Ian Snuck In a Birthday

This funny boy was audacious enough to sneak a birthday in on me during the last week of school craziness.  But somehow we still managed to make a cake, buy some presents, and have a wonderful family night at the movies watching Captain America Civil War in 3D (which I saw in small bits and pieces as I entertained Whitlee and Bronson with walks around the movie theater).  Ian is all about anything super heroes right now and thought the movie was awesome especially because it was in 3D, a rare treat for this large family of ours.

After Charlotte designed her own birthday cake, that sealed the deal for Ian, he didn't need to look at Pinterest or Google Images... HE was going to show Charlotte that he was also creative enough to design his own cake.

And he fashioned it after one of his current favorite pastimes; fishing.

He decided to go with a camouflage cake this year, thank you Duff Goldman!

The cake sported a twinkie boat with a Lego fisherman catching Swedish fish with a fishing pole fashioned by Ian, and then topped off with fish confetti.

And to top it all off, Ian found sparkler candles!

After blowing out the candles, the gifts were opened in a hurry so that we could make the movie on time.

Goggles and pool toys from Ashlyn and Tanner

Charlotte gave him a pool float.

Bronson gave him a Ninjago flyer... an interest they both share.

Dad got him loads of fishing gear including his own pole and fishing vest!

He also got a remote control submarine from mom and some sandals from Whitlee.

I wanted to put this picture in here because I was busting it to get everyone some cake and ice cream while Ian opened his presents and because there are never any pictures of me... I am always behind the camera!

Whitlee also enjoyed Ian's fishing gear.

10 Things I Love About Ian

1. He is so funny.  He always cracks us up.  He can lighten any mood and is just a jolly kid.  When school ended everyone in his class signed papers where his classmates said what they liked about each other.  99% of the comments on Ian's paper were about how funny he is.  His teacher even commented about his humor.

2.  He has an amazing sense of confidence.  This kid feels invincible.  Sometimes Zac will throw him a challenge just to see what Ian will say, such as "Ian, do you think you could make an airplane if you had the parts."  And the answer is always a resounding, "Yeah, I bet I could."  This trait is key to him in sports where he feels bold enough to take on anything.

3.  He is a hard worker.  He NEVER complains when we ask him to do chores.  He is often one of the first kids to go pull on some work clothes and head out to the yard to help mom and dad way before he has ever been asked.  He is also a great help to me in the house.

4.  He is a good babysitter and loves kids.  Seriously, I would trust this kid to babysit for anyone.  He is very loving and caring with his younger siblings.  He is always quick to help them get breakfast or lunch, help them get dressed, and playing games with them.  And in turn his siblings love him.  Especially Bronson because Ian lets him sleep in bed with him every night and is always inventing wildly crazy and fun games such as ninja warriors and super heroes.

5.  He is very easy to get along with.  It is incredibly rare for this boy to be in an argument with any of his siblings.  He is just so easy going and always trying hard to please others and play with them.  He also makes friends easily and doesn't lack for friends to play with at recess.  

6.  This kid LOVES sports of any kind.  He is always eager to try any sport and has had a ball playing baseball, basketball, and soccer.  He is looking forward to trying football this fall.  And is taking on soccer for the first time.  Every time I pick him up from practice and ask him how it went, he always answers with an enthusiastic, "Awesome!"  And I love watching him play.  His confidence makes him get right into the thick of things and he has a natural athleticism that is so fun to watch.

7.  This boy is at ease around adults and kids alike.  He has no fear of speaking in public or to adults.  I have so many adults stop me and ask me if I am Ian's mom and then they tell me how much they enjoy and respect him.

8.  He is very smart.  Ian has always done well in school, reading books far above his grade level and testing in the top 85th percentile in reading and math for the whole nation!  But for all his smarts, he is a terrible speller... even so, he worked so hard to study his spelling this last term and was able to get a perfect score on his grades in spelling.

9.  He is a builder and his daddy's right hand man.  Ian loves a building project and creates lists of ideas he would like to build.  He knows where every tool Zac owns is and what it does, which is SO handy when Zac or I can't find a tool... we just have to ask Ian and somehow he always knows where everything is.  I love being able to give him a task like taking off the training wheels of Charlotte's bike and he just jumps into it and does it... no fear for screwing it up and he figures it out.  He just isn't afraid of making mistakes.

10.  He is so obedient and good.  He has a strong desire to make righteous choices.  He does his best at school and at home to follow the rules.  He has a strong desire to become an Eagle Scout, serve a mission, and has an indescribable love for all things BYU a university that he hopes to not only attend but conquer on the basketball court someday.

I can't wait to see where this ambitious, boisterous, and outgoing boy of mine goes in life!

Happy Birthday Buddy!