When I originally put together a skeleton outline of our trip, we were scheduled to be driving 7 hours on Thane's 9th birthday. When I looked more closely, I realized that wasn't going to fly, especially since Thane shares a birthday with his Aunt Katie whose house we would be leaving! So, we adjusted and turned Monday into an extra day in Vicksburg. That was a great choice!
Katie had to go to work in the morning, but Kevin went into work late and was thus able to take us over to Vicksburg National Military Park for an official tour. The kids loved being able to work on their Jr Ranger booklets with their cousins
I had no idea how big the park would be! Thankfully, it was a driving tour. We stopped at a few select locations, like this Navy monument.
Nellie was fascinated by the cannons. Every time she saw one she squealed with delight and yelled, "a wagon, a wagon!"
In a far corner of the park we hopped out to see the Cairo, a gunboat that sunk in the Mississippi River during the Civil War and was later exhumed (can that word be used to refer to ships?).
It was really neat to climb on board and see up close what the boat looked like.
I had no idea how important the siege of Vicksburg was in the Civil War. It occurred the same time as the Battle of Gettysburg, but the Union victory in Vicksburg was arguably more meaningful to the war than the victory at Gettysburg.
After finishing their booklets, the kids were sworn in again as Jr. Rangers. Their collections are starting to get pretty big.
Katie came home in the afternoon and proved she's superwoman by playing games and doing crafts with the 6 and under crowd. Nellie said, "I do not want to leave this house!"
Bryce told Thane that he'd play any game Thane wanted for his birthday. Thane chose Risk. That's brotherly love!
Thane patiently waited until after Uncle Kevin came home and we had dinner to open his presents. To be honest, I felt a little bad that he had to celebrate his birthday on the road, so I might have gone a little overboard with gifts. He got a couple new key chains to add to his collection (Texas and BYU), polished rocks (something he'd been drooling over in gift shops), new swim goggles, a pocket knife, and a (knock-off) Fitbit.
Leading up to our visit, I'd ordered some of Thane's gifts via Amazon and sent the orders to Katie's house. I gave her a heads up that they'd be arriving. A few days before we got there, I got a text from her. "Socks! Seriously, socks!"
When we were packing for our trip, I thought I was being quite clever by thinking to pack an extra pair of socks for everyone. I failed to account for the fact that vacation laundry does not make us immune to the lost sock demon. So, in addition to gifts for Thane, I'd also ordered a new pack of socks. Katie thought the socks were a gift for Thane. Ha!
True to form though, when I asked Thane how he'd feel if I gave him socks for his birthday, he said, "That would be totally fine. I like socks." Then he thought a little more and added, "But I don't like to wear them in the house." Thane truly is sincerely grateful for any small gift or thoughtful gesture. And you know the rocks he got? I'm 90% sure he primarily wants them so he can give them away. He remains Mr. Generous.
Speaking of generous, Katie made this incredible cake (and remember, it was her birthday too)! It was almost too pretty to eat.
Thane says, "My birthday was amazing. Everything about it was amazing!"
Thane remains uniquely himself. He has a curious mind and asks millions of questions. He's a loyal friend and an outside-the-box thinker. There's nothing he likes better than giving gifts to others. He rarely cries when hurt, but will sob if, for example, Bryce gets in trouble and loses a privilege. He has sensitive heart. He still doesn't love attention, but is realizing he likes to make people laugh. Despite getting bigger, he still loves to climb on my lap (or my head). We really love this kid!
Favorite Color?: "I don't have one."
Favorite Candy?: "Probably Sugar Babies.."
What do you want to be when you grow up?: "Engineer or a robotics person, because I want to work with Bryce.”
Where do you want to go on your mission?: "To Afganistan, because I've never been there before."
Favorite Primary Song?: "Gethsemane'."
Favorite Animal?: "Penguins. I like Rock Hopper penguins."
Favorite Movie?: "'Princess Bride.'"
Favorite Thing to Do?: "Play with Bryce."
Favorite Food?: "Pizza."
Best Friends?: "Coleman and Finley."
Favorite Book?: "'Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians.'"
Favorite Toy?: "Rubix Cube."
What makes you happy?: "Having fun."
Favorite thing to do with Mom?: "Go out to eat for my half birthday."
Favorite thing to do with Dad?: "Go on Father/Son Outings."
What do you do really well?: "Run."
What makes you laugh?: "People tickling me on the foot."
Favorite Holiday?: "Christmas."
Favorite Sport?: "Soccer and basketball."
What’s the best time of day?: "Dinner time. I mean, breakfast time."
What's your favorite day of the week?: "Monday because we have FLEET."
What's your favorite day of the week?: "Monday because we have FLEET."
What are you afraid of?: "I really don't know."
What do you like to do with your family?: "Eat"
What do you love to learn about?: "Food."
What is your favorite class/subject?: “Math.”
Where do you like to go?: "Ice Skating.”
If you had one wish, what would it be?: "To move to Texas."
What would you do if you had $1,000?: "Buy Legos and give them away to my siblings."
What is your favorite song?: "'Strangers' by Sigrid"
What's your favorite Super Hero?: "I don't like Super Heroes."
What do you hope you can do before your next birthday?: "Get taller. Grow an inch."
What are you looking forward to in the next year?: "Being older. A birthday party."
No comments:
Post a Comment