Monsters 5th Birthday

Monsters birthday has always been a weird day in our family, especially for my other half. Previous arrangements have been unsuccessful and I spent a day watching his heart break last year as he waited on a call which never came.

This year, with more formal arrangements in place, we were SUPER excited that Monster would be spending the day (after school) at home with us for the first time. We have always celebrated his birthday at our house, but usually a week or so after the day itself which try as we might never quite feels the same.

In the weeks leading up to the big day, forecasts of “The Beast from the East” were hitting the news and weather forecasts, I adore snow (second only to a heat wave) but we felt no excitement, only a strange dread mixed with anxiety that for another year we would miss the little Monsters special day. We continued arrangements for a family party but really had resigned ourselves that Christmas would be our first “actual” holiday together as a family.

For once, we got ridiculously lucky. As predicted, the snow fell the day before his birthday, but before the school bell rang, which meant Monster came back home with us and by mid-afternoon conditions were such that we couldn’t even go to the corner shop, never mind the hour back to Monsters other home.

So within a two day period, we got to share Monsters first proper snow AND his fifth birthday! Although it was nothing close to the day we had planned, it was beautiful and magical and crazy amounts of fun – we got to use the sledge I bought at a sample sale years ago, build a snowman, throw snowballs, follow animal tracks and really just enjoy being together.

We had. a mini birthday buffet of Monsters favourite foods in the evening, sang happy birthday and blew out the candles and snuggled up on the sofa with a movie before bed. I’m starting to learn that everything I love to do is even more special and way more fun when we have Monster with us too!

Sharing in these experiences and “firsts” either for Monster or just for our family together is such a privilege, its something I try really hard never to take for granted or pass me by, and when I’ve prepared myself for the worst case – the best case is just indescribable!