Chance turned FOUR this week!

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(He's still working on that tricky thumb thing.)

I know this sounds like goofy mom-gushing but I can't believe it's been
four years!  (Life just keeps smacking me upside the head.)  He started out like this… 

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I mean, the cat was bigger than he was.  And she's the smaller of the cats.

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(That cat thinks Chance is a holy terror now.)

I seriously cannot imagine what life would be like if Chance wasn't in our lives.  I won't wax on about how life is all moving too fast and I wish I could hold on to these precious times… because honestly, I don't regret the passing moments.  I love seeing him grow bigger, and smarter, and stronger every day, becoming his own person.  I simply feel blessed to have these passing moments with him in our lives at all. 

But I do occasionally regret not being independently wealthy so there can be more adventures with him and less day to day drudgery.

(Oh, like you haven't thought it, too.)

We had a party yesterday.  Fortunately, we learned not to repeat last year's scenario.  I also took a move from my friend's playbook and specified the beginning and the end time of the party… so that everyone knew when to move to the door.  Not to be mean – I love our family and friends – but you just can't let these things drag on when there are children and sugar involved.  (BTW, you should see my friend in action, I've never seen anyone wrangle a party like she can.  If she has one someplace like Chuck E. Cheese it's… boom! tokens to all the kids… boom! pizza… boom! cake… and boom! presents and she's out the door.  She can seriously wrap everything up in two hours.  I am in awe.)

We had a fabulous cake (once again!) courtesy of my bakery friends extraordinaire.  Those two are more  friends who blow me away.  Do you know their first specialty cake was Chance's second birthday?  And now I think they need to be on Food Network.

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(I'm also really grateful they don't charge me.)

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We also got a bouncy house and let the kids go to town playing arcade games and banging on my drum set.  (Kids really are easy to please.)  I kind of forget, because I have to clean it all the time, but I guess our house is pretty fun.  (Or close enough, without being independently wealthy.)  I guess that's one of the benefits of refusing to grow up (see related: denial of passing moments).  Chance, in any case, was very happy with the whole deal.  And there was only a little crying when everyone went home.

But even though it was much less painful than last year's marathon party streak, we still took today to be lazy and recover. 

With or without a party, I think I needed that time anyway… just to wrap my head around this parenting thing. 

(And maybe sniffle a little when no one was looking.)

Happy Birthday, kiddo!

Love, Mom