This day four years ago I held one of my own babies for the first time. I woke up super early this morning and couldn't fall back asleep, so I headed downstairs to start some laundry and clean the basement. The solitude of our basement gave me time to reflect on the memory of his birth, which also took place early in the morning.
When the kids woke up we treated Daddy to a little bit of a sleep in. When it was time to finally wake him up (our kids are our alarm clock) I sent Reid in to say "Happy day you became a daddy!" I think it confused him a little, but that's what is so special about Reid's birthday, it not only marks the beginning of his life, but also the beginning of our parenting journey.
Today was pretty simple actually, the pirate party is planned for tomorrow. We let him open our gifts this morning (some dress up accessories -- a pirate and knight mix to be exact, and some camouflage winter gear -- sweats and a hat to be exact).
The kids and I spent most the morning running errands and prepping the house for a weekend of adventures. Ben's parents arrived around 4:00pm and the kids could not have been happier. They shrilled with so much excitement when they saw their car pull in.
Once Ben came home from work we got ourselves ready for our Church's Halloween party. I have no pictures of the event, but it was fabulous. Nell went as Anna from Frozen and Reid was a Knight. I threw on a "pregasaurus" t-shirt and brought some homemade creamy chicken and wild rice soup (my favorite Panera item).
The event started with a dinner that was organized by the primary. After the dinner we had a little carnival which the youth hosted. Wednesday night we set up fun activities through out the Church classrooms. There were six total and they ranged from pumpkin bowling to bean bag toss to (Reid's favorite) a maze. My favorite was a box troll; our two twelve-year-old boys came up with the idea and executed it wonderfully. It's fun to see the youth take charge of activities like this one. I think it is the perfect way to keep teenagers involved in the festivities. Halloween is always fun, but as a teen you feel like you have to act too grown up for all the costumes and games. Putting them in charge and seeing them come up with ideas to entertain the primary aged children was perfect.
Our final event was a trunk or treat. Reid was not into this portion of the evening. A young adult was dressed as Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas and Reid just couldn't handle the face paint. Inside the Church building he must have felt a little safer in "Jack's" presence, though he still frequently told me he did not like "that scary guy." But outside no distance seemed to comfort him. We visited a few trunks and then he told me he wanted to "go home with Grandma and Grandpa and go to bed."
Another young adult was dressed as Spiderman and I'll tell you what, when he walked in the room Reid acted like he saw Heaven. "It's spiderman, it's Spiderman, mommy! Look, look!" Once he calmed down enough to stop shouting I said "It is! Let's go see him." But Reid thought about that for a minute and said "it's just a person in a Spiderman costume." He didn't sound too disappointed by this revelation though. And it was followed up with conformation as the Spiderman pulled back his mask and revealed himself to be "just a person" -- you know, like Peter Parker. Where's my kid's imagination?
At one point in the evening (after the carnival but before the Trunk or Treat) Reid enthusiastically told me "This is the best Halloween party ever!" I have to agree, it was the best Halloween party I've ever been to, and I had some great ones as a kid. My own happiness probably boiled over just like his, but seeing that happiness in your child is even better than experiencing it yourself.
Happy Birthday little buddy!
When the kids woke up we treated Daddy to a little bit of a sleep in. When it was time to finally wake him up (our kids are our alarm clock) I sent Reid in to say "Happy day you became a daddy!" I think it confused him a little, but that's what is so special about Reid's birthday, it not only marks the beginning of his life, but also the beginning of our parenting journey.
Today was pretty simple actually, the pirate party is planned for tomorrow. We let him open our gifts this morning (some dress up accessories -- a pirate and knight mix to be exact, and some camouflage winter gear -- sweats and a hat to be exact).
The kids and I spent most the morning running errands and prepping the house for a weekend of adventures. Ben's parents arrived around 4:00pm and the kids could not have been happier. They shrilled with so much excitement when they saw their car pull in.
Once Ben came home from work we got ourselves ready for our Church's Halloween party. I have no pictures of the event, but it was fabulous. Nell went as Anna from Frozen and Reid was a Knight. I threw on a "pregasaurus" t-shirt and brought some homemade creamy chicken and wild rice soup (my favorite Panera item).
The event started with a dinner that was organized by the primary. After the dinner we had a little carnival which the youth hosted. Wednesday night we set up fun activities through out the Church classrooms. There were six total and they ranged from pumpkin bowling to bean bag toss to (Reid's favorite) a maze. My favorite was a box troll; our two twelve-year-old boys came up with the idea and executed it wonderfully. It's fun to see the youth take charge of activities like this one. I think it is the perfect way to keep teenagers involved in the festivities. Halloween is always fun, but as a teen you feel like you have to act too grown up for all the costumes and games. Putting them in charge and seeing them come up with ideas to entertain the primary aged children was perfect.
Our final event was a trunk or treat. Reid was not into this portion of the evening. A young adult was dressed as Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas and Reid just couldn't handle the face paint. Inside the Church building he must have felt a little safer in "Jack's" presence, though he still frequently told me he did not like "that scary guy." But outside no distance seemed to comfort him. We visited a few trunks and then he told me he wanted to "go home with Grandma and Grandpa and go to bed."
Another young adult was dressed as Spiderman and I'll tell you what, when he walked in the room Reid acted like he saw Heaven. "It's spiderman, it's Spiderman, mommy! Look, look!" Once he calmed down enough to stop shouting I said "It is! Let's go see him." But Reid thought about that for a minute and said "it's just a person in a Spiderman costume." He didn't sound too disappointed by this revelation though. And it was followed up with conformation as the Spiderman pulled back his mask and revealed himself to be "just a person" -- you know, like Peter Parker. Where's my kid's imagination?
At one point in the evening (after the carnival but before the Trunk or Treat) Reid enthusiastically told me "This is the best Halloween party ever!" I have to agree, it was the best Halloween party I've ever been to, and I had some great ones as a kid. My own happiness probably boiled over just like his, but seeing that happiness in your child is even better than experiencing it yourself.
Happy Birthday little buddy!
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