On Sunday Heather threw a ladies-only baby shower for Tia Leah at our house, so James and I were under orders to make ourselves scarce. My original plan was to take James over to Bampa’s house, but then I thought it would be nice to have a father/son outing, which is something the two of us haven’t gotten a chance to do very often. I knew just the place to go — Chuck E. Cheese’s.
I know, I know. Taking a two year old to Chuck E. Cheese’s by yourself isn’t generally recommended for, well, anyone, but there’s a reason I wanted to do it. For a while James has loved to watch KidzBop videos on YouTube Kids, but lately his new favorite things to watch are videos of kids at Chuck E. Cheese’s. I have no idea how he found these videos (or how he knows how to keep navigating back to them), but he is absolutely enraptured by them.
As I drove there I wasn’t sure if James would know the place we were going was the same as the place in the videos he likes to watch, but the second I pulled into the parking lot he hollered, “Chuck E. Cheese!” So clearly he did. (I think, like a lot of kids his age, he knows a lot more about things than we realize.)
James was excited when we got to the entrance…
But his excitement (and pure joy) were off the charts once we got inside:
I loved watching him run around doing all of the things he’d seen kids do in the videos, and he had clearly been taking some serious notes:
Skeeball? No problem.
And this shovel game? James was way too good at it.
I mean, really good:
After running around for half an hour or so we sat down to eat some pizza…
And at one point my little buddy slipped his hand under my arm and held it like this:
I was a little worried the trip might end up being a tantrum-filled mistake, but we had an absolute blast together. I loved being able to give James my undivided attention, and he really seemed to enjoy having dad all to himself. Family outings are amazing, too, of course, but there’s just a different dynamic when it’s one-on-one time. I’ve got a daddy/daughter date planned for Annie in a month or so, and James and I will hit up the rat again soon — hopefully next time he’ll share some of his winning tickets with me!
Sue says:
Fantastic pics! Looks like he had a fabulous time!!
Debbie A-H says:
OMG! His face. It kills me.
Nice to hear from you, Mike!
Margie says:
Awesome. His face while riding the car is priceless!
Glenda says:
Love family time, but One on one dates are always a fav.
Kitty Deschanel says:
The next time you guys are in the bay area, be sure to visit the Chuck E. Cheese at 2445 Fontaine Rd in San Jose. It’s 3 stories of fun! Oh, and supposedly, it’s also haunted. :p
Courtney says:
This makes me smile so much. What a great outing, for both of you!
Jordan says:
love hearing from you, Mike! Miss your posts. Love me some Chuck E Cheese– majority of my childhood birthdays pre-divorce were at that place. We just got one in my hometown!
Leah says:
My one trip to Chuck E. Cheese with my kids made me want to go on a meditation retreat for a month BUT this is super adorable and delightful. There is just something about the dad-son bond that is so special.
Damita says:
LOVE that second picture so much. He looks so, so happy that he made me happy!
Chris says:
I read this great blog everyday and it was great to have Mike’s voice back!! Mommy/Dadddy outings with our littles truly are so special.
Jeanie says:
Great outing for Mike and James! My daughter WAS Chuck E. Cheese, for real. That was her first job.
RzDrms says:
Wow…I *know* how crazy-much you love him now…don’t they only have Diet Pepsi at Chuck E. Cheese?! How’d you survive without your Diet Coke?? (If you say it’s the same then I’ll know you’re an imposter.)
Also, his face in that second photo…I’ve truly never seen a happier face than that. Priceless.
Katrina says:
My husband LOVES Chuck E Cheese. He takes our kids there and says they love it so that’s why he takes them there, but he’s not fooling me. He plays all the games and has just as much fun as they do.
Allie says:
Looking at old posts bc aww baby James!!