What a Boy Wants

Owen turned 3 yesterday. When I started asking him what he wanted for his birthday a month or so ago, his response was always the same - a PARADE! I'm not sure what /who planted the idea in his head, but I'm certain Diego or Dora is behind it.

The Sapadapaso Parade came to town for Saint Patty's Day. We attended with much fanfare and I tried my darnedest to get him to believe that the parade was just for him. Even after the thrill of the parade which consisted of a couple of firetrucks, bankers and realtors throwing candy, a float of Wizard of Oz inspired Drag Queens and a float depicting the wake of someone named Finnigan, Owen still wanted his very own PARADE.

I'm not big on birthday parties. Taylor had a few theme parties when she was little and lost her chance at ever having another party when we hosted 13 13 year olds for a slumber party on her 13th birthday. Lydia's birthday is New Year's Eve; who wants another thing to plan/attend/buy a gift for during the holidays? Luckily we're usually with family and she gets a pseudo party. Gaby has a summer birthday, so friends not seen on a regular basis. Luckily my kids are OK with small family gatherings. And they get to go to plenty of parties during the school year, so they get their fill of Jumping/Swimming/Pizza-ing/Arcading/Princessing on someone else's dime.

Since Owen wanted a PARADE, we invited his two buddies to participate in the PARADE. There were no invites - gifts were forbidden, but showed up anyway - no streamers, no balloons. I planned to make train engines out of cardboard boxes for the boys to wear in the PARADE. Owen and I got up early Saturday morning to makes the trains, since procratination is my middle name. He wanted to be Percy. One green engine coming up. I wasn't planning to go all out on these because a) I wasn't sure the boys would actually wear them and b) I didn't have time. As Percy's second coat of green paint went on, Owen declared, "I do NOT want to be Percy!" Since there were 2 more to make, no big deal.

Me: "Pick a new color"

Owen: "Orange"

Me: "Yay, O is orange and Owen!"

Owen: whatever

Me: "One Orange Owen train coming right up."

More cutting and taping and painting of boxes.

Me: "Owen stop hitting Percy with a baseball bat."

Owen: "Hi-yah!"

Me: "Owen put the bat down!"

Owen: "I don't want to wear the train."

Me: "OH yes you are!!!"

Owen: "I want to hit the train. Hi-yah!"

Me: "Owen Matthew Kilgore stop hitting the train."

Owen: "I get candy from the train!!!!"

Me: "What?"

Owen: "I get candy when I hit the train with a bat!"

Me: "Owen, what do you think a PARADE is?!?!?!?"

Owen: "You hit it and get candy! YAY!"

Me: "You want a PINATA not a PARADE, don't you?"


It was 9:00. I hadn't showered and the buddies were coming at 10:30. I calmly finished the trains, got dressed and went and bought a PINATA for my boy who wanted a PARADE. It was a hit. The trains, as you might have guessed, not so much.