The Three Year Old Pre- Party Party

Benson's third birthday hit during Aunt-Week-in-the-Ville-2010!

We're planning a birthday party for the weekend, but on his real birthday, we ventured into uncharted territory...

A place that has never crossed the threshold of my lips, yet he still knew about it...

A place that (unbeknownst to their parents) sends subliminal messages to children on PBS after Curious George wooing them through the doors....

A place....

Where a Kid Can Be a Kid.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist. )

Oh Yes, my friends, for the first time since his birth, we have gone to Chuck-E-Cheese's.

His Aunts were in town, but Uncle J made the trek all the way from Lexington to Meet us for the Fabulous (read: extremely mediocre-- you don't go to Chuck-E-Cheese's for the pizza) pizza.

He's making a push for Uncle of the Year.

We registered for the kids club online and got some coupons for pizza and tokens.

So we played games.

Alot of games..

Uncle J was Benson's Skee Ball Coach...

And he taught him how to how him tongue just right in order to make the ball go where you want it:

He's working on holding his mouth right:

And if Uncle J ever wonders what his son will look like, all he has to do is look at Benson. I think to myself, aBOUT 12 times daily, MAN, he looks like Jeremy.

I guess that could have something to do with the fact that I have been known to get Benjamin and Jeremy confused with a "Hey Babe" or a hug... Those Ryan genes are STRONG!!

We tried to be Charlies angles, but Lash and Bec, pointed the guns wrong.

I don't think they meant to do that?

He was really proud of the skee ball skills he learned from Uncle J!

And he was THRILLED to have everybody in town!

I mean really... Check out the grill on this mouse... this isn't the camera angle.. it was really that messed up! Wow.

When they brought out the little cake (read: "cardboard and styrofoam" apparently you don't go to Chuck-E-Cheese's for the cake either...

why DO you go there? someone please remind me? :) Oh yeah... Because your child convinces you that he would otherwise be incomplete if you didn't. That's right, I forgot.)

Benjamin was like, "Man, People are looking at us like we are the cheapest parents EVER...

We are having a third birthday party for our child and didn't invite ONE OTHER CHILD?!"

Ash got all artsy with her photography....

This is Benjamin with his attempt at "artsy."

Again, wow. So Subtle. Natural, even. :)

I love this man. :)

Happy Birthday Punkin!