Surprise, Nate!

For Nate's upcoming birthday, we wanted to surprise him with a trip to the LEGO store in Birmingham. We decided to keep it a secret until we literally walked up to the store, in order to avoid 1,000,000 questions leading up to it. (Parents of 5-6 yr old boys, you know what I mean!) He was great the whole (hour) drive there, and then I ran ahead once we got into the mall. I wanted to capture his reaction as he saw this sign:

Click here and here to see 2 quick videos of Nate's reaction. He was more in shock than anything, but his smile grew bigger and bigger as he understood what was happening and that he had his pick from everything on this wall!!

 It was really neat; he got to pick from regular legos of every shape & size, as well as from some specialty parts like steering wheels, flowers, ladders, windshields, seats, etc.

 We paid $15 and he got to fill up this "brick" container with all his pieces. He really took his time and I loved watching his little brain decide what pieces would be best for his creations. We definitely have a future engineer on our hands :)

 Once we explored the store some more, we found this little station. It was where you could "build-your-own-mini-figure!" Again, he painstakingly tried out many options and then decided on 3 people he was happy with. He got to choose their hat/hairdo, accessory, face, head, and legs. So many options!!

 Abby was VERY patient during all the building, and even contributed a few pieces to the final products. She was super happy he decided to get a ninja GIRL! :)

 Once outside the store, Abby quickly saw the train and just HAD to ride on it. Since it was "Nate's Day," we asked him if that was ok and he said yes. Anything for his baby sister!!

 Then, one last stop: the carousel in the food court. For some reason, this weekend it was free! So even Daddy got a chance to ride. Could these 3 be any cuter!?

 We topped off the day (well, the morning) with lunch at Johnny Rockets, which is like an old diner with yummy hamburgers and milkshakes. (But then neither kid decided to order a hamburger in the end. Typical.)

 I think this will be a new tradition for us, celebrating the birthday kid with their own special day. Or half day :) Nate loved being the center of attention, and he told me that this was the "most fun day ever." That's all I needed to hear. Especially b/c lately, I feel like all we do on the weekends is go to the grocery store, do yard work, and go to church. So... nothing really super fun for the kids. So it was nice to spoil them (especially Nate) for once!!

We are having a birthday party with lots of family & friends next Saturday at Krispy Kreme. So, stay tuned for that! I'm not sure who is more excited - me or Nate. Oh, how I love a donut!