Feliz Cumpleanos, Wilder!

Wilder tiene cuatro anos! No lo creo! It was a daylong celebration, starting with a party at his school and ending with another at home. And with Grandma Sheila and Grandpa Gary visiting, the festivities were all that much more special.

To start the day, Wilder insisted on wearing his Buzz Lightyear costume to school – a very brave and ambitous feat considering it was the first day of school for the entire country and everyone else was dressed in their blue-checkered finest. He’d already been to school two days prior in his uniform and seemed pretty confident about the wardrobe shift, until we pulled up to the front of school and he started to scream that he didn’t want to go. (A hard commitment to make when you know your grandma’s at home making frosted cupcakes!) I offered him regular clothes, but he refused, so we entered the classroom amongst smiles and happy welcomings from his friends and teachers, despite his screaming. On the chalkboard was written “Happy birthday, Wilder” in Spanish and English, along with a drawing of a clown. La Nina scooped him into her arms and I was off – back home to complete preparations for our 10am return.

Papi, Grandma, Grandpa, and I arrived back at Wilder’s school around 10:30am with spaghetti, cupcakes/cookies, and a pinata filled with a sundry of sweets and treats which Grandma Sheila had brought with her from Arizona. The school had not yet received their food allowance for the year and otherwise had no food for the kids, so the it was great to be able to feed them and their mamas some lunch. After chowing down, the kids then had a blast taking turns whacking at the pinata – what paradoxical fun! It always strikes me as such an ironic tradition to clap and laugh in delight and scream encouragement at these kids wielding a big stick and hitting a paper icon (usually in the form of an animal) as hard as they can! Are we championing their strength and ability to beat open the pinata, their desire for what’s inside, or the sheer joy they seem to get out of an action we’d otherwise be fairly opposed to? Ah well, it’s great fun. Wilder batted at the pinata like an allstar, but not quite as hard as one of his classmates, a strong little fellow who hit the thing so hard he broke the stick! Though the adults’ squeals were of laughter and surprise, the little one got scared and embarrassed and ran to the corner in tears to hide. La Nina ushered him back over and, through his still fresh tears, made him grab a new stick and continue his beating of the pinata! It was funny, but probably not to him! Ultimately, of course, they let Wilder be the one to lay the final blow that spilled the pinata’s contents, and everyone scurried to gather handfuls of Tootsie Rolls, caramels, lollipops, squishy balls, and Matchbox cars. Everyone went away satiated and happy.

A word to the rest of you mamas out there on the birthday circuit – I must brag at the ease of such a party! I did not have to create a party list, coordinate the perfect date, print or send out invitations, or reserve a party palace -- we simply showed up at school on Wilder’s day with the necessary goodies. It helps to have a cooperative teacher, of course. ;)

The rest of the day was spent indulging on candy and playing with new toys. That night, we had a simple little celebration at home with Eric and Silja and Wilder’s super good bud Kaleb, the highlight of which was “the rocket cake.” Wilder had seen pix of his best bud Luke’s rocket cake from his birthday two weeks prior and had been suggesting the same since; so I conjured Martha Stewart (and Lisa Baird!) and created one for him too. The only lament is that we couldn’t share it with all of his friends back home. We missed you and send happy birthday wishes to all of the birthday boys and girls out there that we didn’t get a chance to celebrate with this year!