Happy 1st Birthday, Chase!

Friday, 27 June 2008

Today was Chase's actual first birthday. It was quite uneventful, compared to last weekend, since we celebrated his birthday in a big way the week prior. I let Chase open a gift of his choice (the first bag he pulled successfully off the coffee table). I opened the box. It was a bobblehead race car toy. You push it, and it bobbles along and crashes into the wall. Sometimes the guy in there pops out. It makes funny noises. But what did Chase like? The red tissue paper of course. He loved it! He shook the tissue paper around in both hands and smiled! He loved the box the toy came in too! I even set up the Tow Mater ride on toy Shelly and Jay got him. But, he wasn't quite sure how to sit on it. His balance is not quite right on it yet. So, what did he enjoy playing with the most? The box of course.

I actually went to school today to submit my purchase orders for curriculum materials. Mom and Gary took Chase for a swim at Waialae Beach Park. They met me at school, and we went home to play and eat lunch. In the late afternoon, Chase and I visited Auntie Miya and Taiga. They gave us another ride on car, but a Lightning McQueen one. Taiga sang "Happy Birthday" to Chase. Since Chase hasn't been coming to Miya's daily, it took him a little bit to warm up. But, then he started playing with all the familiar toys in the living room. Back home, Mom and Gary helped me clean out some golf stuff in the closet and take it upstairs.

We celebrated Chase's birthday at the Pyramids restaurant, where Chase fell in love with the belly dancer. We were so excited (and Gary was too) to see the belly dancer. We enjoyed our food (me even more so because I didn't have the stomach flu this time) and marveled over Gary's rice which came formed in the shape of a pyramid on his plate. We had fun showing Chase all the neat Egyptian decor around the restaurant and kept talking about all the pretty belly dancers on the menus. So, we were so disappointed when our server informed us that the belly dancer wouldn't be showing up this evening! What?! That's exactly why we came?! You're disappointing a little boy on his birthday (and a big boy Gary too!).

Shucks. We had to go back home with our cake and ice cream. Too bad Chase fell asleep in the car and was put to bed before he could even have a look at his birthday cake. No ice cream from Nana tonight. And, he didn't even get to open anymore gifts. He was out. The rest of us had birthday cake in his honor, and we sat around for the next hour and a half opening every envelope and present (all which had been sitting on our coffee table the past week since we had the party last weekend). It was fun, yet exhausting. We were tired by the time everyone left!

Now, Chase has money to start his college fund. And about 20 pairs of new pants and shorts, some swim clothes, and toys. Some of my favorite gifts: Gary's homemade Willy the Whale wooden toy, the other store bought wooden toys (like my mom said, we should throw away all the plastic "Made in China" toys), the Japanese kimono outfit from Chris' teacher friend in Okinawa, and of course, my mom's gift of personalized storybooks (with his family and friends' names in the text!).

It was a nice birthday (not that Chase knew any different). And, now the toddlerhood (and my summer - or what's left of it) begins......

Here are photos from Chase's 1st Birthday lu'au, which was celebrated a week earlier at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu.