We just celebrated Danny's 5th birthday this last weekend and I can't believe how much he has grown up. Of course, with him growing up, there is more chance for embarrassment. At his party, when his friends and their parents would arrive, he said "Hey, what did you get me?". I tried to politely tell him that we don't say that and tried to explain why but after a while, I just let him say it. It wasn't worth the fight on his birthday. Another fight we almost had was because he wanted to open the gifts as soon as they were brought in. I explained to him that birthday parties have schedules. First, we play with friends outside. Then, we eat the pizza. Next, we blow out the candles and cut the cake and finally, we open the presents. He seemed to accept that and he went to play with his friends. But every so often, he would ask me "Mom, is it time for the cake yet?". This was because he knew that after the cake, came presents.
My mom came and stayed with us for a few days, which was nice. And my dad, step-mom and nephew got to come to this party so that was nice too. We had a really great day celebrating with everyone and Danny was extremely pleased with his party, which was a year in the making. Last year, after his "Scooby Doo" birthday party, he let me know that his next birthday, he wanted Spiderman. I thought that I would wait and see if he changed his mind but when we got to March and his mind had not changed, I started buying plates, napkins and anything else that was Spiderman themed and on sale. Now, Austin has decided that he too, would like a Spiderman birthday. That is great news because I have left over napkins, plates, tablecloths, decorations, etc.
Here are a few pictures from his party:
This was the following Monday at Danny's school. The teacher allowed us to bring brownies in and we had a mini-party at his school. She gave him a crown to wear, a Bear-y Happy Birthday postcard and a birthday sticker. His friends sang to him "Happy Birthday" and the teacher had a learning session. She had a 4 and 5 on the board and gave each of the kids a little birthday cake sticker with their name on it and asked them to put their name under the 4 column or 5 column depending on their age. Danny is the only one with his name in the 5 column so far. Everyone else is 4.
The little girls at his table were so cute (and the little boys also). The little girls kept asking if I was Danny's mom and if it was his birthday. They even gave me big smiles when I asked them to smile for the camera. I believe they are the same girls that say "Good Morning" to me when Danny catches the bus in the morning. They are so adorable!
Even baby brother Austin got in on the brownie action at Danny's school party. He had a blast! Poor guy, he so wants to go to school with Danny. Every day that the bus comes to get Danny, Austin wants to go with him.
Every morning, we try to get outside about 2-4 minutes before the bus gets to the house to relax and get ready for the day. I was trying to get Danny's picture this morning and he hunched down like a frog. At first, I didn't want to snap the shot but once I looked at how cute he was, I couldn't resist.
Trying to get these two on the same page is almost next to impossible. When Danny is smiling, Austin isn't and vice versa. Finally, I had to snap something that I was "okay" with. Maybe eventually, I can get them to smile at the same time.
I enjoyed this book so much because it is a 
This book was excellent from the start! I immediately got drawn in and it kept my attention throughout the whole book. It's an old man's tale of how he used to work for the circus and the things he encountered. But the fun part is that the story drifts from being told when he was 93 years old to the time he was in his twenties. It gives you a different perspective looking into the lives of people in circuses back in the early 1900's. Great book! Definitely recommend it!
