Jed's 8th Birthday Party / Nelson Notes

Jed's 8th Birthday Party

4.22.2018

We have the best of friends who made time in their busy schedules to help us celebrate Jed's 8th birthday yesterday. He opted for a party up in the South Hills, complete with bike riding, hot dogs, and s'mores roasted over hot coals. A total success... mainly because my girlfriends knew where to pick up the slack and brought plenty of delicious side dishes. The kids had a blast playing along the trails and climbing rocks and wielding giant sticks while we adults chatted. It was the most relaxing birthday party I've ever hosted.

It occurred to me last night that we've been doing these get-togethers with the same set of family friends and their children for about five years now. Wow! It feels like something special. These gatherings are definitely going to be a big part of Jed's childhood memories and mine. So much love and support in this little community I get to call home.

Happy {almost} 8th Birthday, Jed!!! We love you so much.

^^View through the trees of our party group at Harrington. We couldn't have wished for better weather.^^

^^Getting fast on that bike of his!^^

^^The crew gathered around Jed to open presents.^^

^^The coolest handmade card ever from the Youngs.^^

Jed has been begging for his own pocket knife for quite a while. Both Bron and I agreed that eight years old would be a good time to give him one. The look of happy surprise on Jed's face means everything. I love that I was able to capture some genuine smiles from Jed. It's so fun as a parent to provide that kind of joy to your child.

The catch is that not even a day later, Jed sliced his finger pretty good trying to open his new pocket knife. I guess it's better to learn those lessons while he's young? It made me feel better when our neighbor said they gave their boy the exact same eight year old gift and he did the exact same thing. Whew. So we're not crazy parents after all.