5 Years Old!!!

August 12th was a big day in our house. My baby boy, Will, turned 5 years old. He was SO excited about his birthday and knew it was coming up, but he couldn't quite grasp exactly when the day was going to get here. We tried to spend the day doing some fun things for him. He has been taking a little football class at Stampede Sports Arena, and Wednesday was his last class. He loves going, especially to act silly with the other little boys. After that he got to get his hair cut. That may sound like an odd thing, but he LOVES to get his haircut. I'm not sure if he loves the haircut more or the way they spike his hair at the end! Then we headed to his favorite eating spot (Wendy's) for a delicious lunch! Ha! From there we went out to the train station in Grapevine to play on the trains a little bit. They weren't running or anything, but Will LOVES trains, and it has been a huge part of his last year, so I wanted to get some pictures of him on a train on his 5th birthday. He is not too into pictures right now - actually he likes me taking them, but he tries too hard and most of the smiles are fake with squinty eyes. I did get a few, though, and here are a some of my favorites!

After playing on the trains for a whole 30 minutes, it was HOT out there, we made a quick stop at a toy store and then headed to dentist appointments for all the kids. Again, Will likes going to the dentist mainly to get the toy from the treasure chest at the end. My parents came over for dinner that night, and we had Feedstore Barbecue and a delicious cake that Gram made. Opening presents was a ton of fun for Will, and the highlights were a new bug backpack and lunchbox, a junior golf set, and a Green Machine ride on toy. Gram and Grandpa have been waiting for him to turn five so they could give him the Green Machine. Uncle Bill loved his Green Machine growing up, and we know Will will love his, too. It was a fun day celebrating a very special boy. I love him so much and can't imagine my life without him. Here is my top 10 list for the reasons I love Will.

1) He is the BEST snuggler in the world.

2) He has a wonderful laugh/giggle that I never get tired of listening to.

3) He loves trains!

4) He would drink a Sprite with every meal if we would let him.

5) He loves wrestling with Dad and being the champion.

6) He is a soccer scoring machine!

7) He loves to share (most of the time!) and takes great pleasure in giving you something!

8) He idolizes his sisters and mimics Caroline, in particular, when making any choices.

9) He asks for snacks ALL DAY LONG.

10) He is stubborn to a fault when he thinks he is right.

and just one more....

11) He loves his mom more than anyone else in the world!

Finally, I will end with an interview that I did with Will on his 5th birthday. Another post about his sports birthday party at Stampede will be coming soon!

Mom: How old are you?

Will: 5

Mom: What is your favorite food?

Will: Sprite and Jelly and Ham and Cheese

Mom: What is your favorite toy?

Will: My cars and books and all the stuff in the house

Mom: What do you like to do the most?

Will: Drink Sprite

Mom: Who do you love:

Will: Mom

Mom: Who else?

Will: Dad

Mom: Who else?

Will: Caroline

Mom: Who else?

Will: Allison

Mom: Who else?

Will: God

Mom: What was your favorite thing you did this summer?

Will: Go swimming

Mom: What are you scared of?

Will: Monsters coming in...

Mom: What makes you happy?

Will: When someone kisses me and when someone takes me to the movie theater

Mom: Do you like cold weather or warm weather?

Will: Hot weather and all the weathers, but not storming and raining at night by myself in the kitchen

Mom: Who loves you?

Will: Mom

Mom: Who thinks your special?

Will: Mom and Dad

Mom: What was your favorite part of your birthday?

Will: Eating cake and getting presents

Mom: What are you most excited about now that you have turned 5?

Will: I hope someone gives me a trampoline.

Dance Intensive

The week after we got back from Colorado, Allison did a week long half day intensive dance camp. She had classes in all the forms of dance, and the highlight was that Thane from So You Think You Can Dance was there to teach some of the classes. At the end of the week, each group put on a little performance. Allison did great, and I always love watching her perform.

Great Wolf Lodge

We decided to take one more little family getaway before school starts. Great Wolf Lodge is only about 15 minutes from us, but we had never been. It is a HUGE indoor and outdoor water park, and is definitely a kid's paradise. We only stayed one night, but we were at the park almost two full days. The girls had a great time on the slides, and Will loved shooting water at everyone and anyone. I have to admit that the indoor part was not my favorite place to be, and I kept trying to "encourage" the kids to go outside, but, apparently indoor was more fun. I had to tell myself that this was not about me and to just let the kids go where they wanted to go! We had a couple of great meals, played games in the arcade, and we left on Monday night with our fill of water activities.

God's Girly Girls

This summer the girls were able to attend a weekly Bible Study at our church for 1st - 6th graders. They made some incredible crafts each week and were treated liked princesses - literally! They studied women of the Bible -

Esther

"I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Mary

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

Hannah

She prayed for a son and promised to give him to God. Let us then apporach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Martha and Mary

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

Ruth

A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17

Libby's 3rd Birthday!!!

We made it back from Colorado just in time last Sunday to throw on our bathing suits and head over to Dallas for our niece's/cousin's 3rd birthday party. We had a great time swimming at the club with them, and my kids are ALWAYS happy to be with their cousins. Libby has a wonderful personality and has charmed us all! Today is her REAL birthday! Happy 3rd birthday Elizabeth Jane!

Alberta Falls

On our last day in Colorado on our way out of town, we stopped at Rocky Mountain National Park one more time and hiked the short hike up to Alberta Falls. It was an impressive water fall, and this nervous mom kept telling her kids to scoot back away from the edge! What you don't see in these pictures is that Will decided pretty quickly that he was DONE hiking, and Ray had to carry him on his shoulders for a mile up the mountain. That was some exercise, but Will loved the view on the way up. Again we ate lunch at the top before heading back down. On the way down there was a stream to cross by stepping on rocks. We wouldn't let them do it on the way up for obvious reasons, but coming back down, they all tried it. You guessed it - they all had a misstep and got their shoe/foot soaking wet. The girls were fine, but this did not go over with Will, and it was back to carrying Will for Dad. I think everyone was done with the hikes and ready to get back to Texas!

Lily Lake

The five of us set out to explore Lily Lake. It was a beautiful and flat trail, and although the rain threatened to ruin our fun, we made it all the way around. The kids made friends with the chipmunks everywhere we went!