Happy Birthdays!

Jed and I both had birthdays recently! Mine was first, on the 13th, and I turned the big three-oh. We had our branch Christmas party that night, so we celebrated my birthday the next day. Dave made me a gorgeous lemon meringue pie (since I am not a huge cake fan) and we opened a few presents. Jed was especially thrilled with one of my gifts--some chocolates!

 He wanted to open them immediately. I told him we would have to wait since we were having pie. He decided that was okay after looking at the pie.

 Jed was also anxious to find out what was in this big box. He was not so thrilled to find out it contained a small crock-pot. I was, though! I love my large crock-pot but have wanted a small one for making side dishes or other meals where my larger one just isn't necessary.

Jed's birthday was the following Friday, the 20th. He turned 5! Can you believe it has been five years since he was born? We wanted to take birthday treats to his class before school let out for Christmas. Jed helped me fix up these cute Minion treats and was excited to give them to his friends.

 He loved playing with the minions. There were a few treats that were leftover and he carried one around for several days and even slept with it. I found it squished in his bed the next morning!

 Jed also requested a Minion cake for his birthday. I feel like this should go on the Craft Fail website, because it was totally not what I was picturing in my mind. I found that I had forgotten to buy black frosting and don't have any black food coloring, so I was forced to use black sprinkles from my dwindling sprinkle stash for the eyes, mouth and hair of the minion, and I thought that rolling a twinkie in blue sprinkles would be easier than creating overalls. Anyway, whatever, Jed was pleased with his cake, and Dave devoured the Minion just the same as he would have if it were perfect.

 He also loved his number 5 candle and gazed at it quite reverently before blowing it out.

 So, the cake may have been an utter fail but the present was an absolute success. Dave and I made him some Angry Birds and Bad Piggies beanbags and a slingshot. I am SO PROUD of these beanbags. They look exactly like the birds and pigs and Jed adores them. He has been sleeping with the black bird since he got it.

The slingshot is still a little tricky for him, although he's been practicing quite a lot. He and our neighbor Jeremy have been playing with the birds and pigs every day and they already look quite well-loved. Hank steals the birds when he thinks Jed isn't looking and I am thinking maybe I will have to make him a bird or two of his own. I need to get a picture of the birds--in fact, I should have done it before we gave them to him--so you can see just how great they are. I know, I am too proud of them, but after my failed cake, it's nice to have something turn out perfectly!

I really can't believe Jed is FIVE already! He is turning into such a big boy and I am so proud of him. He is becoming very brave, and will go downstairs alone to play or to get me things I need from the food storage or the downstairs fridge. He loves to count and point out letters and has memorized his favorite stories and quickly corrects me if I read them incorrectly. I can now depend on Jed to get himself dressed in the morning for school and in his jammies after the bath by himself. And he says the funniest things lately. Friday we took him to McDonalds for his birthday dinner. Jed threw all of our hats on the floor because they were sitting on the seat he wanted. Dave got after him a little and Jed wasn't very pleased. When we were getting back into the car, I asked him if he had a good birthday and he said "yes, but Daddy, you should always be nice to the birthday boy!" Oh, how I love my darling Jedder! I am so glad he came to our family five years ago!