My Buddy is 6!

Bobby was out of town this week (ugh) on a very last-minute, kinda emergency, trip to Yahoo! headquarters in sunny California. He wasn't physically here for Robert's 6th birthday, so I tried to make it a bigger deal than usual.

See, here's the thing about Robert. He doesn't count down the days to his bday and talk about it constantly. Neither does he ask to throw elaborate parties with guest lists and scheduled events. No, this guy is the one who asks (on his birthday), "What's for dinner?" as if he hadn't selected it just two days ago. But, also unlike Alice, Robert has a very specific idea of how the things he does choose need to turn out. And he can be disappointed easily. So, often it's better not to ask his opinion and just do something extra as a pleasant surprise.

So here's how it went:

The night before, I put up all the bday decorations in the dining room, setting the table with his gifts and fresh, homemade cinnamon rolls. When he came into the dining room the next morning, all the other kids and I were there and shouted, "Happy Birthday!" He was pleased...a smile creeped across his face in a sort of embarrassed, but happy, way. He loved the gigantic mylar balloon. Loved the cinnamon rolls. The only way I knew that, however, was the ever-present grin on his face and how much attention he paid to both of those items.

After breakfast, he opened presents in his typical fashion: open one, play with it. Open another, play with it. I can't tell you how much I LOVE that about this boy. Alice was pulling out her hair, begging him to just open all of them at once. He's been very careful with his birthday presents this year...careful not to waste or neglect them...careful to put them away when he's done with them.

He had to go to school as usual, unfortunately, but he put everything away and left as a happy dude.

When he got home, we Skyped with Bobby. It turns out Bobby had contracted some food poisoning the day before, so he wasn't feeling very well. The chat was brief, but Robert had fun. Matthew REALLY had fun seeing Bobby on the computer screen.

After Skyping, we had a dinner of chicken strips, BBQ chips, and raw veggies. Followed by chocolate tapioca pudding. I think RObert chose that last year, too:







To make it special, I had purchased the candles that burn with a colored flame (blue, green, yellow, orange, or red, depending on the candle). We were all impressed. Then the kids threw on PJs and performed this spontaneous dance show with lots of yelling and noise :)  The first minute is my favorite because you get to see Robert at his happy, engaged best. When James assigns him to dance, he does a funky little groove on the spot. You also see a lot of that fingers-on-face action he's famous for. When the song "Window" is over, feel free to stop watching. The remaining 5 minutes of the video can get a little tiresome...lots more shouting, singing, and dancing. Maybe I'll be able to sit through the whole thing in 10 years...




Happy Birthday, Bud!

This post does not come close to capturing all the things I love about you, but here are a few more:

You just can't sit still while reading scriptures. It blows my mind how you can read the words on the page while hopping on and off the couch constantly. Pure genius :) 

You adore younger kids. You get right in their faces and coo at them. You try to lift them up. You bring toys and try to make them laugh.

You ask us about everything and we get to have the coolest conversations. Today alone, we talked about plant defense mechanisms, electrical circuits, feeling the Holy Ghost, and world economics. You share your observations about the world and theorize how and why it's like that.

I love watching you figure out life and who you are. You say you are shy, but I've seen you initiating play with other kids. I've seen you move right up close to adults just to get a better look at something interesting they're doing. You look at people straight in the eye and smile at them. Maybe you're only shy when it comes to words...I'll have to watch a little closer about that...

Anyway, I'm delighted to have had you as part of our family for another year. Happy Birthday!