Buona Pasqua!

Zeke and I have been adamant about raising Liam (and now Josephine) to know holidays for what they should represent... not just a jolly fat man who spies on you and breaks into your home to leave you presents or a giant rabbit that roams around people's yards pooping out candy-filled eggs. We never want our kids to be confused about what really matters. Liam knows Christmas is Jesus' birthday (and Pappy's!), and he knows more than he probably should at his age about the death and resurrection of Jesus that we reflect upon every Easter.

But as you can see from these pictures, we also never want our kids to miss out on commercial fun.

When Josephine woke us for a sunrise feeding, Zeke and I stayed up and got to work. While Zeke found some entertaining places to hide eggs and treats, I stalked him with my hand-drawn map of our yard. I mean, come on. It's Liam. He performed an archaeological dig for Christmas. Of course he is going to want a map to search for Easter goodies.

The next morning, Liam reviewed the map and said, "Hey Mommy, we never got this special treat over here."
And I was all authoritative, saying, "No, we got them all."...
"But look at the map. You didn't cross it off."
"I just forgot to mark it. I am sure we got them all." (I was now no longer sure of that... but had to maintain a semblance of omniscience for the guy.)
"Okay, Mommy. We wouldn't want to leave anything outside or it might go bad."

After this little informative conversation, Liam headed to his room to grab his Zoobs and build another amazing robot creature. Meanwhile, I quietly stepped outside into the yard. Lo and behold, a Snickers peanut butter egg was still neatly tucked in one of the hiding spots. After a day in the sun, it had completely misshapen, but it was still in perfect, unopened condition. I brought it in the house and stuck it in the fridge.

And like a good, protective Mommy, I didn't force Liam to eat the abandoned candy. I ate it. Like five minutes after I put it in the fridge. The sacrifices we parents make...  :)

I hope everyone had a Buona Pasqua -- Happy Easter, giant candy-pooping bunnies and all.

Liam è di quattro anni!

Our little boy is four. FOUR. We have a four-year-old son. I still get surprised when I see a reflection of Liam and me and realize how big he is getting. Before we know it, he will be completely outgrowing me! (not like that takes much... Jess here... ha!)

So we have never thrown him a birthday party before, because I am a firm believer in letting a child decide what he wants. You can't convince me that your two-year-old specifically requested a Cabo-themed party with a three-tiered cake, iPads for party favors... so until now, we have just had a nice family celebration at home with Liam, nothing crazy. This year, he requested a party. The discussion went kind of like this:

"Mommy, can I have a birthday party with my friends when I am four?"
"Sure, hon. What kind of party?"
"Under the sea. Like with sea animals, like sting rays, and sharks, and an octopus... and a blue and green cake."
"Okay, how many people do you want to invite?"
"Oh, a lot of people. Like a lot of my friends. Like 6."

Donesies. I love this kid. So easy to please.

The night before his actual birthday, we let Liam open one present from us. He had asked for a black and white sting ray and a flashlight for his birthday presents, and we were happy to oblige. We let him open the ray... however, right before he unwrapped it, I told him we got him new underwear. He opened the present, saw the black and white fabric, and said with sincere joy, "OH! COW UNDERWEARS! COW JAMMIES! THANK YOU SO MUCH!"  Zeke and I just about lost it right there. Once he opened the package and saw it was a sting ray... he was even happier. LOVE THIS KID.

On the 24th, we had a weird birthday dinner... Liam wanted birthday waffles, so I found a way to modify my waffle recipe to make it suitable for a meal. Then I ruined the somewhat healthy quality of them by smothering the waffles in Nutella, Cool Whip, and frosting. He got to open the rest of his presents (the beloved flashlight, plus an awesome board game and some well-preserved Zoltron figures from my parents) and prepare himself for the weekend's birthday fun.

That weekend, for party favors, all the kids got shark bubbles, blow up fish, a goofy fish visor, a fish straw, stamps, stickers, and silly putty. Kid stuff.  I designed a kid-friendly version of cornhole: Toss The Jellyfish. I took dried split peas, bagged them in saran wrap, and covered them in construction paper that I MacGuyvered to look like jellyfish. The kids would stand on either end of the hall and try to toss the jellyfish onto sea anemones and seaweed drawn on paper plates. We also did a game of Pin the Arms on the Octopus. Oh, and of course, a party isn't a party without a piñata (another specific request from Liam).  I made a ridiculous cake covered in blue frosting, with white waves and gummi sharks and frogs. Unintentionally, Liam ended up with his own GIGANTIC piece of cake... see for yourself in the pictures here!

I already have some ideas for next year's party (assuming they fit what Liam wants)... now we just need to figure out where to live, who his friends will be, and what flavor cake he will want!