It's finally time to kiss my baby boy, goodbye...

I don't know why, but I've just really struggled with Jacob's 5th birthday. It's a big one for us. As a family tradition we only have birthday parties for 1st, 5th, 10th and 16th birthdays. Otherwise it's just cake and ice cream with mom and dad and whatever family members are available. This is good for many reasons. It makes the big birthdays BIG, doesn't teach entitlement to scores of gifts, and when in a large family you aren't having to plan parties every month which is expensive and time consuming.

I loved it when I was growing up. I had no problem only having friend parties every 5-6 years because my mom did such a great job of making them super cool and exciting. I don't really remember my 5th too much other than I think it was a traditional kids party with cake, ice cream, games and church friends. For my 10th I had a slumber party with 10 friends and a treasure hunt that went all around the neighborhood. Even as a kid I recognized that it took a lot of time and talent on her part. For Emily's 10th she and five friends were picked up at school in a limousine and taken out for treats. On my sweet sixteen I was thrown a surprise party with 150 invited guests, a dance floor, and a super cute performer (actually a guy I had a crush on in grade school/very good friends with and had lost touch with) it was AWESOME! These are the kind of birthday memories I would like to give my children.

So this was Jacob's 5th year and it was time for his first big party. It was held at Aunt Emily's house and our good friends, the Michigan crew, and his church class were invited. By the way, I love the MI kids to death and in every way think of them as family. Those girls, Nicole and Kristen, have had to put up with my growing pains, in some ways, more than my sisters. And I just struggled.

Jacob informed Phil and I in California that he would no longer call us "Mommy and Daddy" because he's a big boy now. It's "Mom and Dad" but because I cried about it for two weeks he still call me mommy in the privacy of our own home. The other day we were taking a walk, holding hands, and when he saw some other boys close to his age he dropped my hand and fell behind. The day is here, he starts kindergarten in August, and he's beginning the journey of leaving my nest and I can't stop crying!

This is why I'm so late in posting his birthday photos. I just haven't been able to deal very well. I also promised myself I would write him a letter for his scrapbook and that hasn't happened either, but it's a goal for this week.

So here they are. Pics of a really great birthday. One that included, family, friends, cake, ice cream, presents (Wii & wii accessories, a soccer ball, puzzles, Kung Fu panda, fart putty, and so much more) and even a surprise guest: Grandpa Blake all the way from California!

Goodbye baby bear, Hello son...