Happy Birthday Russell!

It's hard to believe that my boy Russell is 5 years old. Russell's birthday happens to fall on the last week of school, so he had a little celebration in the classroom (no pics) and one at home.

Many of the birthday parties we've attended have been blow-out affairs, with parents participating in an arms-race-like game of one-upsmanship. Most typically, birthdays are celebrated by renting out a kiddie gym or holding a backyard bash with a giant inflatable "bounce houses". For Russell, we stuck to a low-key celebration, inviting only one family out to dinner to celebrate Russell's birthday. This year, we invited the Goldbergs out to East Ocean Chinese Restaurant, Russell's alltime favorite. The Goldbergs' younger daughter Rachel is in Russell's class.