Today was Nicholas’ first official birthday party on Mother’s Day, a date which shall forever live in infamy. Err, wait a minute…wrong speech! Ahem…Mother’s Day, a date which shall forever be etched in our memory as a glorious day that changed our lives forever. That’s better, I think…
The week past has been a whirlwind of preparations for today’s festivities. We’ve got plenty of guests to fill out a new 18’x18′ tent we got for much less than the rental would have cost (and we have a shady pavilion for garage sales or the beach if we wish…or Daddy to live in if he annoys Mommy too much, but I digress).
Today’s big bash included delegations from Port Orange (FL), Columbus (OH), Fayetteville (NC) and Greater Metropolitan Zebulon (NC). We were so thankful for all who could come, particularly from great distances to share Nicholas’ birthday with us. A special thank-you goes out to Patrick for helping attach the tent canopy to the frame…that’s truly a two-person job! Also out on the lawn was Nicholas’ new sandbox in the shape of a tugboat (it’s really nifty), an inflatable ball-pit he’ll really love, and his new red wagon (complete with compartment for drinks and snacks…way to go Radio Flyer!).
Now, of course the day would not be complete without a big cookout and boy did we sacrifice things to the propane gods. Brats (bratwurst, that is…not children!), cheddar wurst, Italian sausage, and hot dogs. And there were all the trimmings including chicken salad, hash brown cassarole (yummy!), and a relish salad. And of course, all of the trimmings. You know, I probably shouldn’t be writing this entry so close to lunch… 🙂 But seriously, if you left hungry, it wasn’t for lack of opportunity!
After the first round of food, it was time to blow out some candles on Nicholas’ Sesame Street-themed cake. Of course, we must bow to tradition and Nicholas was turned loose on an angel food cake that Mommy baked especially for him to shred. And shred it he did! The really nice thing is that he also ate a fair amount of that cake…guess the eat sand to the exclusion of all else thing he was doing in Port Orange over Easter is over and done with. While Nicholas was doing a number on his cake, the rest of us worked over his Sesame Street cake and one thing we’ve found is that those cakes from Sam’s Club are really good.
Of course, this was just leading up to the main event which was sensory overload for everyone under the age of five. It must be said that the living room was actually picked up and clean until all of the presents arrived from various quarters. There was barely enough room for us to watch the wrapping paper fly!
There were presents galore and not just for our little one though his pile was right impressive. Thank you so much for showing so much generosity towards Nicholas and making his first birthday really special. We may have a fun time trying to figure out where to put all of this stuff but never fear, we’re working toward a new house that’s more appropriately sized to the needs of containing his toys! 🙂
After the presents, it was time to head back outside to the tent for round two of the ritual sacrifice to the propane gods and just hang out and enjoy a wonderful evening. We had a bit of baseball and a lot of hanging out and it was an enjoyable time.
After our guests had filtered out for the evening, we were able to drop out of sheer exhaustion. We had spent the better part of the previous week getting ready for the party and it was time very well spent. We were so thrilled that we could have so many people celebrate Nicholas’ first birthday in a grand style. And we are so thankful for all of the love sent Nicholas’ way from family who were here and those that weren’t. It means quite a bit to us, dear readers…have no doubts of that! 🙂
