Birthdays and toys and giving; Oh my!

   This week has been a total whirlwind! It was full of work, the kids, peppermint mochas from Starbucks (I just can't get enough) and more work. It certainly wasn't a bad week but the highlight was definitely Gabe's birthday party on Saturday. He turns 5 on November 18th. I do not know where the time went or how in the blink of an eye he went from a baby to a 5 year old boy. He decided this year to have his party at Chuck E Cheese. It was crazy but an absolutely blast. When I was buckling him into the car at the end of it all, he said "This was the most fun and best day of my life!" It made me so happy to hear him say that.

 

 

Deciding on a cake this year was quite the fiasco. He went back and fourth 6 times before deciding on Lightening McQueen which we have done for 3 out of 5 birthdays.

 

That was the table of kids at the party. Kids from Gabe's class, our friends kids, the turn out was incredible and it's so awesome to have so many amazing people in our lives.

 

Blowing out the candle on his 5th birthday cake!

 

Dancing with Chuckie!

 

Gabe and his friend Sylar waiting for the ticket blaster to start. Boy did they enjoy this. I think it was the part he was most looking forward to.

We all had a great time. It was awesome to get to know some of the parents from Gabe's classmates and to spend time with our family and friends. It was definitely hectic and a little overwhelming but it ended up being a fantastic day.

When we went home Gabe got to open all of his presents. It looked like a toy bomb had exploded all over my living room. He is so lucky and very spoiled by our amazing family and friends. I found him acting a little bit ungrateful. I know that he's only 5 and he can't understand how lucky he is so I decided to try something to make him see just how lucky he is.

I made him pick one of the presents that he received to give to someone who needs it more than he does. It is definitely the time of year where it will be easy to find a place that needs the toy. I am going to have him wrap it himself and go with me to drop it off. I hope that it teaches him to be grateful for all of the amazing things that he has in his life. He is an amazing kid with a big heart and I want to teach him to stay giving and caring. I hope that it is a tradition that we can carry on for a long time and that he learns to love and appreciate.

It was a wonderful weekend and an experience we will all remember for a long time.