Happy Freakin' Birthday

Our youngest turned 10 years old over the weekend.
My main goal was to get through his day without anyone peeing off the play tower.

Because we are terribly un-organized, and because we didn't think ahead enough to send out birthday invitations, we ended up calling around to his buddies last week.

No one could come.
They had already been invited to another boy's birthday party.

Understandable.
We were late.
We were unorganized.
His invitations got to everyone first.

But, you realize, everyone had been invited to that boy's party... except our boy.

And Moose.

He was bummed out all week.
Not sure if it was the lack of invitation that bothered him more or the lack of potential presents.

I'm thinking it was the presents.
I know that boy of mine.

But he and Moose had a great time!
Moose came home with him after school and hung out all day. The two of them waged holy Nerf Dart Gun war on the husband and the 12-year-old, ate piles of pizza and chicken wings, and ran circles around the house on an Oreo-Cookie-Birthday-Cake-sugar-induced high.

Part of the (now) ten-year-old's worry was that he would know what all of his gifts were going to be.
He had strong suspicions that we'd gotten him a skateboard for his birthday. He was partly right: we had gotten him a skateboard... for Christmas, but decided to wait for spring to give it to him.
So, he suddenly (after months of begging for a skateboard) declared that he no longer wanted a board for his birthday, but he just couldn't think of anything else that he wanted.

He wanted a surprise.

So, I got him one.

He collects turtles.
Not live ones. (thankfully!)
Anything with a turtle on it.

One visit to the dollar store, and *poof*, a gift from the Turtle Fairy.

He was thrilled!
Absolutely giddy!

Over a bag of dollar turtle figurines.
Go figure.

After we drove Moose home, we presented the ten-year-old with the long-awaited skateboard.
The one he insisted he didn't want.
Did-we-have-the-receipt-could-we-take-it-back-to-the-store? didn't want.

But then, he saw it.
And touched it.
And rode it.

Quietly, he stepped off his new skateboard, walked over to me, and gave me a big hug.
When he pulled away, he said, "I don't know why I'm crying. I'm not sad!"

Oh, honey.
You're crying for the same reason I am.

Happy Birthday, sweetie.

*sniff*