Double Digits!

EJ's 10th birthday has come and gone and I can't believe how quickly ten years have flown by. It does seem like yesterday he was a baby. At Evan's age now, he was a big brother for the first time and at Alison's age now he was a big brother times two! He is a very good big brother and was meant for the role. There are many times he instigates his siblings, but I know they annoy him alot. He really does put up with alot. It's tough being a big brother and not a job every kid can handle. In fact, the more I see Evan with my friends' little kids, the more I realize Evan would NOT make a good big brother. He does not tolerate the younger kids very well! On EJ's actual birthday, he had school! I can't remember him EVER having to be in school for his birthday since it usually falls over Christmas break. He was NOT happy about this, but I guess it turned out to be an okay day. After school, EJ got to talk to his Dad via Skype. Jay stayed up late to wish EJ a Happy Birthday and then watch EJ open some of his presents. Afterwards, the four of us headed to the Olive Garden for EJ's birthday dinner choice. We got there right at 5 p.m., got seated immediately, had good service in the beginning and then felt forgotten once the restaurant got busy. It seemed like forever before we could get out of there and being at the restaurant with me and just the kids gets exhausting... Anyway, for EJ's birthday party this year, I finally decided to have a LEGO themed party at the house. I struggled with having a party at all or having him invite a few friends to do something fun. In the end, I figured this may be the last party he actually chooses to have. Well, with having a party I knew what I was getting myself in to, but I didn't have much of a choice. There just aren't alot of fun opportunities for ten year olds in this area. If we traveled an hour West or North then there would be many choices. Of course, I didn't want to ask his friends to travel that far. The party was definitely the right way to go! All but one boy who was invited showed up. They all had a good time and got along great. Lucky for me, one of the Moms decided to stay and help out. I could've done the party by myself, but it was SO nice to have an extra set of hands! The boys started the party by having some free build time. Let me tell you, boys are quite creative! I was impressed with their individual creations. Afterwards, they took a guess to how many LEGOS were in a jar and then they headed straight to the play room for their first game. The boys had five minutes to build as many mini figures as they could. The winner built twenty-three of them! I figured the boys were ready for snacks so off to the kitchen they giggled. They enjoyed pizza rolls, chicken wings, chips, veggies, fruit and cheese/crackers. I sorta had to hurry them along while eating and socializing (can't believe how much this chatter decreases over the years). The next planned game was LEGO Bingo. Of course, it couldn't be the usual across, down or horizontal Bingo...oh no. The first round was the letter "X" across the card. Some of the boys decided to go play after that round, but the ones that stayed played two more games. One boy was so cute because as he'd get close to winning he'd announce, "Only two more!" Yet he didn't win! The two hour party definitely went fast. I had to be mindful of the clock, so after Bingo, it was time to sing and eat cake. Little did EJ know that I bought trick candles to put on his cake. This is SO right up EJ's alley! I knew he'd get a kick out of this surprise. What I didn't plan on happening was ALL the boys helping EJ blow out the candles. It didn't take him as long as I'd hope to blow them out! I had to relight the candles just to get a few seconds of video on my cell phone! There was just a few minutes left to open presents. More LEGOS were given and a few gift cards. EJ definitely had a good time and it made me happy to know I helped him be the happiest a ten year old boy could be!!

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