Ethan's Birthday!!

On Ethan's birthday we decided to do a few things differently.  First off, I had seen this really cute balloon avalanche on pinterest and wanted to try it.  Usually we put up balloons and crepe paper in the kitchen but decided this would be more fun and easier.  I didn't want him to be attacked by it so we decided to do it just at the top so the balloons would fall down on him.  Bryan and I filled balloons, made a "nest" for them and then waited.  I had an LED balloon that said "Happy Birthday" on it that I was excited to use.  This is what the end product looked like:

This is what it looked like in the dark at 6:15 a.m.

I waited to hear Ethan's alarm clock and got my phone out to video tape it.  Unfortunately I didn't take into account that he is blind without his glasses and that in the dark all he would see is a glowing ball in front of his face.  Yup, we scared him pretty good!  He thought it was Bryan trying to scare him and so Ethan lashed out.  I didn't get it on video because I was laughing too hard but Ethan was quite startled.  He later said it was fun.

We did another unique thing this year.  I make breakfast for the kids every day so getting their favorite breakfast really isn't a thrill anymore.  One of my friends gets her kids a Texas donut each year so I thought we would try that tradition.  Ethan has always wanted one but I told him it was just too big.  I ordered one at Lin's and asked them to put his name on it.  Bryan went there early in the morning to pick it up (it wasn't ready so they had to do the writing for him) and then we put it on the birthday plate with a covering so he couldn't see it.  We had sausage, bacon and orange juice for him too.

After he showered and came out (without his contacts in) he took the cover off and his eyes about came out of his head!  He thought it was a bundt cake at first.  Then he was so excited to see this huge donut on his plate!  He went to town on his breakfast.  (I think this will be our new tradition.)

It was huge so this is all he could eat for breakfast but by the end of the day it was all gone.

 Ethan's baseball team had a game Monday night but we decided he didn't need to go to it because it was his birthday.  Ethan wanted to go out for dinner so we took him to Red Lobster where he stuffed himself on shrimp, crab and lobster.  It was empty so we got in and out without a problem.

Then we went home to have dessert with the family.

Ethan didn't blow out candles this year.  I think he just squeezed them with his fingers to put them out.  Weird, but he is now a teenager so you can't really figure them out, right?

Ethan opened his presents and he was given a batting helmet.  Don has a child sized head so it fit him just fine.

 Ethan got a lot of great presents.  Thanks to everyone who remembered him and made his day so great!