Happy Birthday Ivan Boy!

Ivan turned four yesterday. I'm not quite sure how that happened. He can't be four already!? It really snuck up on me.

For several months Ivan has been patiently waiting to turn four. When he says his prayers at night he asks to turn four. :) And one of things he wanted most for his birthday was to go camping. Soooo not in the cards with a new baby and it being March and all. But we did our best to give him the next best thing. I made him a campfire birthday cake. (Probably the easiest cake I've made for a child's bday so far, thanks Ivan!) And for one of his gifts we gave him an indoor play tent. Also, Aaron began construction on the fire pit in the post above, so that we could have some of Ivan's friends and their families over to roast hot dogs and marshmallows for Ivan's birthday party. I think he was pretty happy with his day over all.

On Sunday (the day before his birthday) we had my parents and Aaron's parents over to celebrate. When I asked Ivan what he wanted for birthday dinner he said, "Oatmeal." Um? Oatmeal? So I convinced him that oatmeal would be a better thing to have for his birthday breakfast. He agreed and then chose pineapple pizza to have for Sunday dinner. So we had pineapple pizza, strawberry lemonade, a green salad, and a grape salad. Then we opened presents.

Top left: Ivan and Adelia in the new tent. Top right: Gramma Tam and Papa Kerry gave Ivan his first baseball mitt and a ball. Bottom left: The campfire cake looked awesome when we lit the candles! Bottom right: Grandma and Grandpa Swan gave Ivan a rubbermade container full of beans and scoops. Kid heaven!

On his real birthday, I took Ivan outside during quiet time to get some birthday pictures of him. He was so funny. He wanted to pose himself, and make funny faces. 

Then, I asked him to show me how old he was...he held up his fingers like this, with the pinky down instead of the thumb:

In the evening our friends and neighbors came over to help us celebrate. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows in the new fire pit, and the adults chatted while the kids ran around and dug in the dirt. It was a lot of fun. And it was pretty low key, which I appreciated. Ivan doesn't really like to be the center of attention in large groups, so an informal party was just the ticket. He didn't want anyone to leave. And once the party was over he asked if we could do it again tomorrow. :) 

Julie, Sam, Lincoln, Adelia, Ivan, Peter, and Aaron

The three amigos roasting mallows in the smoke

I love you my Ivan Boy! You have gotten so big this last year. I'm so proud of all the things you've accomplished. You can write your name, and all your letters all by yourself. You are starting to sound out words. You like to help Lincoln count to 100. You can go zooming fast on your bike. You are potty trained! I never thought we'd see the day, but you did it! And you are one of the sweetest people I know, you are always willing to share, without being asked. You like to sing softly to Oliver to help him stop crying. And I can count on you to come snuggle me when you wake up in the mornings. You adore your Dad, and love to help him with all his projects. And you get along really well with Adelia and Lincoln. Your favorite color is green. Your favorite food is pizza. You asked for chocolate ice cream for your birthday. You like to watch Jake and the Neverland Pirates after you finish your chores in the mornings. And you'd stay outside all day if I'd let you. Happy Birthday, I love you, and I'm so glad that I get to be your mom.