Matthew woke up on his birthday to find a special set up at our kitchen table. I recently bought a helium tank to make sure we can have balloons at any time (I mean what kid doesn't get excited about floating balloons... I still do?!). So, his chair at the table had balloons tied to it and his place setting had birthday plates, an early morning gift, and cupcakes for after breakfast.
We have told Matthew that he could have a real birthday party when he turned five years old, so when it came time to pick a place to host the festivities he chose the glorious Chuck E. Cheese. I remember as a kid enjoying my time at the local Showbiz Pizza (now named Chuck E. Cheese), but I also remember the crazy number of kids, the lights, the noise, and the madness that goes on in that place lol. Mr. Sharktank and I made the reservation for his party, although we knew we would be leaving his party exhausted that day!
Overall, the party was great for the kids! Matthew loved it all and the fact that we did not have to do any prep work at our house was fantastic! The birthday boy was given a crown, a birthday medal, tons of tokens and tickets, and chance to grab as many tickets as he could in the ticket blaster machine. Neither of our children had ever been to a Chuck E. Cheese before, so their excitement about the day was wonderful to see! We were so happy with the number of friends and family who could come to his party! On our way home Matthew told us his birthday "was the best birthday and day ever!"
My loves before the big birthday party!
NAS was clearly not a fan of the giant mouse!
The birthday boy ready to play games and win some tickets!
Matthew blowing out his candles on his rock star birthday cake!
Grabbing his tickets in the ticket blaster!
Matthew's kindergarten screening went well. He was super excited about seeing his new school and was very eager to show the Parents as Teacher testers all he knew. I was not surprised to hear that he did great with his number and letter identification, but I was shocked when I was informed he did not know how old he was! We just had his birthday, as well as a party, and he was so excited about turning five that I did not understand why he told everyone he was still four. I just chalked it up to him getting overwhelmed with all the questions at his screening, until we were at home the next day and Matthew was choosing not to listen to me after I asked him to help me clean up the puzzles he was finished playing with. I had asked him three times to help me clean up his puzzles and he just sat at the table looking at me. He finally said, "I am not going to do it." Trying not to get mad I replied by saying, "Yes you are. You chose to play with these, so now that you want to do legos you have to clean up these first. You are a big five year old who can make good choices, so help me and we can get out the legos." Well, I was not ready for his smart response.
"Mom, I am not five years old. I am four. I don't always listen and have to make good choices, so I am four. I am not kidding... I'm not!"
That kid can leave me speechless. I had no idea what to say, so I walked out of the room to collect my thoughts and not laugh. I did of course return shorty to try and convince him to clean up, but I am pretty sure I am not going use the "you are a big five year old" line anymore!
I am ending this post with a baby picture of Matthew (as I plan to do every time the kids turn a year older). I am looking forward to watching this boy of mine grow up even more. He surprises me every day with the way his mind works and how considerate he can be of others and their feelings.
