A Reason to Celebrate - The Big 11
When Ben turned one, we threw a huge, epic birthday party. Like EPIC. It’s hard to do anything small when you have a massive family. I know, I know - 1st birthday parties are usually for the adults. I mean, most of his friends weren’t even walking yet. It was a baseball themed party. I remember it like it was yesterday. We had a sausage cart, monogrammed goodie bags and sugar cookies for the kids and about 75 people. (Reminder: my family is massive and Italian). I even commissioned one of my friends to design a logo.
Probably the last time he touched a piece of cake.
Over the years, the parties may have shrunk in size, but they haven’t lacked originality. We’ve hired a fire truck, rented out the rink and made light sabers out of pool noodles. I always said to myself that after Ben turned 10, that would be it. Go out with a bang for double-digits. Maybe I would host a small squad of friends at Laser Quest or a Sox game.
Never in a million years did I think I would be organizing a birthday parade for my soon-to-be 11-year-old. Between you and I, Ben wasn’t too keen on the idea. He isn’t a very excitable child. Never has been. He even earned the name “Stoneface Scola” as a baby. Must get that from his father. Anyway, here I was setting up a private FB invite (I’m more of a written invitation kind of gal), coordinating the details with my mother and keeping it a secret from Ben. It’s very hard to plan a secret anything when you live in a 600 sq. foot apartment and are always within earshot of your roommate. I also managed to pull off an amazing balloon installation without him noticing.
All decked out in his new Dude Perfect gear! Ready to party!
Saturday rolls around and it’s game time! I managed to drag him out of the house and away from Fortnite. WHAT? FORTNITE? I finally caved. That morning. On his 11th birthday. You would have thought that I handed him one million dollars…
The horns are beeping, the parade is slowing making its way down the street and he is a grump. A straight up grump. Embarrassed, probably. Thankfully, that didn’t last long. Once he saw the constant stream of his friends and family, his face lit up. It was the closest thing to normalcy he has had in months. I haven’t seen a smile like that on his face since I don’t know when. His hockey season was stripped away from him. His friends were suddenly gone. Daily activities. POOF. No more. I haven’t given him enough credit for how hard this situation has been on him. He is truly handling it like a champ and I couldn’t be more proud of my birthday boy.
A big THANK YOU to everyone who drove by, stopped, waved, and dropped off cards. We are so grateful for you all. Your thank you cards will be arriving soon.
