Gage is 4!

Yesterday was spent celebrating a wonderful day. Gage turned 4 years old! It’s so hard to believe he’s already that old. Just one more year until kindergarten! Ahh! But I’m trying to just enjoy each day, living in the present and not feel sad about my boy growing up.

We started the day by singing happy birthday…let’s just say Gage didn’t love it. I guess Evan and I need to work on our singing skills. Next up, birthday cake for breakfast! Gage enjoyed some of the frosting, while Caleb dominated most of a whole piece of cake.

 

Although going out to eat is usually last on our list of fun things to do, we decided to attempt a birthday lunch at Lambert’s. Grandma and Grandpa Wingo joined us and the boys did great! More and more, I’m getting used to wheeling Gage’s chair into places and finding a way to make it work. All it took was moving a few chairs at the table to make more space. So he had a safe and comfortable place to sit and was entertained by all the decor, people, and of course, throwed rolls! Caleb loved it too and sampled bites from everyone’s plates.

After lunch, we kept heading south and visited Moonshine Beach at Table Rock Lake. I figured a beach vacation is not in the cards for us this summer, and wanted to give the boys a chance to experience sand and water to see how they’d do. I’m not gonna lie, it was kind of a rough start. We arrived to a huge crowd of people. I had mistakenly assumed a Tuesday wouldn’t be so busy. It was HOT and we had to change into swim gear and lather up in sunscreen. The boys weren’t thrilled about that part and Gage was getting overheated. I tried to get him in the water as quickly as possible, but he wasn’t happy by that point. A kind stranger saw our struggles and offered her tube to let him float on so he could get used to the water. I’m always encouraged by kindness extended to us when we’re out in public. But I hoped he would just need a little time and be ok, and I wanted to try out his birthday gift from Grandma and Grandpa Combs–an Otteroo neck floatie. So, with Evan’s help, we managed to get that on and positioned correctly, but not without Gage’s screams of protest.

There is almost always a moment of regret I feel with each outing like this. Just a hint, but thoughts that creep into my mind like, “This was a terrible idea. We should have just stayed home where it’s easy. Everything is harder and more work for us.” Luckily those brief moments of self-pity are overshadowed by happy memories when things turn around, and a valuable lesson that the extra effort is still worth it.

The further we got into the water, the more Gage started to enjoy himself. He especially loved when he was floating independently, and moved his legs around so much. He could even spin himself in a circle! It was great! Even Caleb, who’s not as big of a fan of water as his big brother, enjoyed bobbing around in his life jacket. When I looked around at the gorgeous scenery of the lake and glanced at each of my boys smiling faces, the trip was totally worth it.

We took a break from the water for a drink and a failed attempt at a family selfie. Luckily, we were that much closer to the car when the rain started. We scooped up our boys and gear as quickly as we could and ran to the car. The boys just giggled as they bounced around with rain drops hitting their faces. Even a sunny day cut short by a storm rolling in made for a fun memory.

We successfully wore the boys out and they both slept for most of the ride home. For Gage, a nap in the car is rare and a big deal…a little birthday gift for mom! It was a wonderful day just enjoying time together as a family.