Happy birthday, Todd!

My baby boy turned 9 today. He woke everybody up saying,"You HAVE to tell me happy birthday!" I told him, "No! You have to stay little!" Somehow, I don't think I am going to win that argument.

We usually only have small family parties, but he really wanted to invite friends to his birthday this year. Despite the short notice, he had a lot of kids show up! They aren't even all in this picture. I think we were still rounding up some who were playing football in the field. 

Todd listened to everybody sing "Happy Birthday" to him with his usual personality traits shining through. I love this kid. I really do. Sometimes I think I should have named him Isaac since it means "laughter."

Then, being the well-trained child he is, he blew out his candles slowly to make sure I got the pictures. These candles are great for that, though, because although they aren't trick candles they are difficult to blow out!

After presents, cake, goodie bags, and hotdogs, the boys all went back out to the field to play football and have some swordfights on the hill. I had fun sitting on the picnic table and cheering for the littler guys. It distracted me from thinking about Todd only having 364 days left of a single-digit age.

Happy birthday, Todd! I love you! And for the record, I still think you should stay small for a long time!

A Rite of Passage

Something has been happening to Chet. His voice sounds funny. His shoulders are getting wider. And his upper lip has gotten hairy. So last night he asked Jack to teach him how to shave. Apparently the unbladed bubble bath toy razors I bought for him 12 years ago are longer sufficient.

So after showers, and in front of a very small mirror, Jack first showed him how to lather up.

Then Chet watched carefully as Jack said something about grain and rinsing the blade and a bunch of other advice that doesn't apply to me and I wasn't paying attention to. I was too busy noticing how dirty the mirror is. (This is Jack's mirror. My mirror is clean. Just so you know.)

Then Chet made me stop thinking about how big he is getting when he accidentally spread some shaving cream in his mouth.

He  got it all cleaned up, though, and was finally ready to rid himself of his fuzz.

So Jack carefully showed him how much pressure to use, how to contort his mouth to get to different whiskers, and how to avoid digesting anymore shaving cream.

So now my funny-sounding boy, with his ever-broadening shoulders, is clean-shaven and well-educated in the shaving process.

And I am feeling a little lost, wishing he was shaving with his plastic razor and bubbles again.

Todd wants to be a gummy bear....

I can tell you that Todd is funny, one of the funniest people I know,  but sometimes it is easier to show you than to tell you.

He is always cracking me up.

This weekend, he and one of his friends wrote new lyrics for the song "I Wanna Be A Billionaire." Then he and another one of his friends performed it for me today.

Here it is for you to enjoy! (Todd is on the right.)

Our jack-0-lantern pack

I haven't had time to post about it, but we had a big fire this summer. Our storage shed and their contents were lost. Part of those contents were our holiday decorations, so our home is woefully decorated for the fall. Brandon and Jessica took care of that, though, and came home with half a pumpkin patch and some carving tools. Last night the kids set to work giving them all some faces.

Beth liked cutting the cap off of her pumpkin, but she was less than impressed with the goo-removal process.
(She thinks this is gross, but manhandles frogs and worms all the time. Strange child.)

Soon everybody was deep into the process of de-gunking the pumpkins.

Faith was the first one done scraping hers out. Please don't ask me why she has this expression on her face. She is about to become a teenager, and all kinds of weird things are happening with her lately.

Speaking of weird.... Kyle, why?

Won't do that again, will you?

Todd can't resist.... if he sees me aiming a camera at somebody and he has nothing better to do, he just has to make a Broadway slide into the shot.

Finally all the goop was disposed of, and the stenciling and carving began.

Todd wanted a werewolf, but upon completion he decided his looks like a Razorback. Woo Pig Sooie!

Chet had some kind of screaming face, but it fell off right after he stood up. It is now precariously balanced on the tips of its teeth. He is the only that actually modeled his pumkpin carving.

Kyle made his own pattern.

Beth's took a while to get done. I missed getting shots of Jessica, Brandon, and Faith with their creations.

In the end, though, Beth had a cute pumpkin.

We took them all out on the porch and lit up the night with them.

Then the best thing happened.... Brandon cleaned up all the mess, leaving nary a seed nor glop of goop behind.