Happy Birthday Carter!

Whew, the birthday weekend is coming to a close.  You really score the jackpot when your kid's birthday falls on a weekend day.  Everything - done, bam - ONE DAY.  This year, we were close.  His birthday fell on a Friday.  That meant the actual birthday was still a workday, but we needed to make it special.  Therefore, the excitement of the party then led up to Saturday.  Thus, Sunday is spent fully recuperating, putting toys away, making thank-you cards, birthday books, etc.

Everything would have gone a lot smoother if I hadn't decided to schedule my laser eye correction surgery two days prior to his birthday.  I didn't even think about the possibility of not being able to see, with still over forty cake-pops needing decoration.  Luckily, the blindness only lasted about ten seconds, and the irritation was over by the next day, resulting in completion of cake pops prior to deadline.

We've made it a tradition to take the boys to breakfast at Bob's Ranch House every year.  My dad actually started this tradition, and it was a bit sad this year to not have him there.  After the usual number six for both boys, my mom took them to Eileen's, and he enjoyed cake pops (delivered the night before by yours truly) with his buddies.  After a LONG day at work, I picked him up and took him to Mema's, where he had his customary cake with cousins.  I then took him home where his Auntie Nessie was waiting for him after making the long jaunt from Portland.  She entertained while I made the elaborate celebratory 4 year old dinner of Spiderman Mac and Cheese with hot-dogs.  No judgement here, my quota of creative cooking for the week went into the cake pops.

It was early to bed and early to rise.  We left the house at 8:30 with two kids, cake pops, skiis, waters, duffels of clothing, and goodie bags for the party goers.  Carter and Bradley got a run in, while I set-up, drank a Bloody Mary (this is the birthday gift to all mothers), and took in the view.  The snow was really terrible, what there was of it, but it was a beautiful day.  Soon, many of his buddies showed up, ate pizza, sang to Carter, devoured cake-pops, he opened presents, and then everyone was off to hit the slopes.  Some took lessons, some played on the bunny hill, and some even took a few runs on Douglas.  It was an awesome day.  However, no day of family fun would be complete without a little argument, and that was between Bradley and I over a miscommunication on the meet-up on a run.  Hindsight it was really stupid, but I think a week of four-year old birthday celebration will bring that upon any loving couple.  (And if you're a parent who has NEVER gone through a birthday party without an argument with your significant other over something really insignificant, you're full of it.)

When the kids got tired we just pumped them up with more glucose filled cake-pops and sent them back out.  By four pm (how ironic), it was time to go.  As my good friend and mother of twins so wisely stated, when I inquired about one more possible run "No, you want to end it on a good note".

After a nice dinner in Mt. Shasta, we were home before 7pm, and both boys went straight to bed without complaint or sound.  However, they woke up this morning at 5:55.  They're at the tail end of a nap now, one that I probably should have partaken in, but then who would have downloaded the photos, made the thank-yous, made the birthday book, updated the blog, and paid the bills?  That's right, I damn straight earned that Bloody Mary yesterday.  Happy Birthday Carter!  We love you to the moon and back, but maybe next year your birthday will fall on a Saturday!