Connor's Birthday!

And now, for our third March birthday....who was actually our first March baby, but anyway...

Connor is SIX!!! Connor's birthday was pretty low-key compared to Grace's, but I think he was happy with it! He's a pretty low-key guy, so it works out. We had discussed a few different things, but in the end, we went with just a normal family party at home. We started the day with German Pancakes for breakfast, and then he went to school and I baked his cake. After he got home we decided to go meet Jeremy for lunch at Chick fil-A, and then that afternoon, he and I played a game of Five Crowns together, looked at pictures of him in our blog book from when he was born, and finished up his cake.

Connor and I had been looking at cake ideas for weeks and he got really into it. In the end he went with this teddy bear cake. I told him I would try my best, but to not get too sad if it didn't look exactly like the picture! (This is the first year I've attempted creative cakes. I've suggested them in the past, but no one has wanted anything but the standard, ahem, boring, cake, until this year). In his sweet way, he always said, "That's fine!" and so I gave it my best shot. Well, it turned out to be much easier than I thought and I think it turned out really well! He and I were both surprised with how well it turned out. He was really happy and asked me to send a picture to his teacher at school. 😀

 (With the help of Pinterest and YouTube tutorials, you TOO can make a cake like this at home!😉)

 Things Connor is into these days....

• Playing with Grace - He loves her so so much and everyone knows it. It's very sweet.
• Reading - His reading has really taken off the last few months and he is loving it! Reading the scriptures has really helped both the boys with their reading. I also love that he likes to read out loud. This is very helpful when he reads to his siblings!
• Sports - Connor loves to do physical things. We just started our spring soccer season and he's excited! He also loves to shoot hoops in our Nerf basketball hoop, ride his bike, do flips on the trampoline, and run around inside and out.
• Imagining/Creating - Connor and Anna play really well together in the afternoons while Eli is still at school. They are often doing some sort of "pretend" play and I love hearing their imaginations go wild! Connor also loves to draw and color, along with Eli. They can sit and be entertained by that for a long time (Anna doesn't usually last as long). He says he wants to be an architect when he grows up! Of course that makes his Uncle Tim pretty happy. 😀
• Humming - Connor has recently started humming constantly. And I really mean constantly. All day long he is humming and it's really cute. I asked him about it the other day, since it's just started over the last few weeks, and he said, "I just always have songs in my head!" I totally get it, buddy.

Connor is also very observant. We used to think he was a space case because he was often staring off in "la-la land", but we've since come to learn that he's always thinking and processing everything. If he's not there with you it's because he's thinking about something you said earlier. He will often bring up things much later that we didn't even know he heard or was paying attention to. He takes it all in!

Connor is a kind and gentle soul. His feelings are very tender and sensitive and he processes things emotionally. This has been good for me to learn because I am not naturally that way. Thanks to Jeremy and Connor, I have had to learn to soften through the years and be more patient and nurturing, which is definitely a good thing to develop! (Still working on it). When I'm better at it, I see how Connor thrives as a happy, loving, and kind boy. He always notices if tensions are high or if someone is stressed or unhappy (he is especially tuned in to Gracie). He is a gift to our family and we are so grateful for our Connor man!

Happy Birthday Connor! We love you!