Today Oliver is 3 years old.
Over breakfast I asked him about this milestone in his life.
We also found time to open a few presents. The Scooby Doo Ghost-Catching van that he had expressed a preference for in the toy shop a few weeks ago, failed to disappoint.
Then it was off to playgroup with Mummy and Lucy where they sang Happy Birthday to him. There was only time to pop home then before we all headed off to Run of the Mill for his party.
About 20 of his friends came plus some of their younger brothers and sisters. After some time playing they all had to line up on the ramp ready to go to our private suite. (Well, a room with a big table and lots of food.)
Oliver declined the special chair at the head of the table and sat half way down the table on the benches with everyone else. A man of the people my son.
He did manage to eat less food and in less time than most of the others and was asking for ice-cream long before everyone else was ready. Then he devoured his ice-cream in time to go and eye up his (monkey) birthday cake.
They brought out the birthday cake with three lit candles and everyone sang happy birthday to him. He then blew out the candles (with a little help from Daddy after two attempts at the last one).
Before we left there was time for us to go and play in the ball-pit with Lucy, who clambered about with the three year olds without a moment's hesitation. By the time we left Oliver was almost asleep on his feet. Both kids were asleep in the car within seconds of us heading out of the car park.
At home in the afternoon we opened some of the many presents friends had bought him. He had a great time. Finally we headed off to Pizza Hut with Manny, Sara, Jack and William for our dinner. It was very quiet in there and Oliver and Jack discovered a great playground in the gap between the pillars and the front windows.
Lucy, meanwhile, climbed up and down some steps for a good 10 minutes, finding it fun with me in attendance to hold her hands on the descents.
Lucy ate a small mountain of spaghetti bolognese, her favourite food at the moment, before sucking all the chocolate off some chocolate raisins.
Oliver on the other hand ate the optimal amount of spag' bol' to make sure there was room for his second portion of ice-cream of the day (this time with Smarties).
We got home a bit late but both kids went fairly readily to bed. Oliver had the added incentive of being allowed to take his (new today) Backyardigans back-pack which he filled with his Scooby Doo characters. Sorted.
I could write lots about how quickly my little boy is growing up. (Last night as Hayley and I sat with him, reading his bedtime story, I told her mopishly "He'll never be two again"!) But let's save that for another day. My beautiful boy has had a fabulous birthday and so did we.
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