Daddy's birthday dance party

Maybe once you have as many birthdays as Jeff has had, you don't mind turning the event into a celebration for everyone around you. For instance, during dinner at Texas Roadhouse, when the server brought out the special occasion saddle (you get to sit on it while everyone else in the restaurant yells "Yee-haw!") Jeff was more than willing to let the kids take his place and climb onto the seat of honor.

I suspect Jeff wouldn't have minded if his birthday had gone completely un-noticed at the restaurant. But Sydney had other ideas. The waitress approached our table and barely had enough time to introduce herself before Sydney blurted out, "It's my Daddy's birthday!"

Sydney now wants to be a Texas Roadhouse waitress when she grows up. They get to dance! Our server had to have known she was guaranteeing herself a nice tip when she invited Sydney to join her for a line dance.

I'm sure if they'd been doing tap or ballet, Sydney would have done much better.

Sydney's "dance party" continued at home when she at last got to give Daddy the musical birthday card she'd picked out all by herself. Turn up the volume for this one. It's one of Jeff's favorite songs. Sydney has no doubt heard it so many times on his iPod that she instantly recognized it when she opened the card.

Sydney opened the card so many times that Jeff is now sick of the song. Hooray! He finally told Sydney to move the dance party to her room. Sydney gave him the most horrified look. "But I can't do a dance party alone."

AJ, meanwhile, had been anxiously awaiting the gift opening. He knew Dad was getting an Xbox hockey game, and AJ couldn't wait to play it with him. Sadly, Mom didn't realize we needed an extra controller to play the game, and so the debut of NHL hockey in our living room will have to wait a day.

Even Gus got something out of the deal... the leftover T-bone from Jeff's steak.

Of course, in AJ's mind, the best part of Dad's birthday is that once it's done, we're one day closer to his own birthday. Not that he's counting, but, oh wait... he's totally counting. Only twelve more days to go.