This was at Foster’s 3rd birthday party.  Chris had been deployed to Iraq for about a month.  The Family Readiness Group at the airbase made us a “flat daddy” to have for the 6 months he was gone.  I know some people thought we were crazy carrying this huge thing around, but it was really great for Foster and Katie.  We would prop him up in the living room and I would catch Foster talking to flat daddy while he played with his cars or built Lego towers. 
The best thing about tomorrow, Valentine’s Day 2012, is that our whole family will be together to celebrate Foster’s birthday.
When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner he said he wanted “stringy noodles” (angel hair pasta with parmesan cheese), popcorn chicken and French bread for the “siding”. Chris and I had to explain the difference between a “side dish” and “siding”.