The Night Before Seven...

Brian sat at the kitchen table after dinner tonight to write thank you notes to his friends. As we went down the list, he told me something nice about each of his friends - unprompted.

"Sarah is really good at drawing and I really like her."

"William is fun to play with and Daniel is good at soccer. Mark is funny..."

"I like spending time with Marie. Cassie has a happy face."

"Grace cares about every single person."

"Emily is fun to play with and can be really silly."

And on and on it went.

Brian had such a great birthday party this past weekend!! We had it at our local Bounce U - just like last year. It was Brian's choice and I was thrilled he chose here again! We know the folks there pretty well. After Gavin died, I spent a very pregnant and emotional summer bringing Brian to this Bounce U. He bounced away his energy and grief while I sat on a bench nearby - grateful for the mental break. And the Bounce U team came to my big playground fundraiser - even donating a great raffle basket. They did a great job with Brian's party, as usual. All I had to do was show up with a cake, some decorations and the birthday boy and they took care of the rest! They even took pictures for us!

Brian had nearly his entire class there and everyone had a great time. Here are some photos from the day...

After bouncing, we moved into the party room for cake. I LOVED Brian's cake this year. He said he didn't care how it was decorated so I chose to use this gorgeous picture my friend, Lauren, took of him! Brian's only request was that we save his head for him. Ha!

Right before the lights went out, my shy guy leaned over and said, "Mommy? I'm nervous."

I said, "So am I, buddy! See the kid carrying your cake? What if he trips and your head falls on the floor!?!?!" That got a laugh out of him. Whew! I still got it.

And with that, it was over. His last celebration with friends as a six year old. Tomorrow night we will celebrate as a family.

We are so proud of Brian for so many reasons. He's kind and he's a good friend... he's thoughtful and compassionate... he's funny and laid back... I could go on forever. 

I can't wait to see what year seven has in store for him.