Joren is 6!

Joren, our sweet, wild red head is already turning 6! Yesterday we took him and the other boys to the Clackamas aquatic center for his birthday. He loves to swim. He invited one friend named Izzy to come with us. I'm glad I was watching him attentively because at his first chance he took off to the deep end of the wave pool alone. I followed right behind him without him seeing me and when he got really deep and started to look worried I was there. He said, "how did you follow me?" I told him "I'm your mom, I'm always here for you." he put his arms around me and said "I love you more than the universe". We enjoyed the waves for a while and then Eirik drug me to the slides. At the bottom of this huge waterslide Joren saw us come down and of course wanted to go next. We told him sadly that he was not tall enough and we had already scoped it out to see if they would be lenient for a birthday boy and they would not. He started sobbing giant alligator tears and saying that it was the worst birthday ever. That was the low point. Dad saved the day by challenging Joren to squirt him with his new spy ring. Dad dodging streams of water was really funny and soon everyone was busting up laughing. We had sundaes and then let Joren open presents. We spoiled him this year.
We decided that starting presents a day or two early is the way to go. One present every couple of hours for two days makes it feel like a TON of presents and gives him time to enjoy them before getting overwhelemed with all of them at once. We had Ben and Kim and the kids and Grandma Pat and Grandpa John, My dad and Davy and Michael all come over for dinner on Sunday to celebrate.  I loved having Laws AND Aanderuds at our house at the same time! It was tons of fun. Joren wanted tacos and a Skylanders cake (which I bought from Safeway.. yes I am that kind of mom now. My first store bought cake!) He loved it and I learned from my recent Godzilla cake that I could learn a thing or two about decorating!  Paul and I had fun picking out presents for him. We bought him a little fish that is a hex fish so it's like a little robot that swims in the water. So cool! He got a wooden box homemade by Davy and Michael. I bet he will have that forever. It was a great birthday.
I love our crazy, wild child with a nonconformist mind. He's a little fireball.