the big ONE

Our baby turned ONE on November 10th, and although his mommy was away at a Cursillo Women's Retreat getting her soul refueled, his daddy and brothers made is day very special. Paul bought the chocolaty-est cupcake he could find at the grocery store, found a candle somewhere in our cupboard, serenaded Nathanael with help from the big brothers, and then let Nathanael dive right in. Paul even remembered to take pictures (my 11 years of nagging him is finally paying off!) The only thing he forgot was a bib...but who needs bibs on their birthday, right?

It was very special for me to see photos of the celebration and to know that Paul and boys had fun while I was away having a different kind of fun of my own. I think it was so healthy for Paul to have that special bonding time with his boys without my interference too, and boy did they bond. When Paul and the boys came to pick me up from my retreat, Nathanael clung to daddy and wouldn't even come to me!!! At first I was a bit saddened by that, but then I realized how much it must warm Paul's heart to know that he was the "favored one" this time :) I think part of the reason Nathanael wouldn't come to me was because as soon as I saw the boys, I basically turned into a puddle of tears because I missed them so much and was so happy to see them. I don't think Nathanael has ever seen his mommy cry before, so when he saw my tear-stained face he was like, "Who is this crazy woman...there is no way I'm going to let her hold me!" Thankfully, once I pulled myself together and wiped my running mascara off my face, he quickly changed his mind and let me love on him :)

Here's the play-by-play in pictures from Nathanael's real birthday... We are going to have another celebration this weekend so that mommy can celebrate her baby's birthday too (my husband doesn't understand why we need to celebrate again, but I'm sure all you mothers out there understand) :)

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe daddy gave me a cupcake!"

"Now, what exactly do I do with it?"

"Hmmm, it tastes pretty good!"

"Oh ya, it tastes great and it's fun to play with too!"

"Nuts, it's a bit sticky though..."

"I'll just try to flick it on the floor to get it off my hands."

"This was the BEST BIRTHDAY OF MY LIFE!!!"