Will's 10th Birthday

I love celebrating birthdays. I mean, who doesn't like a whole day that revolves around them? And more often than not, between school, friends, and family, these little birthday celebrations end up stretching out over a few days, which can be both fun and tiring. (Especially for the mother--the tiring part.) But we do what we do because we love our kids, and spoiling them on their one special day each year is one of the perks of motherhood in my opinion. 

My kids always get to pick out a sugary cereal to enjoy for their birthday breakfast. This year Will picked one that seems to show up over and over again on birthdays at our house: Cookie Crisp.  

Mid-morning, I brought treats to his class and shared a few funny stories to go with his "Student of the Week" poster.  The funniest story to me was the time he was sleep walking in the middle of the night and started playing "Jingle Bells"on the piano. The music woke him up and he started to cry!  (He's also relieved himself in some interesting places while sleep walking. . .)  Here he is with his teacher.

For whatever reason, Will has taken on the persona of "class clown" since moving to Utah--and seems to be very well liked for it!  Since he gets great grades and hasn't been in any real trouble for several months (we had to rein him in a bit when we first moved here), I guess I should just be glad he has so much self-confidence and is so well liked. (I have to admit, he is pretty funny.) You get a little flavor of his personality here. (And I swear he has jeans that actually fit without holes in them, but I'm pretty sure he thinks his "holy" jeans are cool.) 

Just a few hours later I picked him up and took him to In-N-Out for lunch, just the two of us. 

Of course he got to choose his favorite dinner that night. (Are you getting the idea that we like food? 'Cause we do!)  I'd link to the recipe, but it's MINE! And it's GOOD! (I don't have a lot of original recipes, so I'm kind of proud of that . . .)  We just call it "Cajun Shrimp Pasta," and for the life of me I can't figure out why this picky eater loves it so much.  It's spicy, full of shrimp, spinach, tomatoes, and onions. Go figure. 

 I know you want the recipe, don't you?

After dinner we put Will in the customary "hot seat," and had everyone share what they love about him.  We were lucky enough to have Mimi and Papa (my parents) on the phone to share as well.  Then he opened up the presents from us and both sets of grandparents.

We really only got him one big gift (which he had to find outside after figuring out a riddle/poem that Brandon wrote), so I got a little creative just to give him something else to open. He actually LOVED this gift--his own jar of REAL bacon bits, one of his favorite things.

He was also pretty excited about getting a long board: 

We really should have called it quits right there, but because I am a pushover on my kids' birthdays, and I've never really made a specific plan for how to handle birthdays like so many other deliberate, conscientious mothers I know, we ended up having a friend party as well. (You know how some families only do friend parties on certain years or every other year?  It's a great idea, especially with multiple children in the home. I just got too far into motherhood before making a decision, and ended up being bulldozed. Consider yourself warned, young mothers of the world!)

We held the party at our favorite warehouse turned trampoline pit ("Jump On It") so the boys could knock themselves out and enjoy total mayhem in a contained environment. They were so sweaty, stinky, and spastic! One of the boys' parents sent him with money for some reason, and I think he spent it all (like $10) on candy from the vending machines. You should have seen all the candy, screaming, and general ten-year-old boy bedlam. It was awesome.

 I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of them actually on the trampolines! 

 

 Is it just me, or does it look like some of them are crashing after the sugar/adrenaline rush?

Will wanted me to make his favorite monster cookies for the party instead of a cake, but I couldn't resist trying a new recipe, and I'm so glad I did! I know everyone has their favorite type of chocolate chip cookie (gooey vs. chewy vs. cakey vs. crispy) and this is it for me! (Choose your copycat recipe.) The boys were so sugared up from the candy I don't think they fully appreciated my delectable offering, but these sweet girls enjoyed a cookie or two. (That's pizza crust hanging out of Rachael's dazed face. Doesn't she look funny?) 

What? Did you think the party was over? Last but not least, on Sunday, Brandon's dad was in town from California, and since their birthdays are one day apart and they are both named William we just HAD to have a cake together. Again, per Will's request, I made a chocolate chip chocolate cake with my mom's peanut butter frosting, decorated with Reese's Pieces. (No, that doesn't stand for World War II, silly! It's for our two Williams! Get it?)

And that concludes the three day long birthday extravaganza.

To understand Will a little bit better, right now he's reading "Where the Red Fern Grows" for an upcoming book report. (Did I mention he has a book report EVERY MONTH!?) There's a part in the book when someone doubts Little Ann's ability to hunt well because she's such a small hound, to which Billy's grandpa replies, "Dynamite comes in small packages." Will picked up on that and has adopted it as his reply when people comment on his size.

I have to agree. Will is DYNAMITE!