Rex Is 8

I can't believe that our middle child turned 8 recently.  I can still so vividly remember the pain of missing his second birthday while we were in process of adopting him even though a small eternity seems to have gone by since then.

Rex's birthday party was dinosaur themed this year and we celebrated with family and friends at Recreations Outlet.  I kept it super simple and stole most of my food ideas from another mom's blog.  Decorations were easy to come by as well.

Chocolate Swamp Cupcakes:
gluten-free, dairy-free, canola-free
and pretty darn delicious

My ice age cake: key lime and coconut

Easy-peasy party favors which I bought in an adoption fundraiser and then added a dinosaur lollipop:

Even though things were slow to start and rushed in the end, we were happy to see our family and friends surround Rex on his special day.

Happy, happy birthday to our only son,
our strong and silent kid,

our most cuddly child

whose laughter is irresistible.

You have come so far since your set-back last summer,

growing and learning,

working hard,

impressing those who have the privilege of helping you along,

showing your love for us every single day
and proving your understanding of the world without many words.

We're so thankful you're ours

and we love you forever.