Birthday Weekend, Part I

Today we started the celebrations for Koen's 4th birthday (really, Sunday, the 10th). It will be a simple birthday celebration, but we are elongating it across the whole weekend since Doug works a 14 hour day on Sunday and won't really get to celebrate at all with us that day. Today we had a normal around-the-house (rainy) family morning, but then we went out to lunch to start the birthday celebration. Koen was very into the idea of a birthday weekend, of course. Doug actually made up a little song for him and he loved it. "Birthday weekend, birthday weekend, birthday weekend...'cause Koen's turning 4!" Such a good daddy!

We enjoyed a simple, but fun lunch at Olive Garden (and I got to run an errand at Target!). I think Olive Garden was under-appreciated previously in my personal opinion. Today totally changed that. Our service was awesome. Doug and I both ordered the soup/salad lunch option (such a great deal!) and Koen had a whole wheat linguini/meatball kids meal and it was a delicious and affordable lunch. Our server was so sweet to Koen and brought him a few scoops of vanilla ice cream with candles for him to blow out for his birthday. So sweet! He felt very special. Soon after we got home it was naptime for the boys and then this evening good friends came over for dinner and Daddy had to go to work for the afternoon/evening. Our evening was great, but Koen was a little volatile. So 3! I'm really hoping a switch flips on Sunday when he turns 4. I'm ready for his little body to figure out emotions, want to listen and obey and enjoy the blessing that comes from that and be cool with whatever life throws at him. Yeah, I know, it's not going to happen. I can dream though, right?

All in all, a great day. The few pics I snapped at Olive Garden today aren't that exciting. Hopefully I'll do better at capturing the birthday weekend festivities tomorrow! Stay tuned for more birthday info!