Sunday, August 05, 2007
Birthday Business
In contrast, Reed ascribes to Mies Van der Rohe's philosophy that less is more. He selects a single stuffed animal to accompany him to sleep. ("It's all I can hold.") After a birthday party on Saturday, he politely declined the regulation-sized soccer ball that was being offered as the "goodie ball." The invitation list for his next birthday party consists of his two best friends. Period.
But Max has limits--limits that even he is beginning to recognize.
Max's birthday is only six weeks away, and the topic of his party has begun to suck much of the oxygen from our house. Theme, location, invitation list, present wishlist--Max's preferences have changed nearly as often as the date on the calendar. (This is why a wise friend once cautioned me never to buy a Halloween costumer until October 24.)
Initially, Max decided that he only wanted to invite the three members of last year's carpool, plus an additional friend from the neighborhood. "Not like last year's birthday," he implored. "There were too many people!" Glad he remembered that on his own. I'm recalling the sight of Max, clearly overwhelmed, pulling a large plastic tub over his body and disappearing. "I'm a turtle," was his rather transparent explanation.
But recently the invitation list had begun to show signs of project creep. At last count, he'd reached 16, with some obvious omissions that would be realized as soon as school starts.
On the way home from the ranch, as the boys slept, I made a counterproposal to Lee.
"What if we offered Max the chance to go to Sea World instead of having a birthday party? He's been begging to go."
Lee jumped aboard the plan.
I crossed my fingers.
This evening, after Lee had gone to bed, I broached the subject with Max and Boo.
"YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!!"
"Now you understand the trip would be instead of having a birthday party?"
"YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!"
"And you still want to do it?"
"YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!"
I pulled up the website. The boys' exuberance escalated.
I breathed a sigh of relief. No birthday theme. No entertainment. No decorations. No goodie bags. No extra housecleaning. No last-minute helium balloons. No giant birthday cake for 50.
But Max was in a different place, imagining a day filled with orcas and sea lions and penguins and belugas and sharks and Clydesdales. (Yes, Clydesdales. Where was the asterisk that said, "Which of these animals doesn't belong in the sea?")
Then Max had another epiphany. "Maybe we can see Andy! Andy lives near Sea World!"
He had been one of Max's best buddies from school. His family moved this summer. Max hasn't stopped talking about him."Yep, that's where Andy is."
"But I don't know why."
"You don't know why he moved?"
"No."
"Well, his mother grew up in San Antonio, and they moved to be closer to her family."
"Her family?" Max looked puzzled.
"Yep, her mom and dad. Andy's Babee and Poppi."
A knowing look passed over Max's face as the significance of Andy's larger family took hold.
He grinned. "And what about his Aunt Kimberly and Uncle Paul?"
With no party to plan, I can hardly wait to celebrate Max's birthday. Now if we can just figure out how to build him an airplane-shaped treehouse....
1 Comments:
Sounds like you dodged a birthday party bullet, sweetie. Max's very own Aunt Kimberly and Uncle Paul can't wait to see him and Reed, Babee and Poppi, and you.
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