The smell of home made cupcakes is beginning to fade, and the cloud of powdered sugar that loomed as I mixed the corn-free icing has finally settled all over my kitchen. There are sprinkles and colored sugar spread across my kitchen table and scattered all the way into the living room. The kids are all snuggled in their beds, and I'm finally alone with my thoughts (and this computer).
What a day! First his favorite breakfast, cinnamon toast (using Martin's Whole Wheat Potato Bread, the BEST corn free bread, actually the BEST store bought bread on the market, hands down). Then OT, obviously, there are no breaks in therapy, not when we can help it, not even for his birthday. He found a dollar in his pocket, and was so excited, you would have thought he had won the lottery, if he knew what that was. We ate Chick-Fil-A for lunch, something he can only have every once in a while, and went to play at a local inflatable gym. Sweaty and exhausted, we went to the store to pick out his present, something he had wanted to do. If you knew him even the slightest bit, I could give you one guess as to what he picked out and how long it took him to do it, and I know you'd get it right. A Lego set in about 2 minutes flat. Then off to the house for some Lego building fun before going out to the back yard to enjoy this beautiful Spring like weather. We blew bubbles, had races and played catch before heading back in for some pizza, from an awesome local pizza place that surprisingly doesn't use corn in their breading or their sauce. They also have a gluten free menu (we LOVE that place). After that it was cupcake baking time. He wants an ice cream cake from a special bakery/ice cream parlor for his party in a couple of days. So, this will be the first birthday party he's ever had that I didn't make his cake. It's a little hard for this 'do-it-yourself' mama, but it's all about what he wants, right? I did have to do something. I can't outsource ALL the fun. So, we made and decorated our own cupcakes today (cake recipe here and icing recipe here). Then it was time for bath and story time. We read Rudyard Kipling's How The Rhinoceros Got His Skin. Jackson loves the playful style of Kipling's stories, and I LOVE reading them. One of my absolute favorite children's authors. Then I snuggled in for one last hug and kiss from my adorable 6 year old boy before turning out the light on his beautiful day.
I am often reminded by well meaning people to cherish every moment I have with my children because it will all be over too quickly. I understand where they're coming from, but it always makes me feel guilty because I find it extremely difficult to cherish the times I have to dig baby wipes out of the toilet with my bare hands (because he forgot they aren't the same as the flushable kind), or cry all the way home from a birthday party because something (and he never did verbalize what that something was) upset him to the point of madness in which he punched and kicked me for the first time in his life. I don't cherish behavior meetings with his school, the frustrating food allergy issues we face every day, or any of the other crazy messes and problems we struggle with in our unique little family. But, I do cherish him, and the six years I've had him in my life. His middle name means laughter. I changed it from Isaiah just before we left the hospital with him because I felt like God was leading me to name him Isaac. God has been explaining that decision every day since. I can't say that every day with Jackson has been all laughter and smiles, but I can say that because of him I know better how to appreciate those moments of sweet giggling bliss. I understand better now how precious they truly are.
Six years. It's hard to believe, how far we've come, how far we have to go, but I'm looking forward to the rest of our journey.
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