Happy Birthday, Silas!

Day 15 – A.K.A. Silas’ Birthday!

On Monday morning we woke up to a little boy who was ready to be 6 years old!!  We, of course, told him he needed to wait until 12:12 p.m. so we could make a big deal out of the very moment he came into our lives!  The day before we had discovered a new part of Disney we had never seen before and it was like it was custom made for our Silas. 

So, we headed off to EPCOT to become Secret Agents on a mission to help Agent P, lost in the different countries of the World Showcase.  But first we stopped by Guest Relations to get Silas a pin ensuring everyone would know it was his birthday! 

This interactive mission was incredible!  Regular displays throughout the park became clues when the cell phone device got within range, giving us clues to the next location.  We had piñatas that started to glow codes, the Eiffel Tower taking our picture and texting it to us and so many other neat experiences!  It was so exciting we missed 12:12 and had to sing at 12:32 instead!

By this point we were all exhausted and ready for a nap, so we went back to the resort and crashed before eating hot dogs and mac and cheese (his favorite!) and heading back out to the parks.  We promised Silas he could choose any of his favorite rides on his birthday and that we would go in whatever order he chose.  

So, although it might not have been the most time efficient schedule, he called the shots!  For hours he said all he wanted to do was ride Star Tours, so J.L. and he headed to that ride in Hollywood Studios, while Sadie, Corinna and I watched the Little Mermaid show (for the 3^rd time!).  After begging to go on this ride for his birthday, he got into the cart and started to tear up in fright.  But when the ride was over, he looked at J.L. and said, “Let’s do it again!”  So, on they went to the back of the line!

Since this has been the birthday of Star Wars we saw it only fitting to celebrate Silas by buying him popcorn in an R2D2 container.  And, although we are certain (hopeful, really) this will be the most expensive popcorn we will ever purchase in our lives, his face and level of excitement were priceless!

Next we were off to Magic Kingdom to check out some of Sy’s favorites.  It turned out to be a memorable night indeed!  Our first stop was “Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor” and interactive comedy routine between some monsters on stage and the audience.  At the beginning of the show everyone was given the opportunity to text the monsters a joke.  Imagine our surprise when Silas had his joke chosen and performed on his birthday!  His face was complete shock, followed by overwhelming excitement!  After Buzz Lightyear Ranger Spin we headed to the race track as Silas had decided that 6 was the perfect age to learn to drive!  I have never seen Silas and Sadie giggle as hard as they did as J.L. controlled the pedals and Silas rammed the car back and forth over and over again!  We are grateful another 10 years separate us from having to do this for real!

At this point Sadie had been super patient all day and Silas decided to let her have a pick.  Would anyone be surprised to hear that we headed straight for Belle’s castle for a role in her play?  This time Sadie knew exactly what to do and her “ROAR” just could not be beat!  She was casted as The Beast and played the part beaut…, I mean, handsomely!  We the will never forget her face, looking up absolutely mesmerized as she danced in the castle with Belle!

After Mickey’s Philharmagic we all headed outside to see the fireworks!  We had no idea that we were sitting directly under the two sections of the show.  Every other firework was set off from our right, then left, then right, then left again.  We ping ponged back and forth and back again while Silas pretended, or maybe actually believed, that he could make the fireworks appear as he pointed with grandiose gestures just like Mickey did the night before! As the night was headed towards a close we hit up the Winnie the Pooh one last time.  Although after getting through the line so quickly we ran as fast as we could around the corner and into the line again.  As soon as the ride started and we were on our merry way everything shut down and we were completely stuck.  It was a memorable way to end the night, as we were locked in our honey pot until the engineers could get to the ride, take the back off the cart, push us to a safety zone, find a step stool and help us out of Pooh corner!  It only took a moment to convince the kids that this was not disappointing but a magical moment designed especially for the birthday boy who loves to figure out how things work!

What a perfect way to celebrate Silas and to look back on the amazing 6 years we have had with him.  We are continually amazed by his compassion, bravery, sense of humor, creativity and intensity. He has made us laugh.  He has made us proud.  He has made us better.   Happy Birthday, baby!