What a weekend...

This weekend was an insane one. First off, it was Jake's 5th birthday on Saturday. I can't believe that my baby's already 5, where has the time gone? How can he possibly be so grown up already? I'm so lucky to have him in my life, he is the most wonderful child I could ever have wished for and I love him more then words can say! I'm such a lucky mommy...

The weather was forecast to be crap for Saturday - 80% chance of rain and 65 knot winds - so I opted to substitute the jumping castle for a magician on Thursday and it was the best thing I could've done, since it poured with rain and we were forced to stay indoors. I don't know what I would've done with all those kids (25 + some siblings) without the extra entertainment!

Jake was up early on Saturday morning - like 4:30, but I managed to get him to go back to sleep and we eventually got up at 6:15. He was just so excited and couldn't wait to open his presents. We hauled his duvet to the lounge and snuggled on the couch (just the 2 of us) while he opened his gifts from me. It was great to have a few quiet moments with him on my own, before the day began.

The party started at 2 and the kids had a ball. The magician was fantastic, even though he forgot who the birthday boy was and then when we pointed out that it was the kid with the crown on, he called Jake Jason. He eventually got the logistics sorted out, got down onto their level and put on a brilliant show for the boys and girls (and parents). They were mesmerized and Jake hasn't stopped talking about his birthday ever since!. After the party, the family and a few friends stayed for supper after the party and we eventually got to bed at about 10:30. It was quite a day for us!!

The fun continued on Sunday, it was my birthday. On Friday morning Jake had been so excited about turning 5, he wanted to know how old I was turning. I got him to guess and he guessed 60. 60!! I know I have crows feet, but surely I don't look that old. Anyway, just to set the record straight, I turned 32 yesterday. Jake woke up really early again, but I managed to convince him to close his eyes for a little while longer, which he did and then only woke up at 8:35 - what more could I have wished for? When he woke up, he looked at me and said, 'it's your birthday! Happy birthday Mommy!'. Then he rubbed my shoulders and tickled my back for all of 3 seconds, but still - I don't think there could've been any better start to my day! I had a few friends that popped in to wish me in the afternoon and they all spoilt me rotten!

So, before I overload you with photos, I just want to say thank you to everyone who helped make Jake and I feel so special and so loved on our birthday weekend, it was great!! We were showered with phone calls and sms's and visits - it was a really great weekend, especially for Jake...

Opening presents. Do you remember feeling this excited about your birthdays when you were a kid??

A frog for the veggie patch from a family friend... The party table... Waiting for friends to arrive...Josette (Jacques' sister) with little Connor. It was Connor's first birthday party, I think he was in shock...Cutting the cake...Waiting for the show to begin...Look how many kids there were...Jake was called up to help with a few things. He was very embarrassed at first...Pooping out an egg... It worked... The old trick of the breaking wand. Jake thought this was hysterical...A balloon poodle (don't ask me why not a sword) for his efforts...Abracadabra...Pass-the-parcel passed the rest of the time... A very happy little boy at the end of his day...I realized when I put Jake to bed last night (again in my bed - my treat for my birthday), I realized that I didn't have any photos of the two of us from the weekend, so took a few myself. It's one of the joys of being a single parent, there just wasn't time to think about what I was doing properly. I was sober when I took these shots, though I don't look it. I took about 100 photos, of which at least 87 are of me with my eyes closed. I had to take some without the flash, just to try catch us both with open eyes. In the rest of the pictures, we look like dorks, but they're happy memories, we laughed our heads off in the process...

One last thing, please spare a thought for Gareth, my future brother-in-law, who sprained and then broke his ankle (the sprain made him fall) getting out of his car on Friday night. He had to have surgery done yesterday to pop the joint back into place and they've put plates into his ankle to reinforce it. He'll probably be in hospital till Wednesday. Hope you feel better soon!!