63

                                    

                                          

As Maya walked into the preschool to pick up Alex, she barely had a chance to greet him before he came running over, his face beaming with excitement, an envelope clutched in his little hand.
"Mommy! Mommy! I got an invitation!" he exclaimed, practically bouncing as he waved the envelope in front of her. "It's Lance's birthday party, and I got invited! Can I go? Please? Can I? And can we get him a really cool present? Maybe a dinosaur? Or a big truck? Or... or maybe both?"
Maya laughed, bending down to his level and giving him a big hug. "Whoa, buddy, that's a lot of questions all at once! Sounds like you're pretty excited."
Alex nodded vigorously, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. "It's gonna be the best! Lance said there's gonna be cake, and games, and maybe even a magician!"
Maya smiled, trying to keep up with his excitement while also reminding herself that she needed to check in with Carina first. "That sounds amazing, Alex! But let's talk to Mamma, okay? We need to make sure it fits with our schedule."
Alex nodded, but his questions didn't stop. "Can we go shopping for a present soon? I wanna get him something really cool. Maybe something with dinosaurs and trucks!"
Maya grinned, ruffling his hair. "We'll figure out the perfect gift, I promise. But let's talk to Mamma tonight, and we'll go from there."
Alex, though still buzzing with excitement, seemed satisfied with that answer—for the moment. He clutched the invitation tightly, glancing at it every now and then as they walked out of the preschool, already deep in thought about what he wanted to bring to the party.
As they drove home, Maya chuckled to herself, mentally preparing for the conversation with Carina and smiling at the thought of Alex's first preschool birthday party invitation.
When they got home, Alex bounded out of the car, still buzzing with energy about the birthday party. He rushed inside, calling out, "Mamma! Mamma! Guess what?"
Carina appeared from the kitchen, smiling at his excitement. "What is it, tesoro?"
Alex held up the invitation like it was a golden ticket. "I got invited to Lance's birthday party! There's going to be cake, and games, and maybe even a magician!" He looked at her with wide eyes, pleading. "Can I go? Please?"
Carina exchanged an amused glance with Maya, who shrugged with a smile. "Sounds like someone's really hoping for a yes."
Carina knelt down beside Alex, taking the invitation and looking it over. "Well, it looks like the party is this Saturday afternoon." She looked up at Maya. "I don't see anything on the schedule that would stop us from going, do you?"
Maya shook her head, grinning. "Not a thing."
Alex cheered, practically bouncing up and down. "Yay! Thanks, Mamma! Thanks, Mommy!"
Carina chuckled, handing the invitation back to him. "But before you run off, we have to talk about the present," she said, raising an eyebrow playfully as she looked at Maya. "I hear there's been some big ideas already?"
Maya laughed, nodding. "Oh yeah. He's already brainstormed about half a toy store's worth of options."
Alex piped up, barely able to contain himself. "Dinosaurs! Or trucks! Or both together!"
Carina smiled, pulling him into a hug. "Well, we'll go shopping tomorrow and pick out something special for Lance. How does that sound?"
Alex's face lit up even brighter. "Perfect! Thanks, Mamma!"
Maya watched as Alex ran off, likely to dream up more gift ideas, and she turned to Carina, chuckling. "Think we'll find a dinosaur-truck combo?"
Carina laughed, leaning into Maya. "With that kind of enthusiasm? I think we'll have to try our best."