Birthday for Thaddeus

Six years and two days ago Return of the King was released in the United States. It was to be a climatic moment for me. The culmination of anticipation that lasted about five years was about to be achieved. (Well, not quite. The extended edition was still eleven months away). But the feeling was not what I was expecting. We were due to have our second child the day before and he still wasn't here. I had bought the tickets a week earlier but we did not truly expect to use them. So now that the time had come it was with a slightly different emotion. Still excited but with reservations. But we needed to be in Durango anyhow for the birth so it couldn't hurt to be there for the movie as well. It was almost surreal to be sitting there watching these huge epic battles while every so often Dawn lets me know to time a contraction. Needless to say neither one of us put our full attention into the film. After it is over and we step outside into the cold and frosty air, we discuss our options. Dawn thought she was in labor but that it was false as it had seemed to subside. At the same time we did not want to go home (an hour and a half away,) only to turn back. Once it had been talked about for a while we decided to head over to the hospital just to check if she was indeed in labor. A good thing we did to. After checking they quickly put her in a room and got the midwife on call. And not two hours after the movie was over we were holding our first baby boy. The time was just four minutes past midnight, the date had just changed to the 18Th of December.

Flash foward to yesterday. I had spent a few minutes the night before giving a brief homage to Tolkien and Peter Jackson by looking over the books and movies in my collection. And now on Thad's birthday I must work. (Those slave drivers over at Kips!!!) (just kidding). While there Jordan, a coworker, gives me an old first edition of The Silmarillion, one of my favorite Tolkien books , to add to my collection! Meanwhile back at home Dawn has spent the day working on a Sprouted Spelt Sour Cream Chocolate Cake.

I arrived home and by 4:30 we were ready for his party. Poor little guy spent the previous half hour bummed out that it wasn't time yet. But it did not take to long before it was time to snuff those candles, which he tackled with one mighty blow:

The cake was delicious and before long Thad was opening gifts.

After the presents were opened and he graciously gave out thank you's, everyone left and our home was back to a semblance of normality. Toys were played, dinner was made and ate, to be followed by bedtime, ending a day of fun for a little boy.