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Today Grandpa repaired a glass pane in our garage door that Max and his friend broke on Sunday. To fix that pane he had to go to a glass store and order it, which he did yesterday, because the pane was of custom size. He wanted to paint part of the door, too, but we didn’t have the paint.

Grandpa also went over our yard with his mower. I didn’t know the yard needed attention, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it did. He also blew our driveway off, which is long and on a hill.

Later Max went down to Mimi and Grandpa’s and he and Grandpa went over to Max’s friend Nick’s to pick him up so he could play with Max. Grandpa supervised them for about five hours, pausing at one point to go get them dinner at Chick-fil-A. It’s 9:30 pm and Max is just getting home from going with Grandpa to take Nick home.

There’s probably more that Grandpa did that I’m unaware of. I just thought I ought to write this down.

Earlier this morning someone asked Max to name three wishes he’d make if he could have anything he wanted. He wished for:

1. Infinite money
2. Thomas the Tank Engine in his back yard
3. A water park

Right now his main interest is hypercars. He’s focused on Lamborghinis, Koenigseggs, and Bugattis. Maybe that’s his reason for his primary wish.

It’s been a big birthday weekend for all of us. On Friday evening we rented the outside pool at Collins Hill Aquatic Center for about twenty-four of Max’s friends and more than a handful of their parents to celebrate his eighth birthday with him. I believe everyone had a great time. It’s been extremely hot this summer, but heavy cloud cover gave us some much-needed relief. We gave Max a Pokémon-themed party, though I don’t believe anyone was interested in finding any Pokémon with a huge pool with a host of aquatic attractions all to themselves.

We enjoyed pizza from Costco and a Pokémon cupcake cake.

We partied to the backdrop of a Collins Hill High School football game and the sounds of their marching band rehearsing before the game and during halftime.

His friends were too generous. When we got home Max opened what seemed like a zillion presents and gift cards.

Max said his party was awesome. It was.

Having his big birthday a day before his actual birthday meant he got another party on his actual birthday with Mimi, Grandpa, Granny, Marlie, George, and me. Granny baked a thin-layer chocolate cake for the occasion, which we enjoyed in Mimi and Grandpa’s shop.

We had our party in the middle of the afternoon on Saturday, Max’s actual birthday. In the morning Becky and Max went to a friend’s birthday party in Duluth. He was anxious to get home to open our presents.

We gave our little buddy a scooter, skateboard, a Razor Crazy Cart, a “flatulence” machine (which he’ll be delighted to share with his classmates at his next show-and-tell), a Thomas TrackMaster set with lots of extra pieces, some Nerf stuff, and a Donald Trump bobblehead doll. (He asked for the doll.)

He had wanted a motorcycle and I wanted to buy him one, but we don’t have a place for him to ride it or adequate transportation to get the bike and equipment to and from local tracks. Maybe next year.

The little fellow didn’t get to enjoy his toys very long before it was time for Parents Night Out at Gymnastix Training Center, which he wanted to attend. I figured he’d want to stay home and play, but he wanted to play with his friends.

When Becky and I picked him up at 10:00 pm, he was still excited but he was also tired and said so.

When we went to bed with just two minutes left in the day, he wanted Becky and me to sing “Happy Birthday” to him again. We obliged.

He went to church this morning with Mimi and Grandpa and Mama joined them later for the regular Sunday service. They all went to Cracker Barrel for lunch and Max came home with Mimi and Grandpa and played with the kids who live caddy corner to Mimi and Grandpa.

We picked him up after a short while and headed to Granny’s for him to ride his new Crazy Cart and skateboard. He didn’t spend much time there because he wanted to go to the nearby skatepark at Duncan Creek Park. We all had a blast at the park, and Max has a few scrapes and bruises to show for it.

Today was Max’s first day learning how to ride a skateboard and a stunt-style kick scooter, and there were a handful of serious skateboarders at the park, along with another handful of kids who are also new to the sport. Everyone was very nice to Max. He was a little bit scared to get started “dropping off” into the skate bowls, but he eventually mustered the courage and confidence to do it. One teen girl was especially helpful in building his confidence on his skateboard. She held her foot in front of the board’s wheels so Max could get on it without having to balance while it was moving.

We headed home so we could begin preparing for the week ahead.

Just like when we used to blog daily, both Max and Becky are standing immediately behind me and adamantly demanding that I quit writing now and go to bed.

It was a grand weekend. I was sure to write this because I never want to forget it.

I’ll post pictures tomorrow.

Becky, Max and I are about to see Pete’s Dragon. Granny is keeping Marlie. Our little buddy is excited about his eighth birthday at the end of this week.

Yesterday, on my birthday, he was in a talkative mood and said he loves his life. He didn’t say that in response to any question or comment made by us. He came up with that all on his own. That was the best birthday present ever.

I hope he feels that way in five years.

And five years after that and five years after that and so on…

On his 2818th day of life outside of Mama, Max finally ate a cheeseburger. He and Mama were at Wendy’s after Max’s Taekwondo practice.

Then they went to Toys"R"Us for a Star Wars event, and then to Home Depot to build an Angry Birds birdhouse.

I’m posting from my iPhone. We’re at Sugar Hill’s ice skating rink, which is across the street from the cemetery where my daddy is buried. Max was insistent on visiting Daddy’s grave. The poor little fellow got down on his knees where he thought Grandpa’s head was and told him he hopes to see him sometime.

As we left, Max inquired about Santa’s delivering presents in Heaven. I told him I didn’t know, that maybe every day is Christmas up there. Max said he hopes they get presents in Heaven and that he hopes his grandpa gets the most.

Heavy stuff.

Today would have been my daddy’s eighty-third birthday. Happy birthday, Daddy. Max just sang “Happy Birthday” to you.

It’s been a very busy two weeks. First, a little from two weeks ago. On Monday and Tuesday of two weeks ago Max had to move his apple’s worm to yellow for talking and being disrespectful. That Monday Max and I went to Chick-fil-A after school, and on Tuesday Daddy took him to soccer practice.

On Wednesday Grandpa picked up Max from school. Mimi and Grandpa got home from their trip late Tuesday and were ready to see Maxipoo. They brought him back a cute Snoopy shirt and a moose hat. They played at Mrs Mary’s, who has a much larger and flatter yard than we have.

When we were getting our bath Max talked about being proactive and how he was going to be proactive and get on green the next day. And he did! When we got home from school on Thursday he and Daddy played Super Mario 3D World.

On Friday of last week Max checked out early from school for Buford High School’s homecoming parade. Mimi and Grandpa took him and he had a blast. They collected a large bag of candy. That afternoon Mimi, Max, Mrs Renae, and her mom dressed up as pirates and went to Krispy Kreme for free doughnuts. After that Max, Daddy, Marlie, and I went to Ivy Creek for Patriots Night. Max had a blast.

On Saturday Max didn’t have a soccer game, so we three went to Olive Garden for lunch. Max spent the rest of the afternoon restless and bored until he left for Parents’ Night Out at Gymnastix.

Last week Max went to church with Mimi and Grandpa and got to see Mrs Banks, his teacher. She told Max that she was returning to school on Monday after a week away to care for her daughter, and he clapped for her. He really missed his awesome teacher while she was away.

Max, Daddy, and I went to Studio Movie Grill to see Dolphin Tale 2 on Sunday afternoon. It was a great movie. Marlie stayed with Granny for the afternoon. When we got back to Granny’s she cut Max’s hair.

Daddy carried Max to school Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of this week due to conferences. He also picked him up on Monday and Thursday. Grandpa and Mimi picked him up on Wednesday. Max only moved his apple’s worm once this week, and thankfully it was to yellow instead of red. We were so proud of him and his behavior.

Monday was a big day. Max lost his first tooth! He pulled it himself. Daddy and I got a text from Mrs Banks with a cute picture and it wasn’t long after that when he came to my room to show me. It was so sweet how he was able to walk to my classroom and share this moment with me. When we got home we prepared for the Tooth Fairy’s first visit to our home. We read the book The Night Before the Tooth Fairy and put out our new Tooth Fairy pillow. Max was so excited and it was difficult for him to go to sleep. The Tooth Fairy left fairy dust, a certificate for Max’s lost tooth, a new toothbrush, and ten dollars!

On Tuesday Max had soccer pictures with his team. Pictures took too long and his team didn’t get to practice. On Wednesday Mimi and Grandpa picked up Lil’ Fellow since it was an early-release day. They took him to lunch, and then Mimi took him to a pirate event at the library. He had a blast because he got to wear his pirate suit and hunt for treasure.

On Thursday Daddy picked Max up due to early release. They visited Granny for a couple of hours. On Friday Max, Daddy, Marlie, and I went to the Buford Corn Maze. It was Spirit Night for Ivy Creek Elementary. Max got to ride a pony, play in the inflatable jumpie, enjoy the corn maze and corn box, and even take a hayride. It was a lot fun, but we were all tired when we got home.

On Saturday I took Max to Lowe’s to a Build and Grow. He got to build a cool fire truck. After Lowe’s we went to his soccer game, where he scored three goals. We were so proud, even if the opposing team trounced us. On Saturday night Max went to Parents’ Night Out.

Today Max and I slept until 10:45 am, and it was so nice. We went to Granny’s for breakfast and then came home to do things around the house. Max built LEGOs and watched classic cartoons. Daddy and I washed clothes. This afternoon Max and I went to Costco for pizza. Then we went to Mimi and Grandpa’s to visit and that’s where Max is hanging his hat tonight.