Dinosaur Dig Birthday Party

Sunday was the big day: Oliver's long anticipated DINOSAUR DIG! To follow last year's outdoor party with crummy weather, we were naturally under a heat advisory, the humidity was through the roof and it was hot.hot.hot. But there was a strong breeze (kept us a bit cooler but did make it hard to keep things in place) and we had decided to hold the party in the shade of our front yard instead of our roomy but sunny backyard.

Oliver had a terrific time and I was happy to see that he was more centered and internally organized this year than last -- it allowed him to just be a kid and have a blast!

When everyone arrived they were offered their choice of a dinosaur mask to wear or just bring home. Oliver picked his out while we were setting things up. What a cute dino!

ROAR!

My two favorite guys!

For his cake, Oliver specifically asked for a homemade chocolate dinosaur cake. THANK YOU to my Mother-in-Law who watched Oliver so I could attempt to meet his request. Here is the result:

I used two 9x13 cakes for this, so we have two "hills" and a "valley". He was happy with the result, though I did slightly regret inviting a professional baker who creates the most amazing looking cakes (that I've not had the pleasure of tasting, but I am sure they are beyond delicious). This was made with lots of love, though!

Getting ready for "Happy Birthday"! Sadly the candles wouldn't light in the wind, but he loved being the center of attention.

Now, on to the party particulars. Given that it was a dinosaur party, I figured it wouldn't be complete without a dinosaur dig! The sandbox was full of little dinos for the kids to dig, brush and sift out.

This provided a lot of entertainment for the kiddos, and now Oliver has his own personal dinosaur dig in the backyard!

Oliver had also begged for a pinata, so we found a dinosaur one for his party. We didn't use a blindfold, just had the kids line up and take turns (two wacks for each turn). They had a blast and some kids really got into it!

Look at this effort!

We had a little dinosaur themed snack spread as well. The snacks included:

- Dinosaur Toes (Bugles)

- Dinosaur Bones (Pretzel Sticks)

- Dinosaur Eggs (large Peanut M&Ms)

- Herbivore Snack (Carrots and Tzatziki)

- Carnivore Snack (Beef Sticks)

As a thank you to our guests (and in addition to the dinosaur masks and pinata candy), we had sand pails and shovels for them to use on their own dinosaur dig at home. Inside they had homemade dinosaur crayons, dinosaur stickers and a little tub of play-dough. 

He had a mountain of gifts from his generous friends and family! Oliver was so eager to open his presents he could hardly wait for the rest of us to be ready. I was very impressed with how thankful he was for the gifts -- even after everyone went home. I hope this sense of appreciation lasts as he gets older.

Patiently waiting to start tearing into the presents!

I have to say, I was completely wiped out after we had everything cleaned up, but he was full of energy and excitement. I am so very happy he had a wonderful time!

As I reflect to how last year's celebration went, I am pleased to see how much he has grown and changed in the past year. When we celebrated his third birthday we of course cherished the time, the "finally" part of the celebration. But as parents we were completely overwhelmed; and Oliver was not able to calm himself enough to fully enjoy the party. This year he of course was wild and crazy -- that's part of who he is! -- but he wasn't as overwhelmed and out of control. He just had fun. And we were feeling more balanced, more willing to allow him to just run and to be (and more trusting of other adults to help keep an eye out for all of the kids). It was actually fun. Exhausting, but fun! 

We are now officially tied on birthday celebrations: we have celebrated two without him here and two with him here. I am so joyful for the opportunity to celebrate together. What an amazing kiddo.

4th Birthday

Hip hip hooray! Oliver turned 4 today. He was so excited for his birthday that we have been counting down for over a week, and his excitement was contagious. In addition to his excitement, however, he has also been more focused on Korea, his foster family and the things he left behind. Leading up to today he was experiencing more sadness and melancholy than usual. My heart breaks for the losses he has already experienced, but yet I am so grateful to be able to comfort him and walk him through these emotions.

Today, however, was all about turning 4. We had a very full day! Here is a picture summary of our fantastic day celebrating:

We were ready for his big day even while he slept.
 Moments later we woke him with a rousing "Happy Birthday to You",
and the balloons and decorated door were a hit.

A quick photo before Dad had to leave for work. Oliver is still not the most comfortable posing (as you will see in several other photos!)

Showcasing his new superpower: eating apples WITH the peel on!
SO thankful...  :)

Grandpa Tom's card arrived yesterday so he was itching to open it first thing today. 
The dinosaur was a bit hit!

One of his swimming friends thoughtfully gave him a birthday gift. He's keeping himself entertained on the way to Daddy's work with one of the books she picked out for him.

Lunch downtown with Daddy. What a treat!

Oliver snapped this selfie of us at Central Library.
Their kids' section is so big, and the library is beautiful. He had a blast!

After a nap and some time outside, we were happy to have Oma, Opa, Uncle Mike and Holly join us. Per Oliver's request, dinner included a couple of his Korean favorites: Japchae (the noodles) and Bulgogi (the meat). Kimchi, rice and fruit rounded out his birthday dinner.

Somehow we managed to wait until after dinner to open gifts....barely! 

A fun dinosaur book (with his new basketball set in the background).

"I asked for this! It's the Joker!"

Dinosaurs!! Not pictured: a sleeping bag from Uncle Mike and Holly that Oliver was excited to play with tonight!

Birthday dessert and a boy patiently waiting to blow out his candle.

What a wonderful day. He's looking forward to his dinosaur dig party this weekend (praying the weather report turns a bit more favorable), and I am guessing that tomorrow will include a lot of time playing with new toys. Happy birthday to our sweet, funny, loving boy!

Recap and the 4th

The last couple of weeks have been rather busy. Oliver's swimming lessons have continued and he's doing great. We've had several visits to different splash pads, a trip to Como zoo with friends (including that splash pad), a play date with fellow Korean adoptees, and an assortment of other fun activities. 

I will admit that it was much easier to keep up with my blog when I had computer time at work! These days I can't seem to sneak in a moment on the computer when Oliver is awake, and by the time he goes to bed I'm either too tired or already have a long to do list. So here's a quick recap of our last two weeks, ending with our Fourth of July weekend.

Splash Pads

We came across a local splash pad that is a lot of fun. They also have a nice playground area right next door and to top it all off, it's free! We've been to the splash pad twice and the park twice in the last couple of weeks. We've been to two other splash pads recently, but are glad to have this one so close to home.

Swiveling water guns. Fun!

The snack bar is also a hit with the kiddos

Dave Matthews Band

Thanks to Tony planning ahead, we had the opportunity to see the Dave Matthews Band concert on July 1. Beforehand we met up with my brother-in-law and his friends, then Tony and I went on to the show. Unfortunately the evening did not begin well for me, as Oliver was extremely upset to be left at Oma and Opa's house for the night. I think it took me nearly an hour to get into the right mindset to enjoy the night, but we had a good time in the end -- and the concert was great. Thankfully Oma sent us a fun picture pretty early on so that we knew Oliver was doing OK. Then Tony snapped one of us to send back. I was very happy to have technology with us as it really did make a difference in how I felt the rest of the night!

Apparently taken just a few minutes after I left him screaming and sobbing.

Right back at you, Oliver!

4th of July Weekend

We had big plans for the holiday weekend. Friday afternoon we were set to head up north to spend the rest of the weekend with our neighbors, including their son who is Oliver's age. We made cookies, cut up a watermelon, and bought a lot of other food to bring up with us. Clothes were set out, we were excited. 

Naturally, Oliver came down with a severe head cold Thursday night and was in no shape to go on Friday. We held out hope that Saturday would be better, but he woke up at 3:30 AM and did not go back to sleep. If anything he was worse. With our travel plans canceled and Oliver too under the weather to do much, we decided to take him to his first movie in the theater. It was an early showing so the theater was pretty empty. Tony snapped a quick picture of us, though I don't understand why he is pouting! Oliver did great throughout the movie and we had a really good time. We saw Inside Out, which was cute but most of it was way over his head.

He ate nearly the entire bag of popcorn by himself!

The rest of our day didn't feel too holiday-like, but included some relaxing. Today we were able to go out on the boat for a bit and I think Oliver is finally beginning to feel a little bit better.

Birthday Boy

His 4th birthday is nearly here! Oliver has been looking forward to his birthday and keeps asking if it is July 7 yet. We will be celebrating ON his birthday with immediate family, serving Oliver's choice of bulgogi and japchae. On Sunday we will have some of our extended family and a few neighbors over for a dinosaur themed birthday celebration. We aimed to keep it small but we still think there will be well over a dozen kids to help Oliver celebrate turning 4. I'm so excited for him to enjoy the festivities (and ready to be done working on it :)!

Lately Oliver has been talking a lot about Korea. He speaks of things he remembers doing or eating, of some of the people, and especially of his toys. He even asked to draw a picture of what he called his carriage, which would've been like a bassinet. He said it was white and he drew a picture of him inside of it with his Korea Umma standing outside of it. Given that Oliver does not usually color or draw, it is clear this is an active part of his mind right now, though I don't know if he had a bassinet or not. What can be difficult for us is that many of his stories are clearly not accurate or truthful. Yet they seem very vivid and important to him. I am thankful he had happiness in his life before us, though it breaks my heart to know of the sadness he has felt. Is also hard to know how much of his life we missed out on. It makes me grateful for the time we have together now. 

To close, here's a picture from his first birthday along with the traditional spread that his Korea Umma (pictured) must've put together for him.

He's so cute!

The full spread is nearly twice this big. I can spot the kimchi and japchae!