For Ryan's second birthday - we went with a train theme. He liked trains well enough, but, honestly, I really liked the train ticket invitations I found at the party supply store. So even if he had never even heard of a train before, he was having a train-themed birthday party.
To go along with the theme, I bought a train cake mold and made a pretty sad looking version of a train. And even though I said I'd buy a cake the next year, Ryan was so excited with his cake that a tradition was born and I was on the the hook to make a cake each year.
This year, Ryan wanted a Lightning McQueen themed birthday. Considering how the train cake went (even with a mold), I decided to keep it simple - made a cake with a oreo cookie paved road and plopped his toy car on top. Judging by his reaction during the reveal, taking the simplistic approach was a success.
The party went well, with lots of food, friends and awesome gifts (including a Lightning McQueen acoustic guitar - seriously...they think of everything).
And then it was time for the big reveal.
When you officially become a parent, you often think about your childhood - good memories, like going to the zoo; traumatic events, like walking down the hall at school with your skirt tucked in your underwear (yep...that happened); and - most importantly - all the cool gifts you wanted as a kid that your parents didn't get you.
Top on the list for Nate and I (one of the reasons we get along so well) was a Power Wheels car. Neither one of us ever had one and both of us vowed our kids would. So this was the year we did it. And what better car to get than McQueen himself.
I'm not sure if it was the overly excited adults in the room, who were living vicariously through him, or the crash from the sugar rush, but Ryan wasn't as happy as we thought he'd be about his car. It took some coaxing to even get him to sit in it. And he only made it half way around the cul de sac before he called it a day.
Of course, he was equally cranky when we let other kids drive it too.
So Ryan's birthday provided us with several insights. We realized why we never had one of those cars growing up (they're stupid expensive); we learned just because it was exciting for us - doesn't mean it's exciting for our kids; and even though Ryan is in the the fast lane to four, it's important to slow down and enjoy each moment as it comes.
Happy Birthday, Ryebread.
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