Samuel turns SEVEN

Our firstborn turned 7 on Thursday. I think we are still trying to wrap our minds around that fact. That seems so old to us especially considering that it feels just like yesterday that we were anticipating his arrival into this world. Samuel is our joy and delight. Always full of deep and sometimes absurd questions that keep us smiling. Full of imagination and passion. A growing understanding and love for Jesus. The preferred playmate of both siblings. Constantly growing and changing in appearance, having recently lost 2 teeth in one week. What an engaging and impressionable age he is at--so fun! We can't wait to see how God works in his life this coming year to grow him more and more into a man of God!

Birthdays are a big deal around here. However, for some reason this time around was harder for me to get motivated for. I did have a cake idea picked out three weeks in advance but that was about it. Honestly, I was torn as to who to invite for the festivities. Do we invite his whole class or just a few select classmates or do we keep it with just close friends? I finally settled on wanting to invite the whole class knowing that maybe only a handful would come. However, with the entrance of the stomach flu into our house the end of last week, this being a busy weekend with Film Night tonight, Jonathan preaching on Sunday and then getting him packed and ready to leave for a week in Lisbon, Portugal, we finally decided to keep the celebration very low key. Not knowing if I was next to come down with the flu kept me very cautious this time around.

It was a good decision as the stomach flu carried on in to this week touching everyone but me and leaving me wondering if Samuel would even want to eat cake. The kids' appetites are very low and it seems to be taking a good week to regain full recovery. It did, however, make for an easy week of cooking with eating just rice and toast for the most part. We had already invited Barbara and her boys and Catherine, so they came over Friday afternoon to celebrate with us.

For the first time, the kids were out of the house while I decorated the cake. When Samuel came home from school and saw his cake it was the strongest reaction I have received yet. He was so happy with it, which of course is my greatest joy to see. He wanted another dinosaur cake and since I already did that last year, I settled for a different take on the dinosaur theme. I would have loved to embellish it a bit more, but I was tired from a long week of caring for sick ones and several sleepless nights, so this was as far as my energies would carry me this time. Without further ado, here is Samuel's 7th birthday in pictures:

Opening gifts on the 18th

Thank you Munga & Gramma for all my fun gifts!

Thank you Papa & Nano for my Optimus Prime Transformer!

Thank you Dada & Mamma for my new game!



Samuel was feeling well enough to tolerate a half piece of cake.

My three precious blessings!

A fun coincidence that Munga & Gramma got him a book on volcanoes for his birthday.