Birthday Milestones

As is always the case, Seth and Zac celebrate their birthdays within a month of each other. As they've gotten older, the "big-dealness" of the birthdays have grown--for instance, we have an official "birthday dinner" on the actual day (waffles, anyone?), and usually have something fun on the weekend, like a movie night and no chores. A Celebration Weekend of sorts.

When it came to parties, we had a bit of a divergence. Seth opted for the traditional home party, with a sundae twist. We invited his buddies over (three came) for sundaes on Sunday, then had a treasure hunt and a balloon pop relay. Everyone had a fabulous time, and it was a nicer environment than last year, when the law of the jungle was the rule (8 boys with a cold April snowshower outside--never again!)

Zac has decided this year that he wanted to just invite a few friends to the pool for ice cream and swimming. Of course, that means we have to wait for the pool to open! But I think the fact that he is TWO digits now has affected his thinking in several ways. We're officially in the "tween" bracket now, and I see it in a multitude of ways. He's more of a big boy in how he thinks and responds now, wants to look cool, put away childish things. The birthday "hang-out" is a part of this.

I'm actually excited about it. All the boys are getting into ages where we can go places and do things without breaking out a stroller or diaper bag, searching for a lost paci, melting down because it's WAY past naptime or stopping to wipe noses/wipe mouths/tie shoes (okay, still some of that). They're little people you can have a real conversation with now. And they're fun...lots of fun. Here's to enjoying the next stage, because, like babyhood, it won't last.