Must've never met a toddler...

Whoever coined the phrase "Happy Birthday" never met a toddler. When Collin knows his birthday is approaching, it is non-stop chatter, anticipation and excitement. He knows his birthday is in September, so when he knows that the month is here, get ready! And from talking with other parents of busy toddlers I know this experience is not unique to our family...

Really, to be honest, we should be wishing a happy "birth-month," because the month of September was filled with celebrations.

Some are small and happen because the moment just feels right. For example, for Collin's birthday we got a good deal on the 3 "Mighty Ducks" movies. Well, there are 3 of them after all, so on a Friday night in early September after a long week of work and having a good family dinner, of course we give an early gift. Just one of the movies elicits a huge grin and round of "thank yous" and we settle in to enjoy the film. Two more movies to go...not so bad, right???????????????

Then there is the "family party" and the "friend party" which of course need to occur on different weekends. Most of our family lives about 2 hours away. As Collin shares September birthdays with 2 cousins Dylan and Tyson and his great-grandfather, the family birthday party is held at a central location mid September where we have a cake and gifts for all the September birthdays.

The morning of the 27th, Collin's actual birthday, is a party itself. Doug and I greet Collin in his room with party hats and noisemakers. After breakfast (can you call a cupcake breakfast?) we officially begin the day and open presents from mom and dad. Yes, the 2 remaining Mighty Ducks movies were still unopened until that morning!

The "friend party" consists of Collin's toddler friends from the metro area and their parents. The Rosenau clan is large enough with all cousins present, so adding more kids to the mix would not be classified as a celebration for anyone...So, on Collin's actual birthday we celebrated with his friends Zack, Bryce, Ashlyn, and Kylie.

A home-made "hockey" cake/cupcakes

went well with the game that ensued

in the garage and outside.

We were blessed with good weather for most of the day, so there was plenty of "non-hockey" outdoor play too, including wagon rides, baseball, golf and plain old running around! Inside there were toys and the newly opened presents to choose from!

Fun, fun, fun!

Then of course there are those who can't attend these parties due to their own schedule conflicts but are a big part of Collin's life. So, visits, phone calls, emails, text messages and cards from other family and friends happen throughout the month as well.

How fun birthdays are at this age. And what memories they bring back, even though those memories are only 3 years old too!

Then...And Now...

September 2006

September 2009

On Collin's birthday we posted a birthday wish for him. As the month has come to a close, we now hope that he had a great birth-month too!