Today is Gabe’s 12th birthday and it was a really fun and full day. Everyone was awake early and ready to get on with the parties . I woke up determined to help make this a day completely about Gabe… We started by wrapping Gabe’s presents in our traditional family style using towels, shirts and socks… preferably clean.
We all gathered around the pile downstairs then summoned Gabe to come down.. The first thing that Gabe opened was a box with a slip of paper in it… with a picture of the trampoline that is somewhere in route between
Gabe was so psyched ! He always has wanted a ‘tramp … and we finally gave in.. .Sam always wanted one too.. I think/hope he’d be happy that Gabe is getting one now. Gabe also got a digital camera since he’s always borrowing mine
After the booty was all unwrapped we retired to the kitchen for the first cake of the day.. Casey and Chris had slept over the night before… so we already had 6 in the house.. just as Gabe was blowing out the candles another 5 people showed up… Scott, Justin. Julia, Nate,
After Cake, I helped
A little bit after than. Gabe got ready for Lacrosse. Diane took him, Chris and Casey up to
I spent several hour cleaning the house and yard in order to let the kids mess it up tonight J. I still have a sore throat .. but my fever had broken so I slipped out and took a great run up in the woods up the old long trail and down some of the old logging roads.. it was a lot of climbing which felt good. Gabe and Diane got home around 5. As soon as they got home the guys called from the park to ask me to come fetch the raft. I got down there to find that there was a big concert going on. The concert was called . ‘Heiferpatwoza’ because it was a benefit for the Hiefer foundation (http://www.heiferfoundation.org/) that uses donations to buy livestock for folks around the world who need them . :It looked like all my favorite music was there Skanky Green, Kevin, Erin B. Lara H… but I couldn’t stay.. we were expecting the next wave of folks at home for Gabe’s birthday
The kids helped me load the raft into the car .. We had to stick the flag out the sunroof.
Before I drove off I took a quick peek into the new home of ‘On the Rise’ down by the park. It looks so wonderful in there. When I walked in Ben motioned me behind the counter and showed me how they’d cemented a SamStone on the upper right of the brick oven they built.. He told me there’s another one deep inside the chimney. That is just so wonderful !
I got home just as kids and parents were starting to show up for Gabe’s party .. I think there were about 40 folks here around dinner.. Diane and Max grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, veggie dogs and veggi burgers while I just sat like a veggie myself and drank beer with Dave K and Deb.. It was pretty nice.. The kids had a blast too.. lots of folks in the pool, paying Frisbee and running around… One thing I noticed is that lots of the kids had painted parts of their bodies at the concert today.. here are a few samples.
Around dark we sang happy birthday again and ate the second and third cakes for the day. (Note Max’s tasteful decoration of his brothers cake.. )
After cake we lit a fire in the back yard and sat around and talked. Some friends of ours had brought some great fireworks which we set off in honor of Gabe.
They were some of the best store bought fireworks I’ve ever seen ! I also took the opportunity to write Gabe’s name in Magnesium ribbon and burned that..
We also burned off some of the leftover ;rock candy’ smoke bomb material I made for last weekends mythbusters movie sequence..
Boys and fire… what could be sweeter ?
Once things calmed down Diane and I took a walk to the sandpit to watch the stars It was a beautiful night.. so we did a little catching up with Sam.. we both needed that after this long and happy day…
Well.. tit’s
-me