We've been holding Silas's 5th birthday over his head for a little while now, telling him that if he wanted to turn 5, he needed to start acting like a big boy. We may have subtly implied that we had some power over whether or not the big day happened.
Is that terrible? I mean, don't answer that.
Desperate times, people.
And then, one day, he just started acting 5, or at least somewhere in the vicinity.
As told to my mom and dad, over the phone: "I'm a big boy now! I don't act naughty anymore...I don't hit...I don't cause trouble...I don't scream...No body calls me a maniac..." :)
(For the record, it was mostly Calvin who called him a maniac. Mostly.)
We thought we'd better hold up our end of the deal and let him turn 5.
So we strung up the paper plate birthday banner and got down to business.
(So cute when kids get all embarrassed during Happy Birthday!)
Our birthday treat consisted of random vanilla ice cream I found in the freezer, some sprinkles, and a lone candle. But at least it was green.
The kids acted like we were presenting them with platters of fair food, caffeine pop, and Krispy Kremes.
Life Lesson :: Set your own bar fairly low. You'll never regret it.
Okay, let me explain.
Homeboy does not play with toys. Ever.
For two years in a row I've been asked to fill out a pre-school questionnaire listing, among other things, his "favorite toy", to which I reply: "Silas doesn't play with toys." Both years I feel bad, like maybe it wasn't the right time for complete honesty.
He begs for light switches, small empty containers with interesting lids, extension cords, night lights, flash lights, and an actual computer of his own.
He recently deactivated our screen saver in a matter of minutes. He cannot see a button without pushing it. He's the best kind of weird, that's all I'm saying.
A couple months ago we found a disk of pictures from Korea that we never knew we had (don't ask) and this was on it. I still can't look at it without laughing. Somehow, it vindicates me. From what? I don't know. But the pressure is off this mama. Dude was like this from the womb.
So, yada yada, I took a $5 off coupon to Ace and bought him his own power strip, 3 night lights, and two plug adapters. Sue me.
In all our years of parenting, no child has ever been more excited by a gift.
He spontaneously cheered!
Then we killed the mood by asking him to smile with his new "toys", and you know how that goes.
Look natural!
Nevermind.
Next night? Spicy cucumbers and free birthday cheesecake from Sunny.
Next night? Family party. I made this birthday treat. (So good.)
It's a lot of birthdaying, not gonna lie. But every year, we somehow feel luckier than the last.
We got a really great batch of kids. They match us quirk by imperfection. I'm a complete goner over the way God put us all together, so sure that what we needed was each other.
Happy Birthday, Silas.
You really are 5.
OK - our son, at 5 put together his first clock which then sent us to the American Watch and Clock museum in Bristol, CT (1 hour from our home) every Friday morning at 8:30 so he could wind the clocks with the 2 older men there who wound the antique clocks. Go figure. That did phase out as he became interested in overhead, electric garage door openers ... and now, at 11, he is taking his first Electronics course and soldering (yikes!) Maybe our boys will work together some day! Gotta go with the flow and nurture their individual interests. Happy 5th!
ReplyDeleteThat is our boy!!!!!!! It would be really nice if you gave him a generator in case the electric goes out. We love you Si Pie.
ReplyDeleteThat is our boy!!!!!!! It would be really nice if you gave him a generator in case the electric goes out. We love you Si Pie.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to Silas!
ReplyDeleteAwesome. The end.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. Thank you sooooo much for the belly busting laugh over Silo's phone call to grandma and papa.
ReplyDeleteManiac may just be my favorite word ever.
Now I must go wipe the smile off my face, as the Breaking Bad series finale is starting, and that's nothing to smile about.
Happy Birthday, Silas!
Happy Birthday, Silas!!!! Congratulations on not being a naughty maniac anymore!!! :D
ReplyDeletePrecious! And the natural smile thing? I get the same stinkin' fakeness! LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteWell I just love everything about this. Happy big day, Silas!
ReplyDeleteYou got yourself a bonafide computer geek....Oh I know what he plays with doesn't look computer related but you got to trust me here....My son carried around batteries. Two year old with a can full of batteries. Then there was the watches and then he was convinced he would take apart our car and put it together. He went on to became the biggest math geek you've ever met. It served him well even though math was only a path to what he really loves. Computers...It always ends at computers. But the good news is Silas will never want for work. Ever. PS we layed bets on computers or engineering. Silas could be the next big engineer as you know engineers are a little bit sought after. Happy birthday Silas, you shine on in your happy mechanical world.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this! I have to agree...even his pre-school teacher said she wants to somehow keep tabs on him and see what he ends up doing in life. You should see what he takes for show-and-tell! haha
DeleteAm I the only one who started singing, "he's a maniac, maniac!" in my head the instant I read that? I am? Shoot...
ReplyDeleteA glorious happy birthday, Silas! Here's hoping that 5 year old power makes its way to our house by January when our big turns 5...
Oh jeez....I shouldn't have read this before bed. ;) I'll be singing this in my dreams! So funny.
DeleteBest Birthday Ever...Best Parents Ever...Happy Big Man 5 Silas !
ReplyDeleteThis made me laugh out loud!!!!! I love the pics of him cheering!! Love you all!!
ReplyDeleteThat is the best birthday present ever! I can totally relate, I would be over the moon with various products from Ace Hardware, and that's no word of a lie. What a cutie your baby is. And not so much a baby anymore! :)
ReplyDeleteSweet boy. Happy for you all :)
ReplyDeleteCompletely awesome!
ReplyDeleteabsolute delight. i totally get this, and i love him! reminds me of eg :)
ReplyDeletexoxo
Oh my gosh...my son is the same way!!! I save all sorts of weird jars so he can intently twist off the lid, put something inside, then twist on the lid, sometimes asking for 'HALP!'
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone. One year I bought my small child a large length of rope, as requested by my birthday boy.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Silas.
Love it! (Of course)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I love the happy, cheering photos over his gifts.
ReplyDeleteHappy 5th Silas! You are a dear 'wonder boy.'
FlowerLady
The powercord and lights and plugs - GENIUS. I love it! Happy birthday, Si-man! We love you!!
ReplyDeleteLOVE ~
ReplyDeleteYou are the raddest (rad-est?) mom ever!!!! There has to be some highly complex methedology behind that mastermind of yours, it truly can't be as simple as keep your expectations low, can it? Maybe it can.......I've been sick for a month and barely managed a "Happy Birthday" for three of my kids days.....somehow, I'm thinking if my expections were a bit lower, I would have been able to pull something amazing like this off for sure!!!! I might have to go buy me some paper plates, just sayin'!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Silas!!! You certainly are looking like a 5 year old!!!!! Hope you have a fabulous year <3
You're the best mom...quirky gifts are cool!
ReplyDeleteLove it! Love how you embrace his nature and not "force" him to play with traditional toys. His face is just priceless - so happy! Happy B-day Silas!
ReplyDeleteI love the birthday gifts & his joy over them! Precious!
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh oh my gosh. this is both amazing and hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI love Silas.
ReplyDeletehilarious and wonderful and hilarious.
ReplyDeleteWell, you already know this is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteThat Siley. What is it about him? (Don't answer that)
I love him. He's more than enough to make any future mother-in-law proud.
And those cords and switches? He's going to be filthy rich one day.
Mark. My. Word.
xxoo
You know your kid, and I love that. :) He will always remember this birthday!
ReplyDeleteyour silas=my jack!
ReplyDeleteso funny!
jack is all about little night lights and cords, office supplies, etc...
he even used $5 i gave him when we went garage saling to buy a power strip and other random such things.
this made me smile SO big.
i get this kid.
xoxo
LOVE this and totally get it! One year we bought our 10 yo a vacuum cleaner for Christmas. He LOVED, LOVED it! I have never had to tell him to clean his room! :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to Silas! He is looking older too. I have told my little guy that I'm not allowing him to turn 5 in March...only because I can't stand that he's growing up. Love the birthday gifts and ice cream with sprinkles is the preferred birthday treat for my kids.
ReplyDeleteOh Silas, you are a funny boy. Happy Birthday. The extension cord is just too funny. My son was 1 and took a hammer to bed with him. He would carry it all day long and he would cry because he arm hurt. But he didn't grow up to be a builder. I love how you parent. Such cute kids.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I love Silas so much, already! =D Happy birthday to Silas, an amazing kid for sure!
ReplyDeleteThis post had me in splits!!! You are onr funny woman...I love your sense of humor!
ReplyDeleteLove this. Cracks me up. We have a Korean born 3 year old. Same story. He likes to find screwdrivers and attempt to take things apart. GH and Silas would get along well, same Korean soccer jersey too. GH has taught me more tricks on the ipad than I knew were possible and we have pics of him in Korea as a babe on the computer. Too funny. Thanks for the smiles.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, the gifts cracked me the heck up. Your family is just the best.
ReplyDeleteWe have a foster child who mostly grew up in institutions. He never had toys or if he got something it would get broken or stolen by the other kids. So, he had to make do with what was around him. At 11 he came to live with us. We would buy him toys but he would take them apart or wasn't interested in them and they would just sit. He had a hockey stick and I offered to buy him a puck but he said he didn't want one then promptly made one out of construction paper. His best birthdays and Christmases came from the dollar store. He was insanely pleased with the most simple and inexpensive things eveyone else would take for granted...or groan about. So, I applaud your Ace Hardware birthday and am so glad you can embrace his quirkiness!
ReplyDeleteHappy belated birthday, Silas!
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