A day full of light

Our little Bubba guy turned four last week and we had quite a magical day. We started the day bright and early in the morning. Somehow it has become tradition to wake at the crack of dawn and open presents first thing. After he opened the presents that were on the birthday table (including his whale shark) his sisters led him down the hall to their room to give him another present - a firefighter costume. K had used some of her own Christmas money to buy it for him. They got him dressed in it and then Daddy threw a rope down the hall to Little L. He told him to pull it. At the end of the rope was a Little L sized fire truck made by his sisters and Daddy. I wish I caught the expression on his face when he saw it. He couldn't believe his eyes! Making the fire truck was K's idea, and boy does she know her little brother well (not to mention an old cardboard box turned into a vehicle is a very budget friendly gift!). K, C and Kevin lost a lot of sleep finishing that fire truck up late into the night on his birthday eve, but I think his excitement and hearing him say it was "his most favorite birthday present" made it all worthwhile.

We had his birthday cake after lunch, complete with marzipan hammerhead sharks made by the children. He originally requested a shark cake like last year's but with a hammerhead shark instead but when he saw these dairy-free key lime cheesecake bars he changed his mind and wanted them. Oh my goodness, I am so glad he decided on them instead, as the sugar factor alone is a reason to be happy, but they were rich and incredibly delicious. I know what I am requesting for my next birthday!

We spent most of the day outside enjoying the warm weather and bright sunshine. A lot of that time was spent playing firefighters but there was also some bow and arrow play, too, thanks to Nana and Grandpa. He wore his shark quiver for all of two minutes but hopefully he'll get some more use out of it in the future. On a side note: I ended up going with a no-sew version and replaced the pringles can called for in the tutorial with a poster tube. He also played for hours with his gifts (a conveyor belt and marble run) from Grandma that arrived that very day. I don't have any photos of those yet, though.

Little L really wanted us to grill out for his birthday dinner. Thankfully the weather was beautiful so we were able to oblige. We grilled some soy-free veggie dogs and all the veggies he desired (which included pickles). While Kevin and I prepared the food, Little L and his sisters had a special birthday video chat with some of our dearest friends back in Oregon. That was a gift in itself.

After dinner we made s'mores over the fire while discussing scalloped hammerheads at great length. Little L finished out his day with a family slumber party that included him sleeping in his special fire truck.

The day was full of warmth and light, much like my little boy (who's name happens to mean light). I don't think we could have asked for anything more. Happy fourth birthday my amazing little man. I love you so!

A day full of light