Four Years of Beef

Mr. Beef, as Danny and I affectionately refer to our oldest son, got to celebrate his 4th birthday 4 times this past week.

Last Sunday, he opened presents from his grandparents. Thursday, since it was his actual birthday, he got to pick what he wanted for dinner (cheeseburgers on the grill). He also got to choose the day's activities and books; our little dude was loving life.

Friday, we told him he could invite 4 friends over to play for a couple of hours. He chose 2 friends who he's known practically since birth, and 3 friends from church who are also in Cubbies with him on Wednesdays (Since 2 of his friends were twins, we let them both count as one friend!).

Zekers is a HUGE Cars fan, so for months he's been begging me to do a Tow Mater or Lightning McQueen cake. My sister found a Wilton pan for 50% off at a craft store, and I finally realized that the time had come to forge ahead into unexplored territory: I finally ventured into the world of decorating bags and tips. Aaauugghh!

The whole thing had me very intimidated; I've managed to avoid doing anything like this for 5 1/2 years, so I guess it was inevitable. It took me about 4-5 hours by the time I mixed up all 9 frosting colors and figured out that it helps to hold the top of the bag closed. But it turned out OK in the end.

We turned the dining room table into a race track, complete with "spectators", where the partygoers ate their cake and ice cream. They spent most of the time playing with Zekers' new Hot Wheels track, and running around the house yelling at the top of their lungs. I know it sounds crazy, but I really enjoy this age group, and Danny is really good at playing crazy games with them and making them laugh.




The next day we went to my niece Esther's 3rd birthday party, and then drove down to Chuck E. Cheese's. We hadn't been there in quite a while, and figured that if we arrived early enough, things might not be too crazy. Wrong! It was a madhouse, mostly because there were at least 3 birthday parties going on. Three hours and 190 tokens later (at least we had a bunch of coupons for free tokens!), we heaved a giant sigh of relief - everyone had gotten out unharmed. The kiddos watched 101 Dalmations on the way back while Danny and I decided that may have been one of the least intelligent ideas we've had in a long time. I tell you what - it's crazy what parents will put themselves through just to make a few snot-nosed kids happy. *grin*

The really great thing about Zekers is that three days of festivities centered around his birthday doesn't spoil him in the least. He remains our laid-back, unassuming, random little guy with a sunny smile, who gives the best hugs in the world. I'm currently trying to figure out what he means when he keeps saying he has "bottom issues." But that's another story - and probably better left unshared!

Zekers will always occupy a special place in my heart; his big brown eyes and sweet little voice melt me almost daily and somehow I haven't been able to make myself stop hugging him today. All the gifts he's opened this week are nothing compared to the gift God gave us 4 short years ago on March 27th. Ezekiel James Wright, I love you!