light at the end of the tunnel

so there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

in many respects.

my little man turned five this weekend. 

FIVE! 

(i made the shirt... i got the idea from chasing fireflies & ashleyann)

seriously, that is big. 

and honestly, he drives me nuts more often than not. his personality is HUGE. he fills a room. 

he is...

he is not bashful. 

funny.

loud. 

confident. 

goofy. 

a rule pusher or limit tester. 

a leader. 

adventurous.

intense.

loving.

annoying.

kind.

empathetic.

attention seeking. 

in constant motion. 

smart.

inquisitive.

snuggly.

in one word.... spirited.

since he was old enough to have come in to his own, not quite an infant but soon after... 

we have always said that he does things with 150%. 

when he loves you ... it is intense and with squeezes that almost hurt.

when he plays at the playground he is sweating.

when he is mad... its VERY mad.

when he finds something he loves he is so passionate about it... he could get lost in lego's for hours and could tell you more about dino's than any paleontologist (and he knows what a paleontologist is!) 

when he is sad he is so deeply hurt that it hurts me to watch. 

when he sleeps he is like a bear who is hibernating.

he loves his brother SO much he would literally be attached to him all day if he was allowed to be.

when he is happy he laughs from the depths of his belly.

and so on...

he keeps me on my toes. 

every. 

moment. 

of. 

the. 

day.

he challenges me.

he adores me.

he asks questions.

you give him an inch and he takes a mile. so i must stay ON my toes. 

recently i feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

like the days are less challenging and more fun.

i catch him being good more often than not. 

the other day he declared "this is going to be the best party ever mommy! THANK YOU!"

and that is what i call my paycheck! 

what i must focus on to keep me going on the crummy days. 

he was SO excited to be five!

he was so proud to break a big board at his karate birthday party!

 

storm trooper... watch out!

this killed me to buy the gun for him. i have mixed feelings about guns and kids.

same thing with tv... and many other "taboos"... the more you deny them the object the more they want it. that is another topic for another day though.

reading with his lego lamp in the dark!

and here are a few things from his birthday party... lego themed. 

i found ideas from ashleyann's blog (see link above) and etsy too!

 

lego creations on the mantle

goodie bags! 

they had "5"s made out of lego stickers with his name saying thank you {etsy... thank you notes to match}

lego mini figures and brixx candy builders

birthday cupcakes... rainbow!

liners from etsy.

lego men i made with ice cube mold and candy melts

rainbow cupcakes! 

i originially saw the idea on meg's whatever blog, although have since seen it a few other places.

{i have learned that they are MESSY. i make it with 2 boxes of cake mix and devide to bowls to mix colors, then put large zip lock bag that is in a big water glass (so it doesn't spill) then cut the end of the bag and squeeze into cupcake liners... if you do it with a spoon it is really messy)

so my baby is five! 

happy day to my little man a day late. 

and as my dad would say every year to me- "happy birthing day".

i missed him lots on jack's big day. 

while it was tons of fun... it was a clear reminder that life goes on without him. 

and he is not here to share in the moments.

and that makes me sad. 

on another note....

my project 365 is only mildly off track. 

i have decided to do the best i can with it. 

i will miss days! that is okay.

it is my project. i make the rules. but i am not going to throw in the towel on missed days! 

so check out my simply 365!