Benjamin's 6th Birthday

Oh my Benny-boy! ;)

How can our little baby be six?!

Ben was so excited for the day of his birthday. He had been counting down on his calendar, and when that day finally came he woke up bright and early, ready to open presents!

Ben is into Minecraft right now, and my mom recently commented that he has a Minecraft smile with all of those missing teeth! :) I thought that was cute. That bottom middle tooth is just barely hanging on...

Granddad and Grandma brought by their gift for Ben. He was so excited to receive so many $2 bills this year! Thank you Granddad and Grandma! The kids always look forward to that tradition. 

He will get to see his other sets of Grandparents next week for their gifts.

Ben told me that he wanted a Minecraft birthday cake, and I always love making birthday cakes with my kids. I wouldn't ever list cake baking as a talent of mine, because let's face it, I'm not very good at decorating a cake! ;) But this one tasted sooo yummy! Ben asked for a mint frosting, and it was a winner. Yum! We just mixed up butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, milk, and mint oil. Here's the gluten free cake recipe we always use: click here.

I'm so thankful for this little helper, and for the joyful, optimistic attitude he always has! 

God has great things in store for your life, Benjamin! Daddy and I love the boy you are, and we're so thankful for the happiness you fill our home with. You are a gift, son!

So one little funny story... 

We let our kids choose what they'd like to do on the day of their birthday and Ben couldn't quite make up his mind, and we were getting very close to his birthday and he sill hadn't decided. He remembered a place we once went to called, Safari Sam's. He couldn't quite remember what it looked like, but he remembered that it was near a post office and a dollar tree and that it was a fun place, so he said that he wanted to invite friends and go there. So very last minute (the day before), we texted Portland friends and let them know that Ben would love to play at Safari Sam's. No cake, no gifts, no food/party, just play time with friends! We have such fun, spontaneous friends because we got to have the Cartmills, Colemans & Titteringtons there, and what a treat it was to be with them all! Sheri and her boys were going to come too, but Evan got sick the night before. :(

But 10 mins into our 75 min drive up to Safari Sam's Ben says, "Hey, shouldn't we be there already? We passed the Dollar Tree store and I know it's right next to it." We looked at him and said, "Safari Sam's is near Portland. It's an hour and a half away." His eyes got big and he smiled said, "That's far away!" We all laughed at our oversight in communicating with him.

When we got there and he saw his friends he was sooo excited to play with them!

I forgot to take any pics until after people had already left/were leaving. I'm glad I got this photo, and I'm so thankful for these sweet families we adore.

And Josh snapped this one as we headed to our cars.

Ben fell asleep on the drive home and I got to carry him into the house, and of course I felt sentimental carrying my baby, thinking about the past six years, and how much joy he has brought me. It has flown by, but I've savored it. And I'll continue to savor these precious years ahead!

Happy Birthday Benjamin! You are loved!