Michael's Birthday

Michael turned 7 this year. I can't believe it! This was his year for a special date with Mom and Dad. We went to one of those fun centers with lots of activities and arcades. I got to be a spectator for a lot of it, like the bumper cars:

 And this crazy shaky arcade game/ride:

 Photo booth:

 Connect Four:

 After the game place, we headed to the outlets because they have really big versions of games that you can check out and play. Unfortunately, there were too many shoppers, so they wouldn't let us check them out. So, we got a treat instead. Michael picked this ginormous marshmallow dipped in candy:

The next day was Michael's birthday, and Lea & Shayne and Nana & Papa came over to help us celebrate, and I was really proud of myself for making his cake. (~4 weeks post surgery). 

 Uncle Shayne set up the candles to look like players on our BYU Field:

This boy amazes us constantly. We don't tell him enough about how proud we are of him and how much we love him. He loves to read, and he's been know to stay up way too late reading. He loves chapter books the best, including The Magic Treehouse books and the I Survived books. He loves learning and soaks everything up like a sponge. He asks very thoughtful questions, so thoughtful that sometimes we forget that he's only 7. He has already figured out a lot of times tables, and not too long after his birthday, he started reading Harry Potter. He's already on book 4. Michael wants to play football in college someday. He enjoys soccer, playing with Legos, and playing on the Wii. One of my favorite things is watching him play with his little brother. I really feel like Michael wanted to be the big brother to these other two, and he's really good at it. He looks out for them and would never let anyone hurt them. He has so much energy and love for life and a stubborn and independent streak that I'm hoping will help him stand strong for the right as he gets older. We're so grateful and honored to be his parents.