I’m going to write about my little BIG guy’s birthday, which was this past Sunday, because my husband is out of town and so we aren’t doing anything.
OMG he is FOUR! What the what!?
We did a few special things to celebrate, but nothing was too extravagant. I’ll start with Saturday.
We had a leisurely morning at home and made our way to farmer’s market after breakfast. I made a massive version of this banana oat bake because I wanted to set myself up with breakfasts for the whole week since Kyle was out of town. Even when he is here he’s gone by our breakfast time, but it just feels less chaotic when I have my ducks in a row with regard to food first thing.
They played on both parks and sampled some produce and then we got P a balloon from the clown as a “birthday treat”. This was the first time he has gotten one, and he was so thrilled. The kids before and after him asked for spiderman but he asked for a tuba. Because of course. It’s so him.
Serenading us the whole ride home…
Lunch plate. His is the pink one with larger carrots and cucumber chunks.
Salad ingreds for success…all the greens + miso dressing + WF organic tamari almonds (RIP) + avocado.
I had soooo many carrots on the side. Like 50. Not exaggerating. Carrot love forever.
During their naps I was SO productive. I cut Kyle’s hair and ripped out all the gross dead plants from our summer garden. Then I pruned the heck out of everything. Our yard looks 8 million times better now. Thank goodness for this stretch of nice weather because I was starting to go crazy over how nasty and overgrown it all looked. Once P woke up I gave him a hair cut too, and then V joined the party and we all payed in the backyard until evening. It is finally starting to stay light out! That combined with the 60 degree weather was literally the vitamin D shot we all needed.
We attempted a park trip before dinner, but it was super windy and they weren’t into it. We came home and did art instead – including making Valentine’s for P’s whole class.
We had no dinner plans because I hadn’t gotten that far in menu planning and had spent the entire day before sorting out my WF purchases, so I grabbed things out of the pantry and made it work.
I came up with a millet dish with roasted tricolor carrots, roasted walnuts and herbs with a citrus vinaigrette. It was good, but not amazing (at least in my opinion).
Kyle and the kids gobbled it up though so whatever. I left the parsley and mint off of the kids’ portions because I know they don’t like them.
The citrus vinaigrette used oranges from my parents’ tree that they had dropped off earlier. I need an orange squeezer. Recs? I keep trying to make do with a lemon/lime squeezer and/or my hands but it turns out I am juicing oranges more than I thought I would be so it could be time to just get one. Kitchen gadgets are my drug of choice. After chocolate.
Firsts and seconds because I couldn’t stop eating the roasted walnuts. MMmmm..favorite part for sure.
Chocolate and the OJ trial show (finally released on Netflix) for our down time. I feel so bad for Marcia Clark knowing what I know and watching it now. It’s like a car crash that you can’t turn away from. P was kinda up all night that night because he has (had) a really nasty cold. It’s been going around and he finally got it and like other parents told me – it sucks. We stopped the show several times to go in and calm him down and tuck him back into bed. It was sad but also kinda sweet when he fell asleep on me like he used to when he was a baby. Luckily he got a few decent stretches of sleep in so the next day wasn’t too too terrible. I mean, I was still a zombie, but I had the high of birthday fun to get me through. And from there on the nights were progressively better and better. I think he only woke up three times the next night with coughing fits/freak outs. And then once the next night.
He woke up like a cheerful little thing though! We sang him happy birthday right away and once V was up (a whole 5 minutes later) we let him open his “presents.”
Full disclosure, Kyle and I wanted to do no presents for his birthday, but then he asked us if he would get to open presents on his birthday (the day before!) and so we realized maybe we should get him something to unwrap at least. So there was a 5 minute diversion on the way to the park the day before to get something for him to open.
One thing from us and one thing from V – a sweater “for church” and this cup. He has used that cup exclusively ever since. And he wore the sweater that day to church, so I’d say we did well.
Birthday pancakes! (No different than every other day pancakes but shhhh) I made a ton for the same reason I made myself a ton. Prep! Check!
It’s a just add cashew butter situation. 🙂 After a quick turn in the microwave I dug in right where I left off the day before.
Kyle and V went to swimming while P and I went to church and then we all met back up for lunch. This is the door game we play back at the car…he is such a giggle ball.
Pasta with olive oil (prepped for the week), assorted veggies, roasted chickpeas, and mandarin cuties.
And water in the new cup.
I had another super productive nap time – this time tackling the front yard. Our garbage and compost bins are stuffed to the max so I had to stop.
After naps we went to Jamba Juice and then the park…soaking up the gorgeous weather which felt like HEAVEN after weeks straight of storms.
T-shirt weather! It’s supposed to rain again in a few days but this recharged me for a bit.
P’s birthday dinner request was….TACOS!
Spaz face had two but would have had more had I not reminded him to save room for his birthday cupcake.
V didn’t get the shell concept at all, so hers ended up as chips and fillings. I had two and stopped, although I really wanted 100.
Total mom fail – I didn’t have any birthday candles!! But he didn’t care once I pulled out the Thomas candle from last year.
We sang to him again and then the kids had mini chocolate cupcakes.
Kyle had time for one show and dessert before heading to the airport, so I soaked up every last second with him until the weekend.
These guys are good Valentine’s too. 🙂
I used to think parents who said ‘I can’t believe my child just turned ____’ were crazy…you were with them all year, so of course they are another year older, right?! But my little one just turned 1 and I was all “oh my goodness I cannot believe she is 1! This is crazy!” I am sure I will be saying the same thing when she turns 4 as well 🙂 Happy birthday to P! It sounds like you had a great day and he had a fun bday!
PS we actually have that same cup for my little one–we got a bunch of cups to find one she liked and could use when she first started drinking water out of a cup–and I was so excited for it. But she can’t figure out how to use it and gets super frustrated and cries every time we try. We ended up with a stainless steel sippy cup instead. I’ll hang onto it, though, and keep trying as she gets older since it seems P likes his so much!
Yeah we went with the straw cups initially (both kids use their contigos), but now he really “needs” (in quotes because not really) to learn how to drink out of a cup. I used to hear parents talk about their four year olds and think that was so old and so far away…and here we are. Your baby girl is going to be four in the flash of an eye!!!!!
Happy birthday to P! I remember reading your birth story and it seems like just yesterday. My girl will be 4 in two weeks also! Where does the time go!?
Pleased also that you are getting better weather! It is soooooooo unbelievably hot and dry here in NSW AUS I think we should do a weather swap for a week or two! It’s been too hot to cook, I would love for a cold wet week to make some soups and baked goods!! 🙂
you know….the whole weather swap thing wouldn’t be a bad idea! i think i’d appreciate both extremes much more if they weren’t for months on end. the back and forth may be nice!