Happy birthday to Muddy!!! Yes our stuffed animal dog has turned 5 this week. Not sure where the last 5 years have gone. Seriously, Finnegan got this dog for his birthday in November and this is his first birthday with us. Somehow he is already 5 though. Last week Finn informed me that it was Muddy’s birthday and that he wanted to have a surprise party for him. It sounded like a great idea to me! Why not have a reason to celebrate something after what feels like a long winter (spring is coming!) and after two weeks of passing this horrible stomach flu around our house. A side note to that is I’m not sure which is worse being 8 months pregnant with the stomach flu or having everyone else be sick. I’ll pass on both next time!!! So I was all for making a cake (and eating the cake), blowing up balloons and inviting all the other stuffed animals to this surprise party. Finnegan was quite the party planner and we all enjoyed Muddy’s party.
A stuffed animal dog’s birthday might seemly be the most insignificant thing in the world. But not in this house. Muddy was the only birthday present that Finn wanted for his 4th birthday. He wanted Muddy so that he could practice for his real dog Muddy that he will get when we move back to Cape Town. He loves this dog and to him he is part of the family. His anticipation for the future is real. Finnegan (and Aislinn) have no concept of the process of getting back to South Africa. And they have no frame work to understand the challenges they will face when we get there. They don’t need to. Their eager anticipation for this transition is wonderful and refreshing to me!
We have also learned to celebrate this small things. I read a book by Paul Tripp last year where he talks about 95% of life happens in the mundane. So true!! We are always looking for these big milestones and events in life. Our current stage of life is filled with unknowns of the future and trying to put a puzzle together without all the pieces. But the reality of life is no different than yours. Most of it happens in the mundane of everyday. I will celebrate in that!
So Happy Birthday Muddy! Here’s to hoping you meet your real life counter part soon. And thanks for giving us a reason to eat cake and have a good time 🙂
Team McComas 