We actually celebrated Anders' birthday yesterday since it was the weekend and Andreas was available to participate in all of the fun. We began the day in classic Vang tradition, singing Happy Birthday (Andreas in Danish and me in English. Surprisingly it doesn't sound all that bad, albeit a bit confusing.) and allowing him to open all his presents in bed. As you can see from the picture below, no one loves him and our relatives aren't generous at all...hopefully you are sensing the sarcasm here.
One thing I planned was to give Anders a bunch of small items, grouped in threes, to emphasize his new age. I mean, when you've been reinforcing the number 2 for an entire year, you can't exactly expect your child to understand that they are suddenly a different age! So we gifted him a bunch of these little groupings throughout the day, each time counting the gifts and discussing his new age. It was actually a lot of fun! Three pairs of socks, three pairs of sunglasses, three punching balloons, three cups, and three spinning tops and water guns, which aren't pictured. Some of these items he needed, and others I pulled from the dollar bins or clearance sales at Target.
In addition to the little packages of three, Andreas and I also got Anders a Big Flyer Tricycle. After shoveling a special donut breakfast, we headed outdoors to
Just a little later in the morning, my sister arrived to hang out with Aksel so that Andreas and I could get some quality two-on-one time with Anders. Our first stop was Cosmic Jump, an indoor trampoline park. Most of the experience looked like this.
Just kidding! Anders really did have a great time. Now don't get me wrong. He fell. A lot. But it was hilarious, and he wasn't ever hurt. For anyone interested in doing something similar, I would vote this a total success. Andreas has been to another indoor trampoline park and said this location was pretty ghetto, but there are several other companies to choose from in the area. If somebody has a favorite, leave a comment and let me know!
After an hour (yes, an hour) of jumping, we had worked up quite an appetite. Since Anders' favorite restaurant (Chick-Fil-A. He has a very refined palette.) isn't open on Sundays, we weren't really certain where we would eat. By some sort of happy coincidence, we decided on Steak 'N Shake, and it was perfect! With paper hats and a cardboard race car, Anders was more than happy with our choice. And to top it all off, they comped his meal! Some quick Googling after-the-fact turned up several threads that say Steak 'N Shake has a Kids Eat Free on the weekends policy?!
The last stop of our expedition was the movie theater, where we watched Frozen. I didn't take any pictures, but imagine a large, dark room with stadium seating and a little boy covering his ears for almost two hours. Hahaha, in his defense it was super loud! Anders did enjoy the movie, but it usually takes more than one viewing for something to really gain favor with him. I, on the other hand, thought it was amazing and can't wait to listen to the soundtrack again!
On the way home we picked up a couple of cupcakes to share. One word, people, Gigi's. You can thank me later.
After yet another meal/snack whose main ingredient was sugar, we headed back outside to burn some of that energy.
I think Anders would tell you it was a pretty awesome birthday. I better start planning for next year!
You and Andreas are awesome parents ... of a couple of awesome kids ! I love the trike and sunglasses picture. And I would have had a blast at the trampoline place :) PS We have Gigi's in Montgomery !!
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