Elizabeth’s Journal

Excited about Jonathan’s Birthday

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is Jonathan’s 6th birthday, and I confess to being excited about it! For a couple of months it has been hanging over my head a bit—he wanted to have a party with all of his classmates (he went to at least 6 or 7 during the school year), but with the busy end of the school year, preparing for the trip to England, and then doing the trip to Kansas, nothing got done about it. No decision as to where to have it, no invitations sent out, nuttin’. I really, really didn’t want to disappoint him . . . but it just didn’t seem feasible this year.

So yesterday when we were waiting for the Zilker Zephyr to depart the station, I asked him if it would be okay if we didn’t do that this year. And he was fine with that! No protest or disappointment or anything. I asked him who he would like to see on his birthday, and he said, “Jennifer” (too bad since I took them to the airport this morning for their Prague trip, but she came over with Magda Monday evening to wish him a Happy Birthday and give him his presents), and when I asked who else he replied, “Archie, Jessica, and Eamon”. That one I could arrange. Whew! I feel like I dodged a bullet with that one. Next year I promise myself that I’ll get invitations out to classmates in the weekly folders before the school year ends. I don’t want to do this again!

Anyway, we saved all that money that would have gone to a party, and we ended up getting him a REALLY COOL present—check out the Rockwood Jr. drum kit by Hohner. It’s a group present from us, Dale’s parents, and his brothers. Right now it’s sitting in our study—I wrapped ribbon around the drumsticks that came with it and put them out with the other presents on the kitchen table, and I just can’t wait to see his face when he realizes he’s got a drum kit of his own. When I took singing lessons last spring, the teacher had a small drum kit in her studio, and I used to go early so that Jonathan could have 15 minutes playing on the drums before my lesson started (he wasn’t in school yet then). I think he will be in heaven with this. The best part is that there’s no parental supervision required with this like there would be with a guitar or other more delicate instrument. I hope it serves as a good outlet for him. Dale has already been teaching him how to read drum notation and he picks it up very quickly, so it will be interesting to see what happens with this.

All the birthday decorations are hung up—signs hanging from the fan, tinsel on the wall, “Happy Birthday” signs on the windows and a banner over the fireplace, and the ribbon curtain over the entrance into the kitchen. His presents can’t go on the floor this year due to the presence of mischievous little Kayleigh (who managed to crawl onto the TOP of the kitchen table this evening while Dale was doing the dishes—I wasn’t in the room, but apparently Jonathan walked in and said to Dale, “Kayleigh’s on the kitchen table”, and sure enough she had crawled onto it from the kitchen chair—AARGH!, said Dale), so they are on the kitchen table with birthday hats and noisemakers piled around. In the afternoon, Archie, Jessica, and Eamon will come by to join us for singing the song and having double fudge cupcakes from The Cheesecake Factory (what Jonathan has been wanting for his birthday for about six months now).

Six years old—goodness it’s going by fast!