5

He's 5. I can't believe it and yet it's real. Right in front of me.
I don't remember how we got from this:



to this:



But it is going way WAY too fast for me. Kindergarten starts in August!

The fun weekend began with dirt cups at school. The singing "monkey" sang Happy Birthday with the rest of the class singing along.
Saturday morning Dillan woke up to find balloons everywhere and our new Birthday Banner that Mommy finally finished. Don't ask when I started. Once I gave myself a deadline, it got done.
We had some gifts for him, even one Leah had picked out.

Then a soccer game. Dillan scored two goals.

Then we raced over to a different park for his birthday party.

I started planning this party over a month ago.

The invites:


The cake:


He had told me everyone he wanted to invite. We didn't want to leave anyone out! It was basically everyone from school, his class at church, the soccer team, plus a few cousins.
Total invites: 30.

We had a bunch of games planned, most of which Dillan had helped choose. We had water balloons and squirt guns, a snake hunt, picking up marbles in a small pool of water using only your toes, balloon popping, and a pinata.

When we got home we were all exhausted and spent the rest of the afternoon putting things away and playing with new toys.
Later was giving a recap of the day while we were playing the Wii.
At one point he said, "I know you guys love me so much because you gave me the best birthday party ever!"

I couldn't believe what I had heard. No prompting from anyone, that is what came out of his mouth straight from his precious heart. It made all the craziness from the past month all worth it.

Here are my 5 favorite things about Dillan:
1. His heart. He has always had a tender heart and it just keeps getting better as he gets older. He loves his family. He loves his little sister.
2. His smile. I melt every time he smiles at me, even when it's just to show me how well he brushed! He's also been notorious since birth with his faces. His expressions. He's one silly kid always trying to impress.
3. His mind. He always has new questions to ask. He wonders about everything. He is always thinking and always curious about everything. I love showing him new things and experiences and seeing his amazement and learning take place.
4. His spirit. He's super competitive. He's always trying to become stronger, faster and taller than those around him. He's learning lessons about losing, being fair, and sharing with others. He has always had charisma and loves being around friends and family with non-stop playing!
5. His toes and thumb. Physically, there's not a whole lot that resembles Daddy, most of that is on the inside and in his personality. But, he does have Daddy's toes. Seriously, the spitting image. Minus the drama with Chris' recent surgery, of course. And he's got Daddy's thumb. Hitchhiker's Thumb is one easy-to-find genetic trait. When our family does the "thumb's up" sign, I have a slight bend in my thumb, as does Leah. Chris' and Dillan's are straight up. Little things like this that remind me of our family's eternal nature and heritage, and the relationship between parents and children always make me smile.

Dillan,
Mommy and Daddy are so proud of the big boy you have become. Everyday you make us laugh and smile and make us so happy. We love how well you take care of your little sister and make sure her needs are met. You are so fun to play games with, and we love watching you play soccer and ride your bike. We love your enthusiasm when you swim and play your video games. We are so proud of how well you know your letters and numbers and how excited you are for Kindergarten. We love listening to you sing primary songs and talk about everything you learn at church. We love your prayers and your simple understanding of Heavenly Father and the Gospel. You are our special little Cub and we love you so so much!