Happy 9th Birthday!

 Happy Birthday Asher!  His birthday this year turned into a bit of a fiesta celebration!  We had all the family in town over to eat and celebrate on his birthday, and Ash chose the menu.  He wanted nachos for dinner (don't worry, I had a bunch of fruit out too, haha), and in lieu of cake, he chose ice cream sundaes.  It was a win-win for all of us and actually very tasty too.  We went to the party store to grab some odds and ends the day before, and Corey found this sombrero and just had to get.  It did make for a fun party hat. Ole!  Beck went and found his poncho and hat from preschool to help get into the festivities too. I think one of the favorite parts though were those nuclear maraschino cherries on top of the sundaes...each kiddo had 3 or so on top of their pile of ice cream, fudge, carmel, m&m's, oreos and whip cream.  Best of all, Asher was happy, which was all that mattered.  He opened presents and was extra surprised by the camera we gave him.  He hasn't stopped using it since. Funny pics of family, our house and even his most recent Lego creations have turned up.  He's going to photograph the world.  We've tried to convince him that he doesn't need to take video of everything too, since it eats up his memory card so fast, but I'm not sure he's buying into that yet. The group squeezed in a little Wii time too, which Asher was a big proponent of. 

Happy Birthday to the best 9 year old I know!  This boy is smart, funny, kind, loves sports, loves his family, is creative, loves to read (current fave:  Harry Potter), has a sweet testimony, tries to do what's right, and has just so many talents and is developing more all the time.  He loves life and is a genuinely happy guy.  We love him so much.

Asher also wanted to have a type of  'friend party' this year, but opted for something new and different and (thankfully) possible for a mom who isn't able to throw a big bash at home right now.  He wanted just a small group of buddies to go and eat pizza and then go to a movie with ICEEs.  Honestly, it was the most enjoyable birthday as a parent, and the kids had a great time!  They're at that age when the games and decor and little cutsie things we usually do for birthdays would be lost on them anyway.  The boys hung out and goofed off, ate pizza and soda, opened presents, ate cookie cake (also Asher's choice...I put on a Yoda face last minute...don't judge, he's not perfect! The kids never eat cake anyway, so the cookie is one our fave go-to's lately), and then we headed over to the movie.  We saw the new 'Night at the Museum', with ICEEs, of course (Asher's big request...I think he wanted them more than the pizza).  It was a great, relaxing and enjoyable birthday.  All of the boys were so polite and gracious afterwards...what a great group of kiddos.  And Asher enjoyed it all, so glad!  Happy Birthday buddy!