Ryu Turns 4 (Star Wars Theme) Part 2

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Welcome to part 2 of Ryu's soiree. Are you getting tired of me seeing the pictures from Ryu's birthday yet? I love how the kids enjoyed being outdoors. I didn't get in the water because I was running around making sure everything was ready outside. I also didn't feel like getting in the water until it had cooled off. The weather that day was horrible. At first we checked the weather forecast for that day and it showed that it was supposed to be cool with a chance of rain. Sean was hoping that the weather would turn around and sure enough it did. It got so hot that day! By the end of the evening I had noticeably gotten sunburned throughout my shoulders, back, and arms. It was not a fun feeling the next several days after.

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It was a fun day and honestly I wouldn't change anything about it. I wish that our other friends and family were able to join us, but hopefully next year when he turns 5 they will be there.

 

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The cupcakes were far from perfect and were made last minute. Sure, they're not perfect but at least everyone enjoyed them and that is all that matters. These cupcakes are all vegan. We forgot that I ruined our last cupcake pan so we had to improvise which is the reason and excuse as to why they look slightly odd.

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So much for writing more about the party. I think we all know how a child's party usually turns out. This one was fun, short, and simple. We all had a great time. I'll be posting more about the last bit of the party tomorrow. Once again thanks to everyone who made this happen.

 

 

Ryu Turns 4 (Star Wars Theme) PT 1

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I want to thank our family and friends who greeted Ryu a Happy Birthday. I want to thank all our friends and family who was a part of Ryu's 4th birthday. On July 28th Ryu turned 4!! The evening before was so hectic because I was getting our place ready for the birthday party. There was a lot to do, but well worth it! We had prepared for a "Lego Themed/Star Wars" birthday. It was tons of fun and I am so glad that our friends and family were able to join us.

Unfortunately, my mom had work that day, but she managed to stop by in the morning. My grandparents also had prior engagements but they dropped off a bunch of balloons and food! Ryu was so thrilled with his balloons. He was very happy and excited to see them in his room. For the whole month he had been asking us every day if it was his birthday yet. I wanted our place to be fixed up before Ryu's birthday, but due to funds we are still in the process of putting our place together. I'm sure with time and patience our home will come together, but I'm glad that it was at least clean enough for our guests!

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We decided that it was going to be a pool party since it was so hot outside. It was perfect to have everyone enjoy the pool and have a bunch of food to go along with it. Sean and I (mainly Sean) were in the kitchen cooking up a storm (I did the night before) to get ready for the festivity. For some reason I misunderstood some of my guests and thought that they were going to be able to make it. We made so much food that we had leftovers for a good while. My grandmother even made two huge trays of spaghetti for the children. 

We are fortunate because we live at the downstairs end unit of the complex. The pool is right in front of our place and you can view the pool from our patio. There is also an area to BBQ and eat. It was so convenient for us since we did not have to walk for nor did it take us a long time to clean up. I loved the fact that the eating area was also not far from the pool. Food was accessible without any issues, well aside from the bees and flies. We left the food covered because the flies were a pain.

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I used mason jars for the candy, but quickly ran out to cover the top. The lollipop handles were too short so you could see them, but I don't think anyone cared much for it. The kids had goodie bags and I had an assortment of candy in it too. We didn't have a pinata. I guess we just felt that we had nowhere to hang it safely and not get stung by anything and we didn't want to do it indoors. Hopefully we get the opportunity to do it next year.

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Here is a picture with Ryu and the ladies, ha! He was so excited that he had friends coming over to swim that he still talks about it to this very day. He always asks me if his friends can come over and swim with him.

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It was a small, but fun party. I am already thinking of his birthday party for next year and what kind of theme we want to go with. I want to be ready for his big 5th birthday! I love him so much and he deserves the best! Thank you again to all our family and friends for the love, birthday wishes, and gifts!

Four in July!

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No, no not fourth of July, but Ryu will be four in July!

I cannot believe that is going to be four. I can still remember it like it was just yesterday when he was born. I remember lugging around a giant belly and completely being over it. I wanted him to enter the world as soon as possible, but instead I went through 12 hours of labor and an emergency C-Section.

I remember blogging about his birthday each year and how much he has grown, but I cannot believe that he is already going to be four. It's been four years since Ryu became my son and it still feels surreal to me. I now have a little boy and not a little baby which makes me sad, but at the same time I am so proud of all the obstacles he has overcome. If you have followed my blog before you would know that Ryu went through a phase of not talking and at one point the Dr. told me that he may be autistic. He has been in the program for over a year and it is so refreshing to know that he has greatly improved in his speech. I have considered placing him in preschool, but it's really up to the provider at the school he currently attends. She has to let the school know if Ryu would need further speech therapy which would require him to have an IEP provider side by side with him. Honestly, I think I'll wait another year before placing him in preschool or kindergarten.

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This picture was taken by his Godfather Roland on his first birthday. Typically everyone thinks that a child's first birthday party needs to be big. To be honest we went big, but now that I think about it the party was mainly for the adults more than anything. I went with the Pixar movie UP as a theme. It was so much fun and extremely hot at the time. I rented a bouncer and cotton candy machine.

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We took him to Travel Town and this would be the first official birthday that Papa got to spend with us as a family. At the time Ryu loved trains and Sean suggested that Travel Town would be great for his second birthday. We even rode the little tram around and he had a blast!

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For his third birthday I found a mini deal on Groupon for a small animal reserve. It wasn't the greatest place, but it wasn't so bad either. He enjoyed seeing the animals there, but I quickly realized that we have to take him to a zoo! One year later and we still haven't done so. I'm still debating on what we should do for his birthday this year. I was thinking of maybe hosting a birthday party for him in our new home, but I'm still being indecisive about it. All I know is that I'm completely blessed for having this little man in my life. I am also blessed to continuously have Papa Sean in our lives helping us mold Ryu into this respectful young man. I do hope that our family will continue to learn and grow with each other as each year passes us by.

I only wish good things for my family and I can't wait to continue making new memories with Ryu. He has brought so much joy into my life that words can't even explain. I never thought in a million years that I would be a mom in my twenties. He's taught me so much and I only wish to return the favor and teach him morals and manners.  Thanks to the family we have I know that he will be loved and taught well from all corners of the world.