Party time

We've been invited to three kid birthday parties in the past couple of months. The first one was while we were out of town. The second two were on the same day, almost at the same time, and we had to choose which one to go to.

I didn't tell Biscuit about the parties we couldn't go to. He still doesn't have a great concept of time, so he wouldn't have understood not being able to go to all of them.

We let Biscuit skip getting a bath last night with the deal that he would take a shower with Jeff this morning. Biscuit was a little hesitant to follow through.

"Why do I have to take a bath?" Biscuit asked.

"Because we're going to a birthday party," I told him.

"A BIRTHDAY PARTY?!?" Biscuit yelled.

And of course because as is the case with all 4-year-olds, everything is about Biscuit.

"Will they have cake for me?" he asked.

"I bet they'll have cake, but it won't be for you," I said. "It'll be for the birthday boy."

"Will the birthday boy share his cake with me?" Biscuit asked.

"If there's cake, I bet you can have some," I said.

And there was cake. A cake shaped like a train. And Biscuit got some of it.

Since the party was train-themed, but birthday boy was wearing his overalls. He's 13 months younger than Biscuit, but since Biscuit is still small for a kid his age, the birthday boy is about the same size. So it was very cute when the birthday boy walked up to Biscuit and in a sweet little voice said, "I'm going to give you a hug."

And he did.

It probably won't be long until the boys will tell you they're too big for hugs, but I'm sure we'll encourage them as long as we can.

The kids got to make reindeer food to leave out for the reindeer while Santa is delivering the presents. The kids scooped up oats, bread crumbs, raisins, cocoa powder and a little red glitter (so the reindeer can easily find the food) and put it in little bowls with lids. Biscuit has told me twice since the party this afternoon to remember to put out the food when Santa comes.

There was also a cookie decorating station. Biscuit was a little unsure about the process, but I talked him into giving it a try.

"How do I do it?" Biscuit asked.

"Well, it's shaped like a boy," I said. "Here's the head, here are the arms and legs, and here's the body. Do you want to make a face?" 

Biscuit picked up a couple of mini-M&Ms, but he didn't seem to know what to do with them.

"How do you make a face?" Biscuit asked.

"Look at my face," I said. "Where are my eyes?"

"They're right there," Biscuit said, pointing. "They're at the top of your face." 

"That's right," I said. "So the eyes go at the top. Where is my nose? Is it above or below my eyes?"

"It's below your eyes," Biscuit said. Then we had the same conversation about my mouth.

"You put the candies where you want them, and I'll glue them on with icing," I told Biscuit.

Here's his creation:

Biscuit finished his cookie and went back to play. Then I saw one of the adults decorating a cookie.

"Can we decorate them, too?" I asked the birthday boy's mom. "I figured they were just for the kids."

She assured us that we all could decorate cookies, so I got to play, too.

Here's mine: 

The kids played well together, and Biscuit was in a really good mood as we left. We decided to stop by the store and get some Christmas candy supplies on the way home. Biscuit said he wanted to walk instead of riding in a buggy, but I could tell by looking at him that he wasn't going to last long. 

We were in the store maybe 5 minutes when Biscuit crossed his arms and laid his head down. He was out. He slept through the whole shopping trip and didn't wake up until Jeff lifted him out of the buggy as we got ready to leave.

The nap was just enough to make him feel rested, though, because as soon as we started to leave the parking lot, Biscuit was talking about the party and how he had a good time.

My in-laws arrived this evening for their annual winter visit. Biscuit was really excited to see them.

As it got later, Biscuit came to me and said, "Mom, is it time to go to bed? I'm tired."

As soon as he crawled into bed, he started playing with his hair. Ever since he's had hair, Biscuit has played with it when he's tired. I read him two books, and he had a tough time getting through the second one.

And as he told me the other day, I hope he sleeps and gets some good rest so we can play tomorrow.