Zack Attack is Nine!
Last night we celebrated Zack’s birthday by driving way out of our neighborhood so that we could watch Wall-E at a Movie Tavern. It wasn’t showing at the Movie Tavern near our house and we could have gone to a regular theatre, but we wanted to sit in the big office chairs that roll around and lean way back while eating bottomless popcorn. The boys had mini corn dogs and my other two big kids had nachos. I just wanted popcorn. Zoe had breast milk, some ice, and a straw. Normally, I would not allow the last two, but she was getting vocal and I didn’t want to take her out and miss the show. (This is not to say that I would rather her poke her eyeball out with a straw or gag herself… I did keep my hand on one end of the straw.)
The movie had a good message, made cockroaches look cute, and confirmed the overall belief that twinkies could last 700 years beyond the end of civilization. I wish I had an M-O (microbe obliterator) rolling around in my house cleaning all foreign contaminants. That would be the bomb.
It was the first time my family has been to the Movie Tavern, but I’ve been to one twice with Susie. I’m happy to report that the popcorn tastes better at our MT, and the butter tastes like butter. The service is wanting in both locations, but that’s what tipping, or not tipping, is for. Our MT is less advanced… we don’t have the little lights to turn on when you want someone to refill your drink, but have to put up a menu on the table. They also had a Han Solo “popsicle” hanging over the bar (which is out in the lobby) with vintage Star Wars posters on the wall…including the original title “Revenge of the Jedi”.
The admission price is almost two dollars cheaper than a regular theatre and the popcorn is six bucks, but we probably didn’t save much driving 45 minutes to get there. You have to throw in both your arms and both your legs these days to pay for gas.
Zack was able to stay up all the way home so that he could open presents. He got a water powered rocket, an electronic playground, some batteries, and a crank flashlight. He also received a birthday card from Grandma Pudge and Grandpa Johnny a couple of days ago. He had opened a card from Grandma Niki and Grandpa Randy on the way to the theatre and is $50 richer. Josh remarked that he used to get $5-$10 on his birthday which prompted the “used to get a Snickers for a quarter” disussion. Boo hoo hoo. Anyway, it reminded me of Bill Cosby’s telling his children that their grandparents are not the same people he grew up with but that they’re old people trying to get into heaven now. Works for me.
So tonight we are doing the special birthday dinner for Zack. He wanted eggs, sausage and toast for his birthday dinner. I’m also making brownies for him instead of a cake… actually, the oven will already be on, so I might as well make a cake, too. We don’t have any ice cream, so it’ll be over cake and brownies that we sing the Happy Birthday song.
Zack is nine. I can’t believe he’s so grown up, and yet he’s still so not grown up yet. I won’t embarrass him with details. Just trust that what I state is true. I will say that if any of you have any idea how to make an indecisive child more decisive… let me know. He is still the sweetest, most sensitive and most ponderous of our family. He has also grown a healthy dose of sarcasm in his manner of speaking. It’s a good thing he’s cute because it will have to bail him out of the trouble his mouth gets him into. Even so. We’ll keep him.
Posted on July 24th, 2008 by trish
Filed under: Haley Kids, Movies
happy birthday to kinda sorta not really grown up Zack!
my friend from college once told me to help make her kids be more decisive, she gives them two options and they can only choose one and that is that. i’ve used that technique on my boyfriend (who likes to have as many options as possible and then chooses ALL of them). sometimes it works. i also employ this technique on myself. BAM! decision made and i go with it.
Ha ha! Lan you crack me up… isn’t it funny how significant others need to be treated like one of the kids? I so often refer to Josh as my fifth kid. The two options thing worked for Sarah. Seth will just look at you without answering if what he wants to do is not one of the options. Zack will roll his eyes up while pointing his finger to his chin and say, “Hmmmmm…” then thirty seconds later he will still not have an answer, but will talk or do something completely unrelated. So then you have to jog his memory (trying not to be Fissik in the Princess Bride) to keep him on task and he’ll go, “Oh! Ummm… I don’t know.” At which point you rip all your hair out and try hard not to scream like a banshee.
happy birthday bro….ah, the movie tavern, my favorite theater to go to!!!!!!!!