Five

Buddy's much anticipated fifth birthday was Friday. I wanted to share a few photos and stories from his party and pay a tribute to my dear firstborn child.

First of all, Buddy believes that every party needs a theme and he'll often ask you "what kind of birthday are you having" if he finds out it's your big day soon. He settled on a shark theme a few weeks ago and we both got started brainstorming. Thank goodness for go.og.le, since I have absolutely no creative juices.

Buddy recommended a shark bite on the invitation, which apparently was a huge hit with the invitees. A few kids were convinced that a shark really did bite the invitation. I have to admit, it was really cool. Buddy really didn't want much for the party except streamers and balloons (because his baby brother loves balloons) and of course he wanted all of his "best friends" as he calls them.

And of course he wanted a shark cake. This was waaaay beyond my abilities as an artist and mother, but since I strongly believe in spoiling a child with time and attention and believe a child's birthday is a really big deal... I couldn't deny him. You might remember my dragon cake last year. At least with the dragon cake, I found a pattern online. This year, I could only find a few pictures to guide and inspire me. No instructions. And without instructions, I'm totally incapable. Me and Buddy carefully studied the pictures and came up with a plan. And if I got overwhelmed, G promised to help. I did the baking/designing/sculpting/finishing touches and G did the frosting. Thank goodness for G because before it was frosted, it strongly resembled a turtle which was not a good thing. Even after it was done it looked much more like a whale shark (without the spots, though, as Buddy noted) than a great white shark. But considering my lack of artistic ability, it was satisfactory. And Buddy was beyond grateful and thanked me multiple times. (In fact during FHE tonight, most of his " Thanksgiving gratitude list" revolved around his party, cake, and streamers.)

The party was very enjoyable and I'm not being facetious. Seven little boys add up to a whole lot of fun, energy, yelling, running, and even a pretty bad odor in the playroom when they were all in there. But I literally could not stop laughing. Here are a few highlights:

* James in full meltdown because he wanted to win a game SO bad. Even though he WAS winning by so much no one would possibly beat him. But he was so afraid of losing he just sat and cried rather than finish the game. He did win, by the way. I love winning too, so I could totally relate.
* When I served the shark cake (made with red velvet cake, by the way), I told the kids to be brave because it might be a little bloody when I cut into it. And then Tyler burst into tears. He refused to eat the cake and later said, "I only like cake if it's humpback whale cake. Not if it's shark cake."
* I made "sea water" out of apple juice and food coloring. Liam refused to drink it -- or even taste it -- and said he doesn't drink sea water, only regular water.
* Connor ate three massive pieces of cake, which was more food than I've ever seen him eat in the years I've known him.
* Noah (not my son- a different one) said, "This is my best birthday I've ever had." Poor kid got confused for a minute and thought it was his birthday. But at least he was having fun!

Buddy's Tribute

Buddy. The great joy of my life. Probably one of the best friends I'll ever have in my whole life. For sure we will aggravate each other forever, but I need him and I hope he always likes me as much as he does now.

Buddy is outgoing when I'm not, energetic when I'm exhausted, patient when I'm losing it, full of faith when I want to give up, and he's everything I ever hoped for in a son. He has developed more talents in his first five years than many people do in an entire lifetime. He is creative, funny, intellectual, kind-hearted, full of optimism, and deeply spiritual. I consider it a privilege that I get to be his mother. When I stop to think about all that went into me being chosen, I am not only humbled, but so very happy.

It's hard to remember sometimes whether he's five or fifteen. But, I wouldn't have him any other way. His energy and persuasiveness will serve him very well in his lifetime. When I think of the people I most admire, they stop at nothing, they enjoy life, they love deeply. That's my Buddy for sure. It'll be my great challenge to direct his abilities toward good things, rather than constantly trying to stop him and discourage him from being who he is. I hope he stays just like he is now. Something tells me he will.