Birthday Roundup

Since I haven't blogged any of my kids' birthdays this year, I might as well do it in one fell swoop. 

Let's start with Ben. My eldest child turned 11 this year.  He is in his last year of elementary school, and I can hardly stand it.  I really just want to freeze time right now because I am enjoying him so much.  He is smart, funny, and loves his family so much.  We can have interesting conversations about what he is learning in school, his faith, and his love of his favorite books.  There are days when he is my only contact with sanity.  I am so excited to see the man he is growing into, but I still want him to be 11 forever.  Can I have it both ways?

 

For his birthday he just wanted a family cookout in the back yard and a homemade birthday cake.  I love that he likes things simple.

 

Since Will and Jack have birthdays only 6 days apart, the younger boys agreed to only have one party for both of them again.  We had it at my uncle's house again so that the kids could swim.  Thanks, Uncle Ricky!

Will is 9 now.  He is the one that seems to change the most over the years.  His baby face is gone, but he is still my baby boy (just don't tell him that I call him Baby - he wouldn't like it).  He is crazy smart and creative.  He can draw beautiful pictures, read Harry Potter, and do his math homework, all without trying.  I love him more every day, and I hope he will continue to let me love on him as he gets bigger. I'm not sure if he will be a teacher, and author, or a lawyer (based on his ability to argue over the color of the sky) when he grows up, but whatever it is, he will be amazing.

Jack turned 3 this year, but let's face it, he is using this opportunity to have his terrible 2s.  Don't get me wrong, he is one of my favorite people on the planet, but his ability to wake me up by yelling the word "yogurt" in my ear is unsurpassed in its volume.  He also likes to use the phrases, "I DO IT!" and, "MINE!" a lot.  Classic 2.

However, he also loves to use phrases like, "Love you!" and "Where Daddy?" a lot which are every bit endearing enough to help me forgive him for the other two.  His greatest loves in life are riding in Daddy's car and food (rice and pizza are the current faves). He loves to play games and read with his siblings, and he loves anything on PBS Kids.  (And it turns out that it's true - once you hit four kids, the rules about how much TV the youngest gets to watch go out the window.  I can stand a lot of Dinosaur Train for the sake of clean laundry.)

Last, but not least, is Kate.  Kate turns 7 in a couple weeks, but because we knew she was having surgery the first week of October and would be on a restricted diet, we decided that she and I would "trade" birthdays.  So, she turned 38 at the end of September, and I turn 7 in a couple weeks.  We both think we got the better end of that deal.

Kate is growing up so fast - into this beautiful, strong, young lady.  She is one of the bravest people I know.  She is also one of the smartest, most athletic, and silliest girls I know.  She is reading really well, can do anything she puts her mind to, and still loves to snuggle with her mama.  As she gets older, she is getting better at putting her feelings into words, which means our relationship continues to grow too.  I just simply love her and who she is. 

She wanted dumplings, egg rolls, and chocolate cake for her birthday, so that's what she got. :)

Do I have the greatest kids on the planet, or what?

Happy Birthday Kate (and Happy Kate NaNa Day too)

Many of you who hang out here already know this, but October is a big month for Kate.  Her birthday, date of abandonment, Kate NaNa Day, and her adoption day all fall within 12 days of each other.  And for those of you schooled in adoption issues, you know that means lots of different emotions crammed into a very small window.  This topic could probably be a post all of its own, but suffice it to say that she experiences excitement, grief, joy, and deep introspection - often all within about an hour.  Those of you who have witnessed a child grieve, you know they express it in many ways.  Kate is no exception. Her heart aches at the thought that she will never meet her first parents or see her foster mother again. She tells me that she misses China and wants to visit again soon.  Her feelings are valid, because it is sad to lose those things. Yet she still loves us deeply, despite (or perhaps because of) her grief and loss.  Adoption is complicated and messy and beautiful and redeeming all rolled into one big ball.  For Kate it just all comes at the same time. 

Anyway, the first of these big days comes in mid-October, when we celebrate Kate NaNa Day.  This was the four year anniversary of when we met our girl.  In our family it is a tradition that we go out to eat Chinese food, and then Tim and I give her a small gift that we bought for her in China.  This year it was a purple change purse at P.F. Chang's.

 

Ten days later her birthday (which also happens to be her date of citizenship) rolled around, and she wanted to celebrate with pizza and video games.  It was a good night for prizes. 

And last but not least, we had her birthday party the following weekend. For her party, she requested chocolate cake and Chinese dumplings.  We make the dumplings, or jiaozi, from scratch.  So with about 25 people at the party, that was a lot of dumplings.  Chinese families often make these together during celebrations, so I decided to insert some Chinese tradition into the party. Most people who attended learned to make them. I had the filling mixed and ready, and the guests helped roll, fill, crimp, and fry the dumplings. It was a huge undertaking for everyone, but it was a lot of fun and delicious.  They were a big hit.

I also managed to make my first chocolate cake from scratch.  Our family tries to buy only fair trade chocolate, but it was a challenge to find a good scratch recipe.  My aunt ended up mailing me her favorite one for a chocolate cinnamon cake, which was a big hit.  I love the icing so much it makes me want to cry.

As I was putting her to bed the night of the party, Kate told me, "That was my best party day I ever had."  I was glad, and asked her what she liked about it.  "I got a Hello Kitty alarm clock, Daddy set off firecrackers, and I got to eat my dumplings."  Add a lot of friends and family to that equation, and it really was a wonderful day.

Kate,
I love you sweet girl, and I love being your mama.  I am glad you have a tender heart and process everything deeply. It is such a wonderful part of who you are and how you care about other people.  You are a joy to parent, and I can't wait to see all of the amazing things you will do with your life.  And if you really do move back to China when you are a grown up, I will still come and visit you - probably more than you like:)

Will. My Eight Year Old.

 

I was walking down the stairs today, and I noticed a picture of Will that hangs on the wall there.  I walk past the pictures that hang there a million times a day, rarely taking the time to slow down and look at them.  In the photo, he is four years old.  His face is round, with kissable cheeks, sparkling eyes, and a noticeable lack of freckles, considering his current tally of "sprinkles." It was shortly after this picture that his face started to lose the "baby-ness."  Suddenly, he was a big boy.

Will is my mama's boy.  (Jack is in hot pursuit of that title, but Will is hanging on for dear life.) I always tell him that no one loves me quite the way that he does.  (Not the amount, mind, but the way he does it.)  When he hugs me I can feel it in my bones.

  

And I am constantly amazed at how much he has grown up.  He isn't a baby any more.  He is a second grader.  He is the "grit" of the soccer team.  He is a beginning piano student who has joy in every correct note.  He is the kid who gets off the bus and proudly shows me his perfect spelling test.

Oh, and he adores small children.  He was my biggest asset when I was babysitting regularly.  He could usually figure out what was wrong and how to make the baby stop crying before I did.  He loves his brothers and sister fiercely, and loves torturing them almost as much.

He still makes me laugh like crazy.  Still says off the wall things.  And we will be using Will-isms until we die.  (Nevah-evah-evah! It's too much soup! Shirts are very important to me. That was a sarcasm. I knew I would have a great life.)  A friend of ours who goes to the local college (where we know lots of folks)  said she overheard another student using a Will-ism one day - and it was someone we don't even know.  The girl apparently thought it was a movie quote because she had heard it so often from our friend.

Of course, those of you who know Will personally also know that this is the child that has taught me the most about parenting.  Any patience, creativity, or gray hairs that I exhibit come from parenting this child.  He keeps me on my toes, this one.

But, oh.  How I love this kid.  I love every sprinkle on his face.  I love his persistence and tenacity - which make me crazy, but will serve him well in life.  I love his search for justice in his life and in the world.  I can't wait to see how God will use this kid. It's going to be awesome. 

Birthday Bash: Will & Jack

Last year we had one massive birthday party for all three kids, regardless of the fact that their birthdays spread across a 4 month time span.  It's a long story, but suffice it to say that it is much easier to throw one massive party than three big parties, when more than half the guest lists overlap. 

As the birthdays approached this year, they all wanted different parties.  Ben wanted to take a friend for pizza and video games.  Kate wanted to go to a local pumpkin patch.  Will wanted a pool party.  His only rule was that he wasn't sharing his party with his brother.

Except then we met Jack.  Whose birthday is six days after Will's.  And Will said, "Of course, we will just share the same party."  And I said, "But you said you wouldn't share with your brother."  And he said, "I meant the other brother."

And so we once again had a shared party.  Which is just fine by me.  And the grandparents who have to travel.  My uncle graciously agreed to open his home and his pool to us, and our craziness.  Thanks again, Ricky:)

Will designed his own cake this year.  C3PO kept falling over, so we had to push him way far into the cake.  Hence, his short stature in the picture.

Jack wanted to wave his candles out, but once I blew them out for him demonstrated, he did his best to pretend to blow.

And thanks again to Grammy, because this mama forgot the camera at home.  Yes, I am that awesome.  Oh well, at least my kids are awesome. 

My Sweet Ben

Last week we celebrated Ben's 10th birthday.

TEN.  That's double digits, people.

(He adores all things Harry Potter and Star Wars.  It was a close contest for whose face would get to grace his birthday cake. )

Excuse me while I get a little choked up and take a walk down memory lane...

 

Ben,

You are one of the kindest, smartest, funniest people I know.  You love to read and write and draw and build Legos.  I am so proud of your creativity and your persistence.  You are a good friend and a great big brother, and you are loved by everyone who knows you.  I adore your quirky sense of humor and generous heart.  I love you even more than I did 10 years ago.  I am so thankful that I get to be your mama.

I love you,
Mom

Birthday, Halloween, and Everything in Between

Every once in awhile I just need one big ole catch-all post to capture a whole bunch of busy-ness. This is going to be one of those posts, so prepare for randomness and tangents...

Kate is now a big FIVE year old. Yes, I said all of those cliche, "How did my baby get so big?" things, because seriously, HOW did my baby get so big? She is going to start kindergarten in less than a year! She is working on her letter sounds and writing! She helps me bake and wash dishes and folds laundry! She is sassy and bossy and hilarious! Ugh! So big!

OK, I feel a little better to have that out of my system, but I'm sure I will do it all again next time I see an old picture of her. Anyway, Grammy and Boopa, Bri and Danielle came up to celebrate by going to Kate's T-ball game and then to a local pumpkin farm that Will has asked to go to no less than 487 times since last October.

Mimi and Arlie also took us out for some Olive Garden on her birthday...which makes me really hungry to just think about.

Moving right along... As usual, the kids had no less than three opportunities to dress up for Halloween this year, with all the sugary goodness that accompanies that. Ben was a young Obi Wan for each event. Will was Obi Wan for event #1 and a pirate for events #2 and #3. Kate changed her mind hourly about what she wanted to be. I have stopped buying costumes at this point, because they have them ALL. Seriously, I just say, go upstairs and find something, and they come down fully dressed up. Anyhoo, she was a clone trooper, a dragon, and here you see her dressed as Clark Kent. However, she never actually opened her shirt to show the giant S, so she mostly just looked like a cute old man. They also decorated pumpkins with their dad. All three of them hate to clean out the pumpkin's insides, so Tim tells them that if they can't stick their hands in the pumpkin, then there is no way he is going to let them wield a knife. They are fine with this and just draw pictures of what they want, and Tim does the cutting. Ben's is the big Angry Bird on the left, Kate's is the Angry Bird in the middle, and Will's is the pirate on the right. Arrrgggg.

Birthday Party!

My kids' birthdays are at the end of June, August, and October. In the past we have done separate birthday parties, but that is a lot of cake and ice cream in a very short amount of time. So this year, with a little help from Uncle Jacob, I convinced them that it would be a blast to have one big ole party for all of them. OK, honestly, they weren't thrilled with the idea at first, but then I convinced them with promises of pinatas and water balloons, and they were on board!
We had grandparents, tons of aunts and uncles, no less than six cousins, and many friends and their parents. We even had Uncle Jacob here! (He was in town for a wedding.) I wish I could say that I am super-mom because I am capable of pulling off a party like this all by myself, but honestly, it took the whole family to get the job done. Every single person had a job - from my niece who filled water balloons and peeled carrots, to my grandmother who was the welcoming committee, to the men who washed dishes, to all of the relatives who brought food. Somehow we managed to feed 40 people, and the party was a huge success. Once again, Will declared it the best party evah!
Don't be hatin' on the cake pictures. I had to snap them fast before the flames melted Luke Skywalker's light saber!
Now I am wondering what I will have to bribe them with next year so I can get away with only one party again...