Living with Jennifer Lawrence

[69:] First Birthday

Maddie

I had to call off work because tomorrow was a special day. Little Ryan turns one, and I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Jen and Josh were unsure of how they wanted to celebrate their son's first birthday. All week they've been discussing party planning, and it took them a while before they came to an agreement.

“We haven't been to the beach in a while,” Jen said. And it was true. We rarely go because there's rarely a time where all of us are free to do so. I work at the McDonald's down the street, Jason works at a sporting goods store a few miles away, and Jen and Josh are usually filming or something.

“But do you really want to go to the beach?” I asked. “Because everytime we all go out, there's always cameras somewhere.” I used my fingers to pretend I was clicking a camera. “Breaking news: Jennifer Lawrence and family were spotted at Santa Monica pier.” Jen laughed at that last part. “It's really gotten out of hand,” I admit.

“You're right,” Josh agreed. “It's okay, we can have the party here. Invite a few guests, it'll be fine.”

We had a pool in the back, and I'm sure Josh wouldn't mind firing up the grill, and putting together a tiny plate for Ryan.

* * *

Later that day, Jen and I went to the store to buy a few supplies. Me and Jason had gotten cars on our sixteenth birthday, and we are driving around constantly. I offered to use my car to take us to the store.

When I first got behind the wheel, I nearly hit a tree, and in that moment, I screamed. So did Jen. Luckily, I've never crashed into anything, and I've gotten better at it as time progressed.

I tried to find a plaza or corner store that was fairly empty, so we could shop in peace. It was a bit of a drive, but we made it. The people were friendly there, and didn't harass us for photos. We were in and out, and bought a few essential items.

* * *

Jen didn't want to buy a cake, she thought it'd be more special if we all came together and made one. I loved the idea.

Josh placed Ryan in one of those baby jumpers, and he pushed buttons and enjoyed the sounds they made.

Today was finally his birthday, and we woke up fairly early to get started with the cake.

It wasn't made from scratch, instead it came from a box. And we were all okay with that.

Each of us had a role in the baking process. Jason measured, Jen greased the pan, Josh mixed everything together, and I got to lick the bowl. In my opinion, that's the best part.

* * *

Jen and Josh's family came over, and the house was packed.

Karen and Gary, Jen's parents, were in the kitchen, organizing everything. Even Chris and Michelle, Josh's parents, showed up. His brother, Connor also tagged along.

The boys stayed inside and watched TV together, and the girls did their own thing. We talked amongst ourselves, catching up.

Ryan giggled with delight as Jason tickled him. It was a beautiful sight.

* * *

Plenty of pictures and videos were taken to capture the moment. Ryan clawed his tiny fingers into the cake and shoved it into his mouth. Frosting was all over his face.

He attempted to walk, but fell down soon after. No successful steps yet, but Jen is excited about it anyway.

If it wasn't for Karen bringing another cake, we would've ran out.

I had too many slices of cake that day.