I think Judah wanted to celebrate ALL of his birthday because he woke up, giggly and hyper, at 7:15am. All in all, it was a pretty good 3rd birthday but Judah was definitely "off" all day - crying at things he doesn't normally, easily agitated, and overall just a bit irritable. It was a bummer for me.

One of the most memorable aspects of his day was that there were 3 wrapped presents on the kitchen counter the moment he woke up. They sat there until after his nap and he didn't say a word. It made me a little sad that my 3 year old birthday boy had never opened a present before. He didn't know what gifts were. Ugh...just another moment of reality.

He quickly learned what his gifts meant as we brought them out to unwrap. They were from my mom and dad, and Judah opened them while we Skyped with my mom. After each gift he would impatiently say, "more presents please!" It brought my mom great joy to see her oldest grandchild open and play with the gifts she'd chosen for him. It was a fun 30-minute Skype call!

The one gift Brian and I got him was a retro Radio Flyer tricycle. We couldn't wait to take him for a spin outside after his nap. The bummer of it is that Judah is so tiny that his feet won't reach the peddles and he doesn't have enough leg strength to push them. Regardless, he LOVES his new gift and there will come a day when we can't keep him inside.

A few other memorable moments from Judah's big day:

1st dentist appointment! We love our dentist. He's a member at our church and his family is also actively caring for orphans. Judah's teeth look great, but our doctor mentioned how his teeth are more like a 2 year old than 3 year old.
Cake, Canvas, and Trains, Trains, Trains :: An incredible family at our church gave Judah their gently-used tabletop train set and tons of accessories for his birthday!!! Not only that, but they painted him a canvas with Ethiopia and its flags colors. AND their daughter made Judah a cake-from-scratch. "Thoughtful, amazing, and generous" doesn't begin to describe this family!

We received a number of sweet cards, phone calls, and messages of celebration from family and friends to celebrate his life. For those, we are deeply grateful. Thanks for celebrating with us!

This collection of photos is a reminder how I am totally NOT one to capture all of his day. Nevertheless, here are a few of my favorite from the day...