Justus’ Happy Birthday…

Ah, finally…two weeks after the big day…I’m finally getting around to telling you about Justus’ 8th birthday!!

I have some good excuses for being so late in doing this (although I can’t really remember what they are…)

Oh, one is that the night before his birthday…Justus got a fever. And didn’t even care anymore that the next day was his birthday.

And that’s saying a lot…since for the last 11.29 months, that’s all we’d been hearing about.

I’m very serious. We plan birthdays big time around here. 

Justus even had his details planned down to the conversations he would have with his friends who came over for the sleepover…(Justus would say, “Okay guys, now that we’ve made dinner, I’m going to put it in the oven.” and his friends would say, “What? You mean your mom will put it in the oven?” and Justus would say, “No! I’m a professional chef. I put things in the oven all the time by myself. I know, it’s crazy, since I’m only eight…” and his friends would be amazed and impressed and look at each other as if to say, “I don’t believe it.”)

Oh yes, I listened to these such plans and “conversations” just about everytime Justus and I were in the kitchen together.

So, when he got a fever the night before and didn’t care about his birthday…well, we knew he was SICK.

So, we called off the party for the following night and put the little guy to bed.

:(

The next morning, he felt quite a bit better…better enough to eat a little of his planned birthday breakfast…

As you can see, everyone else felt just fine eating the biscuits and gravy too…

And he felt better enough to open his presents.

He felt much better as the day went on…not better enough to clean the house…but better enough to blow out birthday candles on this cake. (Remember…the chocolate cheesecake that I didn’t eat…?)

See the candles in the shape of a “J” for Justus?! He’s so clever.

Fast-forward one week…

Everyone is healthy and ready to have a belated birthday party.

The friends show up…with sleeping bags…presents…appetites…and all the other things eight year old boys need for a sleep-over. 

Oh, wait…that’s all eight year old boys need for a sleep-over. No clean socks or toothbrushes needed…

Using those things would take up precious nerf-gun fighting time.

They took a couple of moments to open presents…legos and a new cap gun….and PLENTY of caps….

(Well, I’m pretty sure the caps all got used in the van the next day when I took the boys home…there’s not a mailbox or a pole light left un-shot from here to there. And the windows were rolled up…and…

Oh, never mind…)

Okay, anyway…then (as planned) the boys made dinner themselves. Justus made this plan at Christmas after he got his Kid’s Cooking Kit. He picked out a recipe that he and his friends would make…Ham and Cheese Melts.

And make them they did…YUM!

Then, we had little Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes.
Um, they all got one of their own…. Please don’t look at that one little cake and think that I made them all share it. 

(If I’ll let ’em shoot cap guns in an enclosed van, I’ll let ’em all have their own cheesecake. Just so I can have one this time!)

And then there was ball tag and more nerf gun wars and some hide and seek…and then some Play Station 2 before bed.

And then Blueberry Pancakes for breakfast.

And then more nerf gun wars.

And then more PS2.

Then more nerf-gun wars.

And to think…I only got hit with ONE nerf ball that whole time.

The next birthday around here is in June.

Oh yes, the plans are already underway….