Birthday Boy!

David waited impatiently ALL week to open these Legos from Grandma!

Hard at work!

Happy Birthday David - love your little brother Evan!

David's 6th Birthday dinner:  scrambled eggs, Hawaiian rolls w/honey butter,  fruit salad and ice cream for dessert!

I love birthdays.  This should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me as I unabashedly love my own birthday.  But I really love my boys' birthdays; from the planning to the presents to the party.  And I must confess that David's birthday is my particular favorite.  He is the only winter birthday in our family and I like having something to look forward to after the holidays.  By the time February 1st rolls around I am ready to get my party on!

David has grown up a lot this year.  He started kindergarten and learned how to read.  He made his first "best friend" (Landon Telford) with whom he had special play dates in California.  He discovered a passion for legos and with his excellent fine motor skills spends hours following the detailed instructions for which even his mother and father have no patience.  We have discovered this year that David is the jokester of the family.  He loves to hear new jokes, compulsively re-tell old jokes and make up his own.  At six his favorite color is blue, his favorite foods are scrambled eggs and toast, grilled cheese and Reese's peanut butter cups. In other words don't waste your money on a Michelin three star restaurant when a Sonic kid's meal will suffice!  He is, like his mother and namesake grandfather, a creature of routine.  Don't rock the boat folks! 

Most importantly we have learned a lot more about what motivates David this year.  He is, perhaps, our most private and complex child.  We know that he values one-on-one time with either Scott or myself and try to use this as a reward for good behavior.  I have also noticed that with heaps of positive reinforcement he is much more apt to listen and help around the house.  The minute I go negative he tunes me out.  This has been a difficult adjustment as the past year has been challenging for our family and I have not always had the energy or patience to be the kind of mother he needs.  In fact over the past couple of months I had two very distinct dreams about David that caused me to reflect very seriously.  I believe that this coupled with his growing maturity will make for a wonderful sixth year for our beloved David!