Allan Turns 9!

Our oldest is 9 years old today and I have been shaking my head all day. HOW IS OUR BOY ALREADY 9.

When our children came to live with us five years ago, Allan had just turned four, and now here he is, a big ole third grader with his own friends and own inside jokes.

He requested to go to one of our favorite local Japanese restaurants tonight to celebrate, where they bang on drums and sing “Happy Birthday” loudly while you wear a light-up crown and shake maracas.

How cute is he trying to smile through a mouth full of food?

He had a hard-to-read look on his face the entire time the restaurant was singing to him, and I had to ask him afterwards if he liked it or hated it. “I loved it! I just get embarrassed when a lot of people look at me sometimes.” Ugh. My heart!! I love that he is able to convey his emotions and tell us what he’s feeling in the moment.

The restaurant is fun because they cook the food on a grill right in front of you, and let you catch rice in your mouth and make a “volcano” out of a sliced onion they light on fire. The kids’ eyes were LIKE THIS THE ENTIRE TIME.

Tonight was with just the five of us, and then Saturday we plan to have a little something at our house with our moms and the kids’ aunt and grandma, because I say, the more excuses to celebrate someone the better, right?

Happy birthday to our blonde-haired baby who isn’t such a baby anymore, and who enjoys building and creating things and going on adventures and who absolutely loves his hair long right now even though I want to get it cut so we can see his handsome face. We are so fortunate to be able to call him our son.

PS: new issue of Okay McKay is out now!