Happy birthday to the bear.

Happy 6th Birthday to Little J.  Our Bear.  One of the best surprises I have received in my entire life, despite the fact that he came with many milk spills and late nights applying steroid cream to eczema and HUGE tonsils and a fiery temper (at times) to match his red hair.  I would do it all over again, for this kid, who announced his impending arrival, TWO MONTHS after the twins came home from the NICU.


I know I have been lame sauce lately, but this weekend I hosted 10, six-year-old boys for Little J's birthday party, and my preparations consisted of fixating on how, exactly, to make Yoda Soda.  In case you're wondering, it requires two ingredients (sherbet & 7-up), but we decided to *improvise* by using ice cream instead of sherbet, and this caused me GREAT anxiety and abnormal fear that the dairy would somehow curdle or turn to poison.  I think we can all agree that this was a psychotic episode, disguised as a Pinterest project.  But more on that later.  


Tonight I am going to bed EXHAUSTED--but we have spent a weekend surrounded by amazing friends and family; Little J's birthday party yesterday, followed by dinner with new friends who feel like friends we've known our entire lives; followed by Little J's ACTUAL birthday, church, lunch with friends, which turned into a zombie bounce house party (when they crumbled sidewalk chalk in the bounce house and marinated in it for a couple of hours), which led to being washed with a garden hose, which led to a 10-kid hot tub party, which then led to everyone coming back to our house for a pizza dinner.  I can't make this stuff up.  I planned to take a nap this afternoon, while Little J was brainwashed by his favorite activity (the Wii); but instead we spontaneously decided to hang out with our best friends for eight hours (and two meals) straight.  And we LOVED every minute of it.


Happy Birthday, Little J!  You are one amazing little boy--just the right combination of energy and sweetness.  You LOVE your siblings, and you particularly LOVE to bug your sister's friends, which means TROUBLE in the high school years.  Because no one can resist you, kid.