Happy Birthday Clayton!

We celebrated Clayton's 8th birthday on Thursday.  It's definitely been an eventful 8 years, and I feel like I never quite know what's around the corner for this boy.  Life isn't always easy for this kid, but he mostly takes it all in stride.  He's the happiest kid I know.  I can honestly say he has a sweet spirit and can find joy in the most unexpected places.  God knew just what he was doing when he molded this personality.  It's just what he needs in life.

We started our day at the donut shop with birthday donuts on the way to Eli's preschool.

We had a party planned for Friday night, but we still needed a special dessert for Clayton's actual birthday, so I whipped up a cookie cake.  It turned out to be a ton of cookie cake, but I think we'll find a way to push through and get it eaten.

Presents are always fun when you're 8 years old.

And while he was opening gifts, his cousin Lizzy called to sing him Happy Birthday.  I think he liked that.

On Friday morning I woke up with a million party to-dos, plus I needed to get Eli back and forth to school, and do school with Clayton.  Clayton has had a birthday cake vision for a few weeks, and while I had fully intended to bake the cake the day before so I would only have to decorate it on Friday, that didn't happen, and I was really feeling the time pinch.  When Clayton woke up, I told him the list of tasks that needed to be accomplished.  He agreed it was a lot.  Then I asked him if it would be alright if we went to Publix and picked out a cake, instead of me making it.  I thought it would be no big deal, but wow.  The silence, the chin wobble, the tears.  It was all too much for me, so I had to make the cake happen.  Luckily he agreed to a few time saving modifications, and although my floors and the schoolroom were not exactly as tidy as I would have liked, the 8 to 12 year old party guests couldn't have cared less, and we had Clayton's only slightly altered dream cake for dessert.

After pizza and cake, Ryan and I and one of our neighbors took 7 boys, including our 3, to the movies to see Rio 2.  Although not quite as cute as the first Rio, the boys all loved it, and it was so much fun to see Clayton enjoying the movie with all his friends.  We live on the best street, and my boys are blessed to have such great neighbor kids as friends.

Happy birthday Clayton!  It's been tough at times, but you always pull through it.