B-I-N-G-O

It was an exciting night. You could feel the buzz in the air as 200 kids and their families packed into the elementary school gymnasium and sat side by side down the long cafeteria tables. With BINGO cards and baggie of Fruit Loops to use as markers in hand, we found four open seats. "C'mon boys. Let's go check out the prize table."

The boys made their way to the end of the gym and walk slowly along the long table of prizes. Everything from bubble toys, Star Wars puzzles, electronic dart boards, boxes of 100 markers, stuffed animals, you name it. When they arrived back at the table, I asked if they had seen anything they liked. Definitely YES for Jake. Luke saw a couple things he liked. A hush rolls over the crowd as the BINGO starts. B12, I24, etc. I help Jake keep focused on putting Fruit Loop on the squares when he has a match (vs. eating them). Low and behold, N32 - Jake jumps to stand on the cafeteria table bench and belts out "BIIIIINGOOOO!"

Jake is beaming. A gal comes by and gives him a gift ticket for winning and tells him he can go the prize table and select any prize he wants. Before I can stand up to escort him, he is off like a shot with the tiny ticket in hand. As I approach the table, I try to tell Jake to come around to the front of the table, not around the back where the prize table volunteer is working. "NO MOM!" he says and darts quickly around the back where he almost knocks over the gal working. He quickly reaches up between the piles of prizes, grabs a plastic clamshell box and hands his ticket to the volunteer.

With smile ear to ear, he comes walking to me...so proud that he got the very prize he had eyed from the first moment seeing that prize table.

Yep, of all the prizes in the world, Jake wanted that pink & purple Hannah Montana light up microphone with the lip gloss, uh I mean "glitter" in the handle.