Anticipation....!!!

Kenny's birthday is in two days, and although turning 10 years old it will really be his 2nd birthday every celebrated. Yesterday morning we were all in the kitchen making breakfast, and Kenny reminded us all "My birthday in only 4 more days!" and so I broke out into a Happy Dance Chant and we all hopped around singing and giggling, excited for Kenny's birthday and for him.

The anticipation continued this morning when I was in the bathroom, and the boys must have all just awoken and right outside my bathroom door I hear a quietly spoken "Hey Mom!" and I replied "Good morning, Kenny!" and then as if he couldn't contain himself he said "Two more days until my birthday, only TWO MORE DAYS!!!". Hahaha!

I had intended to get him one gift, but could only find cheaper quality than I wanted to spend, so instead found something I know will amaze him yesterday. After I got home from lunch and shopping, and he arrived home with his brothers I started saying in a sing-song voice "I got Kenny's present, and it's a really GOOD one!!" and the look of excitement on his face was precious...he could barely contain himself and was jumping up and down and laughing. This is such a big deal to him, as it is to any kid, but having only celebrated once before it is all still very, very new.

Although his birthday is technically Saturday, we are celebrating tomorrow after school so I can more easily haul kids that live in the next town over where our children go to school. We will be taking he and a couple of friends bowling tomorrow after school then back to our house where we will have pizza and cake. This, of course, will be preceeded by cupcakes for his class in the afternoon. He is actually our only one whose birthday falls during school to celebrate easily with a class, as Matthew's is after school is out in June, and Joshie's is the day after Christmas.

We are getting the boys used to the idea of a scaled down holiday/birthday season. We have never gone hog wild, but we know with soon-to-be 5 kids it will be a huge struggle and the temptation to spoil them will just have to be discarded. I am done with their Christmas shopping, and they will not be hurting but that is largely thanks to Walmart's clearance section before the new line came in this year for the season, as well as a few bargains from Ebay and the Dollar Tree. We have always tried to resist being overly materialistic with gifts, but with Kenny we found it suddenly harder and admittedly he might get a bit more this time around as he has finally settled into true likes and dislikes, and his developmental catch up time is slowing a bit. We bought items for him last year that he loved immediately, played with for a month, and then developmentally it was all of a sudden too low for him as he leapfrogged through stages. He also found virtually anything entertaining but had no real true strong likes or dislikes, which he now has developed and it makes it easier to get him something he will really enjoy. Older child adoption sure does keep your brain moving as the parent as you try to keep up with "Where are they today?"!!

So we have a birthday extravaganza, La Joy style, (i.e. Basically pretty low key...no hired Pirates or Ponies!!) along with a wonderful trip to the Colorado National Monument scheduled this weekend where some dear friends have offered to take the boys on an adventure which includes utilizing the resources provided by the Rangers there. We are all really looking forward to that! We need to enjoy the last of the fall weather while we can, as truthfully it already feels much like winter and the snow peaked mountains are a reminder that warmer days are dwindling. I heard from a friend in Gunnison that it was 5 degrees the other morning, and I grimaced as I imagined the next few months of frozen stiff jeans, asthmatic wheezing the second I get out of my warm van, and dozens of missing gloves from the boys.

So I am off to the Dollar Store once more to gather paper and party supplies for my Big Boy! Can't wait to see the look on his face, and I wonder if he will sleep tonight at all :-)