Alec's birthday

I really wanted Alec's birthday to feel special. It is always hard to prepare anything special in advance for the day after Christmas and this year was even harder. I hung up our birthday banners the night before and found 4 frozen pancakes to thaw out in the fridge. He requested waffels for breakfast but seemed equally satisfied with pancakes. We usually wake up before the birthday kid to make breakfast in bed but that didn't happen either this year. Alec is a champ and just stayed in bed playing with a Christmas toy, waiting for me to wake up and bring him breakfast. He's so easy to please and didn't complain about anything on his birthday. 

Chris pretty much stayed in bed most of this day. His headache and low fever hadn't gotten any better. 

We watched some movies and opened a present or two throughout the day while I made the cake Alec requested....a square on a rectangle with a plane crashing on it....vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. 

After a trip to the grocery store to get batteries, a few helium balloons, candles and frosting (that's right....store bought frosting...that's how tired I was) we sang the song, ate cake and ice cream, and opened presents. I'm so glad Alec didn't seem to mind that we didn't have a party or see any friends or even play outside. 

Alec is growing up. He is such a bright, inquisitive, and playful kid. He says some of the sweetest, specific prayers...remembering people and needs more often then I remember them.  He can be so incredibly helpful and loves to be given responsibility.  We love our big 7 year old. 

By bedtime I realized that I had only ever sat down long enough to feed Frederick and my body was feeling it. I was so tired and achy that I asked Chris to put the kids to bed. He sweetly agreed and by 9:00pm we were all in bed. It was during this night that Chris woke up with a high fever and after talking to the on call doctor through Vanderbilt's cancer care line, I sent Chris to the ER with a friend from our branch at 5:00am.