Ben celebrated his seventh birthday yesterday. At school the fire truck comes a day or two before school is out and soaks the kids with the fire hose. This year it landed on Ben's b-day. So I arrived with birthday treats to find the whole school screaming and having fun in the water. Ben was drenched, and it looked like fun. I wish I had brought my camera. After school we met his uncle Craig (who shares his birthday with Ben) and cousin Andrew at Toads. Ben, Noah, Mark, Craig and Andrew played lazor tag, and had the room all to themselves. The boys played the dads, and they had a great time. Then we did some archade games and a game of mini golf. I think the kids had an awesome time. Ben didn't want to go out to eat, but wanted me to make his favorite meal: salmon, mashed potatoes, broccoli, corn on the cob and home-made rolls. Sounds good, doesn't it? But even though everything was prepped in the morning, we got home later then I planned, and we were still trying to finish cooking the fish when guests arrived for cake. But we rolled with it. The kids had some rolls and broccoli and a little fish before the presents and cake started. Ben has been planning his cake for months now. He wanted a flag with army guys on it. So he helped me frost and decorate it after school.
Ben is such a sweet kid. He has a soft heart, a strong will, and I love him more every day. He's a good brother, and best of friends with Noah and Timmy. He's tough. He's had terrible eczema since he was about one. I had a small patch of it, and could not believe how much it hurt. Ben rarely complains about it. He just deals with it. He always remembers me when he gets a treat, and offers me some. Especially when it's chocolate. It's so fun to see how excited he can get about things. He told me it seemed to take 4,000 years for his birthday to come. Because he explained, "it takes a whole year for it to come again, and that's a long time." He may be timid, but he appreciates all the kind gestures from each of our friends and family. Thank you to all of you who were able to come and wish him a happy birthday, or called to say you remembered. You all helped make his day great!
