happy birthday lovey

Tommy had his first real birthday party with friends this weekend, at the gymnastics place. He requested red cake (easy- a red velvet mix) and red icing (FYI it takes 1.5 bottles of red food coloring to turn white icing into red). His big sister did the decorating.

He was a very good host, had lots of fun, and received lots of cool superhero gifts. Today (his true birthday) he will bring a treat to preschool and open more presents at home.

I've been working on this analogy in my head: that our children are like vacations. Each a delightful little detour from life as it had been, changing our life experience forever. Some children are like a mountain-climbing survival trek; they challenge you to a level you've never reached before, shocking you and exhausting you and turning things upside-down. Sometimes they make you think "hey, I never set out to be a mountain climber. What am I doing here?" But sometimes they also make you think "hey, look at me- I'm climbing this mountain and I'm actually enjoying it!"

Thomas is like a vacation at a familiar beach house. He's generally easy and predictable and goes with the flow. He gives us a minute to catch our breath. Of course he can be a brat quite often, but even at those times he usually can be reasoned with, and responds to basic parental logic. The storm usually blows over quickly. I guess what I'm trying to say is, Tommy is a comfort and I'm so glad he's in my life. I hope I never fail to let him know that.

Happy 4th birthday boo-boo.