It was time to plan another birthday party for Little Man. Can't believe he's going to be 7 on June 2. We're celebrating his birthday early since he'll be with his dad for Summer visitation once school lets out on the 29th and he'll be there until the 15th. This is the first year I won't be with him on his special day. I cannot believe that this was the only holiday that was no discussed during mediation and I am kicking myself. The most important holiday of the year and I am going to lose out every year. Boo!
It came as a surprise when I asked Little Man what theme he wanted his birthday to be this year and his response was, "Hot Wheels!" I mean, he loves zipping his Hot Wheels around the house and all over the furniture but his current obsession is Pokemon.
Next I needed to know what he wanted to do for his birthday. He exclaimed, "Saint Arnold's!" Excuse me? My almost 7 year old stated he wanted his birthday to be at a brewery?? He let me know his Grandma Debby took him and they have root beer there too. So that is what we are doing... taking the tour, having floats, and eating burgers for lunch.
Little Man's guest list consisted of one, his best friend since kindergarten, Ethan. Since the invites were so few I reached out to his mom via text message. I was concerned she wouldn't be okay with dragging her son to a brewery but to my surprise she thought it sounded like so much fun and also wanted to join in on the fun.
Saturday morning came and we were woke up with a phone call from my best friend, Kelly, who needed Tylenol and a thermometer for her sick kid. So we got dressed and dropped that off for her. After that Little Man got hungry so we stopped at McDonald's for Sausage McGriddles and over to Starbucks for a Strawberries and Creme Frappuccino. Then we went home so he could watch Disney Channel and relax until it was time to meet up with his best friend Ethan to go to Saint Arnold's.
We made it to the brewery before the 1pm tour time and received our glasses and tokens for (4) beer samples and got the kids root beer. I'm not a big fan of their beer but the root beer was amazing! We didn't make it through the tour because the kids were rowdy, the room was hot (I'm talkin' everyone dripping in sweat hot), and the tour guide got pissy with us and shushed us up one too many times before we made an exit because the kids were giggling and having fun.
The kids were hungry so we made it over to the concession stand and ordered just about one of everything. Burgers for the kids with fries and chips, nachos, pretzel with mustard, and bratwurst before we ordered a round of root beer floats. The food was amazing! The burger was hands down the best I've ever had.
The kids were having so much fun running around and just enjoying each other's company that we were able to just sit there for 3 hours chatting and doing lots of people watching.
If you decide to check this place out here are a few insider tips:
- Ignore the abortion protesters outside. I'm an antagonist and it was extremely hard to keep quiet. I believe that no two people decide to live life the same way and at the end of the day a person has to live with the choices they make.
- Don't attempt the tour if your little ones can't sit still or if you are wearing too thick a layer of clothing. You may sweat your ass off.
- Seating may be hard to find when it comes time to eat. Think about the scenes in Harry Potter when the kids are eating in the mess hall. We may have to be brave and ask people if it's okay to nestle in between them and you'll get rejected over and over and end up having to sit on the floor in a puddle of crumbs. You won't be the only one on the floor, promise, and it's not looked down on. If you are smart like some of these other regulars bring some chairs or a picnic blanket, cooler (no outside beer allowed), and board games.
- You get to keep the glass they give you at the door as a souvenir. So for $10 you get to take the tour, have (4) beer samples, and keep the glass. Great bargain and good date idea!
- ... and an after thought, no issues finding parking since they have 3 large lots within one block of their building.
It was such an enjoyable afternoon because there was no pressure and no expectations. I would definitely go back, without kids, bring a board game, and grab all of the yummy grub again.
We came home and Little Man was so surprised to see the house completely decorated with the requested Hot Wheels theme. Now it was time to open presents and all he wanted was Pokemon cards. Well that is what he got. 800 of them!
The best gift of all was what my mom had made for him which was a handmade card that also tied in the Saint Arnold's activity. She's quite the balloon artist.
After the gifts were opened all Little Man wanted to do was lounge around and watch movies. Set the sleep timer on the TV for him and ended up falling asleep around midnight.
Little Man kept exclaiming numerous times throughout the day, "This is the best birthday ever!" He said his favorite part was that his best friend was there to enjoy it with him. I think this birthday came in first place!
I am looking forward to the many adventures, memories, and lessons coming up in the next year of raising a boy as we race through life one day at a time.
thats great time you guys had
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