Oh, the things we do to make our kids happy

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of my birthday parties; I can picture a fancy black velvet dress I wore with pink tulle trim, my mom walking out of the kitchen with a cake filled with lit candles, the flash of my dad's camera as everyone sang Happy Birthday. So I make a big deal out of the kids' parties, too. For her last one, Sabrina had eight girls at the house for a sleepover, just them and me (Dave and Max escaped to my sister's house). I wasn't fazed.

Max's Lightning McQueen shebang happens on Sunday. (Perhaps you heard about it on Entertainment Tonight?) The stakes are high, cause he's been talking about it for close to a year now. So I am a little fazed.

Months ago, we picked up Cars 2 cups, napkins, plates (big and small), cone hats and tablecloths at Party City. Max has kept the bag of stuff next to his bed ever since, so in case someone breaks into our home in the middle of the night, they won't make off with the Cars 2 paper goods.

* We are going back to Party City for more this weekend, just in case.

* There's a full list of party goods hanging up in Max's room, which his music therapist compiled at his request, JUST in case anyone forgets. And evidently, there's a Cars 2 Party song to go along with the list, which she is taping for me sometime soon. There are also similar lists posted throughout the house. JUST in case.

I ordered a Cars 2 piñata online and hid it in the basement, along with some race-car flag wall decorations.

Cold Stone Creamery is tragically no longer making the Cars 2 design Max had on his last two birthday cakes, so I talked him into this edible cake topper I found on ebay:

Then I had the following phone conversation with the Cold Stone Creamery guy, per Max's instructions:

Me: "We want the cake to read 'Max is getting a talking Lightning McQueen.'"

Cold Stone guy: "Huh?!"

Me: "I know, it's a little unusual, but we want the cake to read 'Max is getting a talking Lightning McQueen.'"

Cold Stone guy: "OK." [sounds dubious]

Me: "That's all it should say! Please don't put Happy Birthday."

Cold Stone guy "OK." [sounds dubious]

Me: "Oh, and 'Max' should be all in capitals."

Cold Stone Guy: "OK." [sounds dubious]

Me: "And please use red icing, last year there was green icing and my son got upset."

Cold Stone guy: "Oh, that's because for some reason sometimes the red icing freezes up in the tube, so the person who made the last cake had to use another color."

Me: "PLEASE, make sure it has red icing."

Cold Stone guy: "OK." [sounds like he really wants to get off the phone]

There will be pizza served at the bowling alley. Max wants red juice; I'm not sure what kind he has in mind so we'll head to the supermarket this weekend to pick out some.

Meanwhile, Max got a Cars 2 balloon on Friday, and he keeps telling me it needs to be at the party. It's parked in the kitchen, by his chair, and I have been sending fervent wishes to the birthday gods to miraculously let the helium last until Sunday.

The buildup is so major, I am worried whether the party will live up to his expectations. Send good birthday karma my way.

If he starts talking about next year's party anytime afterward, I might run away to Tahiti.

And if you need a Cars 2 birthday party planner, Max is available for hire; you just have to pay him in Cars 2 merchandise.