So this guy is now seven years old. Happy birthday Ethan!

Last year we started doing family adventures on birthdays to create some great memories instead of throwing birthday parties. The kids don’t know what we are going to do or where we are going to go, so it is all a surprise as it unfolds. We do give cryptic hints though. For Ethan’s seventh birthday, we told them we would see something ancient, go somewhere amusing, see something fuzzy, and go somewhere nutty.

The something ancient was driving to Drumheller to visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Drumheller is considered the dinosaur capital of Canada, with many bones being discovered in the canyons along the Red Deer River.

Next, we drove to Calgary for the something amusing – a very large board and card games store. Ethan has really started to get into board games, so we picked out two for him (with some suggestions from friends), Battle Sheep and Catan Junior.

For something fuzzy, we took them to see the Shaun the Sheep movie!

Finally, it was time for the somewhere nutty, we took Ethan to his new favorite restaurant, Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

I may have created a monster here… During the summer I took Ethan to Calgary with me for a quick trip, and introduced him to FGBF. He reeeaaallly wanted McD’s, but I asked him if he trusted me. “Yes, but I want McDonalds with a play place!” Anyway, with much protestation, I took him to FGBF. His eyes bugged out looking at the burgers, and then he discovered the free peanuts. Needless to say, he was hooked. That one trip for the two of us also cost as much as it does to feed the whole family at Wendy’s. Be careful what you order – their small burger is pretty big. Now whenever Naomi takes the kids to Red Deer or Calgary, he asks for FGBF.

Back to his birthday. Once he realized that we were going out to eat next, he figured out the clue for Five Guys Burgers and Fries pretty quick because he remembered the peanuts. $50 later, we had a full and very happy boy. Wow…

Happy birthday Ethan! We sure do love you.