Happy Birthday X Man

I cannot believe my baby turned 3. Time is a thief and passes in the weirdest ways. What’s the saying? “The days are long, but the years are short”. It’s officially been 1 year since E started his travel nursing job. (We didn’t join until his second contract). I can’t wrap my mind around how much the boys have grown, how long ago it was that I taught and how far away from home we are. And on the smaller time scale, it’s already time for us to start looking for new locations for our next contract. I have my preferences, E has his, and M would live in Florida forever if his cousins could join him. X is content everywhere we go, because his family is all he knows. I’m hoping this experience pays off in big ways when we wrap it up and that the boys remember the joys we had exploring the country together.

We of course planned a handful of adventures for X’s birthday. Nothing too outdoorsy, but all his favorite things and new experiences. We started off the day with chocolate covered strawberry cake per his request. We’re gluten free, and refined sugar free, so I was worried it wouldn’t turn out, but this recipe was a keeper. Then we FaceTimed family and opened presents. Man was he spoiled by our family! M wrote him a storybook about Tim the Turtle, a character from made up stories with E. He hasn't finished yet, but it is the most adorable thing. And, we are now owners of 1 million Lego sets. I’m a fan, E is not. They’ll grow on him… If you'd like to see which legos and what other presents he was spoiled with, I will link those below! Our first outing of the day was a trip to Congo River Golf for some putt putt. X treated it as a hike and ran through the course, passing the Canadian family in front of us and finishing in record time. M treated it more like golf and is steadily improving his skills! They also had alligators, air hockey and claw machines, so we spent a few minutes soaking it in after golfing. 


After a nice cozy nap at home we spent 1.5 hours driving through Tampa traffic to get to Dave and Busters. If I complain about one thing in Florida, it’s the traffic. It’s awful most of the day and the amount of fender benders we see daily is astounding. I miss Iowa drivers. We spend a good chunk of time in the car each day, but our destinations are usually worth it. Dave and Busters was a blast for the boys. I’m sure M will want to return for his birthday if there’s one in the next location. After D&B we made one last stop at the Lego store to make some custom minifigures and fill a cup with assorted Lego pieces. Mostly gems and gold, so the boys can play pirates with their legos at home. We had the best time and I know X felt loved and celebrated all day long.

Presents for the birthday man!

Hiking Backpack - in green of course

Spin from Spidey and Friends Costume

Our favorite brand of Croc style shoes (M has a pair of these that have lasted much longer than expected! 

Lego Sets:  

Spidey and Friends

Racecar

Tractor

Four-wheeler

Firetruck

Monster Truck



Location: Tampa, FL, USA

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