Although we held his party yesterday at Chuck E. Cheese (for the second consecutive year), it was today that our big boy officially turned 4! We had a big weekend that also included a dance recital for Elise and a hockey game for Ava, so it’s been nice having Grandma Amy here to celebrate everything with us. Unfortunately Enzo has been a little under the weather these last couple days, but nothing was going to deter him from living his best life at the party and having fun with all his friends.
We weren’t really sure what we wanted to do for Enzo’s birthday this year, so we decided to ask him what his preference was. We almost felt guilty when he said he wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese again, simply because it’s what we did last year, and it’s so easy for us, but we respected his wishes and made the decision that we would do something a little bigger the following year when he turns 5.
Elise and Ava were very excited to be going to a party, and used this an an opportunity to wear their favorite fancy dresses. They’re always looking for an excuse to dress up, so we told them to wear whatever they want. Elise wore a beautiful new dress from Grandma, and Ava wore her Easter dress, but punked it up a bit with a pair of black boots.
Part of the tradition in doing a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese is letting the guest of honor go into the ticket blaster, which is this big clear plastic tube filled with tickets. When they turn it on, a fan gets going and the tickets start blowing around everywhere. The goal is to grab as many tickets while you can, then use them later to cash in for prizes. Last year Enzo got the opportunity to go in there, and we expected him to love it, but as it turned out he was really freaked out. I remember getting a hilarious photo of him with his face pressed up against the glass screaming at the top of his lungs.
So this year when it came time to do the ticket blaster, they gave him the option of letting someone come in with him. When I asked him if he wanted to bring anybody, I was expecting him to choose one of his friends, but instead he said he wanted me to come in. Jessica was all for it, but required me to untie my hair so it would fly all around and look ridiculous while I was in there.
I stayed on my knees so we’d be on the same level, and did my best to get as many tickets as possible, but I didn’t figure out until nearly the end that I needed to lean forward in order to get the wind affect everyone wanted. Either way he loved it and it was very memorable. Overall it was a great day and we really appreciate everyone that was able to make it, as well as all the birthday presents of course. Again, next year we’ll be doing something bigger, but I’m glad he was able to have the day he wanted, and we always appreciate getting to spend time with everyone.
As far as today goes, it was a normal workday for me, but there was no school for the girls due to it being a “teacher work day”, so Grandma, Jessica, and the kiddos went to see Mary Poppins Returns at the movie theater. It’s kinda become a tradition for us to go out to a Mexican restaurant for Enzo’s birthday (I’ll never forget him wearing the sombrero on his first birthday), so after I got home from work we were able to all go out to our favorite spot.
Overall I hope Enzo had a very happy birthday and knows how much we all love him. He’s an incredible little boy that we are so super proud of.
As mentioned above, Saturday was a big day for both of our girls. That morning we attended Elise’s dance recital at a nearby middle school. While I wasn’t necessarily expecting to have an emotional reaction to it, seeing her run out on stage with so much natural joy and excitement instantly brought tears to my eyes. She just had the biggest smile and looked so happy – it was amazing, and it’s funny how your kids have the ability to tug at your emotional heartstrings in a way that nothing else ever could.
She made a point to sneak a little wave to us each time she exited the stage, and after the performance she was beaming. Jessica and I instantly felt bad that we didn’t have a bouquet of flowers to give her, but everyone (especially Ava) was showering her with compliments, and she just soaked that up. It was great to see her so genuinely happy, and as we’ve come to say, “living her best life”.
After Elise’s recital we had time to come home for only about 45 minutes, get a bite to eat, and then had to head back out for Ava’s hockey game. Over the past week Ava and I have been practicing shooting in the garage because she’s all about “elevating the puck” now. We’re currently using street hockey balls, which are easier to scoop under compared to a flat puck, and she’s really starting to get the hang of it. In much the same way that Elise showed so much natural joy from her performance, Ava gets that way when she sees herself improving at whatever she’s working on – and that stretches beyond athletics. Reading and math are also good examples of this, where Ava builds her own momentum and excitement when she starts improving at something.
We had a simple goal for this game, which was to just always be paying attention, always watching the puck whether we’re in the game, or sitting on the bench. She ended up doing awesome at this, and I can tell she’s starting to understand the game more. At this age their focus is on building athletic skill for the girls, rather than teach them the game of hockey, but it’s still good for her to always be engaged in what’s going on, and I’m so impressed with how she’s improving in that aspect.
She had a good game, but afterwards she admitted to mom and me about some trash talking she was doing on the ice. She knew it was wrong, which is why she told us, so we had to have a heart-to-heart conversation with her about how we treat people, and about letting our game do the talking. She was worried about us being mad, but we promised her we won’t be mad if it ends here. If it happens again, there will be consequences, but we were willing to make it into a learning lesson for now. At this point, the way I see it is that this is another thing you can add to the long list of life lessons and skills she’s already learning through hockey. Regardless of how far she goes with it, being part of a team at this age is teaching her so many things about life, teamwork, and discipline.
One more thing about Ava – we just found out from her teacher that, like Elise a couple months back when she was recognized for being respectful, Ava is going to be featured in a school assembly due to her scholastic improvements this year with reading and math. She has really turned a corner in these areas over the past couple months and her teacher wanted to make sure she received recognition. Obviously we were thrilled to hear this and are very proud of her!
Not much else has changed since my last post a couple weeks ago, so I’m keeping this one brief. Overall we’re doing great, and we couldn’t be more proud of each of the kids. They’re staying busy with all kinds of good stuff, and each one is growing up fast. Buon quarto compleanno Enzo! Ti voglio bene.
