my world, my true

I got really excited this year about Knox’s birthday because he really gets it this time. He understands that it’s all about him and I wanted to emphasize that and create some cool traditions for him (and Lately) to look forward to next year (and hopefully for years to come, if he doesn’t outgrow them too soon!).

He shares a birthday with my mother-in-law, so I decided this year that it’s important for them to have a celebration separate from his party. She had Tarrell’s side of the family to her house for cake, playtime, ice cream & popcorn. He loved getting to play with his cousins and his grandma “Dah.” I think we’ll try to do something like this every year.

I decorated his door with streamers and balloons while he was sleeping the night before his birthday and I had a big T-Rex birthday surprise waiting for him that morning. The look on his face was priceless and I can’t wait to continue this tradition for both of our children for years to come.

Daddy made “Pookie Pancakes” for birthday breakfast. The Little Pookie Books by Sandra Boynton (book review coming soon!) have been his (and our) favorites for a while now. In the book “Happy Birthday, Little Pookie!,” Pookie’s dad makes him the same exact pancakes and Tarrell was excited to make them for Knox. Though the type of breakfast may change as they get older, I think it’s a fun tradition to make them a special treat first thing in the morning.

Lunch in bed. I let Knox pick a movie and have his lunch on the “big bed” and he thought it was pretty cool. (Also note the toys sitting with him. Daddy decided he would spread his presents throughout the whole day. We gave him one little present every couple of hours and it never got old.)

We didn’t make a big deal of dinner since we had his birthday party on his actual birthday, but when I was growing up we always got to pick out our favorite restaurant or our favorite home-cooked meal for dinner…and of course there was cake! Maybe when they are a little bit older, we can start that tradition as well.

Birthdays are so much fun. Tarrell is not big on birthdays and gifts…he doesn’t like the extra attention and he doesn’t like receiving gifts (what a weirdo!), so I tried explaining why I think it’s important to make a big deal of birthdays and I think I got my point across when I explained it this way last year. Knox is special. Of course I want him to know that every single day, but, to me, a big birthday means giving him one day a year to let him know just how special he really is. Making a big to-do shows him that we know him, we understand him and what he loves and we support him. We are feeding his passions (as insignificant as they may seem to some), we are lifting him up…everyday, but especially on that one special day.