Ash-man turns 5!

Holy schmokes! My Asher is a five-year-old. How did this happen so fast? He's such a fun, happy, smart and peppy kid. Looking back over his first five years, I can say, hands down, that this kid has been a joy to have around. Sure, he's getting plenty of his own opinions about things, and can dish out his fair share of naughtiness when it comes to his brother, but the rest of the time, he keeps us laughing, and his brother entertained. Already, I have seen some special talents in him, one being that he is a friend to all. Really. He started out early on calling any kid he'd see a friend, which I thought was cute then, but it has since turned out to be a really cool thing. He plays with kids of all ages, anywhere he goes, and is always quick to make new friends. Asher can be the best brother in the world too(when he wants to be). He's loved his Brother from day 1, helping him and including him, and now playing with him every day. I just love that. Asher also loves to learn, from books(he's reading a bit already), to drawing, to numbers(counts to 100 and beyond), he just seems to pick things up. He loves preschool, and he's been talking about Kindergarten recently and seems really excited to go...we even had to do a drive-by last week. I wish I could take the credit, but really, it's just him, and he still surprises me with the things he comes up with. He's diplomatic, a charmer, very funny and has a great smile. Love my Ash!

His birthday request this year was all about dinosaurs. He'd never taken to them much until he started watching the PBS show, Dinosaur Train. Now he loves them, and it made for a fun b-day theme for a family party and for his first ever friend party, which we delayed for a couple of weeks until we were done with the holidays.

Party #1 was on his actual birthday and G-ma and pa Reitz were there, as well as my sister Jen and her cute family. There are always a few extra family members around to help make his day special, which I think is really a bonus!

Party #2 was a few weeks later. Again, the theme was Dinosaur Train. Including Asher, there were 9 little boys running around! It all went smoothly and I think the kids had a good time, mostly thanks to my mom and her super ability to get kids to listen to her. I was SO glad my parents were in town to help! My dad ended up taking Beckett upstairs to play for almost the whole party. A house full of 5 year olds was a little overwhelming for Beck, but as an added bonus, he had Grandpa all to himself, so really he had a little party of his own! I was just glad the party went well, since it was our first endeavor, I wasn't really sure what would work or what wouldn't. The boys painted dinosaur suncatchers, hunted for dinosaur eggs, played pin the tail on the T-Rex, and dug for dinosaur bones(the big favorite). Then we had cupcakes, and food. My one faux pas was in trying to buy dry ice for the punch, which I thought would add a fun 'volcanic' flare to the food table. I bought it the day before, brought it home, and then googled how to store it. Whoops...dry ice 'subliminates', meaning you buy it as close to the time you need it as possible. Mine was gone before the day was through, and I wasn't going out to buy more. Lesson learned! Overall though, fun times! I loved how happy Asher was having all his buddies there, and there wasn't one argument or fight from anyone. Later that day, after the party was over, I asked what his favorite part was, to which he answered, "having all my friends over." Cute boy:)

And so, we are wishing a BIG Happy Birthday to our own Ash-a-saurus. A wonderful little boy that we can't possibly imagine living our lives without. Love you buddy!

P.S. Grandma and Grandpa Pettit, we all loved our visit with you guys! Thanks for making Asher's day perfect and for spending your time with us! We love you and miss you already! Especially the boys...who else spoils them rotten and happily plays with them, entertaining them with authentic animal sounds (Grandpa...also pulled these sounds out at the party and to my amazement had the bigger boys laughing in seconds), and books and songs(Grandma...that alligator song has become a beloved classic). Come again soon:)