Drummer Boy, Birthday Boys

Somewhere in the last week, my very first babies had a birthday. Sam and Ian turned 8. Be still my Mama Heart.

Andrew filled their room with 150 helium balloons, only this time, he let them just gather at the ceiling. Neither one of us thought to take a picture. But we began their morning as per tradition, with a good morning birthday serenade in their bedroom.

Downstairs, underneath a sheet, were their gifts. We gave Ian, our insatiable reader, a Kindle. He bent his head over it, furrowed his brow like he does, and we didn’t hear a peep out of him for the next seven hours.

By the way, if anyone has any recommendations for good boy books that are available on the Kindle, I’m all ears.

I let the boys handle their own cake. We bought a plain white cake at the grocery store. (I know when I’m licked, people. Four days post-partum was not the time to take up baking.) Then we opened up my cake decorating supplies and cut the twins loose. This was their idea, by the way. And this was their masterpiece.

Now. My Sam is an artistic soul. He loves drawing. And he’s instinctive about music. He loves to play by ear and make up songs on the piano. He began drumming on his knees about a year or so ago and he hasn’t stopped. Sam’s favorite drummer at church suggested that we teach him to drum to songs he knows and if he didn’t stop drumming, it was time to buy a drum set.

So, thanks to Craig’s List, Sam got an electronic drum set for his birthday. It comes with headphones. Can I get an Amen?

But look at what my boy did just as soon as he lifted the sheet off of his new drums… (even before he got the drumsticks!)

I know I’m a proud Mama, but I thought it was pretty impressive. And I know we got him headphones, but honestly, we don’t mind when he turns the music on in the amp and plays drums to songs we all know. He follows along really well and it’s so fun to watch him get “in the zone.” Cross my heart, all that drumming just makes me beam from the inside out.

So.

Now we are the parents of 7 kids, ages 8 and under. How fitting that my youngest son was born so close to the celebration of my oldest sons’ births. I’ve been able to “store up and treasure” so many things in the last week.

My Mama Heart is just plain full to the brim.

What filled your heart this week?

p.s. We had some trouble viewing this video using the Chrome browser. Your mileage may vary. It seems to work on other browsers, though. Good luck!