Look who's (FINALLY) five!!

Oh my goodness. After a year and a half of having a 4-year-old (see here if you need an explanation), we are so happy that Michael is finally five!

I decided to do his first friend party this year. We rented a bounce house and invited everyone his age from the ward, as well as some of his friends from pre-school and all of his cousins. We had about 32 kids come to his party. It was a lot of fun. But being the great mom that I am, I didn't take one photo of the kids or the party. Just one of the bounce house (after everyone had left).And of course, I took photos of the cupcakes (which, by the way, are WAY too much work for any 5-year-old's birthday; NEVER AGAIN).
Yes, sugar cookie pirates, candy palm trees, rice krispies boats.... cute idea, but after about eight hours of work, I vowed I would not subject myself to it again.
Here is Michael on his new scooter (his gift from Jeff and me).
And here is Faith on the scooter. She thinks it's pretty fun.
We had a family party also, mostly for grandparents. It was fun. Michael had chosen a cake that looked like a rocket. It was a 3-D cake and would seriously have taken me HOURS. But after my cupcake episode, I talked him into something much simpler - a hot air balloon. Two round cakes, some licorice, and done.
Blowing out the candles (yeah, he won't be getting his wish - it took him three puffs).
Some things to note about Michael:
* He is a GREAT helper to me. He sorts laundry, unloads the dishwasher, pulls weeds, and helps vacuum and dust.
* Now that he is 5, he has his own chores to do each day and each week. Each day he cleans up before going to bed, and he puts his own shoes and clothes away. Each week he vacuums and dusts his own room. So far he's done really well.
* He now likes every food "except sloppy joes and bacon." He doesn't really, of course, but he used to tell us that when he was 5, he would like them. And when he's 6, he'll like sloppy joes and bacon too.
* He is doing really well at eating new foods. Our new rule is that he has to eat a hard or new food at every meal, and after a couple of initial temper tantrums, and some adjustments to our rule (he now has to eat the hard food FIRST), he has accepted it and is doing well.
* He is a very good big brother to Faith and Lauren. He takes good care of them, although he often crosses the line into bossy. (But oldest kids do that, right?)
* He knows all his letters and the sounds they make, can count to 110, has four Articles of Faith memorized, and loves loves loves to learn new things. He does not, however, know how to write his letters very well, or even how to hold a pencil correctly. He just can't get it. But I'm going to buy some of those pencil guides that are supposed to help kids, and we'll just have to practice.

We love this kid. What a great blessing it is to be his mom. (I do have to add, though, that our greatest blessings are often our greatest trials, and vice versa.) He is a handful, and learning to help him flourish and thrive has been very difficult for us, but we're so happy we have him.