Elijah's Birthday Party!

Well, we have our computer set-up at my parents’ house now, and since it’s been over a month since our last post the pressure is really on to get up and at it again. So we’ll start where we left off – at Elijah’s birthday!

Once again this year, Grandma Amanda and Grandpa Terry opened their home to us and let us have Eli’s party at their house. And we had quite a crowd again, with both sides of our family able to make it! We have such a good time when we get together too – I don’t think we left until close to 5!

Anyway, the party was really fun, and Elijah once again was lavished with gifts.

He wasn’t too sure about the whole opening present thing though, which surprised me since he had taken to it so well at Christmas time. One of the first things he opened was a “Triple Track Tower” race track from my brother and sister-in-law and he was VERY excited about that. So excited he took off in to the other room with Nathan and Andrew and DID NOT want to come back and open more presents. We insisted though, and even barred his way back in to the other room, but he only wanted the track. That put a little damper on the festivities. But then he got a cool wagon with toys in it (which we took to GR with us and he pushes up and down the driveway endlessly) and a big Tonka dump truck (which he calls his “monter truck” for monster truck) and he seemed happier. Still wanted the track, but he was happier at least!

Elijah’s at the age that if he can’t figure out the toy right away then he’s indifferent to it at first, even if later it ends up to be the coolest thing ever. That’s the way it was with some of his big presents this year – he got a very cool sand and water table which he absolutely loves now and plays with constantly, but at first he wasn’t so sure about! Then he got a new tricycle from Mom and Dad – again he just stared at it like, “What is this supposed to be?” but now he loves it. And he got the toy that is a rite of passage for any little kid – a Big Wheel! It took him a few tries to figure out how to move himself around on it (he doesn’t get using the pedals yet) but once he did you better watch out!

The toy that was the biggest hit with the three boys as Elijah’s new play kitchen though (even though I don’t think Nathan wanted to admit he thought it was fun). Elijah just loves playing with all the pots and pans (they make frying and bubbling noises on the burners!) and serving us corn and pizza and hamburgs. He received a whole set of extra food and pans too, so we have lots of plastic food to play with (including little plastic potato chips and donuts!). It’s quite the kitchen, and I think Grandma Amanda and Mom had just as much fun playing with kitchen as Eli to tell the truth!

After presents it was on to cake time! Elijah received a special cake this year, made just for him with lots of love by his Mommy. It was a train, with Elijah driving and then Lexi, Tori, and Noah in the passenger car. Jeff and Lori and the kids couldn’t be at the party, so I put them on the cake instead! Elijah LOVED LOVED LOVED his train cake, but wasn’t so sure about why everyone was looking at him and singing. When we told him to blow out the candles he did right away though! And then when we told him he could touch and eat the cake he hesitated a bit, then leaned down and took a bite out of the wheel! I cut out that piece for him, never giving it a thought that he had the piece with black icing. I don’t have a picture, but his face was black, and his tongue and teeth too! By the time I got back from the kitchen cutting the rest of the cake Elijah was already done eating his piece and was on to playing with Nathan and Andrew.

The boys just had a blast together playing the kitchen, the track, the Big Wheel, everything! I think Elijah didn’t stop laughing for at least an hour. I took a video of Elijah playing with Nathan and Andrew and his Big Wheel, but the lighting wasn’t great so you can’t really see it well. Eli would ride his Big Wheel toward Natey and Andrew and just in the nick of time they would jump on to the couch so they didn’t get run over. All 3 of them would just laugh and laugh as they did this over and over and over! The boys also were in fits “wrestling” each other (with Eli trying his moves out on Dad as well). I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sound of them playing together; they were just having such a good time.

All in all a great birthday party for little Eli. Good food, lots of fun and family, a whole bunch of presents, and a nummy train cake to boot. It doesn’t get much better than that. Happy Birthday, Elijah!