Helios' Ticket to Birthday Fun

A much-anticipated month after Hesperos' birthday, Helios finally had his turn at birthday fun with nothing less than (of course!) a train-themed celebration with his friends and family. Anticipation started the day before the actual party when Helios went shopping with Mommy to pick up the cake pan. Upon seeing that it was going to be train-shaped cakes, Helios became intensely helpful, insisting that he would "help carry the bag so you can take care of Hesperos - does that sound like a good idea, Mommy, if I carry the cake pan bag?"

That night, Mommy baked the cakes and then set to decorating them the next morning before the boys woke up. When they came downstairs for breakfast, Helios and Hesperos both had one of those stop-in-their-tracks moments when they simply stared agog at the train cakes, unable to believe their eyes.

After a very distracted breakfast, Mommy finished decorating the cakes and we trundled off to the party, which was held at a local Kindermusik school. Party activities consisted of the children singing train songs and playing with instruments, followed by wild, uncontrolled running around and screaming at the school's playground.

Fortunately for the children, train cake decorated with candies and add-more-on-yourself frosting opportunities awaited them -- all the better to replenish their energy! Added onto this were the party favors of train cups and wooden train whistles that they got to not only toot at the party, but also in the car all the way home. We're pretty sure the un-napped children were ecstatic (and that it'll take a year before the parents will let them come over again for another party).

Following the party, the birthday boy and his trusty gift unwrapping assistant, Hesperos, took a nap before the paper-ripping frenzy began. And what a frenzy it was! Cars, trucks, trains, Play-Doh, books, and then more cars, trucks, trains, and books! Every gift was an opportunity for Helios to show off an ear-to-ear toothy grin. Hesperos was smirking like a mischievous chimp too because he knew that Helios couldn't play with all those toys at once -- although they're trying!

Happy 4th Birthday, Bug!