There was a moment last weekend when we were at Edaville Railroad when I realized that I was experiencing my best birthday in my 38 years. I have had some great ones--a 5th birthday where I was a total butthole, a 30th birthday where my parents surprised me and flew in to Boston, and last year when they spent a whole weekend with us and we did a bunch of holiday things. All good. But not the best. Here is why.
First, on Friday night Bianca, after a full day of work, slaved away and made me by favorite cookies--reverse chocolate chips. In the morning Isaac helped me unwrap my presents, tackling them, as he said, like a hungry wolfhound (whatever that is, it sounds like something that would absolutely DESTROY packages). I got a very nice pair of shoes, a shoe kit, an exquisite fountain pen (yes, I am transforming into a man from the 1940s), and a slew of iTunes gift cards. While Ethan was napping Isaac and I used some of the iTunes cards to buy packs in a card video game. Isaac's lucky touch resulted in my best haul ever from some packs. After that we had lunch and then piled into OB (the OutBack) to make our way to Edaville Railroad--an outdoor theme park that is open for Christmas.
When we arrived we met our normal crew--the Rhode Island Cousins and Pappa Dom. Everyone rushed into the park gate and I led the kids all the way. We did our requisite ride on the elephants and the ferris wheel (it was a balmy fifty degrees at 3 PM, but on the ferris wheel, the height and dimming sun got us down to our comfy range of the mid 30s). After that we discovered that the park had basically tripled in size and they had added a bunch of new rides the foremost of which was a new, real, kids coaster.
Isaac had been on a "coaster" before, but it was one from a traveling carnival, which was more of a tracked ride, than a coaster. It lacked a true lift hill and was propelled by wheels located around the track. It was, at best, meh. But the Edaville coaster was FOR REAL. It had a chain lift hill, lap bars, a double banking turn, a run of bunny hills--in short everything you need for a real coaster experience. And Isaac LOVED it. I loved it. And we rode it again and again.
We did some indoor stuff--the ball pit and a few trips on the bumper cars, including rampant smack talk between me, Isaac, Myles, and Colby. I even sabotaged Myles's car by turning it to face a corner before I hopped in and buckled Isaac and I in. It was so much fun.
After that it was dinner time and we got some food that was marked better than last year. We then raced to the train. We had about a half hour left and it was that ride or wait till next year. The best spot on the train is the caboose and the best spot on the caboose is the raised cabin. Unfortunately everyone knows this and it is ALWAYS taken. But for whatever reason, divine provenance or good luck, it was open and Isaac, Colby, and Myles hopped in. Ethan really wanted to be with his brother and after an experiment where Myles held him, I crawled up into the tight quarters of the raised cabin. The ride was great, Ethan loved all of the Edaville lights and the boys did to.
And so it was then that I realized this was my best birthday ever--I was with my two boys, enjoying peak holiday stuff, and having a grand time at an outdoor theme park in the middle of winter. I recognize that this is probably a great birthday for an 8 year old, too, but it made me genuinely happy. It goes almost without saying, but not really--all of this was made possible by my amazing wife, who made everything work seamlessly as she always does. She thinks no one notices, but we do.
First, on Friday night Bianca, after a full day of work, slaved away and made me by favorite cookies--reverse chocolate chips. In the morning Isaac helped me unwrap my presents, tackling them, as he said, like a hungry wolfhound (whatever that is, it sounds like something that would absolutely DESTROY packages). I got a very nice pair of shoes, a shoe kit, an exquisite fountain pen (yes, I am transforming into a man from the 1940s), and a slew of iTunes gift cards. While Ethan was napping Isaac and I used some of the iTunes cards to buy packs in a card video game. Isaac's lucky touch resulted in my best haul ever from some packs. After that we had lunch and then piled into OB (the OutBack) to make our way to Edaville Railroad--an outdoor theme park that is open for Christmas.
When we arrived we met our normal crew--the Rhode Island Cousins and Pappa Dom. Everyone rushed into the park gate and I led the kids all the way. We did our requisite ride on the elephants and the ferris wheel (it was a balmy fifty degrees at 3 PM, but on the ferris wheel, the height and dimming sun got us down to our comfy range of the mid 30s). After that we discovered that the park had basically tripled in size and they had added a bunch of new rides the foremost of which was a new, real, kids coaster.
Isaac had been on a "coaster" before, but it was one from a traveling carnival, which was more of a tracked ride, than a coaster. It lacked a true lift hill and was propelled by wheels located around the track. It was, at best, meh. But the Edaville coaster was FOR REAL. It had a chain lift hill, lap bars, a double banking turn, a run of bunny hills--in short everything you need for a real coaster experience. And Isaac LOVED it. I loved it. And we rode it again and again.
We did some indoor stuff--the ball pit and a few trips on the bumper cars, including rampant smack talk between me, Isaac, Myles, and Colby. I even sabotaged Myles's car by turning it to face a corner before I hopped in and buckled Isaac and I in. It was so much fun.
After that it was dinner time and we got some food that was marked better than last year. We then raced to the train. We had about a half hour left and it was that ride or wait till next year. The best spot on the train is the caboose and the best spot on the caboose is the raised cabin. Unfortunately everyone knows this and it is ALWAYS taken. But for whatever reason, divine provenance or good luck, it was open and Isaac, Colby, and Myles hopped in. Ethan really wanted to be with his brother and after an experiment where Myles held him, I crawled up into the tight quarters of the raised cabin. The ride was great, Ethan loved all of the Edaville lights and the boys did to.
And so it was then that I realized this was my best birthday ever--I was with my two boys, enjoying peak holiday stuff, and having a grand time at an outdoor theme park in the middle of winter. I recognize that this is probably a great birthday for an 8 year old, too, but it made me genuinely happy. It goes almost without saying, but not really--all of this was made possible by my amazing wife, who made everything work seamlessly as she always does. She thinks no one notices, but we do.