Happy Birthday, Noah!

Noah turned 9 today--time flies when you have kids, eh? I often say Noah is the child that is aging me. He is wildly extreme with his emotions. He's highly sensitive, very loud, and very active. When he loves something he's utterly and completely passionate. When he's upset, it's the blackest worst day of his entire existence. He lives life at 100% all the time and usually wears the dirt and grime to prove it!

Noah is also the kind of kid who wants the whole day to celebrate his big day--not necessarily selfishly, but I heard the phrase "the birthday boy should..." quite a few times. My friend Calandria posted once about a party that her son had where he was the birthday king for a period of time, complete with a throne. That would suit Noah just fine.

At the same time, he's the one who often appreciates the little things. This birthday was not as glorious as he had hoped. President Bush was in town today and all the roads were closed so school was cancelled and he will have to wait another day to be the big cheese at school. We couldn't get to the side of town where we swim, either, and it was hot today.

We ate lunch at his favorite hamburger place and he went swimming at our neighbor's. Tacos for dinner and then presents and a cake. The cake is naked because I can't cook and was unable to make 3 (yes, 3) simple frosting recipes. The 3rd one was delicious, but wouldn't thicken so we used it more like fondue and dipped the cake and raspberries in it. It would be heavenly over ice cream (although I suppose if I tried to make it as ice cream sauce, it would thicken right up and make frosting). The only reason the cake was success was because it was Pillsbury. Step 1--Admit you have a problem. That's me.

He got some money, a beanie baby (recycled) from Ava, a coupon for playtime (where he can control the activities) from Cameron and a soccer goal from his grammy. He is waiting until next week for an American present that is coming with volunteers, but he knows it's nothing big, after Christmas and a trip to Egypt!

Ava's birthday is coming soon and they are going to have a joint birthday party. Swimming at the pool with cake and pizza. Some kids will bring presents if they have things to give, some won't. Some give money, some just a card. Once in a while a party mom gives a goody bag. I remember how much work and effort (and sometimes money) I put into parties for my kids back in the States, and believe me, I was one of the cheaper moms by far. This is so refreshing! And Noah just wants to be the center of attention all day, and that doesn't cost a penny.

P.S. This drives me nuts so I want to be known that yes, I do know how to use paragraphs. Apparently, Blogger does not.