Ethan. 24 hours to 19

The boy is 19...well, he'll be nineteen tomorrow, on Mother's Day. And because he has grown out of the mean portion of being a teenager, he sweetly suggested we celebrate his birthday early so that I could have a day all to myself. 

Putting up streamers outside the door of a sleeping manchild is infinitely easier than for little girls that have a tendency to rise before dawn. We were in NO danger of him hearing us. Also, we have this fun tradition we've developed of calling him 4 different ways and 4 different times to come to scriptures before he finally lumbers out of bed.

We gathered. We called. We knocked. We rang his phone. Knocked again. Then Mark went back up to the top of the stairs and hollered down while slapping on the wall.

That was the winner...

We had scriptures (we're on a roll!) and then made Ethan's breakfast request: Eggs in a Basket (Camel's Eyes) and loaded hashbrowns. We threw in some strawberries and OJ to ward of the scurvy.

He spent the meat of the day playing video games and helping out with the playhouse. He's a good pup.

For dinner he choose his favorite shepherd's pie and homemade bread (artisan, of course). We threw in some watermelon and strawberries to postpone the rickets. 

His cake request was white with the white whip cream frosting we've all learned to love because of Everly. We'll never go back to that nasty sugary stuff.

Look at that fire! The kid is growing up.

He got a new hat and a big fish hook that goes on the bill.  He also wanted some slides. We didn't have time to get them because he asked for them approximately 8 hours before his party....lol. So I had Megan make a mini one so he'd have something fun to open. He says he's going to hang it from the rear view mirror in his truck.

Mark got him an oil vial shaped like a bullet and inscribed with the Title of Liberty. It was very tiny writing and we enjoyed Ethan's crossed eyes as he deciphered it.

After dinner, he went right back out to help Mark work on the stairs to the swingset. He's turning out pretty great, this one. Happy Birthday, Eefie.