Five!!!

Mike and I flew back from Pittsburgh and came home when the kids were in bed, so they didn't see us till the morning that Jason turned 5.  We said goodbye to Grandma...

 She was so great to take care of things while we were away.
She also took Jason shopping for his birthday and let him open his gift first thing in the morning.

It's Autobot, and a favorite for sure.

After Grandma and the other kids left, we got Jason out the door for school.  Here's my handsome 5 year old!

I hadn't gotten him any gifts yet, and I planned to go shopping while he was at school.  I asked him what he wanted, and he told me that it was okay, that grandma had gotten him all that he wanted. 
I thought that it was sweet of him to be happy with just the one big toy, and told him that I'd find something for him too.

He could hardly wait to get home from school and return to his new toy.  He discovered that it could walk and he said "I could watch this thing for hours!"  He really did!

 It was a little before the other kids came home from school when Jason asked if he could open his other gifts.  I asked him what he meant (because he had said that he was fine with what Grandma gave him).  When we got the communications lines open, I discovered that he and Grandma had picked out several toys and put them in the cart.  Then, they went through the pile to pick the absolute favorite, and that's what he came home with.  However, he thought that he'd be getting all the toys that they had looked out, so he was disappointed to find out that it wasn't the case. 
It's a good thing there were other things to distract him from that new sadness.
...Like the cake, for example...

He requested a volcano cake with hot lava.
When I finished everything, he came into the room and looked at it with pure joy and adoration.  Then, he touched a corner and licked the frosting off his finger, and his face fell.  "It's chocolate frosting Mom!  I didn't want chocolate frosting.  Now you're going to have to start all over." 
Disappointing birthday event number two.

It's a good thing Jake saved the day with his gift to Jason.  He likes to play the Disney Infinity game and Jake gave him a new character to play with.

Maybe it was really Jake who wanted the character...

Are you ready for disappointment number 3?  Jason requested homemade pizza for dinner.  It was a full day.  I was in Pittsburgh less than 24 hours before and I had to shop for the gifts, make a cake, and try to squeeze in homemade pizza.  I pulled it off though.  I guess when he said "homemade pizza", he didn't really mean made from scratch.  He meant the grocery store frozen pizza that you can cook at home.  I usually make them when we are in the motorhome because they fit in that freezer.  Anyway, I guess he really likes that kind and wasn't pleased with the kind I had just made from scratch.  Bummer for him, but everyone else loved it.

I talked to Grandma and was able to find all the things that they had taken out of their cart the day before, so at least the rest of the gifts of the evening were the ones he wanted.

...And, as soon as he was able to add some Lego's and Transformers to the cake, he was completely happy with it too...

Happy birthday Jason. 
You are my guy.  You tell me that you love me dozens of times a day and I never get tired of hearing those words come out of your mouth.  Your emotions are extreme.  When you are mad, you are extremely mad, but on the flip side, when you are happy, you are extremely happy, and when you love, you love with all your heart.
 You say the cutest things and I love hanging out with you every day.  You don't creep into the bed at night much anymore, but when you do, we fit together perfectly.  You're the best little snuggler and I really don't mind when I wake up to find you snuggled up close. 
You still want to be a ninja when you grow up, and after a few years of that, you want to be a Sensei.  (Your words, not mine).  You want to live in China, but I'm afraid I'd miss you too much.  So, you are thinking about being a car mechanic instead.
You are left handed, and just the other day, you told me that you thought Jake, from Jake and the Never-land Pirates (cartoon) was a lefty because he holds his sword in his left hand.  I watched for a minute and I think you might be right!
You love preschool and come home happy every day, but you feel a little nervous with each new day and we have to talk you into going. 
You play with Finn nearly every day and I love to see you both use your imagination to make up new games and fun things to do. 
You love all of your siblings.  You're always up for a light saber battle with Jake and Nate, and you love when Allie includes you in her play.  You talk about Sam all the time and are always wishing you could share things with him.  You imagine him as your baby brother though...one of these days you'll discover that he is your big strong older brother who helps you through this life.
You find humor in things that some of the other kids miss, and you love to pick out the funny lines in movies and repeat them to make us all laugh.  You really have a good sense of what is funny. 
Your favorite colors are green and red (and all the colors of the rainbow). 
You still eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich nearly every day.  It has to be cut in four squares (as Grandma had to learn) and dipped in milk.  And it has to be made with my bread.
Other favorites are tomato soup and grilled cheese, meatballs, and pizza. 
You don't like to be startled.
Legos calm you down.
You love to read books each night, and then you just lay your head down and fall asleep.  It's pretty great.
I could go on and on about all the great things about you.  I am so glad that you came into this world 5 years ago.  You add so much to our family.  I love you forever (you still won't let me tell you that I love you more than you love me.  If you tell me that  you love me for 126 days, I can't say 127.  It has to be the same.)  You don't want to win the argument of who loves who the most.  So we'll just agree to love each other the same and you'll just have to love me more than you thought possible because that is how I feel about you Jace Face.   Happy Birthday sweet boy.