Due to serious peer pressure, I have decided to continue with the birthday hooplah blog without pictures. Hopefully soon I will get on the ball and have them uploaded. Anyway......
It all begins on a chilly February night. Seven festive children pile into a house that is decorated top to bottom. Ben 10 laser sounds fill the house. The fun begins! This year Charlie decided that having friends over for a sleepover and a whole lot of fun was the way he wanted to ring in 5 years. About a week before the big day we drapped his bedroom is leftover balloons and streamers and our traditional Ward birthday banner. Every individual is given one day every 365 to celebrate themselves. I have always wanted to encourage my boys to make that day all about them and God's blessings on them that year. We spent the night before the sleepover listening to horribly repetitive Disney pandora, and making 15,000 bright blue and green cupcakes. I broke every health rule and let Charlie taste the batter. As the night came, I was really overcome with Charlie's excitement. We made homemade pizzas together, tried homemade icecream (although the little hands became tired of shaking the bags very quickly), made Ben 10 serbet floats, played a few games, romped, and watched a projector movie. Thankfully I was overcome with brushing teeth and snuggling in little bodies, and I wasn't focusing on my baby becoming a big boy.
We woke up early and feasted on Birthday Pancakes, delivered party-goers and then ventured to my Nana's for a cupcake sort of hooplah. After that.....the *best (*denotes sarcasm) idea any two parents lacking sleep could ever dream of. Taking two cupcake-hyped boys to Chuck E Cheese on a Friday night. !!!! Oh my. Dear oh dear. I was very quickly reminded of the following:
1. Dressing the age of your children does NOT make you a cooler parent than throwing on a cardigan over that mess.
2. Children thrive in impoliteness where spanking ceases to exist.
3. Sitting in a parking lot while finishing a redbox, and then sticking it in the machine with a mere 3 minutes to spare makes you an awesome procrastinator.
Anyway. The boys had so so much fun. We let Charlie pick the dinner spot. We ate together at Mickey Dees and laughed together and had a blast. Two sticky boys laughed and joked all the way home. The night ended with a mess, and four sleepy Wards. It was PERFECTION. On Sunday we had cupcakes at Charlie's Mamaws and ended the festivities and weekend long hooplah.
My baby is 5. Five years since my midwife laid that hungry little blessing upon my chest. He has taught me so much. Everyday he becomes more of an individual. I know he has such potential in his life. Ready for Kindergarten? He is. Me....maybe more than last week, but no. I'll do it, and I probably will hold back the tears, but only because God has blessed me with a healthy five year old that I have been able to watch grow and thrive and learn. Not all Mamas can say that about their babies, so I have nothing to cry about. I take this birthday is stride, but only after stopping to pray a prayer of thanks for each and every moment I am able to watch this special boy grow.
Happy Birthday my dear Charlie!!
(pictures to follow very soon.....well, soon)
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