Happy Birthday Alex

Eight years ago today I became a mother for the first time.  I looked into exhausted little eyes and realized I had no idea what I was doing.

Eventually I figured it out.

Alex has had a great birthday.  Last night I snuck into his room and put up a life-sized poster of Elmo, right where it would be the first thing he saw when he woke up.  He got a birthday breakfast sundae, with a candle.  And he got a new school bus for his collection, this time a Playmobil one with roof lights that light up and flash.

It's been a little hectic getting everything ready for the party in the afternoon but I think it went off well.  We had some minor hitches, like forgetting a baseball bat for the pinata and our cake being mis-filed at Dairy Queen, but they all came together.

It was really good to get to see everyone.  My aunt, uncle, cousin and her fiance made it out and we don't usually see them more than once a year.  And Dave's mom was able to come, usually she's travelling in early May.  It's nice to have a broad selection of people there for the boys (and for us).

They got a ton of presents.  A lot of MegaBlocks, some books, remote controlled vehicles.  Nathan had a little trouble accepting that it wasn't all for him, but that's to be expected at his age.  We all enjoyed the ice cream cake and each boy blew out his candles.  It turns out that the blue food dye they used for the icing is a little more persistent than I was expecting.  I still have blue fingertips.  But the cake was great.  Alex ended up polishing off two monster slices.

I think the pinata was the hit of the event.  The boys' cousin Logan joined them in a frenzied free-for all which left the candy shattered on the floor.  But all the kids were much more interested in the demolition than what was inside.  The pinata was so well constructed that we eventually had to grab sides and rip it apart manually.

After everyone left, Alex asked to go for a drive with the family.  It was nice, all of us in the car together, just enjoying the Tron score and the scenery.

It was a good day.  Tiring, although Dave definitely chipped in with his share of the work and then some.  But a birthday should wind up with everyone feeling cheerful and tired.

Happy Birthday, Alex. 

I'm so glad to be a part of your life.