june was brandon month

Happy Birthday, Father's Day, and 12th anniversary, Brandon! I love you.

will turned 5! (more than a month ago)

I don't think it's possible for a kid to be more excited for his birthday. Around Christmas time, he started inviting everyone he met--strangers in elevators, kids in the grocery store, etc.--to his birthday party. And, he's been talking about his piñata for longer than that.

He had a dragon birthday party--complete with a dragon piñata that the kids got to slay with a sword. We made blue dragon cupcakes for him. Henry and Elsa cut out the wings and helped me put them on with the marshmallow eyes. Will didn't seem to mind that they looked a little more like bats than dragons. And, Will keeps asking for a reprise of the water dragon game he played at his party.

I can't believe he's already 5 and ready to go to kindergarten. He's turned in to such a good kid. He's come a long way in learning to suppress his wild-man urges and manage his extreme emotions. He's an obedient, intelligent, exuberant, hilarious kid. He keeps us all laughing.

Last night at dinner, his prayer went something like this: "Thank you for my two sisters, my brother Henry, and my other brother Jesus."

Then, after the prayer he said, "Jesus is my brother, you know."

I'm not sure where it came from, because we hadn't been talking about that lately. But then, before bed he couldn't find his silly bands and was trying to hold back the tears while we were praying, so I asked for Will to be able to find his silly bands in my prayer. Afterward he said, "My other brother Jesus is going to help me find my silly bands. He's my only favorite brother. But I like Henry too."

Happy Birthday, little Will! You're a good boy.