Is it possible we have a 5 YEAR OLD in the house?
Since age 2 when Ian first saw some neighborhood kindergartners boarding the school bus, Ian has awaited his 5th birthday with great anticipation. And amid all our relocation chaos, the big day finally arrived! We didn't accomplish many of the traditions that day -- balloons on the mantel and chair, crepe paper across the bar, (or actually spending more than 5 minutes in our carefully staged house) but I did manage to get some Birthday Boy pictures when we woke him up!
The tired birthday boy!
He's an early bird and is not at all accustomed to being awakened by someone else. He was surprised to see Joseph and I before 7 am!
But it didn't take long for him to put his party face on!
The BIG FIVE!
Because the entire house had been scrubbed, polished and steam-cleaned the day before, we opted for breakfast at American Donut. This proved to be an extra big treat because while enjoying our donuts, we got to watch the donut-making process from our seats. (This beat eating an Egg-McMuffin on his preschool teachers driveway, which we had done the morning before while the aforementioned cleaners were hard at work on our kitchen. Unfortunately that scenario has played out countless times in other locations over the last two months...!)
They each selected the perfect kolache and donut. And Ian requested "those little parts that go in the middle of the circled part of the donut." So we got some of those too.
Ian carried that balloon everywhere! He'd be asking for one from Kroger for at least 6 months.
After that we dropped Ian off at preschool, where he got to share the multi-colored grocery store cupcakes (you know the ones -- the kind with a plastic ring imbedded in some unnatural blue-colored frosting with sprinkles. Ian was ecstatic when he saw that I had not in fact baked the mix he had chosen, but had outsourced to Kroger instead.) The chance to share a birthday treat and be sung to at school is referred to as a VIP birthday, and it was a big highlight to his day.
Since we had originally been planning to leave on our house-hunting trip the following day, we told him he could invite 5 friends to the park for some cake and ice cream that evening. I thought it was adorable that he included his little brother and another 3 year old named Andrew, "for Joseph to play with". He also invited our new friend Lincoln, who happened to be visiting from Newfoundland, our soon-to-be home! I had wanted to do a big blowout birthday party because our social guy Ian was already sad to tell his friends goodbye. But I felt I was smart in keeping it small and very low-key, even though it made me a bit sad too. So I ordered some dinosaur-themed items on Amazon, asked Scott to pick up some Little Caesars, sent out an email a day or two beforehand, and called it good.
Then I dashed off for back-to-back appointments with our realtor, the stager, and the home photographer. It was a busy, busy day!
When I picked up Ian from school he informed me that everyone in his entire 9-person class was --TA-DA!-- going to be able to join us for the party! He told everyone to meet at a certain park at 4:00 pm that afternoon -- a message all his classmates dutifully delivered to their moms at pick-up. The moms all called to make sure it was a real invitation, and do you know what? I thought it was really cool they took the invitation seriously, and I was thrilled! Except for a last-minute park switcheroo (due to construction) it was perfect. The weather was great, the kids were well-mannered, and Ian felt very special and celebrated. I can't say enough how glad I am that Ian took the invitation list into his own hands! Plus it was meant to be -- I had exactly enough party supplies for all twelve kids!
At some point that afternoon I decided that if you throw a party for 12 preschoolers (with a few hours notice), while a photographer is at your house taking pictures for your listing, the day before you fly to another country for two weeks (with only 5 days notice), and you are putting your house on the market before you leave, you just have to be chill about the party details. Evidence of my chill: the ugly shirt that Ian is not only wearing, but wearing backwards, and inside out. But I don't think it's any coincidence that the lowest-stress was also the highest-fun party I have ever thrown.
On to the pictures:
Everyone picked a dinosaur mask and practiced their scariest dino pose.
Then they played dinosaur freeze tag.
"Help! Unfreeze us!"
It was fun to watch them all dart around the yard. I don't think they ever kept track of who was "it", and just ran around helter-skelter squealing when anyone got near. And it was really fun to watch them freeze in place.
Then it was time to play Paleontologist and find the plastic dinosaurs Scott hid all over another playground. . The preschool kids had just learned about paleontologists at school and it was adorable listening to them talk like mini experts.
Success!
Those kids are all good buddies and I loved watching them help each other.
On to the pinata! The dinosaur pinata was painfully overpriced, so I got an after-Easter special for $2 instead, and told myself not to feel too lame about it. But the partiers began calling it the "dinosaur egg" pinata. Perfect!
Unfortunately only two kids got to whack it before it sprung open. Turns out $2 was all it was worth after all!
The real fun came when Scott raised and lowered the egg over the swingset bar, plopping in on the kids' heads. They could have gone on for hours!
Next up was pizza....
... and birthday cake!
And presents! I loved that the kids could write parts of their own cards and Ian could read them. They all seemed so grown up!
After the party was over, we lingered at the park. It was such a gorgeous evening.
And we even managed to get a family photo!
We were all so caught up in the celebration and the togetherness that when we got home and saw something new stuck in our lawn, we had to remind ourselves we really were moving away!
Happy Birthday to our Five-Year-Old! You surprise us with your intellect, dazzle us with your memory for minute details of people, places and events, and delight us with your hugs and pecks on the cheek (rare as they are). You always remember to ask how Dad's day was. You like to add and subtract in your head. You are incredibly persuasive and are determined to get your way. But when you don't win, you often say "Oh Well" and walk away. But sometimes you pitch an enormous fit. You chose your bedtime song by the number of verses it has (Current favorite: There is a Green Hill Far Away, because it has 4 verses. Never mind that it is still only half a page long). Your undershirts are always tucked in. Sometimes the top shirt is too. And often, it's tucked into your underpants.You are serious about looking after your little brother and sister. Unless they defy your will. Then they better watch out. You sound like a young man when you talk with your friends. You do a fabulous job making your bed every morning, and you even fold back the covers and place the pillows and stuffed "friends" like Mom does. You are motivated by the success of others and you are willing to work hard to do your best. You make up the funniest nicknames, rhyming words and phrases, and have a gift with rhythm and music.We love you Ian Boy, and are looking forward to many great years ahead! We are so glad to be your family!
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