For his birthday this year, and after I explained again that everyone can't have a full blown birthday party every year or mommy would lose her mind, Henry decided that he would like to go to the zoo for his birthday. Well, actually, he decided he wanted to go to Aunt Kate's house--the magical wonderland of everything my children love--but he settled for the zoo as a second best option. If he hadn't I suppose I could have informed him that the Mandel's have given up eating everything that makes life worth living which might have swayed his opinion but I didn't have to resort to that, after all the kid does love the zoo.
In typical Reintjes family tradition, we started the day off with presents which the kids love because then they have all day to play with their loot. Henry is still incredibly into all things military so his presents were almost all army themed. He specifically requested an army guy helmet, uniform and grenades* which Grandma Kazleman dutifully provided. I'm already regretting the grenades, which apparently make explosion noises. Awesome. Since Henry's favorite pastime is building forts--like the one he was working on when he acquired that scar--I came up with the idea of a fort kit for his other big present when Aunt Courtney also wanted present ideas. I was thinking camoflauge netting but Chris thought a Marine poncho liner blanket would be more practical. Aunt Courtney just went with both, plus some really nice fort clips. It's been a huge hit and now I've got interesting fort creations popping up all over the house, but on the bright side my blankets are all back in their rightful places. As for us, we got Henry two army tanks to go with his well loved army men and some new coloring books, which goes to show you how lucky Henry is to have family to fill in those present gaps with everything his little heart desires :)
I was about to bake his cake the night before his birthday when I had the idea to suggest that he might prefer some ice cream instead. I had to sweeten the deal with promises of every flavor he wanted, plus sprinkles, chocolate sauce and whipped cream but in the end he decided that what he really wanted was a giant ice cream sundae. It was so worth not having to pull out the mixer on a Friday night. For his special birthday dinner he requested mac n'cheese from a box and hot dogs. He insisted the mac n'cheese be of the blue box variety and not the homemade everyday stuff. Very fancy.
It was an all around great day even if I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that it's already been six years since he made his (very slow) arrival on my second ever Mother's Day weekend. I certainly would never have imagined a few short years later I would be spending my time researching camouflage netting and thinking up the best ways to hang said netting in my dining room. Being a mom certainly brings plenty of opportunities for personal growth.
A very happy birthday to our not so little "Henny," as Margret calls him, much to his chagrin :)
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