Isaac's 4th Birthday Celebrations!

Isaac turned 4 (four!) (F.O.U.R.!!!) on the Monday before Thanksgiving, so we started celebrating on the Saturday before that. We had a family party that morning that included playing, laughing, eating pizza and cake, opening presents, and playing some more. Isaac had a great time with his grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousins. He received some very special presents, including his first Nerf gun (thanks to Pawpaw Ronny and Theresa!), money for his savings account (thanks Granny and Pawpaw!), Legos and puzzles (thanks Gramps and Nana!), Cars 2 Play Doh set (thanks Ray and Kati!), paint-on crafts (thanks Michelle!) and a... drumroll please... Monster truck with a remote control! Isaac got a smaller one of these last year that he loved, but it broke pretty soon after we'd purchased it. Since then, he'd been telling us that for his birthday he wanted "a Monster truck with a mote-a-toll [remote control]." He was absolutely elated when he opened his gift from Steven and me, and it was his new Monster truck!

This year was unique in that it was the first time Isaac picked out his own cake. We went to Walmart a couple days before his party and I showed him the cake book. When first asked what he wanted, he responded, "Woody." But after he saw the Woody cakes, the Cars cakes, and the Thomas the Train cakes, Isaac decided on a Cars cake. We decided that a cupcake cake would be easiest, so we opted for that. The next day, I picked it up and was very pleased with how well it turned out! Thanks to James at the Mt Island Walmart for this awesomely decorated cake:


Before the party, Isaac decided to wear his Panthers jersey. He was all smiles as his guests began arriving.


We opened one gift (his nerf gun) and then the doorbell rang. The pizza had arrived, so we sat down for lunch. After that, we sang "Happy Birthday" and brought Isaac's cake to him. Suddenly all those smiles evaporated and he snuck under the table. See the picture below? You can't really see Isaac because he is crawling under the table...


With his ears covered...


Yes, we now know for sure that he doesn't like being the center of attention. Elise, on the other hand, was beaming the whole time and even kept saying "My birthday comin' up!" She didn't seem to understand why Isaac was so upset. We gave him a cupcake and he agreed to eat it, but he was still a little miffed:


After the whole birthday cake thing, Isaac was back to smiles and fun. He even got Gramps to try out his Nerf gun!


Then we headed into the living room to open presents. Here is Isaac opening his Monster truck from Steven and me...


See this HUGE smile? You should have heard him in person. He was so super crazy excited that he actually got a Monster truck with a "MOTE-A-TOLL"!!! He jumped around for a while due to his excitement. He has played with that truck every day since then. He loves it. Yes, birthday score for Mommy and Daddy!


What a great party it was! On Isaac's actual birthday, we celebrated him all day long. Here he is, eating as a four-year-old for the first time:


And Elise joined in on the celebration...


What a big boy!


Isaac had preschool on his birthday, so we took the leftover cupcakes for his class to share. They had fun eating them and talking about birthdays. Isaac got a pencil and a birthday card from his teachers, and Ms Ann sang Happy Birthday to him. After preschool, we went to the park with our friends Jennifer and Gabby. Isaac loves to play with Gabby, so he was thrilled for some park time. For his birthday, Gabby gave Isaac a set of Hot Wheels cars, which he loved!


Naptime came and went, and then we had dinner together as we do every night, but it was super-special Isaac dinner this time. And we topped it all off with more birthday singing and cupcakes! (that time he didn't cover his ears or hide under the table; he just turned his head away for a few seconds. Steven did cupcakes and singing a third time with the kids on Tuesday night when I was away, and Isaac actually liked the singing that time! Progress!)

Here's the happy cupcake eaters: (I had one too, and it was yummy!)





Happy Birthday Big Boy! You are SO cool and we LOVE you!