Baby Girl #3's birthday

Poor kid has a birthday just over a week after Christmas.  Since my own birthday is exactly two weeks after Christmas I am aware of how much it actually stinks.  It's not that I didn't get enough gifts or attention growing up on my birthday.  It's just that everyone is always so partied out from Christmas that there isn't much celebration left in them when it comes time for your birthday.  The one good thing is that we're usually around extended family for Christmas which means I'm able to throw a celebration for her in there somewhere.  So far she doesn't seem to mind.

This year we were up at my parents' and my brother (D) and his wife and daughter were coming up a couple of days before our family Christmas.  #3 had told me multiple times she wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese for her birthday.  I really dislike that place.  I'm not exactly sure why.  It is entirely possible that I dislike it solely based on the cliche aspect of it.  And the fact that it always seems dirty to me.  And that I have never been to one where I did not see a child climbing on the ski-ball machine.  (Once it was my child--but that's another story).  Regardless, I did not want to do Chuck E Cheese.  Instead, I thought we could go to a place called Incredible Pizza, which as it turns out is now called Gatti Town.

Gatti Town is like a grown up version of Chuck E Cheese.  There is a Pizza/Salad/Dessert Bar that is all you can eat for as long as you are there.  And you put money on a card for the games instead of having to carry 4 cups filled with a million tokens.  There are also a lot more games that actual adults can enjoy like putt-putt and go-carts and miniature bowling.  But also plenty of kid games as well.

Baby Girls #1, 2 and 3 with Uncle on Bumper Cars.  Baby Girl #4 and cousin are looking on morosely because they are too short to ride.

Baby Girls #1 and #2 on the go-carts

 I had a good plan.  We went on a Thursday and got there about 3:30.  My plan was to play first and then eat and then leave, missing most of the evening crowd.  It didn't quite work out that way.  Which is OK.  One of my other brothers (S) was able to get off work a little early so he was able to come, so the extra stress was worth it.  But seriously, it is so stressful to me to try to keep track of 4 children, make sure they all get to play and do everything they really want to, count tickets, and then take 15 minutes at a crowded counter to decide whether they want a pencil or plastic ring.  I had 6 other adults there with me and I still left completely exhausted, and quite frankly, a little hungry.  All you can eat doesn't help when you're trying to make sure your children get everything they want.  Don't get me wrong, my family did most of the work for me.  But I try to not just assume they will handle everything so I was constantly jumping up to get another breadstick or refill a drink.

Baby Girl #3 actually enjoyed the little kid section more than anything

She loved this train

So we left a little later than planned.  And then we swung by my brother (S) and his wife's place so brother (D) and family could see their new house.  One does not simply "stop by real quick" in my family.  Our quick stops involve making a pot of coffee.  But luckily I have done this before so I knew to bring the girls' PJs for them to change in to.  We had an hour and half drive home.  Made slightly longer due to the fact that even though I have made the drive several times in my life, and was actually following my Dad, I was talking instead of paying attention and took the wrong exit.  Onto a turnpike.  For those of you who are not familiar with the Oklahoma turnpikes, suffice it to say we had to go several miles down the road in order to turn around.

We made it home around 11, all the girls went right bed and the adults were not far behind.  I was pretty proud of myself for being able to give Baby Girl #3 a celebration at a pizza/party place, even if it wasn't Chuck E Cheese, and even if it wasn't on her actual birthday.  That proud moment disappeared on her actual birthday when she asked me what we were going to do for her birthday and then got a blank look when I explained that Gatti Town was her party.  *Sigh*