Turning 4 in paradise

From Karin:

On May 3rd, Davis turned four years old.  I'm glad his birthday finally arrived because he has been under the impression since we booked our rental house back in October that the sole reason for our trip to Hawaii was to celebrate his fourth birthday.  I'm amazed that he thinks we are so cool that we'd actually do something like that for him.  Anyway....like any good Roethke, Davis manged to spread out his birthday celebration for 3 days, turning it into an ongoing birthday-fest.  (Don't worry, Mom, you still hold the record for longest celebration of a single birthday.) 

Monday, May 2nd:  It was the last night our friends were in town and the eve of D's birthday.  If there was any chance of having an event that felt like anything like a party, this was our opportunity, so we grabbed it, went back to Flatbread's, our favorite pizza place, and had a great night. 

They let us bring balloons and a cake and monopolize a table much longer than we should have.  The ex-waitress in me still feels guilted into leaving a big tip in these situations.

Davis's first exposure to a "cupcake cake".  He was astounded!  Said to waiter: "You don't even need a knife, it's so cool."

Do you think she liked it?

Thanking Benji for his new Hawaiian coloring book.

Kristine getting her baby fix.  Oddly enough, though, she handed him back to me right before he had another diaper blow out.  Well played, my friend.

Tuesday, May 3rd:  The BIG day, but also the day our friends left and they needed our help with an airport run.  (Think about how much stuff you'd have if you went away with 2 small kids for 5 months....they put us to shame.)  Since we've gotten pretty good at turning any outing into an adventure, our airport run filled most of the day.  We kept the day pretty open, Skyped with both sets of grandparents and had a sunset  "cocktail party" at home while Davis opened his cards and presents.  BTW...you can put an umbrella into anything and a 4 year old will call it "his cocktail."  I made him a special birthday dinner (I made it special by including asparagus, which he now loves), but he was not very impressed.  What, no pizza?  No cake? What kind of place is this?

The birthday boy taking calls.

Wednesday, May 4th:  A windy and overcast day.  Not a beach day.  Of course this translated to more birthday stuff.  We were quick to utilize the gift sent from Aunt Jill, Uncle Steve, Justin and Tyler:  a day of mini golf and ice cream...what a hit!  When we read the card to him, the first thing he said was "Yes, mini golf...can I drive the cart?"  Once we explained the concept of "mini" to him (no big swings, no you won't have to carry your bag), he was excited.  Peter and Davis played 36 holes of golf (guess who took it more seriously?  A hint:  Peter kept score) and I enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and managed Carter.  We then went out to lunch at Buzz's Wharf on the harbor in Ma'alaea, had ice cream and headed home for a more suitable birthday dinner chosen by Davis of hot dogs and mac n' cheese.  Of course.

Does putt-putt in MA have a volcano you play through?

His favorite hole of the day for obvious reasons.

Lining up his "tee shot".

Nice follow through, yes?

All in all, it was a wonderfully special way to celebrate with him.  Thanks to all of you who celebrated with him either in person or across the miles.  So far, four is a great age, filled with a million things that make us laugh and just as many things that drive us crazy.  He is such a great kid...so fun, very sweet, adventurous, inquisitive (the why? stage has ended and we have now entered the what if? phase) and he's a wonderful big brother.  He's also becoming more independent, stubborn and apparently, intermittently hearing impaired, but that can be the subject of another blog post....