Taking the Scenic Route

Mom and Dad came up (thank goodness the weather allowed) and had a surprise for Zane.  Chuck E Cheese!

We had fun, and even though the place was crowded (obviously not the only people with near-Christmas birthdays that decided to go out), he had a blast.  No meltdowns, and an actual smiling face.  (when he gets overwhelmed, even if he is happy, he has a fairly flat expression…you really have to know him to know that he is happy when he gets like that).  That, in itself, made it a fabulous birthday for us.

We had pizza and hung out there for over 3 hours.  Zach and Zane headed off together, and Mom and Zora headed towards the littler kid area.  Dad and I floated between the two groups.  It was SO much fun to see both the kids having such a blast.

There was a “sketch artist” booth that we sat down in, and he giggled as he watched the computer “draw” our picture.

And Zora got her picture taken with Chuck E Cheese too.

Then we went home, opened the gifts (“Tech Deck” stuff & wii Super Mario Bros. game from us, big Mario figures from Zora, a Sequence game from Grandma & Grandpa, and a colorful Ball of Whacks from Grammie) and it was time for the cake and ice cream.

Zane requested another Mario Bros. cake.

And the all important candle placement…

And time to blow out the candles!

I can’t believe I have been a Mom for eight years now.  I have now officially been a mom longer than I was dealing with trying to be one. (if you don’t count the surgeries and stuff since I was 12-13yo to preserve my ability to have kids).  Awesome!

Happy Birthday to my favorite son.  You make me proud every day.