Only Two For A Little Bit Longer

Last night I took Kyle to the store after I picked him up from school because we needed hummus and milk and a couple other things and, oh yes, I wanted him to pick out his birthday cake.

This year we're going to have a small little party at our house and another small little party at his school, and it's been a lot of fun to plan both these events because he has actual opinions on the details and while I admittedly loved throwing a big out-of-hand party for his first birthday all for me I'm even more excited about giving him, each year, the kind of day he most wants. 

So, we've been having some pretty cool (if not spastic) conversations about his big day for a while now. Such as:

Me: Hey Buds, what color plates would you like for your party?

Kyle: Ummm, how about blue and red and yellow and green and blue. 

Me: I think I can manage that. 

Kyle: Or maybe also dark orange and light orange.

Me: Okaaaaaay. 

I've quickly learned that it helps to just take him to the party aisle of Target and say, "Have at it, kiddo! Grab some plates!" 

So, tonight when I told him we were going to pick out his cake for his school party, he started in with, "Chocolate cake with red frosting and chocolate frosting, too. AND CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM."   

"Actually, buds, we're going to look at a big book of cakes and you can pick whichever one you want."

This book may have been the coolest thing he'd ever seen. I'm actually going to be surprised if he doesn't add "grocery store bakery cake book" to his list of birthday wishes. I let him have his time with it. We looked at each page, and he narrowed it down to three choices (all very fitting choices for my son): Cars, Toy Story, and Nemo. These have been his consistent loves for the last year. 

A part of me secretly hoped he'd pick the Cars cake. It had multiple layers and was very cool and Cars was his first love, the movie I've seen nearly a million times. In fact, let's just put this out there: if you're ever on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (is Who Wants to Be a Millionaire still on?), and a question comes up about Cars OR Cars 2, just go ahead and dial me up without pause. I've got you covered, without a doubt. 

He was so torn. "CARS! NO! BUZZ! NO NEMO!"

Finally, he settled on the Toy Story cake and he was grinning from ear to ear with his choice. Now, if you had told me three years ago that I'd be totally geeked out about buying my son a cheesy Toy Story cake for his birthday, I would have judged future me (and maybe you too a little bit for telling me), but whatever makes these kids of ours happy, right? If Toy Story produces that kind of grin, GIVE THAT KID SOME DAMN TOY STORY CAKE ALREADY.

It was one of those strangely cool parenting moments where I realized, huh, my son is about to be three. I don't know how this is possible, but it seems to be. Let's go ahead and plan a party and celebrate the heck out of this day since there's apparently no way to make any of this slow down.

After I filled out the form for his cake and started to push the cart toward the hummus, he said, "Mommy, where's my cake?" 

He seemed a little less thrilled when I told him he would get to enjoy it next week. 

Comments

[A'Dell]

Oh, so cute! I adored that bakery cake book when I was a kid, too. It was just so magical to see all those fabulous cakes all in one spot!

[Elizabelle]

In the book "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin, she writes about how she took her daughter to the store to look at the cake book several times, and her in-laws thought it was ridiculous that she didn't make her choose quicker. But she had realized that the choosing, the considering, was actually the fun part...that the cake would be over and done with in a short time but poring over the book and thinking about the cakes was the truly enjoyable part. I think of that story often when I'm with my 3-yr-old daughter. Have fun!

[Life of a Doctor's Wife]

Awww - this is so sweet! And how cool that he's at an age where he can make his opinions known and help decide how to make his party magical.

[rebecca]

oh, 3! I can't even believe it. In some part, the heart aches because there is so little left of the BABY. They are lean and tall and independent and smart; and their own opinions! They are many! But three is magical. The transition from toddler to child happens, like, overnight; you put a kid to bed babbling about Yo Gabba Gabba and cookies, and when you wake up, they are telling jokes and pouring their own juice and having actual conversations. Sure, there are tantrums and The Threes So Much Worse Than The Terrible Twos That No One Talks About Them, but all the cool stuff so outweighs that. Oh, this year will be fun!

[Mary]

Does this mean that this year (my son turns two) might be my last chance to plan his birthday party my way?? Bummer. It's gotta be cool though to hear his opinions and he him get so excited over picking out his party decor.

[Manda]

Every time we push past the cake section at Costco Syd is all "Mama! I think it's my birthday! And we needa birthday cake for my birthday!" Truth be told, we buy a lot of cake at Costco, even when it's no one's birthday. OOPS!

[Ginger]

Can I just say how much I love Kyle? I'm fairly certain he's one of the internet's best kids.

[Kristie]

Kyle, we're going to enjoy the heck out of your birthday cake! Happy almost 3rd birthday dude!

[Dianna]

Three? Holy cow. I remember when you all were trying to get pregnant. (I probably also said this last year when you posted about him being two...) He's getting so big, can't believe it!

[Jen L.]

This made me cry a little. Dean dreamed for MONTHS of a Toy Story cake for his third birthday. I love that it's so magical when they are this age. :)