My FIVE year old!

These dang birthdays just keep happening. My kids are getting bigger and bigger with or without my approval. All the sudden my sweet Lincoln turns five. Ugh. But never has there been a five year old I have loved quite so much. Not a birthday of his goes by without me remembering the year he was born. The first Thanksgiving spent as a long awaited family of four. Our Thanksgiving baby. Our calm after the storm. He was and still is the light at the end of the tunnel. Our hearts were broken and he healed them. Completely. My crazy boy. My wild child. He keeps me on my toes but what would my life be like without him. I can't even imagine a world where he doesn't exist. He fills such a huge part of my existence. Just like all my boys do. Each of them hold a quarter of my heart that only they can. From his little chipmunk voice, to his butterfly and eskimo and "pean" kisses. To his full blown temper tantrums. To his endless snuggles and hugs. To his constant chatter. His stubborn, unbending little ways. His quick mind and his hearty laugh. There is not one thing about him I would change. He is a thousand times more complex than my other two. So many levels to him. I pray everyday I have what it takes to reach him. To raise him. But no doubt in my mind there has never been a boy more loved. More adored. More cherished. The past 5 years have been quite the ride. A little bumpy, but absolutely beautiful. So grateful to call him mine.

November 17th was a Sunday this year. We had church bright and early. But good ol' dad planned ahead and woke up and made our boy a tower of French toast. Complete with birthday candles.

We woke the other boys up earlier and told them of our plans, and then the four of us charged in on our sleepy boy. Singing "Happy Birthday" as loud and obnoxious as we could. Over and over again. He was a little bewildered at first, but it didn't take him long til he got that goofy little grin and that sparkle in his eye that I love so much.

Blew out his candles and they all ate some French Toast.

Then it was on to church. I swear I get more excited over these events than my kids half the time. I knew they would call him up in Primary to sing to him and give him a little prize. And I knew how special that would make him feel. I am lucky enough to be a primary teacher, not my kids teacher, but I am still in the primary room with him and Carson. Heck, Drake too for that matter, being as he chooses not to attend nursery. Stinker. Anywho, I was so excited for them to call him up. And sure enough he loved it. I love that he gets that shy little awkward smile, sticks his tongue out a little and bobs his head when he feels cool. He kept catching my eye and I just sat there smiling like an idiot. Gosh I love these boys.

We got him and I got into party prep mode. Bossing everyone around like I do best. Poor Thiago. My boy came down and did what he does best. Playstation. I have never had to worry about this kinda thing much with Carson. He has never had much of an interest in all that gaming. Linc is a whole other story. He would play all day if I would let him. Everyday is a battle with me trying to limit it. Some days he okay with that, some days he's not and we fight. This day, I let him go for it. Heck, its his birthday!

He was content for awhile.

I started all my food prep.

Got his Ninja Turtle party all set up. I don't go crazy with birthdays. Try to keep things simple yet special at the same time. I am blown away at some moms efforts on their kids birthdays. Totally cool. Just not me. Not willing to spend all that money and time on one day. But I do like to have a theme and a few special odds and ends. I think he liked it.

My birthday boy.

And his brothers. Out of about 7 different shots of my three boys, this is the best I could get. Thanks to a certain 2 year old. He is so cooperative.

Vovo showed up with his Ninja Turtle cake. My mother in law make the best cakes. Store bought ones just don't compare to hers. She is always so sweet to help me out. She always tries to decorate with the theme too and I think she does such a cute job.

Our families were all there and as always I am so grateful for the love and support they all show us. My boy had the biggest smile on his face all night. He truly felt so loved and so special and I know its all thanks to them. They went out of their way to prepare food, to drive, to set time out of their busy lives and to show up for us. And as always it means a lot. We are so lucky to have these people in our lives. My kids are so lucky. Hope they all know how blessed I feel to have them. Thanks family!

Super delicious dinner. Pork tacos with all the fixings, green salad, 7 layer dip, lil' smolkies and chips. Tasted so dang good. But lets be honest, this boy could have cared less about the food. He hung around right next to me as I ate, "are you done yet" "is everyone done" "is it time for presents". Sweet boy. He's five. It's typical.

Most definitely a turtle birthday . He got the Ninja Turtle lair from us, the shell raisor from my mom, a bunch of the figures from my sisters, weapons and hard shells from my sweet cousin and aunt, Splinter and Rat King from uncle Gus, a Ninja Turle hoodie from Rose and a new favorite "Skylander Giants" from my mother and father in law. He seriously got some cool stuff.

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Make a wish my love. Make it a good one.

A great party. A great birthday. One of my favorites. I always hope at the end of the day that they felt special. Loved. I hope they know what a gift they are to our lives. That each birthday is truly a celebration. A celebration of them. Another year gone by where we are blessed to be with them. Another year etched in my heart. 365 more days burned in my memory. Love you so much my boy. My world would be nothing without you. You are my brightest star and truly one of my greatest blessings. I love you so much. More every single day if that's even possible. Thanks for choosing me as your mom. Thanks for being mine. I love you. Happy birthday.