old lady, little boy

Yesterday we celebrated Sir O's 5th birthday.  Yup, it's true.  Somehow it's been 5 years since he made me a mother.  The larger part of my brain refuses to believe it.  But time doesn't stop for me and my denial.



Unbeknownst to Sir  O, his birthday was an anticlimactic flop from my mothering department.  For the 2nd year in a row.  Something about moving right beforehand leaves me far too spent to celebrate like a proper birthday fairy mom.  LUCKILY I know Sir O well enough to calculate and get maximum effect out of the resources I can spend.  Sir O got a whopping one present from us this year.  I don't think he noticed. (pardon his "I dressed myself"-ness - the socks remain from his church clothes earlier in the day)



 Only my parents and sister came to celebrate with us, but they were good enough company we didn't feel understaffed.  And our party decor consisted of...... boxes?   But the cake was awesome. (White velvet cake w/ milk chocolate ganache)



 Mr Renn and I stayed up late the night before to decorate it.  Lucky for me Mr Renn, being a dentist and all, is really good at making small things with his hands.  So the "racecars" Sir O requested to top his cake are awesome-sauce.



This boy is teaching me more than I ever supposed I had to learn.  I'm actually kind of liking the phase he's in right now.  He's smart, he has a desire to be helpful, he's attentive, and he asks questions that actually lead to meaningful conversations.  If we could just cut out the insatiable need to whine I'd be content to freeze him and keep him like this for a good long while.



But there's no stopping this kid. I just have to hope I can spin him in a good direction as he takes off like a tornado and lives life on his own terms. Such a likeable force of nature, that kid.