I wish I was two again!

My second born crazy little monster Oscar turned two. I can't believe he is two already and still totally tiny but solid. He still wears some 9-12 month old clothes which he should have grown out of a year ago. I started writing about all the stress trying to sort a birthday celebrations for a two year old when in the back of my mind I know he won't remember it. On the other hand we celebrated Ethan our eldest sons 2nd Birthday with a trip to East Lancashire Railway for A Day Out With Thomas  as at the time he was totally obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine. He had  a really fun day and I wanted to give Oscar an equally fun day.

Daddy and Ethan at Day out with Thomas

Due to the amount of time my husband had to take off work during the summer due to pregnancy compilations with Alice we were unable to take him out for the day on his actual birthday so took him out the day after. As he is totally Fireman Sam mad we decided to take him to Mattel Play! on Liverpool Docks.

Oscar as Fireman Sam - Birthday present from his Nana

The reality of Oscar's birthday day day out is that it was actually our first day out as a family of five. We had previously done small things like trips to the shops and the park but never a full day out. So I didn't back out I made sure I booked in advance and told the boys what we were going to be doing although Oscar didn't really understand, Ethan knew we were visiting Pontypandy, Bob's Workshop and The Island of Sodor. 

We packed the bags for what seems like a week but its surprising how much you need for a baby that needs a bottle every two hours plus spare clothes in case your toilet trained three year old forgets he no longer wears a nappy in the excitement of a day out. Plus our HUGE double buggy for the boys and our baby carrier for Alice. With all that in the car we were on our way. Our first family day out.

One very full car

Our time at Mattel Play! went a lot better than expected. Everything was Oscar's height so there was nothing he couldn't play with. Our biggest problem was keeping up with him while carrying a baby and a huge changing bag. I'd seen before we left that they do daily character appearances either Fireman Sam or Bob the Builder. We were keeping our fingers crossed that it was Fireman Sam that day and we were in luck. The boys got to meet Fireman Sam twice during our playtime.

Oscar and Daddy with Fireman Sam

Ethan with Fireman Sam

You get two hours playtime and the boys played for a solid two hours enjoying all three zones. I don't think we could tell which zone was their favourite as they enjoyed it all. Two hours was exactly the right amount of time Oscar was tired by the time his time was up and had a huge paddy in the cafe as we tried to get his coat on but I'm not surprised he hadn't slept in the car on the way there and he hadn't stopped playing the whole time he was there. I expected Ethan to kick off as well but he quite happily put his coat on as we were meeting Grandad for lunch.

Oscar slept in the pram on the way to Pizza Express in Liverpool One which was lucky as by the time we got to there he was refreshed and ready to eat. I'd planned on taking the pram to the table for Alice so we could eat without having to hold her but it was so busy there was not room so me and hubby took turns in holding her while we ate but after three babies we are both quite used to eating one handed while holding a baby.

We had a great day out I few minor hiccups but nothing major. I actually enjoyed myself and didn't worry too much. A family day out was not as hard as I'd expected we didn't forget anything and the kids all had fun. From the smiles on her face even Alice enjoyed watching her big brothers play. In the end all that matters was that Oscar had a great day out for his birthday, which he did he got to play, meet his hero and eat pizza. What more do you need when you are two, I wish I was two again it seems so much fun.