Birthday Parties

After a sleepless night and a quiet day it was time to whoop-it-up. Brandon's friend, Connor turned 3 and it was time to celebrate. Connor is the son of a good friend of Rob's who was also his best man in our wedding. Since they live 30 minutes from us or so we don't see them as much as we would like but they are wonderful friends and have a cute little boy who has his daddy's muscles and is proud of it (or so the t-shirt says). We packed up a sleepy bear and headed to Central Square Park in Waconia. The Thomas Celebration has begun and knowing Connor's love for the little blue train we jumped on board. Punky was even wearing his Thomas outfit fit for the celebration. There were lots of people- adults and children. Grilling out, pinata, park, swings, presents and one colorful cake made for a special evening and the rain knew it was special. Thankfully it obeyed and stayed far away. Despite the severe pain in my back today (a karma thing I think since I was supposed to have my back surgery today) I enjoyed watching Punky run around the green grass, fall down, push himself up, then wipe his hands and run away. I taught him the wipe his hands process.
During the evening, flashbacks of Brandon's first birthday surfaced. Sadly, some of the guests we were expecting were not able to attend due to a severe accident (including hospitalization) in the family and other grandparents on a vacation. Even though I was a bit disappointed I was fully aware family members needed to be where they needed to be and supported it 100%. When I found out I was pregnant one of the first things I thought abou was the babys first birthday and what it would be like. I just wanted it to be a special day for him/her. I think we accomplished that well. Watching Connor with other friends-of all ages-made me think of future birthdays for Brandon. I am excited to see him grow up and learn more and more about birthday parties. I am ready for a big party with kids, adults, cake, treats, party hats, favors, goody bags, games, heck maybe even a clown! The hamster wheel in my mind was racing....where can we do his next party? Pool, playground, zoo, community center, maze....Oh the possibilities! What character? Elmo, Thomas, Cookie Monster, Bob the Builder- just NO Barney. Oh the possibilities are endless!

I am most excited that as the candles on the cake grow so will Brandon's ability to remember the events.

Happy Birthday Connor!