Happy Fourth Birthday, Trevor Michael!

All The Birthday Party Details

Trevor requested a race car birthday this year. So I got some red and black-and-white-checkered party decor, race car banners, and racing flags. I found soaps in the shape of red race cars for favors and some mini red and white popcorn bags for snacks. The local bakery (where I’ve been getting Tru’s cakes since he turned one) made a race car cake that was as intricate and artistic as ever.

We had the party at an indoor kids’ gym, The Little Gym. Tru was so excited, he just bounced around the whole time and made it as challenging as possible to get any good photos. He couldn’t stand still for a second.

Just like last year, I imagined the party would be chaos. And it wasn’t in the least. The party lasted about 1 1/2 hours, which was perfect. Any longer than that and kids start melting down and parents start getting headaches and checking their phones for the time …

But the kids were all really calm and happy and got along great, so it was a joy to be a part of. Tru played with the other kids a little and explored the gym on his own a little. But mostly the staff had one activity after the next lined up, and Tru got the biggest smiles when they put the spotlight on “the birthday boy” for an activity or a game. Trevor loves being physical – running, jumping, constantly moving – so he was definitely in his element.

As for the timing, Tru’s party happened exactly one week before the government shut down schools due to corona fears. Tru doesn’t know anything yet about the shelter-in-place orders. I’ve told him we’re on an extended “vacation.” So what he doesn’t know is that he was actually really lucky to get any kind of party at all! Writing about it now makes my heart ache, remembering the freedom we had to just dart around from one place and one activity to the next all weekend long …

Trevor’s Favorites From His Big Day

Trevor has a giant sweet tooth so I think his favorite part of the party was the birthday cake. His ear-to-ear smile when we all sang “Happy Birthday” (and had him blow out the candles, which he did successfully in a couple of tries!) was my favorite thing about the day.

He was also bubbling with excitement to see all of his friends. He’d been to several birthday parties during the school year, and I think he was really excited aboout this being “his” day to shine.

We asked the kids not to bring gifts. Just because we’re trying to teach Trevor happiness comes from enjoyable experiences and spending time with others. But Tru was really excited to open a couple of gifts (from Chris and I and his grandparents) when we got home.

On Turning Four

Trevor was actually sad about turning four! He said he wanted to “stay fwee” (three).

But I love age four so far. Trevor loves to sing, he likes doing coloring and craft projects, he tells interesting stories. We have real conversations where I ask questions and he gives relevant answers.

He also wakes up so happy every morning. Today one of the first things he said to me was, “we have four fun things to do today …”

He still doesn’t love to play independently. He’s really extroverted for the most part, and high energy too. So he’s always looking for a whirlwind of activities and lots of attention. Days are still exhausting as ever, in other words. But it’s a joy to watch his personality unfold.