Racing to another birthday – Will turns 9

Will turned nine! I’m not really sure how we made it to nine already (I mean, it’s half way to 18!!!) but here we are. He is adventurous, curious, and has such a big heart. He loves being around people, young and old, and will talk anyone’s ear off. His second grade teacher hit the nail on the head when she said he’s an old soul (it’s not the first time someone has said that about him). While his need for speed, dramatics and his accident prone self have given me a few grey hairs this year, he has more than made up for it with all of his sweetness.

Will’s birthday falls at that busy time of year when summer is winding down, school is starting, and the thought of a birthday party seems overwhelming. Who am I kidding, that’s me anytime my kids have a birthday. Lucky for me, Will is pretty easy to please. His two requests all summer were 1) visit Legoland AND 2) go to K1 Speed with his best bud, Ethan.

While Phil is a hard sell on amusement parks, I’m a softy, or perhaps the fun one, and made Will’s first request happen the weekend before his birthday. The kids and I agreed the new Lego Movie ride was the best part and the worst part was the rain and thunder that rolled in right when we got to the water park. While the weather ruined some of our day, we made the most of it wasting far more money on silly carnival games than I care to admit. We even ran into our neighbor and Will’s good friend while we were there. Will would like to go back when we can actually visit the water park, but I’m pushing for a Disneyland trip before we leave SoCal.

The following weekend the boys were off to the races! After they were sufficiently sugared up with root beer and warmed up with some arcade games, they hopped in their karts and ripped around the track a few times. Regular old Mario and Luigi’s in real life. We finished off the birthday celebrations at home with the rest of the Hart family. While Dad couldn’t be convinced to go to Legoland, he did cave and make Will a birthday cake. Two years ago I asked Phil to make me a birthday cake, my one birthday request, and now the secret is out. He had said he would only do it once a year, but now he’s eating his words. One chocolate peanut butter birthday cake for the birthday boy, made with love by dad.