Eddy turned 13. There are only three gifts pictures on the table, because Eddy already got one of his birthday gifts early, which is the Trek mountain bike. The reason he had to receive that gift early was that the two bikes that we had to work with both fell apart and I could not imagine him going the rest of summer without a bike. He really rides his bike nearly every day. I am also realizing we did not bother with candles either. Difficult year for birthdays.

The bike is great. I managed to find it used and he has been riding it pretty much every day. It is a great bike and I am glad that he has been able to enjoy biking. The bike is the right size that it will probably last him a few years, but us still living in Akron I really feel uncomfortable saying that it will not be stolen or someone will do something malicious to it while it is chained up outside a library. The other gifts were all Marvel superhero action figures with a comic. He has been reading Pokemon comics, but he is able to get those books easily at the library, so I do not think there is any point in buying him one of those. It was a good birthday.

The kids mother, Kristy, Becky and her two children, Patty, Grandma, and Deanna all were present for Eddy’s 12th birthday. Next year will be his turn to be a teenager, but for right now he is not there yet. It is always good to have so much family around for a birthday celebration. Just like every birthday for the past couple years this one was a cookout. I am thinking that next year I will have to start investing in higher quality beef though, because I am not liking how the burgers are coming out. Everything was good, but I think everything can be better.

Eddy did not receive a great deal of gifts for his birthday this year, and I am told by parents who have older children that this theme will continue. Older they get the more expensive the gifts get and so it follows that they receive fewer. This year Eddy got a blue DSi XL and Pokemon Heart Gold. That game comes with a pedometer that actually helps you earn items and level up your Pokemon, so I think Eddy will want to walk around a lot! We all had a great time and of course if you want to see all the pictures from the birthday you can view them on the pictures page.