Braden's FIVE!

Happy Birthday Braden! We had such a fun time celebrating Braden's birthday, other than the fact that Dad wasn't here to celebrate with us.

On his birthday (the 4th) he had a great day. He got special treatment all day from breakfast in bed, to going birthday shopping, to lunch at McDonalds. I think it made him feel really special. His favorite part was being sang to, and he asked me for the next two days after his birthday if I would sing to him several more times. He told me that it made him feel good. Daddy called on his birthday and sent him on a treasure hunt to find a special present. That was so fun.

Today was his party at Carrabas (italian restaraunt). It was GREAT! This year I was all about easy and no hassle, so I was excited about having it somewhere other than at our house. The restaraunt doesn't open until dinner time, so we went for lunch and got the whole place to ourselves. The kids got to make their own pizzas and see how they were cooked and they had a really good time sitting along the bar watching and eating. After pizza, we opened presents and ate cake and ice cream. It was a great time, and after it was all over, I didn't have to clean up. -So nice! And to top it all off, it was super cheap! I would highly recommend Carrabas for a birthday party to anyone.

Braden is such a sweet boy. I can't believe that he is five. I really do think he is the best little five-year old ever. Today at his party he said, "I'm going to tell you who out of all of my friends I wanted to be here the most" ...and I started to cut him off because I thought that this might not be good, but he said, "Everyone. I'm so glad that everyone is here". That was very sweet. He does and says so many nice things everyday. When I ask him to pick up, I'll say something like, "pick up 25 things", and he will always come to me and say, "I went the extra mile. I picked up 30". He is a good helper and such a good big brother. He loves to learn new things and doesn't give up easily. He is a great example because he loves to read the Book of Mormon and always reminds me that we should read. I love Braden so much and feel so lucky to have him as a son. -And I know his Dad feels the same way.