Sunday, May 19, 2019

Popcorn Present

Today was Uncle Jonathan’s birthday.   He wanted to go to his favorite sports bar/pub for dinner.   He asked if we wanted to join him and said the children were welcomed to join us as well.  I told him it was going to be more challenging time-wise because we had to get  back, have the children washed and in bed by eight.  I knew the folks who would likely be coming weren’t in the same position with young children and typically ate later.

He said it was his birthday and dang it, he could eat at five o’clock if he wanted to, or something to that effect, so we said sure, count us in, we’d meet them there.   And we did just that.   Thanks to Margaret, Nate, Brek, Anna and KP for the very early dinner on account of our children.   You guys are the best.

My children had prepared a birthday present of sorts for Uncle Jonathan.   There was the funny birthday card Mexican-food themed, of course.   My daughter had written him something in Braille that was quaint and yet somehow not germane to his birthday at all.  And then there were the Easter eggs.

My daughter is still obsessed with Easter egg hunts.   She regularly asks if she and her friends can have an egg hunt.   I get out three or so eggs each, we put things in them and then they hide them for each other to find.   Her favorite eggs are the tactile ones with glitter on the outside with the highest value egg being a golden glitter egg.

She decided to put some things in Easter eggs, golden Edd included, for Uncle Jonathan’s birthday present.   She was a bit disappointed he wasn’t going to get to have his very own egg hunt in the restaurant, but when she realized he could have his own bag of Easter eggs, she decided it would be okay.

We put all kinds of things in the eggs.   She was the leader of the egg stuffing effort, making sure he had candy in some of the eggs, what with this being the highest value egg contents for her.  She got some plastic rings and put a collection in an egg so that everyone there could have one, sharing in his birthday celebration.

We had Duke blue hair extensions for him and Margaret for upcoming Duke games, silly putty, superman lip balm (with cape) and friendship bracelets.   My daughter, without realizing it, had two food-based eggs that were great choices.  She wanted to help him with the eggs, which she pulled out each egg, opened it for him and then gave the egg and contents to him.   The very first egg was popcorn, which had everyone laughing—an Easter egg filled with a few kernels of popcorn.   He ate the popcorn while she got out the next egg.

When she got to the rings (there were two kinds) they were passed around to everyone so they could pick which pink cartoony character child’s ring they wanted to try and fit on their adult fingers.   When she got to the Skittles everyone cheered her selection.   Uncle Jonathan, I told her, loved Skittles so much he had a custom pair of sneakers with Skittles painted on them he loved to wear.

My son had the sweetest egg contents.   There was a small scrolled piece of paper held with a rubber ring.   The paper said, “a hug from Greyson.”

My children sat on either side of Uncle Jonathan at the head of the table and monopolized his time until we had to go home for bath and bed.   Thanks for sharing your birthday with us, Uncle Jonathan.   Congratulations on another year.   Next year, who knows what my children will come up with for your birthday present!

The Big Boy Update:  I told my son tonight, as he hugged Matisse before I left with her after reading to them, that dogs gave, “unconditional love” and did he know what that meant?  After I explained it to him he said, “even if you hit them?!”  He was horrified at the thought.   I told him hopefully that would never happen to a dog.   He gave Matisse a final hug and then went up to bed.   I told him when Matisse was older she could stay in the room with them at night.   He and his sister are looking forward to having her stay with them overnight.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter took her glittery purse with her to Shane’s graduation party next door today.   She’s never carried a purse before and it turned out to be a good day to start.   She kept asking people what she could put in her purse.   Before she’d left she had half a bag of butter rum life savers, some chocolate from Israel, a pencil, a spoon, four lollipops and a screw.

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