Happy Birthday Maxwell!

I think what makes Max such a special little boy is that he possesses some of the most Christ-like attributes, just intrinsic to his nature, that many adults (myself included) still struggle to develop. Max is one of the most giving, generous people that I know. I rarely have to remind him to share a toy or a treat with his brothers. In fact, whenever Max gets a treat at preschool or primary, he will often ask for two so that he can give one to Hank. He can't wait to see Hank after school to share with him a brownie that we made or a new toy that we bought at the dollar store. Max is quick to apologize and is very forgiving. If I ever become upset with Max about something, he is always eager to say he is sorry, and he really means it. Max's humility humbles me. Max is very sweet and affectionate. He will tell me randomly throughout the day that he loves me, that I'm "the best mom ever," and give me hugs and kisses. Max has an obedient heart and is a peace-maker. I have to remind myself not to take advantage of Max's good nature and willingness to help by asking more of him than I should, because I know that if I need help with anything or need someone to do something, Max will almost always do what I ask without complaint. Maybe all of these pure traits are what make Max so happy all of the time--he is just a happy person and so pleasant to be around. Max has many talents and traits that will make him successful at whatever he chooses to pursue in his future, but one thing I know for sure, is that Max is going to be great husband/dad material. I love Max to bits and pieces and feel lucky to have such a tender, special little boy in our family.

For Max's big day, we played hooky from school and work and took the boys to the Utah State Fair! I don't want to cast a shadow over what was a really fun day by drawing comparisons, so I'll just say that the Utah State Fair is no Puyallup Fair, and leave it at that. Fortunately, children have the remarkable gift of sometimes not seeing things for what they really are, so I don't think they noticed some of the low-budget aspects of this fair. As far as they were concerned, we visited the animals, we rode the rides, ate way too much junk food, and all in all had a great time!

Very first thing, Max wanted to find the cotton candy stand and get his sugar fix. 

Joey used his chicken nugget as a spoon to scoop mouthfuls of ranch dressing. Then washed it down with big gulps of pop. You only go around once, right?

We bought ride wristbands for Aaron, Hank, and Max so that they could enjoy unlimited rides, but after taking the boys on the first ride, Aaron decided that he'd had it and sat the rides out. Luckily, there were enough kiddie rides that didn't require parental accompaniment, so the boys rode the rides by themselves for several hours while Aaron recovered from the tilt-a-whirl.

Would you believe I carried--CARRIED--Ben up the 9 million stairs to the top of this giant slide so that he could ride down on my lap? I thought I was going to go either pass out or go into labor once I made it to the top, but it was fun to be able to let him experience the thrill of a ride, too.

After the fair, we invited Nana and Papa Grover over for Max's birthday dinner request of pizza, cookie pie (entirely his idea), icecream, and presents.

Birthday Interview with Max:

1. Who is your favorite person in the whole world? "my mom."
2. What is your favorite color? "blue."
3. What television show do you like the best? "Johnny Test."
4. What is your favorite outfit? "a BYU shirt."
5. What is your favorite sport? "Mariners."
6. What song do you like the most? "Nephi."
7. What do you like to eat for breakfast? "Frosted Cheerios."
8. Who is your best friend? "Dad."
9. What would you like to be when you grow up? "an army man."
10. What are you really good at? "baseball."
11. If you could go anywhere on earth, where would it be? "Disneyland!"
12. What would you do if you had $1,000,000.00? "buy two thousand bow and arrows. Real ones."
13. What is your least favorite vegetable? "potatoes and corn."
14. What would you do if you had one wish? "get a truck. No, a monster truck. No, a tank!"
15. What is your favorite drink? "Sprite."
16. What is your favorite treat? "chocolate."
17. Who is your hero? "Dad."
18. What is do you like to do with your friends? "play guns."
19. What what your favorite birthday present? "lights and sounds gun."
20. What makes you so special? "my Dad always says, 'love you, Maxy!'"

Happy Birthday to my favorite Five-Year-Old! I love you Maxwell!