Our Kind of Happiness: Super Connar turns 4!

C's 4th birthday was in November, before T got back from his last stint in Korea. The night before, while the boys were already fast asleep dreaming of what the next day's party would bring, I was busy in the kitchen whipping up the cupcakes. It wasn't long before I wasn't feeling well, and all I could think was, "Are you kidding me???" I mean, really. There was no time to be sick and nobody to pick up my slack if I was. But that's just what happened.

At about 6:30 am, after several visits to the bathroom to lose everything I'd eaten the day before and realizing that this wasn't getting any better, I texted my mom something like this:

Need help. I'm throwing up.

It was bad y'all. Being alone with two littles while you're physically sick is really really hard. One boy was in bed just feet away with no idea Mommy is sick on his birthday and the other little boy was standing at the bathroom door laughing at me because he thinks I'm playing and trying to make him laugh every time I make the awful sound of vomiting...seriously, just visualize that for a minute. If my head wasn't in the toilet and using one hand to keep him at bay, I might've laughed at that too.

She and my step dad, Joel, came over an hour or two later and dealt with C and P while I stayed in bed, hoping that time would just make it better. Well it didn't.

It was time to leave for the party, and I was at my very worst. I cried as I told my mom that she'd have to take care of the party and everything there, because I just couldn't go. I was heartbroken. Not only was I missing my baby's birthday party, he wasn't going to have either parent there because T was still in Korea. I would've done anything to be there that day, but I literally couldn't stop getting sick. There was just no way I could've toughed it out at the party.

Luckily, I booked his party at Dewberry Farm, so there wasn't too much to do other than send them with the cupcakes I'd made and directions on what was going to happen. I'm so thankful that I had enough sense to have his party elsewhere this year instead of at our house (we moved home from Korea only three weeks before this and into our house three days before this.....so I knew I wouldn't have the time or energy for a full out party at our house), because it would've been impossible for me to decorate my house, make food, and entertain the guests at my house. At least at the farm, they would be entertained by the activities and the food was provided.

As they drove away for the birthday party, I bawled like a baby. I Skyped T (it was like 2 am his time) with tears pouring down my face. I know he felt so bad, because he couldn't do one thing to make it better. After all, he was 7000 miles away.

I crawled back into bed and prayed that I could sleep away the sick, but the absolute opposite happened. It was awful. But honestly, what was more awful for me was not being present at C's birthday party. Thank God for little kids who don't realize much as long as they're being fed cupcakes and having fun running around. :)

I've already told the family and friends this who showed up and showered him with love and a wonderful time, but I want to say it again here on my blog...

I feel immensely blessed that T and I had all of you there to help C celebrate his 4th birthday when neither of us could be there. I know it was nothing to y'all except going to another birthday party, but it meant the world to us. Thank you for singing, for the gifts, for the hugs, for the help, for feeding P in between running around, and for riding the rides with my precious boys. I wish T and I could've been there sliding down Slide Mountain with them, watching them jump on the big bouncy pillows, or helping them swing in the hay, but I'm so grateful that all of you were there to do that in our place. I cried from my sick bed as you all sang happy birthday to him, not only because I couldn't be there to do it too, but also because I know just how loved he is. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there. I'm forever grateful to you.

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We Skyped T in Korea first thing on C's birthday. Daddy even wore his super hero shirt that we bought for him before he went back to Korea, especially to wear on C's birthday to feel like he was home celebrating our little super hero with us. C thought it was the coolest thing that his daddy was wearing a super hero shirt. :)

He showed his daddy his gifts (from us) as he opened them. The movie he's holding in this picture is special because it's the movie C watched a couple dozen times on a couple of our international flights when we were traveling between Korea and the U.S.. Other than super heroes, this movie is all he could talk about for a while. :)

I was back in bed at this point hoping to sleep the sick away before it was time to leave for the party, while my mom and Joel entertained the boys...or in this picture, while C chatted PaJ's ear off about all the different super heroes in his new book.

Off to the party they went!

How did 4 years pass so quickly????

Spencer even came to the party with her mommy and daddy, Uncle DJ and Aunt Liz (in the belly)!

Thank goodness for the extra hands of friends and family! xoxo

DJ Skyped me so I could be there while they sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to C and while he opened presents. That meant so so much to me. I'll forever be grateful for that technology.

I don't know why, but both of my kids did this on their birthdays this past year. Neither of them really like attention directly on them. They'd be content to skip the song and go straight to the candle blowing.

In this video, you can hear them asking me if I can see C on DJ's phone while he's Skyping me. When they started singing, I started singing on my end but couldn't quite finish because I was bawling that I wasn't there and because I was so so thankful that I didn't miss singing to my baby on his birthday "at" his party. I might not have been at the actual party itself, but I'll always have this video to remember that moment. Thank you, Mom for taking the video for me and DJ for Skyping me. xoxo

My mom wrote down all the gifts and who gave them so I would know. This was so helpful the next day when I could actually get out of bed and get a grasp back on life.