Atticus' 4th Birthday

I love all the smiles and hugs on birthdays. I'm not sure whether there actually are more smiles and hugs on birthdays or if I just notice them more because it's a special day. Either way, seeing this little family of mine full of joy and excitement fills my heart to the brim. 

We kicked off Atticus' birthday on his birthday eve with a present. Of course, it was a new birthday outfit (like always) but Atticus still gave a wonderful surprised and happy face. 

His birthday eve treat was that he got extra bedtime books and then extra lullabies with Mommy and Daddy. He was pretty over-the-moon about all that and went to bed one very happy camper (one very happy camper who decided to try to take a few peeks at his birthday decorations that mommy and Daddy were putting up after he had been tucked in...).

In the morning, we all danced into his room singing Happy Birthday and the birthday boy was already beaming.

First (of many) rounds of birthday hugs!

Then he got dressed in his birthday outfit,

And headed for the living room. He was pretty excited about all those birthday decorations and him and Milayla had fun playing with all the balloons while we finished up the birthday breakfast.

I loved being able to sit down with Atticus and find out what kinds of things he would like for his birthday; ideas for our outing, decorations, food etc. He was so excited about everything that he picked that he loved telling the grandparents about what he had in store for him.

So for breakfast it was oat & fruit squares with coconut cream, scrambled eggs and lots and lots of fruit salad. And one cannot forget the birthday hats. The kids are still having fun wearing their birthday hats. 

After breakfast it was time for presents. Milayla picked a book for Atticus and really picked the right one - Curious George Rides a Bike. Very fitting for the gift ahead...

It was so sweet seeing those two excited for each other. And Atticus got a special card and gift from his friend Evia in The Netherlands. Boy, was he excited about that!

Then it was onto more books (that he insisted on at least looking through when he opened them) and an alligator that the kids have eating our toys lately. And then it was on to the big surprise..

Atticus has been telling us for a good three months that he is ready for pedels on his bike (he has been on a running bike for the last year). And he was definitely right, he had really outgrown the strictly 'balance' side of things so we went on the hunt for the right size and color of bike and found it. Atticus headed out to put something away in his bedroom and when he came back into the living room, the bike was sitting there waiting for him. He was in shock! 

With all that talk about being ready for pedals you would think that he would have expected it somewhat - nope. Completely surprised and so genuinely happy about it.

Taking it out for a ride would have to wait though because we had a birthday outing planned for our little birthday boy.

While we waited for Daddy to go pick up the car, I got to sneak in a few photos of the birthday boy. I did his "official" birthday 4-year-old photos when we got home which will be posted on the blog next, but in the meantime, enjoy this little sneak peek of this awesome little boy! Man oh man, is he ever growing up!

Then we were off for a little birthday surprise. Atticus had no idea where we were going :). So when we pulled up to a large, 3-mast, sailing ship and started walking aboard he was pretty excited.

We had so much fun exploring every nook and cranny of the sailing ship.

This is easily one of my favorite shots. Such a cutie!

Atticus has really taken to posing for photos. It's cute to see him have fun with getting his picture taken.

I absolutely adore these two. They are so sweet to one another. And they had so much fun on the ship. 

That's Atticus laughing hysterically in that photo.

After exploring all three level of the ship we were off exploring the area around the ship. When we asked Atticus what his favorite part about the ship was he answered - everything. And after seeing the sleeping quarters he has decided that he isn't too keen about the idea of sleeping on a ship. Can't say that I disagree with the one; the crew cabins aren't exactly roomy.

Anyhow, with a bit of exploring along the river side we came across a great playground that was a big ship! Such a perfect find and the kids were pretty ecstatic about it. So were we; we could actually fit on this playground unlike many others ones that we try to squish on with the kids to play with them.

And as we were all tiring out we enjoyed some gelato and a picnic lunch before heading home for some down time. 

After arriving home I was pretty excited to get some time with Atticus to snap some photos. It was such a breeze to snap photos of him and he was pretty great at coming up with ideas on how he wanted to sit/pose. It was quite a bit of fun. Those photos will be up on the blog soon.

For the afternoon, we had a few ideas to suggest to the birthday boy of things to do and then he could pick whichever he felt suited him best. He wanted to stay at home and play with his family and read his new books. We were certainly happy to oblige that request.

We also put the training wheels on Atticus' bike to give him a go at peddling on his new bike. He got the hang of it pretty quickly and after only one time around the block with the pedals he is asking to give it a try without the supporting wheels. I love how determined and excited he is to get this bike figured out!

After a lovely afternoon playing and reading books we sat down to dinner. Sweet potato shepherds pie with balsamic gravy, steamed broccoli, orange pepper veggie sticks, hummus and brotchen were the requested meal and everyone loved it.

After dinner came another birthday surprise. Atticus not only got the watermelon cake that he had been counting down the days until he would get to eat...

He also got some special birthday visitors who "stopped by" to join in the birthday singing and hat-wearing.

Timing is a bit tough with the time difference, but both sets of grandparents, a couple cousins and an aunt were all able to join in. The birthday singing between two different countries, facetime and skype was a little out of sync but the birthday boy certainly didn't mind. He was so excited that they were all there and all wearing the same hats that we were!

It was a pretty special moment particularly because Atticus had been really wishing that his grandparents would be able to come to his birthday so it meant a lot to him to have them be a part of it. Though, he was pretty insistent that there would be no sharing of the watermelon cake - after all, it can't get through the screen. Funny kid.

Everyone pitched in (including those joining us via the computer) for blowing out the candles and then we dove into the cake and topped it with plenty of fresh strawberries. And with that much watermelon cake, we happily enjoyed it for breakfast and dessert the next day as well!

What a great day filled with lots of warm, birthday surprises. We are so grateful to have Atticus in our family. It is a big blessing to be a part of helping him learn and grow. Looking forward to many, many more birthday celebrations. Love you, Atticus! Keep being awesome!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ATTICUS!