It Came

Mac's birthday.  It actually, truly did come around.  I couldn't believe it.  Was I sad?  I got asked that quite a bit.  And my answer .... no.  Partially because I am really really enjoying this time in Mac's life.  I loved him as a tiny newborn, but I also felt like I was losing my mind most of the time.  Being not only a creature of habit, but one that adores sleep, having that new little man absolutely rocked my world.  Now however, I am feeling more confident and Mac has developed quite the adorable personality.  The other reason I was not sad that it was his birthday is because I did not have time to think about it much, as it was on a Monday and I had completely procrastinated buying anything (i.e. presents, streamers, ice cream, cake, candy, even wrapping paper and tape) until that very same morning.  I scrambled about Target while attempting to spoil Mac with love and binkies, which I am pretty sure is all he even wanted for his big day.  But, he has a mother bent on over-doing everything she attempts.

Then Mark called with some news ... his classmates had pooled their money (I'm 97% sure it was their living expenses loan money, too) to buy the latest and greatest ipod touch for Mac's birthday.  GASP.  Wha ... what .... so, I rushed over to the school to hug everyone, hopeful that Mac would smile and giggle and woo -- which he didn't really, it was nap time -- and try to think of something to say. 

Mark kept telling them things like, "You're just as poor as we are!" and "Just because we have a kid, doesn't mean we can't  buy anything ever," but Jeff -- who is probably the best Christian I know, in every sense of the word ... he even looks like Jesus -- said, "Really, you guys don't understand how much joy your little family brings to everyone around here."  I kind of felt like crying a little.  Thank you. I feel humbled beyond belief, I simply cannot fathom what they were thinking.  I suppose we really are just a bunch of tight-wads.  We are very grateful, and have been racking our brains trying to think of things we can do to thank them.  (Why is it that you always feel you must make things even when given something spectacular?  I can't decide if that's a fault or a virtue.)  Whatever their reasoning, we are so grateful for people who have always tried to be so kind to us in so many ways.

 Thanks Casey, Garcia, and Jeffe.

I then rushed Mac back home, got him down for a nap, and commenced cake making. Attempting to get it all done before the boy woke up was stressful.  That on top of never having made a legitimate cake before (or an illegitimate cake, for that matter) resulted in a few mistakes.  Like, tripling the Chris Gunn recipe for frosting.  You should never even double a Chris Gunn recipe, let alone triple.  I sort of had to though, I kept forgetting to not dye it until after I had pulled out the white for the eyes.

See all that on the left?  Geez.  I attempted to get rid of the leftover frosting at an enrichment activity the following night ... everyone thought it was old mayonnaise.  I finally convinced Shannon to take the white.  Not sure where the blue went.

It was particularly frustrating because in my rush, the cake was still warm so the frosting kept melting off the sides.  My attempt to make Grover here look furry was failing.  Could I ever get him to look like this little stuffed animal that never fails to make Mac smile??

Refrigerating him seemed to help.  Then on to the cupcakes. 

They turned out looking more like little Squidwards than Grovers.  But by this time Mac was up and clinging to my legs, so I threw in the towel.

Then Mark came home.  Early.

Bless him.

He suggested setting up the wagon now, instead of opening it at the park.  Good idea.

Mac was very eager to help.

I scrambled to get things together while they finished up, and we made it.

Here is giant Grover head and baby Squidwards on this super-precious table cloth I am always looking for an excuse to use.  Why not my son's birthday?  It's ............. alright, there's nothing "baby turning one" about it, but I like it.

I love this kid.  Seth is a riot.  He helped Mac eat his very tasty hot dog and pasta salad dinner.  Extra avocados, olives, and cucumbers.  Hopefully a good birthday meal ... he seemed to enjoy it.

It all turned out great.  Everyone was so nice.  They even brought presents, which I had mixed feelings about, since I specifically said NO PRESENTS.  But thank you.

Mac was very into unwrapping presents earlier in the day, while I was trying to wrap them, but a little less exuberant about it all once I actually encouraged it.  I'm thinking this could be a bad sign .... he already wants to do things specifically because I don't want him to.  That would be a trait from his father.  I am too much of a people-pleaser. 

Hehe ... he loves koosh balls, but was scared of that dinosaur at first.  He carries it around quite frequently now.

Seth is showing Mac how these awesome toys work.

Apparently Giant Grover Head was not the most inviting thing in the world.

After we sang "Happy Birthday" and the wind kept helping Mac to blow out the candle, we called it good.

He was quite hesitant.  But a fork helped.

I kept trying to get him to eat it, and he kept spitting it out.

I was a bit sad that he didn't dive face-first into that cake, but in the end it was a good thing.  I forgot to bring wipies.  He did however, love the ice cream and raspberries.  By then I had realized my lack of cleaning utensils, and fed him myself. 

The boys began playing wiffle ball.  Shannon got hit.

So they moved.

They played and played.  It was really nice.

Little Luke Shaw here is the biggest Angel's fan I've ever met.  Mark was in heaven, yelling out things like, "Here comes Bobby Abreu!", or "Come on ___ (enter a pitcher's name), get one in here!" and he would run around Luke hollering, sliding, and Luke would tackle him.  Very precious.

His mom Shannon says, "Wow I've never seen Mark talk so much."  Well Shannon, get Mark around kids or sports, and he becomes quite the jibber-jabberer.  Sure hope Mac ends up liking sports.

We played on the play ground for a while.

And then decided it was time to hit the hay.  We were tired.

Mark gave me a big fat kiss and said, "That turned out great.  I think everyone had a good time."

I hope so.  Birthdays are kind of a big deal for me, so Mac, hopefully you enjoyed your first one.