Braving Boys

May 30, 2003

He didn’t arrive into the world until 11:05 PM on May 30, but we’ve been celebrating the kid all weekend long, and we’re still hours away from that glorious moment seven years ago when Danny arrived in all of his whopping-big glory.

It started with a platter of cookies delivered to the boy’s first-grade class on Friday, followed by a road trip right after school pick-up to an Orlando hotel. Danny loved the Marriott Courtyard outdoor pool, and the yummy Carrabba’s dinner out we enjoyed that night, too. Bright and early the next day, we were at the gates of Magic Kingdom, where Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain and Buzz Lightyear were favorite rides, and the day spent walking (and walking and walking) wore us all out. We refueled, though, with some trail mix and a stop at the hotel, before heading for another great dinner (plus free birthday dessert), and a nighttime adventure back at the park.

AI's Aaron Kelly

We rode all the faves again, and ended the night at midnight, just after big bro Joe spotted and was photographed with American Idol’s Aaron Kelly.

Sunday brought more adventure — lunch with one grandma and a big gift (an iPod Shuffle for the guy who loves music), plus dinner and more gifts with another grandma, aunt, uncle and cousins.

“How do you feel about your birthday weekend?” I asked Danny at the end of his official special day. His response: “Good, terrific, awesome, fantastic!” Those are his sparkle words, he told me. Indeed, they are — the words he’s learned in class to spice up his writing.

I’m not sure I could have said it any better. The weekend was, in fact, good, terrific, awesome and fantastic. How fun it is to be the mom of a 7-year-old!

The birthday boy!

Happy Birthday, Danny.

I love you.

If things don’t work out with the whole shoe store manager thing, 6-year-old Danny could always be a rock star. Here, one of the tracks he’s been working on — “Hot Dog.” He filmed this music video in his studio (bedroom), with just a video camera and a guitar. One song came before this one (“Hot Lava Gun”) and a few came after (“Room Number,” “Time of My Life,” Get the Autograph”), but this is our all-time fave.

Mommy: What are you doing right now?

Danny: Coloring and making a book.

Mommy: Tell me about your book.

Danny: It’s a dragon one. There’s different kinds of dragons.

Mommy: Tell me three things you can do really well.

Danny: I can color, stay in the lines and things on Wii I can’t figure out, I figure out.

Mommy: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Danny: A shoe store manager.

Mommy: Why?

Danny: I think it’s fun, and I get to wear shoes.

Mommy: What do you like about school?

Danny: That I’m going into a different school, and I’m going to learn new stuff, and I’m going to have really fun. [Note: Danny is not going into a different school, just a different grade.]

Mommy: What the best thing you’ve done so far this summer?

Danny: Play Wii.

Mommy: Anything else?

Danny: Play with you, play games, do everything with you.

Danny: I just want to color now!