Happy Birthday, Dear Marcus!

Saturday was Marcus' birthday.  I started singing to him the minute he opened his eyes in the morning, and before they were all the way open, he had a huge grin on his face.  We had a pretty busy day: Brian's great uncle's funeral, visiting our newest nephew in the hospital (Erin and Phil's little boy, Calvin), and then his birthday party. 

The funeral was actually a good experience.  I love LDS funerals!  Yes, there are tears shed, but they're not really sad, because we know we'll be able to be with each other again.  We enjoyed seeing a lot of Brian's relatives, and the kids especially enjoyed running around the gym afterward with distant cousins.  Marcus even hug-tackled a little boy his age.  We've got to do something about that.  He's a tough lover!

I was visiting with Erin while Marcus was inspecting Calvin in Brian's arms,so I didn't get to witness it, but Brian said he was very interested in the newborn.  Calvin had a few small cuts on his head from the delivery, and Marcus was very concerned about those. 

And then came the birthday party.  We spent most of the day at the funeral, then rushed to the hospital, then rushed to Costco to pick up a cake to supplement the cupcakes and to Michael's Craft Store to replace my cupcake frosting tip I lost, then really rushed back home to straighten up the house and get things ready for the party.  We had just barely enough time.  I was just finishing placing the cupcakes on plates as Mike and Tallia rang the doorbell.

The party was great.  We had a full house with all the grand children running around.  Marcus was excited to eat his cupcakes, and he even sat at the table once everyone started arriving and told us he was ready to eat.  He got a lot of fun presents from everyone - present opening is chaos with fifteen kids crowded around, but it's also very exciting. 

Marcus is quite the guy.  He's like a 33 year-old stuck in a 3 year-old body.  He thinks he has the same rights, privilages, and kitchen pantry access that adults have.  He loves rocket ships, pirates, blocks, books, and cars.  He loves to wrestle, but he is also a very good cuddle-er, and he loves to give hugs and kisses.  He loves to bake!  Any time I go to the kitchen to make something, whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or whatever, he'll be right beside me measuring ingredients and stirring things.  He's also started to get a great sense of humor and he likes to crack jokes or say funny things and wait for us to laugh.  He is such a sweet little boy, a real joy to have in our family!