What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Seven



 

Andrew, my panda, had a birthday yesterday.  He turned seven.  SEVEN. 

Since he has been lying listless on the couch for days, I knew it was going to be a dud birthday for him.  His Papa is out of town to boot, making it even more sad.  On the eve of his birthday, I tried to gently get him used to the idea of not getting a birthday cake on his birthday- or me cooking him his birthday meal.  He actually took it very well- the thought of birthday cake made him nauseous, which I guess was a blessing.  His birthday would be postponed until Saturday when he (hopefully!) felt better and Matt was home to share it.   He was too sick to be too disappointed that night but I was disappointed enough for the both of us.  He went to bed saying "I just hope I feel better for my birthday.  I just want to feel better..."

When he woke up the next day, we realized he got his first birthday present right away- his fever had FINALLY broken in the night!  He felt strong enough to walk, he actually SPOKE several times- and though he couldn't eat anything, he appeared much more the Andrew that I know and love, albeit a might bit subdued.




 

 

I wanted so badly to make the day special, so I hung some garlands and blew up some balloons and hoped he would enjoy.  Corynn made a few balloon flowers for him from her balloon kit.  And I wrapped up one of his presents so that he could have SOMETHING to open on his birthday.

 



My boy LOVES him some playmobil.  He is more than a bit obsessed!  His other obsession?  Cows.  (duh.)  So when I saw this cow and pig set at Wegmans for 75% off after Christmas, I knew it had to be his. 

He had about a 1/3 of a bowl of chicken noodle soup for dinner.  No school on birthdays, especially re-coup birthdays, so he played with playmobil the entire day.  (Any other mothers of playmobil obsessed children out there?!?)

Even with all the disappointments and a day that didn't feel at ALL special (in my opinion)- he snuggled into me that night with twinkling eyes and a sheepish grin and thanked me for making his day so special "with the balloons, and the pom poms and the COW playmobil, Mama!!  I can't believe I have a calf playmobil now!  I really liked the balloons too."  He was completely pleased with his one gift and had no thoughts about getting anything else.

It about melted my heart in a puddle right there. And made me so proud.  Instead of dwelling on what he didn't have, he was giving thanks for what he DID have.

I fully intended to give him a haircut before Easter-but then he got sick.  That's why he looks like a sheepdog.

 His real birthday with real cake and an edible dinner and a super-cool (I want it!) handmade gift will come on Saturday.  I can't wait to celebrate this boy of mine then and do it right. 

And I can't WAIT until he sees his gift...and he thinks playmobil and balloons are great!

8 comments:

Julian said...

What a sweet boy! I have 4. He was happy with balloons and playmobil. That's a great quality in todays world. You're blessed! I remember playmobil 30 years ago. Guess they are like legos timeless.:)
christina

beth said...

eager to see what outwows playmobil and balloons - dear boy - sweet, sincere seven -
how your momma heart must overflow!

beth

Unknown said...

Yes - we love playmobil here ALSO!! We need a new set to revamp the sad ones we have! LEGOS might edge out Playmobil just a TAD...Annie especially loves the LEGO Friends sets now and saves her money for them! :)

What a lovely birthday even though it was spent recovering! Your Andrew looks so grown up!! :) I love the shot you took from above of them playing on the floor...your home looks so lovely and so HOMEY!

I can't wait to see your party photos and what you made him, Rebecca!! :)

I have a party to plan for my Ella at the end of the month! She said she wanted a dolphin party! :) She changes every day, but this seems to be the one she talks of the most! :) Dolphin it is!! :D

Louise said...

Yes- We love Playmobil!
That's so sweet that Andrew was so pleased with his special day, in spite of being sick. I hope everyone makes a full recovery soon.

Mandie said...

Oh, Rebecca, he is SO BIG! And he looks so much like his daddy! Happy birthday to Andrew. His sweet contentment shines through his smiling face!

I hope you all recover very quickly (if you haven't by now).

Love to you!

Tracy said...

My children didn't have a great variety of toys when they were younger. But Playmobil? Oh, yes! We should have bought stock. Expensive, but worth every single penny, and sometimes you can happen upon as deal like you did, or find them for cheap at places like TJ Maxx. Playmobil and games. What more does a child need?

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

Full of Grace said...

Happy Birthday Dear Andrew, you have the best kind of birthday one that gets to be "celebrated" a few times ;) I hope you have a wonderful celebration and I am so happy you are feeling better :) Love, Auntie Beth :) (AND Everyone Else with the Last Name Brown) :)

Abigail said...

Happy birthday, Andrew, from all the Owen girls (+ Zeke)!