Happy Birthday, Eddie

Birthday season has started.  Eddie just turned nine.  For the next several weeks, we will either be having a birthday, or preparing for it.  It is the season of ice cream and presents and parties and birthday cake overdose.  Yum.  And urp.

This is the cheap-y paper banner I've hung and repaired for years.  You can get them here.  

Maybe one day I'll make a nicer one.

The day started out with a yummy breakfast of omelets, cooked by our live-in chef, Trent.  I flurried through the day, baking birthday cupcakes and collecting the presents I have been hiding.  At lunchtime, Trent checked Eddie out of school and took him to lunch.  He was thrilled!  Third-graders think it is all kinds of fun to be called down to the office and checked out.  Usually we both go, and the birthday boy gets one-on-two time with the old folks (us), but this year I was still working through stomach flu with the little ones.  We'll try again later.

After school, Eddie go to skip all of his regular chores, and dictate the menu for dinner: pizza.  It was ham and pepperoni night, eagerly wolfed down by everyone.  Trent outdid himself on the pizza dough, and I did very well to not burn them.

The moment we inhaled the last slice, we were off to the roller-skating rink.  The kids get to have parties with their friends on the even birthdays, and parties with the family on the odds.  I was a bit impressed that even the older brothers were happy to go roller skating for Ed's birthday.  It was a great family outing.  Eddie had his name called out by the DJ for a happy birthday, Alec amazed us all by zipping around the rink like Mercury, Angel had her first try on wheels (she looked like Bambi on the ice!), and the other boys took turns pushing a twin around the rink in a stroller.  Even nearly-old Mom got into the action, which she paid for with soreness for several days thereafter.

Home for chocolate cupcakes (with surprise cream filling!), ice cream and presents.  Eddie went to bed a tired and happy boy.  I love this boy with the easy grin.  I love that he likes to hug and snuggle.  I like that he strokes my hair.  I like how he, despite a quick temper, is learning how to cool down just as quickly.  I love how he scores in at least the 95th percentile on standardized tests, but spends his homework time helping out the kids who struggle.  I love how he loves to wear footie pajamas.  His heart is golden.  I love how he came into our lives just when we needed a ray of sunshine, and he hasn't quit.  Happy birthday, Eddie - we love you!