Ben's 3rd Birthday Party

We had a big party planned to celebrate Ben's 3rd birthday today.  We were going to have hamburgers, hot dogs, cake and ice cream.  We bought all the fixings and were ready to go, and then around midnight Will came down with the stomach bug.  We made the decision to cancel the party because we didn't want to expose anyone else to it.  So, at midnight I sent out a mass email to all of our friends and family on the guest list and let them know about the situation. I planned to text each person once it was morning.  I couldn't hardly sleep because I worried about our family traveling from out of town and wanted to make sure they didn't get on the road and then realize they would have to turn around and go back home.  I worried about canceling the cake order and balloons.  I worried about Ben being disappointed.  And, of course, I worried most about Will because I can never rest easy when my kids are sick.  Will had a pretty rough night and morning, but felt better later in the day.  Ben had a restless night because of the commotion in the house.

We made it through the night and rested during the day.  In the morning I took Ben to the florist downtown and bought him some balloons and he was pretty happy about that.  Later in the day we decided to have a little family party to celebrate our special boy's 3rd birthday.  Luckily Ben is young and he didn't act disappointed at all.  I think Will was more disappointed than Ben.  He's actually old enough to understand that the party was canceled.

Even though today didn't go exactly as planned because Will got sick, Ben was as happy as could be when we sang happy birthday to him. You would have thought we had 40 people there celebrating not just 4. Such a sweet boy!

Happy Birthday, Ben! We love you so much!

He was really happy once he saw the cake and candle, presents and balloons at the table.  It's really special that it doesn't take much to make him so happy. 

I bought the single serving of cake at Wal-Mart the day of Ben's birthday.  I had planned to take a picture of Ben on his actual birthday blowing out the candle, but since we got home later than planned we saved it.  It came in handy today since we didn't have a birthday cake.  He loved it! 

Will finally felt better and was happy to sing happy birthday to Ben and help him open his presents. 

Make a wish!

I love that he eats mostly icing and very little cake. 

I think we'll always remember this birthday. 

Do you think my boy likes icing?  Umm, yes!

Presents! 

Happy Birthday, Ben!  He had the best time playing with his new Cars toys and can't wait to get in the yard and play with his garden tool set. 

*After this experience, I've decided that it's much easier to plan a birthday party than to cancel one.