Gage's Birthday

        Gage turned 6 this year, and his celebration started out a little earlier than normal.  By earlier, I mean EARLIER...as in 1:00 in the morning.  We were all sleeping soundly in our beds, when we were awoken by a tornado siren.  Brock turned on the news, and sure enough, there was a tornado warning going on in our area, with a tornado fairly close by.  We gathered the kids and spent the next little while looking like this in our closet:

HAHAHA!  Flint cracks me up!  Actually, we looked more like this:

I think the expression on Gage's face really sums up how we were all feeling.  Anyway, we hung out in the closet for awhile, and when the warning was over we all went back to bed for a few more hours until it was really time to celebrate Gage's big day.
        We had a lot of fun things on the docket for the birthday celebration.  He started the day with breakfast in bed, of course, and then we all went to Ag Day at the library.  Brock and his students were there with a really cute presentation about where our food comes from, plus they brought the university's tractor so the kids could sit in it.  There were lots of animals to see and touch, and the kids had a great time seeing everything and spending time with their friends who were there, too.

         When we were done there, we walked over to the town square and had a picnic while we listened to "Toons at Noon."  The performers that day were the cast of the musical "Texas" that plays nightly in the canyon each summer, so the kids had a good time listening, singing, dancing, and playing with their friends.
        After the fun morning, we enjoyed some down time during the afternoon until Daddy got home.  Once he was home, Gage was finally able to open all his presents before we ate dinner and birthday cake and ice cream.  He was very excited about his new toys, and the kids all had a good time checking them out and playing together. 

Flint even got a bite of birthday cake

          A few days later, I took Gage on his birthday date, and he chose (for the 2nd year in a row), to go to Mr. Gatti's.  We had a great time!  

     I am so grateful I get to be Gage's Mom.  He is such a fiery, tender, funny, passionate boy and I LOVE the big personality that is crammed into his young body.  He is so witty and completely honest in what he thinks about life.  There is never any question about what Gage is thinking at any given moment in time.  He is the King of one-liners in our home, and he keeps us laughing with the funny way he looks at life (remember when we saw the lady without any legs and Gage immediately and seriously assumed that, "Probably a shark bit off her legs...or an alligator"?).  He also has one of the sweetest and most loving hearts of anyone I know (remember this experience from last summer?).  Of all my kids, he has always been my biggest snuggler.  He still wants me to lay down and snuggle with him almost every single night, and I am happy to oblige his request.  He always seems to have a twinkle in his eye, and even though he is very strong-willed and stubborn, I am so grateful he is such a fighter.  He will be a great leader, and I love getting to know him and getting to learn from him.  Happy birthday, my sweet boy Gage!

You just never know when you might need a Power Ranger and sword in the middle of the night!