Favorite Things: Happy 3rd Birthday, Pax!

A party just isn't a party unless it has a theme is my general opinion of celebrations and festivities.  Hence, although our birthday celebration for sweet Pax this year was family-only, I was plagued with guilt because a "real" party should have a theme.

I had a theme, but two wise friends and one very convincing mother talked me out of it - my theme was "Go to Chuck E. Cheese."  We've never taken the kids, and I figured it would be fun for them - but the gasps of horror when I announced this plan coupled with the fact that my mother kept telling me that my father was asking her, "Did I really agree to go to C.E.C., or was that just a nightmare I had?"  - convinced me to consider alternatives.

Finally, I settled on a new theme and a better plan - a "Favorite Things" party.  We would do all of Pax's favorite things, all on one day, one right after another.

So we had pizza at a fun restaurant with a small arcade in the back (a nod to my original plan of Chuck E Cheese.):

We headed to one of the best playgrounds in town, one we don't get a chance to go to all that often, but always enjoy:

Pax's new best friend, Skippyjon Jones, was thrilled to join in every adventure.....

We attempted a group photo. (Betcha didn't know that one of Pax's favorite things is group photos...!)  But Leo was in a total funk, and it took eleven shots to get just two with all of us in it.  Totally entertaining for everyone at the park who watched us beg, plead, coax, and cajole Leo into joining us.  Imagine my annoyance, therefore, to discover that the ISO setting was way too high on the camera, and all of said pictures were blurry.  (Or blurry because of the ISOL setting - that would be In Search Of Leo....)

We headed to a local orchard for apple picking, running around, and generally having a good time.  But the orchard was packed; we were all in our church clothes, still; and there were two mean boys determined to torment the already-fragile Leo.  (Not even my meanest stink-eye nor giving them a bit of a MamaBear what-for deterred them from calling him "buttcheek" and "little wimp.")  We enjoyed a quick snack of apple cider and apple cider donuts (still warm and so fresh!) and then escaped the madness of the apple orchard.

Next we took a ride on the golf cart out to the boat for a boat ride (favorite things, remember?) and it was simply a gorgeous day on the water.  I love these times on the lake, because of the imminent change - the leaves just starting to show their colors; the air, blowing in cool gusts, suggesting colder days ahead; the water, calmer and quieter now that summer has ended.  Our three year old driver impressed us with his skill behind the wheel:

We topped the night off with hot dogs and cheese doodles, then had cake and ice cream:

One of my favorite things?  is him.  My baby.  My sweet Pax boy.  Who asked for a "hold onto" instead of "drumettes" or "chicken leg" when I served rotisserie chicken the other night at dinner.  Who announced, clearly and carefully at dinner that same night during good part/bad part, "My best part was yous clean my room for me" - this on the heels of me spending the entire day immersed in swapping out clothes according to seasons and sizes, purging paperwork unearthed from closets stored the day we moved into the house, and largely ignoring the small boy who helped himself to candy corn, poured himself some Diet Coke, and stacked couch cushions up in the kitchen, just to see what was on the countertops.  Who, on that same day, saw with apparent relief that my own bed was finally cleared off and exclaimed, "Yay yay!  Yous bed is clean now, yay yay!"  Who says "yous" all the time instead of "you."

Happy Birthday, Pax, Augustus.  I love this first photo of you because of the unmistakable emotions evident in my own face: relief; joy; gratitude; love. Mostly, this photo says to me, "I am so glad you are here. I cannot imagine my life without you...." We are even more smitten with you now than we were in those first few moments together.