Four

When we wake up tomorrow morning, our little Harrison Benjamin, the kid with the backwards president name and the penchant for poop jokes, will be four years old.

I could take this post so many places.

I could, for example, wallow in nostalgic exclamations about how Harry used to be only as long as my forearm, or that in the womb, my doctor said, he was a cuddler because he jammed his entire body under my ribs and scrunched himself up so tight his ears looked like pie crusts for 3 days after he was born, or that when he was a baby and wore Robeez without socks, his fat little feet would stink like vinegar when we took off his shoes.

I could relive his sit-com style birth and remember how I was sitting on my sofa watching Last Comic Standing and playing Sim City, hanging out with my brother Jon while Ben was in Minneapolis on business. I was 36 weeks pregnant and my water burst suddenly, stunning me and my brother who played it so cool at the hospital but kept calling Ben to scream "Where ARE you?" as Ben raced home in the dark, trying not to hit deer. When a nurse came in to check me while we were still in triage, Jon discretely left the room because he didn't want to see anything weird, and he ran right into a woman who was bending over in a backless hospital gown to vomit in a bedpan. But I already did the nostalgia thing on the eve of Harry's first birthday.

I could definitely bitch about the cake we ordered in the shape of a super hero that turned out to look a lot like a dead superhero.

Ben imitated it really well at Harry's party

The cake was simultaneously disappointing, creepy, hilarious, and delicious.


I could even link to old posts that show you how freaking clueless Ben and I were when Harry was little or how cute he has been on previous birthdays.

Instead of all those directions, though, I think I will do what I usually do and show you a ton of pictures, many of which have nothing to do with the point of this post.

Like this one of Jack staying classy

Harry and Jack at Jack's Little Gym show




We had fun watching Jack show off the skills he has mastered this semester (like learning to count to 3 before he hurls himself off of high surfaces, which at east gives us a little warning and a chance of catching him). I have been attending at least one (and sometimes 2) Little Gym classes a week since February 2007, and I am hereby announcing my retirement (for the time being). I am excited to take a break from the big! red! mat! even though we have had a ton of fun there.

After LG, we hit Harry's ballet class, also the last of the term.



Harry fell over immediately after I snapped the above picture:

I love his serious dancer face

This is the start of his totally awesome bow


We started Harry's birthday party Saturday with a pre-fest lunch with Jamie and Ben's parents at Jack's favorite pizza place (where of course Jack didn't eat a damn thing because he is going through this phase where he doesn't eat and only wants to sit on my lap at restaurants).


Then we moved on the the LIttle Gym for a bash with kids from both of Harry's preschool classes and his cousins, which was high energy and adorable
Look how red Harry was just 5 minutes into the festivities

They did this thing where all of the kids had to introduce themselves and then give Harry a high five while wishing him Happy Birthday-- it made everyone feel a little awkward.

The teachers led the kids in a pirate warm up. Hilarity ensued.






Here's Lucy "hitting the deck" and taking her pirate duties seriously

The rock wall was a popular hiding spot during hide and go seek

Twice

Jack is a monkey

Who likes older ladies

As usual balls and bubbles blew everyone's minds

In between activities, the teachers told the kids to sit by the birthday wall (they even sang a song about it!) while they transitioned the equipment. And the kids? Listened! I am naming a wall in my house the birthday wall.

The Air Track was a huge hit, natch



As I was running out the door to pick up party stuff yesterday, Ben yelled after me to buy birthday hats because he reasoned we don't have very many birthdays left where the kids will wear them so seriously. And he was right. By the time all the parents filed into the party room for snacks and cake, the little zombies had all donned their celebratory cones.

Aughhhh!! So. Freaking. Creepy.

Aren't they cute?

Aren't we cute?

We adjourned to our house to open presents (because we didn't have time to do it at the gym), and Harry was very sweet and serious (Jack was suffering from cake coma and was facedown in his crib).

The grown ups really loved the puppets


Worn out from all the gifts, Harry requested the face of his cake. Because he thinks Ed Gein is awesome.

And Harry and Jack loved them this morning, when they treated Ben and me to the first of what I can only imagine will be many
puppet shows.




The boys are both asleep, and Ben and I are getting ready to wrap the gifts we bought for Harry. He'll open those when he wakes up, and we'll have peanut butter silk pie for breakfast (best.food.ever). Tomorrow night we're taking Harry out for a "fancy dinner" at the restaurant of his choosing-- he cant decide if he wants Olive Garden or Longhorn Steakhouse, but he knows he wants to wear his blazer and a Star Wars t-shirt from Gap Kids that's so big it hangs down to his knees (they didn't have his size, but he HAD to have the shirt).

Before he went to bed, Harry asked Ben if he was going to break his bed because he expects to be so big when he wakes up four tomorrow. We assured him he wouldn't and told him four will be his best year yet.