Priceless Reactions

At Rockwall Winery celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday

We celebrated Micro's 4th birthday party with a small party (though it felt bigger than it was) at our humble abode. I made some lasagnas, lemonade, decorated, and played games. We did surprise the kids with a balloon entertainer who came to showcase some mad balloon-making skills. James, you rock!

But the best surprise, had to be my in-laws coming in after Hurricane Sandy and surprising Micro on the day of his actual birthday (right after preschool let out!). When I became a parent, I had all these visions of how I was going to be a mother and how I couldn't wait to celebrate all the little special moments that come with raising kids. Micro's surprise reaction to seeing his grandparents from the east coast probably tops the list so far of awesomeness. Mr. Fliz and I had known for some time that they were planning a special trip out for Micro's birthday. The hubs and I debated whether we should tell the kids or not, or let them both be surprised. In the end, just as we had rationalized to ourselves about not finding out the sex of either of our kids because there are too few surprises in life, we opted for the surprise reaction. And peeps, let me tell you, it was worth it. 

Standing in our living room with the blinds slightly open, my back facing the windows and front door, as I spoke to Micro about his day of fun at preschool celebrating with birthday brownie cupcakes I made, he looked away from me for a split second, screeched like a piggy and said, "I saw Ninny and Papa!!!!" I followed by saying, "That's impossible, they're not here, they live so far away, it can't be." Micro was so insistent, he began jumping up and down and gunning for the front door, all the while, screaming, "Ninny and Papa are here!!!" His enthusiasm seriously melted this mama's heart. He opened the door much to his surprise and welcomed his grandparents with open arms. 

It's these rare moments, when I begin to realize just how mature my little boy is becoming. He understood that Ninny & Papa live far away and that somehow, this moment he was experiencing, was truly something magical and memorable. It was what Mr. Fliz and I had hoped he would feel. This was "our present" as parents, seeing and sharing these moments with our kids. I can only imagine what a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth would do to him. Still, it might not top the surprise visit. To M&D, thanks for coming out and sharing this special occasion with Micro, for all the love and support you give to Mr. Fliz and I, and for being such sports when it comes to this Mom's neurotic-ness (is that even a real word?) about party planning and prepping! See you all soon!

Party prepping

Batman meet Micro

No party is complete unless cake is served