If there is one thing I can definitely be accused of going overboard on around here, it is birthday parties. I LOVE a good party, I LOVE to celebrate my kids, so it is a recipe for excess. I love to make every little detail coordinate and bring the theme together perfectly. I care about it way more than my kids do. So, as you can imagine, this morning, when Lexi Kate says, “Mom, I think you’re a little unprepared for Sam’s party today” I felt a little deflated. But, she was right. I was so very unprepared for Sam’s party. All week long, I have said thank you Lord this is Sam’s party, not Lexi Kate’s or I would be in some serious hot water. Lexi Kate likes her parties on point. Sam, he just wants cake and presents so, it’s all good. But, I just had to take time to realize, this week I have focused on what was most important…. taking care of the people I love. Party details are fun, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be answering for them at the pearly gates.

Sam wanted to have his party at Glow Galaxy. We’ve attended a couple parties there, but I have never really focused on how they went down. I’ll say it wasn’t my favorite place to party. They weren’t super organized or efficient, and the “party hosts” spent more time hanging with each other in the break room than they did supervising the party. But, the kids had a good time, so I’m good with it. They failed to communicate that you couldn’t bring in your own food or drinks. That was a total bummer. I had made really cute water bottles to match the theme, and had done popcorn to match the “pellets” and fruit to match what comes out in the game. Oh well, we’ll just keep reliving PacMan when we get home.

I do love that Sam almost always chooses a classic theme from my childhood for his parties. We’ve done Thomas, Tom & Jerry, Mario Brothers, Star Wars, and now Pac Man. My plan was to transform the party room to match the Pac Man theme. But, they only give you 15 minutes to prepare the room, and that is while the kids are playing. So, I didn’t get to do all I wanted. But, he had a banner with his name on it, PacMan plates, Piñata, balloons, and a super cute PacMan cake. Jess Chicago has done our cakes this year, and she is fabulous. I love making the kids cakes myself, but my carpal tunnel has been so bad lately, I just can’t do it. Again, Sam doesn’t really care about the details. Lexi Kate would have been up in the manager’s grill telling him how it was going down.

Grandma did cry before we left for the party because she wasn’t invited. She’s always came to the kids party. But, considering she had 2 heart attacks this week, she can’t stand loudness, the place was dark and there wasn’t any place for her to sit, I didn’t think it was a great idea. At least by the time we got home, she thought we’d been at work and school and it was over. Now, Sam is crying because he doesn’t get to play with his presents until he starts writing thank you notes. Such a mean mom to make him at least pretend to appreciate all he gets in life.

To sum it all up, we spent today celebrating my baby turning 7. I can still vividly remember that day in July 2008 when a 12 week ultrasound revealed that newest Woodford would answer our prayers for a baby boy. Our life verse for Samuel Glen Woodford has always been 1 Samuel 1:27-28. We prayed for this child, the Lord granted what we asked, and for his whole life he will be given over to the Lord. In so many ways already, we have been blessed to see him grow in the Lord. You won’t find a more compassionate and loving kid in the whole world. I don’t know that he has ever greeted someone he knows without giving them a hug. If he thinks you need something, he’s on making it happen. He’s totally carefree. I joke all the time, our house could burn down around him, and he’d walk out saying, “Awww, it’s fine…” He is so smart and we had no clue. For the kid whose preschool teacher didn’t think he was ready for kindergarten, he’s turned out alright, consistently testing at least 2 grade levels ahead. He plays independently for hours, sometimes I forget he’s home. He loves his momma. I kinda feel like I should break it to him that his friends don’t think it’s cool to sit in your mom’s lap and kiss her at school. But, I figure that will fade on it’s own soon enough. He’s a video game loving fool. I swore I wouldn’t have a kid that was addicted to electronics. Yeah, I’ve eaten those words. I just pray he turns out to be a programer or some kind of computer engineer. Otherwise, he’s had a wasted childhood.

I am blessed to be this boy’s momma. And, grateful to all of you who joined us today in celebrating who God has made him to be. Happy 7th Birthday Sam Sam! We’ll celebrating you again in 2 weeks on your real birthday.