannot believe my oldest child turned 6 years old last week; a celebration that seemed to have lasted for two whole weeks. To me, turning 6 seems like it will bring a whole new level of “firsts.”  No longer a baby boy, or toddler, Ryder is now considered a big kid, only a few years away from double digits. It makes me sad these precious childhood moments are racing past so quickly, but on the other hand, I had no idea that these past six years of being mom would be so incredibly amazing and life changing.

photo 1 copy 2

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset

Jason and I are stuck with winter birthdays, so we are lucky to have two babies with summer birthdays. It’s great to have the option to celebrate outdoors, and enjoy the warm summer weather. For the past two years, Ryder has had his party at an amusement park named Adventurer’s Park, which most of you will remember it was called Nelly Bly, when we were growing up. He begged us to have the party there again this year, but its Brooklyn location is not conducive to our friends and family trekking in from Westchester and Manhattan, so we opted for another one of his favs, Victorian Gardens. Located in the heart of Central Park, and every ride at Victoria Gardens is perfect for my pint size little dude and his friends.

Screen Shot 2014-08-06 at 2.22.31 PM

IMG_8783

Since the party was on a Friday and his real birthday fell on Wednesday, I let Ryder plan out all the events on his actual birthday, which is his absolute favorite thing to do. He loves planning the day, because he feels like he’s in charge. Originally, we had planned to head to the beach, but last minute, he decided on the Coney Island Aquarium. We went with it, and on the way, we stopped at the Nathans Famous for some hot dogs, a treat for them, and of course, we played some games on the boardwalk.  Inside the aquarium, we explored the exhibits and even caught a sea lion, the girls had a blast as well, especially Gemma. And we topped off the day with some L&B Spumoni Gardens (if you’ve never been I highly recommend).

photo 1 copy 3

Screen Shot 2014-09-02 at 10.08.55 AM

Ryder was completely stoked about his Star Wars themed party at Victorian Gardens, and Friday couldn’t come quick enough. He was in his element with his favorite friends, and ready to conquer every ride. He loves the rides, and he’s grown quite fearless of them, as he no longer needs us to go along with him.  An early morning sprinkle and light cloud cover kept the park fairly empty, allowing the kids to practically have the rides all to themselves.

IMG_4738

IMG_5041

I made Star Wars cupcakes for the party, and picked up a ton of themed party decor, including a Darth Vadar piñata that we filled with candy and games. The light saber favors acted as the perfect stick for knocking it down. The best part of the party was that we weren’t rushed and the kids were even able to go back on the rides after they ate and had cupcakes, making it a fun filled day.

IMG_4890

photo 3

photo

IMG_5065

and this happened too….

IMG_5080

Overall, it was two perfect days spent as an entire family, and I was so thankful that Jason was around for all of it. The weather was on our side, and these two days will probably go down as the best of the summer.

Happy 6th birthday my sweet boy ~ Love Mommy

Join The Conversation - Comment Below

3 thoughts on “Ryder Turns 6”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *