August Twentieth

As a part of learning time, Ben and I talk about the date, weather and season each day.  This year he was so excited for August twentieth, his birthday, for months in advance, that it's hard to get him to say August without the "twentieth," attached.

Several times when we asked Ben what he wanted for his birthday, he replied that he wanted to "fly in the sky without an airplane."  Well, he is continually accepting the fact that he does require an airplane to fly in the sky, and a well-timed work trip for Ryan helped his wish come true.  Ryan flew out Monday and Ben and I joined him in Tucson on Tuesday.  We stayed at the Hilton El Conquistador golf and tennis resort that happens to give corporate travelers a great rate. 

dinner before our late flight

Ben and I had all day Wednesday to enjoy the many pools and waterslide, and spent 9am to almost 3pm enjoying the sun and shade and snacks by the pool.

this was our breakfast view

Ben is obsessed with "candy slushies," on Sonic commercials.  I was able to convince him this banana juice and ice drink was a candy slushie and he was in heaven. :)

He fell asleep post-swim with his arm around my neck.  Now I was the one in heaven enjoying the last few hours of four-year-old.  A long nap also meant he was ready for swimming with Dad after dinner.

This carnitas-stuffed poblano, banderas-style, was pretty amazing.

We all slept late on the big day and awoke ready for a relaxing day of family fun.  Thanks to a book of promos we got at check-in, the incredible hotel breakfast buffet was both affordable and delicious.  We headed there next and Ben opened his first gift.  

The camera was a BIG hit!!........

 

We enjoyed another day of fun in the sun with plenty of "candy slushies" to go around.

One final stop on the way to the airport.....

a cheeseburger and lemonade were the icing on the birthday cake!!

 We arrived home to one more big gift.......

Whew!! That was a birthday! I'm holding out hope he asks for an airplane ride again next year! 

Happy Happy Birthday to my sweet, kind, manipulative, active and very happy five-year-old!  If you can dream, you can endeavor and if your dream continues to be flying without an airplane, I fear you'll make it happen.  Don't ever stop dreaming or believing- the sky's just the beginning.