Let's Party!

First, a quick update on Riley's health. It's been a really tough week around here. Riley has had a mysterious fever that began nine days ago as a low grade fever & steadily increased to 104.7. By Wednesday, he began having these terrible spells of screaming and crying. We took him to the ER, where they ran a few tests... and never really determined what he has. They ruled out all the really scary stuff, and (after several hours) sent us home with a Rx for Augmentin. The side effects of this antibiotic include diahrea, dizziness & anxiety. It continues to be a little stressful, but Riley's fever has gone away and we're hoping that his crabbiness and lack of walking are due to the meds.
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At any rate, he was feeling well enough today to have his birthday party! It was loads of fun, meltdown-free, and generally exhausting for everyone involved. Here are the highlights:

The theme was "Where the Wild Things Are." The cake was pretty simple; it was a scene from the Wild Rumpus. The photo doesn't really do it justice, since you can't move to see the Wild Things rumpusing back in the trees.
I made a separate cake for Riley so he could really dig in. His is the one on the left with the sprinkles. (More on that later...)
Our house was quite full; almost everyone we invited came to the party.
I put our guests to work, making birthday cards for some of Riley's future birthdays. We ended up with some great cards. (One of my favorites was the 16th birthday card that Katie made for him... "Drive it like you stole it!")
And then we gave Riley his cake. I had to help him blow out his candle, even though we've been practicing blowing... I think he clammed up with all the people staring at him. He began a little timidly...
... and was offering to share handfuls of cake after just a few minutes. He was actually quite neat with it; none in his hair or ears at all! Matt still gave him a quick bath because he did drop quite a bit of it into his lap.
After his bath he opened his presents.
He got several adorable outfits (which he really needed) and quite a few new toys (which he really enjoyed). All of the toys are great learning toys, and all of them have "off" switches (thank goodness)!
He was adorable! He loved all his new toys and could hardly figure out what to play with first. One toy he really wanted to play with, but will have to grow into a bit, was his new tricycle!
He's only got a little bit more to grow, and I think he'll be able to reach the pedals by the middle of the summer. Nani & Popi gave this to him, and even included a Missouri license plate with his name on it.
Of course, he was also interested in playing with the boxes. He likes to get into things (laundry baskets, boxes, etc.).
Tyson was, of course the perfect big brother. He was understanding of the fact that Matt & I were busy cleaning house & making the cake all morning, and was very patient with all of the attention that was poured on Riley at the party.
Overall, it was a great day. Busy and tiring, but lots & lots of fun. Now I think I will settle in with my knitting & a glass of Ovaltine.