Three

My baby boy is three today.
We had a huuuuge party this weekend. 14 adults, 21 kids, 6 pizzas, 10 waterguns, a million presents, and the biggest bouncy house ever!
I threw his party here at the house last year, 4 months pregnant with zero help. In my post-party exhaustion I swore I'd never do it at home again. This year I can swallow my words with a hefty serving of help from both my husband and my awesome friends. My friend Julie was over nearly every day last week cleaning and organizing, digging up some empty babyfood jars and helping paint them, juggling babies and prepping snacks. I would have been a mess without her!
Between homework Jason ran errands and vacuumed. Gave orders to the boys to get them to clean their playroom. Pumped me full of Starbucks pumpkin lattes. And retrieved the bouncy house and pizzas. I sent him to the Rec center Saturday to pick up the bounce house I'd made reservations for, thinking he'd cone home with a little 12x14 thing like we had last year. He pulled up 2 hours later with a rental truck filled with the biggest freaking inflatable I've ever seen! It had a massive monster truck on the top and rolled out onto a pallet and dolley. It took two blowers to inflate it. The kids were thrilled!
It was pretty perfect for as many kids came. The weather was perfect, there was plenty of food, we didn't run out of sangria or koolaid, everyone behaved and took turns and had the best time. Riley was in heaven all say and went to bed with the biggest grin on his face.
At about 1am, when we'd all crashed , we heard screaming from the boys room. I ran in and James said, "Riley threw up!" Sure enough. Wouldn't be a party if no one got sick, right? After two sets of sheets, two pairs of pajamas, and a bunch of towels, he was okay and we all got a little sleep. This morning he was feeling better so I made him some "birthday pancakes" with sprinkles. We're making it a new tradition.
Happy birthday my big 3 year old! My big boy who still needs his mama and wants me to hold him even if he hangs down to my knees. My big boy who loves shoes and sports, Barbie and batman, helping me cook and throwing down serious combatives-style wrestling with his brother and daddy. My big boy who is fiercely independent, uncompromising, and stubborn, but still loves others and understands their feelings. My big boy who is unafraid of adventure and would climb a mountain or jump off a cliff without a thought, but buries his head in my shoulder at Halloween decorations. My boy who loves his brother and sister, even if he has to constantly battle them for toys and snacks. My boy who is always dancing, always smiling, making jokes without trying.
I love you my boy, my big three year old, my middle child. You are forever my baby boy. This is going to be a big year for you! I love watching you grow, discovering yourself. You are such a precious part of our family. We love you so much.