The birthday countdown

It's so close he can almost taste it! For weeks AJ has been keeping tabs on his ever-nearing birthday, and now it's just a couple days away! Last night, as if seeking reassurance, he asked, "My birthday is in three days, right?"

"Yup," I answered, "three days."

"Good," he sighed, "I can wait three days."

Of course, I'm wishing there were a few more days to get ready, but overall we're in pretty good shape. A week ago I took AJ to Adventure Zone, so he could check out the party site. (He's the black blob coming down the slide sideways.) 

This is the first year we're attempting a party outside of our house. That means no cleaning, which I appreciate. It also turns out I won't be needing to bake anything. Adventure Zone supplies pizza and allows store bought cake only. Meanwhile, after buying cake mix and frosting to make cupcakes for AJ's kindergarten class, I learned the school also has a "store bought goodies only" rule.

The presidential party accessories are all set to go. Red, white and blue hats and tiaras, flags, leis and party horns all arrived in the mail yesterday.

Last night, I found some early reader storybooks that featured dinosaur cartoon characters. (I vaguely recall buying them at a garage sale a few summers ago.) One of them was about a dinosaur that was about to have a birthday party. And he was about to turn six. The coincidence was simply too exciting for AJ. His grin turned into giggles, which turned into a hug for me.

Now if I could just find time in the next two days to buy the cake for the party and get a few more gifts. Then I'll be ready to celebrate, too.