Keahi is 4!....and one month

I know it's been over a month but I need to document this very important milestone: my kid turned 4! I have a 4 year old! So enough about me. On to the birthday boy.

Weeks before I asked Keahi what he wanted for his birthday and his first request was to have a birthday card made for him by a friend. His next request was for Jada Johnson to fly over for his special day. He last 2 requests were to go to the Bishop Museum and to eat Japanese food. Well, I think delivering 3 out of 4 birthday wishes is pretty good. We had a wonderful time at the Museum with the awesome Animal Grossology exhibit filled with slime, a burping/tooting anamatronic cow, owl pellets and all the creepy-crawly things a little boy's heart could desire. Sadly, this was our second visit there and we didn't take many pictures. So here are a few from our first visit.

After a hearty lunch of ramen, tempura and gyozas, we headed back home to rest and get ready for cake and icecream with friends. The cupcake caterpillar was actually another of Keahi's requests after he saw the cake decorating magazine my mother bought. I have never looked at one of these magazines let alone touched a decorating bag before so I was a little nervous at my first attempt to make a real birthday cake. But I gotta say, it turned out pretty well. There was actually supposed to be a "The Best Ever Chocolate Cake" recipe cake for the adults but after 2 failed attempts that dragged into the 2am hour, we gave up and went to Ted's Bakery for a scrumptious and effort-free pineapple macadamia nut cheesecake. So tasty.

Keahi had fun with friends and so did we. I think we were all amazed at his pile-o-gifts that numbered more than me and all my siblings got in our childhood combined. I had to privately warn Keahi not to expect the same thing next year when we weren't living with popo. He got playhuts, t-ball sets, trains, clothes, thomas slideshow books and more. I think he may be disappointed when Christmas comes and he gets a book and pajamas. But I could just rewrap some of his birthday gifts and he'd never know the difference.

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

So after 4 years of living and learning, I turn to Keahi for pearls of wisdom and this is what I've learned. A 4 year old's stomach is impervious to blackened cupcakes as long as they're slathered in sickly sweet frosting. And we should all be as liberal as little kids in labeling people friends.